Dystopian for some, utopian for others

There’s Texas, and then there’s America. Doesn’t sound dystopian, right? But in Blue Running, THIS Texas has finally seceded, walled itself in, and every citizen over fourteen is required to carry a gun. That still doesn’t sound dystopian as much as prescient, which makes reading Blue Running, by Texan Lori Ann Stephens, a real page-turner.

“We gotta trust in God and the law.”

This book is all about the setting. As Stephens starts the story, everything seems normal enough. We meet Blue (short for Bluebonnet, of course), who’s trying to navigate life at age fourteen. She’s embarrassed by her drunken father, embarrassed by her poverty, and just embarrassed – because fourteen. But readers soon learn that this is not the teenager’s life we know. For one, the kids have an armory at school where they check-in/out their guns each day before boarding their buses home. People aren’t stopped for carrying their guns in public places, they are stopped for not carrying. And anything that comes from America, not Texas – like orange juice, for example – has a heavy import tax so that only the wealthy can afford to have it. Cell phone and internet reach, naturally, are controlled for most Texans, because the leaders know best. Bless their hearts.

“I swallowed down my own stupidity, but it stuck in my throat refusing to dissolve.”

I love the words and phrases Stephens chose that immerse the reader even more in the story and setting. Blue “piddled around” or found herself “screwing up the courage,” and of course ordering a tea at a restaurant means it’s delivered as iced, sweet tea. The description of Blessing, Texas, is familiar with its lay-out that could easily be any small-town, suburban Texas city. Since I listened to the audiobook and didn’t read with my eyes, I don’t know if Stephens uses eye dialect, but narrator Ashley Rose Kaplan uses g-dropping to help convey the Texas accent. That touch, along with Kaplan’s slow, soft, and lyrical draw, perfectly fits with Stephens’s evocative writing.

Stephens doesn’t miss including any of the hot button issues that are plaguing Texas (and beyond) right now. She spins a set of believable, what-if scenarios of how life could be in a terribly wrong, not-so-distant future. Blue Running is a different kind of horror story. It’s especially terrifying for me because I know there are readers that think it’s not dystopian, but utopian Texas.

Reading Blue Running is sometimes super-stressful: the suspense! The danger! But it’s also a massive social commentary on the fine line we are walking right now, and it forces thinking, which may be uncomfortable for some. Stephens wraps up the book with a BANG (literally & figuratively) and in the Epilogue, readers are told what we need to know to be satisfied as we close the cover. But be warned: it also requires us to envision our own ending. There’s that thinking thing again.

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Great read/listen!

Talk about a book that is truly a glimpse of an Orwellian future.

In Blue Running, we meet young Bluebonnet, Blue for short, and the Texas she lives in. This Texas has separated itself from the rest of the nation. Everyone fourteen and older is required to carry a firearm. Blue is fourteen and unhappy with what she sees in her life. It's a coming of age story, if that story included consequences for not having a gun in your pocket. Seemingly everything is controlled. Controlled or too expensive for someone as poor as Blue to own.

Just as Stephens offers the vernacular in her writing to reflect that of a young Texan, the narrator, Ashley Rose Kaplan, does the same in the inflections in her voice. Her narrating style truly brings out the character of Blue and the background of a dystopian Texas.

Stephens' writing reflects much of what is happening right now with Texas politics and the horrifying ordeals we've had to witness over the years - ever increasing with each passing day it seems. Some might see the benefits in the would-be future described in Blue Running, but I see a lesson. I see a would-be horror story with no end. Stephens does a wonderful job in making the reader think and hearing this all narrated adds a special punch to the story. Truly not a story for the weak at heart. Readers should expect suspense and thrills - and inevitable urge to think. Think think think.

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Thrilling Dystopian Novel

The author does a phenomenal job with this novel. The writing style is both captivating and informative. The narrator allows the reader to be transported into the story and feel like they are a part of the action unfolding. Blue Running had me angry, sad, upset, and in tears, as I listened to their lives unfold. I felt such a strong connection to Jet and Blue and enjoyed Blue's genuine curiosity. I was angry at the accusations made towards Blue and felt the girls' loneliness; the author's writing allowed me to be fully immersed in Jet's and Blue's emotions. It is a rare occasion that a book has me so awestruck. Bravo to the author for writing an amazing book and bravo to the narrator for doing such a great job with telling the story.
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in a dystopian thriller novel.

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1 person found this helpful

An action-packed journey

In Blue Running, The Republic of Texas has seceded from America with a wall separating it from America. It enforces gun carrying with appropriate training, starting in high school, as the approved way to approach societal shortcomings. Feeling alone in so many ways, Blue, short for Bluebonnet, at fourteen years old, finds herself trapped. The one friend she discovers during the summer months shows her true colors when school begins. The friend chooses the in-crowd over her summer acquaintance from the perceived wrong side of the tracks. Blue’s friend distances herself during school, causing Blue to feel more isolated and alone. Her father, Dah, works in law enforcement and has been raising Blue since his wife left him. Blue excels at school, keeps house, cooks their meals, and takes the role of first aid when her Dah is injured to save money. She’s learned to avoid Dah when he comes home drunk. Blue holds onto the picture of her mother, which captivates her imagination and allows her to dream.

Blue carries a gun, as do all teens who complete the training but has no desire to use or maintain it. In the Republic, those traveling without their weapon face serious consequences. Blue visits her friend hoping for a reconciliation. Her friend explains things while showing Blue their differences in affluence. Her friend succeeds in local shooting competitions and insists on cleaning Blue’s gun. The unimagined results send Blue on the run for her life when she realizes that trust in God and Republic could be a death sentence, with her station in life the determining factor. Blue runs, hoping to find her mother. Her journey to America becomes filled with experiences that challenge her trust. Along the way, she meets a traveling companion, Jet, and the two of them face the harsh realities of the guilty-until-proven-innocent aspects of this world.

Beginning in Blessing, Texas, Author Lori Stephens paints a picture of the Republic with leadership deciding right versus wrong. The citizens must trust in God and the law. Ms. Stephens does a stellar job of delivering detailed descriptions of people, places, and things which bring readers and listeners into the story. The realistic dialogue makes the characters unique and relatable like frosting on the cake.

Ashley Rose Kaplan provides a flawless performance in the audiobook with maintaining character accents, well-timed pauses and consistent timing.

Fans of the dystopian genre, Texas and audiobook formats will savor this reality shift that, in many ways, covers the reality of Texas today —well done to both the author and narrator.

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Wow.

Not only was this story compelling by from start to finish, this book was also performed beautifully on Audible. I will recommend this book to *all* of my friends.

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Gripping story. Great narration

I’ve often found that the New Adult / Young Adult genre includes some of the most thought-provoking work in contemporary fiction, and Lori Ann Stephens’s latest novel, a dystopian thriller set in a near-future (or alternate reality – the distinction is unclear), frighteningly plausible version of Texas. Blue Running is so well crafted, it’s nearly unputdownable.

In this novel, Blue (Bluebonnet) Andrews, is running away from her hometown of Blessing because an accident with a gun killed her best friend, and even her father the town’s deputy (usually drunk) thinks she did it.

But the version of Texas this young woman must navigate is one that has seceded from the Union. Open-carry of guns isn’t just legal, it’s required, the state has become the very Christian Republic of Texas, replete with a wall to keep Texans in (and “scalers” out), and where undocumented immigrants are shot on sight by the Border Patrol, and death is the typical punishment for abortion. With the entirety of the Republic declared a no-fly zone, trains are the only way to cross the state without having to drive yourself.

Fortunately, Blue runs into Jet, a young Latina woman who is pregnant, and equally desperate to escape into the country beyond the wall: America. Along the way, the two encounter green-bandanna-wearing motorcycle gangs who are more ruthless than the Border Patrol, communities of convenience, including one called The Neighborhood, where they find temporary respite and new challenges, and even some artists who encourage Blue’s drawing talents. They also try to avoid the lethal Texas Rangers.

Both Blue and Jet feel like real young women caught in a horrible situation. Throughout the story they keep parts of themselves hidden from each other, but still aid and support each other. Jet has the better street smarts while Blue is better at blending in. They make a great team, and while it’s never made explicit, it’s likely that they will remain friends – or more – long after the story ends.

Author Stephens has written this book in a way only a native (or long-time resident) of Texas can. You can feel her love for the Lone Star State in the descriptions of the land and people, but you can also sense her dissatisfaction with the current political climate, and how it might expand in a worst-case scenario. This includes reproductive freedom as well as gun laws. Both issues were handled with delicacy, but sensitive readers should be prepared.

My review is based on the audiobook version of this story, which is read by Ashley Rose Kaplan who uses the perfect drawl – just enough Texas in her voice but not so much that her accent becomes a caricature. She changes her accent when Jet is speaking, adding to differentiate the characters, and alters her tone well for other characters, including the various men the young women run into.. It’s a perfect combination of story and narrator, and I felt her voice enhanced the experience of the novel.

Overall, this is a gripping story – part road trip, part flight for life – with a healthy dose of coming-of-age. I would not want to live in the version of Texas depicted in Blue Running, but I will happily read any future novels in this series.

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