Sequela by Cleland Smith is a speculative fiction novel set in a future in which man has finally been able to eradicate all disease and has built a world in which the common cold is far from common. Dr. Kester Lowe, a brilliant young scientist, has dreams of turning the viruses that people currently wear as fashion statements in their rawest form to something beautiful and more like works of art. Hired by V, one of the leading pharma companies in London, his move is mostly congratulated by his friends and colleagues, all except for Dee who feels he's selling out and plots revenge after she accidentally contracts one of his designer viruses. She's determined to bring down Kester, the company and everything he's ever worked for.

The world Smith builds is complex and interesting, and very different from our own world where viruses are looked at as something that should be treated quickly and hidden away. In this futuristic London, it's seen as something desirable and only those running in the most exclusive circles can hope to catch the right one that could potentially catapult their career. Smith puts a whole new spin on the phrase 'sleeping your way to the top' and she does it in a way that is fascinating, engaging, and well written. Though not for the faint of heart, Sequela (which means the long term effect of a disease) is a totally unique novel and Kester is the perfect, bumbling, scruffy, yet likable character to lead us through such an engrossing world.

Sequela by Cleland Smith is a promiscuous romp into the dark future of gated-city London as fashion hungry people clamor for the latest viral infection in the year 2080. If it sounds like a unique sci-fi premise, it is. Why would normal people want to contract disease through sex and exhibit the symptoms as a status symbol? Because in Smith’s alter world, it is the latest trend. Though there are unanswered questions that the logical reader will raise, the novel is fresh enough to suspend disbelief. Follow Dr. Lowe as he claws up the corporate ladder, screws people and screws them over, and creates some wacky black-ops viruses cloaked by nanotechnology. There is plenty of good versus evil with the church fighting against a morally bankrupt corporate world of greed. Experience the highs and lows of a thrilling tale laced with physical coupling, sexual innuendo and people behaving badly.

Though the tone is somewhat cynical, the idea can be at times slightly humorous. It starts with a bang, as Lowe interviews for a private sector job where the conclusion defies sexual harassment laws. From that point on, it is a wild ride of strange perversion. In 25 chapters, Smith designs a well-crafted fictional world where the flawed characters interact in believable action. The writing style is cogent and easy to read, while the plot moves along with good pace. If you are looking for something different with a fraction of horror genre and can stomach nasty body sores and vomiting, then Sequela by Cleland Smith will surely please.

Sequela by Cleland Smith is a futuristic sci-fi novel of epic proportions. London 2080. Dr Kester Lowe is the focus of the fashion world – the viral fashion world. He creates designer sexually transmitted viruses and, to show her just what he can do, he gives one to Alexis Farrell. The result is a job heading up her viral design team at V, the largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Farrell wants to put Kester on a pedestal but there are those who don’t have the same view. People who are offended at what Kester does, people he has betrayed in the past. Kester is not short of enemies and they are coming to get him, to take him out and put the world back on an even keel.

Sequela is Cleland Smith’s first novel and what a novel! I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, although it isn’t for anyone who might be the slightest bit offended by scenes of sex and use of bad language. Sequela is an amazing story, set in the future, and although it is about designer viruses, you can still draw the parallels with today’s world – the focus is still on celebrities and celebrity fashion, just a different type of fashion! Excellent story, well-crafted and the characters were pretty likeable too. It was difficult to see where it was going at first but, once I got into the story, that was it, I was held fast until the explosive ending. Expect a few twists and turns along the way and a bit of a roller-coaster ride.