By: Erick Langer
What happens when drone warfare, cryptocurrency, and ideological extremism converge in a lawless digital age? In Omniviolence, the gripping new techno-thriller by writing duo Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington—publishing under the name “Jones Worthington”—that question becomes a chilling reality. The result is a ferocious, darkly satirical, and frighteningly plausible exploration of our near future.
Available now, Omniviolence drops readers into a world just a few technological and moral steps beyond our own. The novel centers on Jackson Cross, a teenage freelance assassin navigating a shattered society, executing targets with weaponized drones and accepting payment in cryptocurrency. But when a decentralized “slaysite” lists him for public execution, Jackson is forced to go on the run. His only hope lies in a volatile alliance with Joseph “Bones” Carboni, a veteran hitman whose surprising moral code and lived experience ground the novel’s human moments.
Together, the pair traverse a nation where ideology is enforced at gunpoint, anonymity is currency, and everything—even murder—is crowdsourced. The stakes are personal, political, and deeply existential.
World-Building Rooted in Reality
The book unfolds like a thrilling dystopian fever dream, where reality bends into a chilling yet captivating vision of the future. Rather than getting bogged down in exhaustive research, Jones and Worthington let today’s trends—AI, digital currencies, and social media-fueled extremism—evolve into a terrifying and strikingly possible world. The result is a world that feels dangerously close to the daily headlines we read.
One of the few experiments the authors drew from is the lesser-known but eerily relevant Universe 25—a sociological study by John B. Calhoun. Conducted in the 1960s and ’70s, it involved a mouse population given unlimited resources and no predators. Rather than thrive, the society collapsed amid chaos, infighting, and behavioral breakdown. The idea that abundance can lead to decay, rather than utopia, lies at the core of Omniviolence.
This theme plays out through a range of speculative but distressingly credible scenarios, from drone attacks to digital lynch mobs enforcing ideological purity. In Jones Worthington’s dystopian future, no system has survived the collapse of meaning—only platforms.
Equal Opportunity Offense
One of the book’s impressive feats is its unwavering commitment to neutrality, by way of equal-opportunity provocation. Omniviolence pulls no ideological punches. It’s world skewers the entire spectrum, from violent antifascist mobs to alt-libertarian tech barons, each group a caricature and a cautionary tale.
The tone is bold, unapologetic, and deliberately abrasive. There are moments of gallows humor, sudden pathos, and bursts of unflinching violence. A scene involving an antifascist checkpoint—a surreal mashup of dogma and brutality—was, according to the authors, rewritten multiple times to strike the right balance of shock, irony, and thematic precision. The final version leaves a lasting impression, capturing the horror of a society where moral absolutism has replaced nuance.
A Fusion of Grit and Intellect
The success of Omniviolence hinges on its creators’ unusual chemistry. Stu Jones, a former SWAT officer, brings authentic action and hard-earned insight into violence and authoritarian breakdown mechanics. By training, Gareth Worthington, a marine biologist and endocrinologist, injects intellectual rigor and philosophical weight. Their previous collaborations, including It Takes Death to Reach a Star and Condition Black, demonstrated their ability to merge grit with grace. With Omniviolence, they’ve honed that balance to a razor’s edge.
The writing is tight and fast-paced, but the story lingers because of its ideas. Each explosive set piece is layered with meaning, and every satire-soaked chapter offers a fresh lens through which to view our fractured reality.
Who It’s For
This novel is not for the ideologically rigid or easily offended, but for readers willing to engage with its challenging ideas, it offers a gripping and disturbingly enlightening experience. Jones Worthington describes their ideal reader as “open-minded… someone who wants to be entertained and won’t take the material too seriously, but who is also willing to think critically.”
The novel joins the ranks of contemporary speculative fiction that doesn’t just ask “what if?” but “what now?” Fans of Black Mirror, Neal Stephenson, or Chuck Palahniuk will feel right at home in its edgy, satirical landscape.
Looking Ahead
While no sequel has been confirmed, the authors are open to returning to the world of Omniviolence if the right story takes shape. In the meantime, they’re focused on two new joint projects—continuing their mission to craft stories that challenge the human condition with brains, brawn, and boldness.
Omniviolence is a thrilling ride and a thought-provoking reflection on our current world. While its fictional setting is heightened for dramatic effect, an underlying sense of familiarity makes it feel unsettlingly close to reality. It’s a dystopian vision that, rather than feeling distant, has an eerie relevance — a reminder of what could happen if we’re not careful.
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Published by Stephanie M.