Read @ Joe’s

Title: Maxine Unleashes Doomsday (2024) Author: Nick Kolakowski Publisher: Final Round Press Book jacket: Maxine is the best of the armed convoys – tough, smart, and unbelievably fast. All she wants is a normal life. But when a bad day on the road leaves her mauled and penniless, she’ll need to embrace her outlaw roots and carry off the biggest heist the post-apocalypse has ever seen. Joe says: Maxine Unleashes Doomsday is a sarcastic, biting read that tempers action and humor into a clever escape from the anxiousness of the outside world. Kolakowski is an outstanding writer who deserves attention.

Tales of a bleak dystopian world are nearly as ubiquitous as reality TV. In fact, some would argue that this little democratic experiment called America is quickly reaching its own terminal velocity and falling into a realm that not too long ago would have been laughable science fiction. So while healthcare and social security are still tangible services, it’s nice to enjoy some rock ‘em-sock ‘em post-apocalyptic prose. Maxine Unleashes Doomsday is a sarcastic, biting read that tempers action and humor into a clever escape from the anxiousness of the outside world.  

Nick Kolakowski introduces the world to Maxine, a poor kid from the poorest side of town somewhere in northwestern New York state. When her mother dies of an overdose, Maxine calls on her uncle, the rural outlaw known as Preacher, for relief. He sends her away to college but instead of learning the underlying system and all William Wallace crafty, she loses her right arm in a college stunt/blatant act of robbery. With no education and, really, no future, Maxine joins a security detail for a shipping company convoy. Perhaps more frantic than delivering pizzas like in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, but Kolakowski jams on that outcast vibe and makes it unique. Maxine learns that life on the open road is full of backstabbing and bullets. And Kolakowski wouldn’t want it any other way.

Kolakowski’s Maxine Unleashes Doomsday is a breeze of a read. She is funny and tough and, often enough, the quickest draw in the room. Kolakowski has fun with her. In a method on par with current day AI capabilities, she adapts, she learns, and, oh yeah, makes plenty of mistakes. Half the fun of Maxine Unleashes Doomsday is witnessing her interact in a rough and tumble environment that is part George Miller, part Brian Keene. Wanting her to succeed. Knowing that she doesn’t have a chance in hell. 

Kolakowski then goes on to mainline Paul Verhoeven and perfectly plays with the concept of using science fiction as a metaphor. Social issues abound and are only-slightly skewed to fit the ravaged earth only a few decades in the future. Healthcare, over-population, AI, and the Republican Party are all fair game to Kolakowski’s pen as he presents a populist’s view of resistance and exaggeration blended with perfectly-timed comedy. He also presents a helluva idea for a viking funeral that I need to add to my will.

While Maxine Unleashes Doomsday might not hit the orbital limits of innovation, Kolakowski is an Apollo 13 level engineer who makes perfect use of the tools around him. Whether in pulp fiction or gonzo sci-fi, Nick Kolakowski is an outstanding writer who deserves attention.