Book Review: Drone by Bill Siracusa

You might like this book if you're:
-into kinky hypnosis and mind control
-looking for erotica with thematic depth and a great story
-up for a mysterious thriller with some challenging moral quandaries
-believe in the power of friendship (with benefits)
-want to learn the true meaning of a tactical blowjob

To Summarize:
Drone is a mind-bending, challenging blend of mystery, thriller, and erotica. With a confused protagonist, charming characters, and a mysterious scenario, it's one of my favorite reads of the year.

Full Review:

Drone is the two-part story of 04, a hypnotized husky conditioned to forget his past life and live in blissful servitude to an otter known only as Master. He and his fellow "drones," of which there are over a dozen, live in a compound in the frozen wilderness of Northern Alaska, blissfully ignorant of how they got there and desperately horny for their master and each other. But when 04 begins having panicked episodes and remembering his past, he starts investigating how the compound came to be, who he once was, and who he's now become. What he finds is a surprising subversion of what I expected from a story like this, and I think other readers will react similarly to some very bold choices made by the author here.

An Intriguing Induction
Drone hooks you right from the start, wasting no time establishing its mystery and uncanny tone. The story begins with the indoctrination of a new drone into the hypnotic compound, and this indoctrination does a great job of setting a foundation for the story to take off from. In short, the first few chapters suggest that the group 04 is a part of is similar to a cult, but there are enough disparate elements that it doesn't quite fit into the cult equation. So you start with the uncanny tone of a cult story, but also the urge to solve the mystery of this group's true nature--something that both the reader gets to experience alongside 04. I found that extremely effective in getting me engaged with the story and elevating it from sexy erotica to thrilling page-turner.

The Power of Friendship (with benefits)
If this plot intrigue was what kept me turning pages, the characters kept me coming back to read more. I was initially concerned about keeping track of all these drones. I wasn't sure if I could keep everyone straight based on numbers instead of names. Turns out, the character development and voice is so well written that this wasn't an issue at all. For a bunch of characters known only by their designated numbers, each drone has a surprising depth, charisma, and suggested background. I found myself caring a lot about these guys, especially because they're all so dang friendly. They all have a sort of blissful ignorance to them that's been programmed in by their conditioning, and which is kept alive by the isolated paradise and community they've built for themselves. Anyone who's read my other reviews knows how much I connect with themes of paradise and community, and this story strikes right at the heart of those themes.

Go Deeper Now...Deeper...and Deeper...
And speaking of themes, this book is a deep thematic layer cake. Of course a book about hypnosis, brainwashing, and memory suppression is going to manhandle the theme of consent, and Drone does so expertly. There is a constant question of whether suppressing and/or erasing the drones' past lives is ethical in each of their unique situations. Since the identities of the drones are being constantly remolded, identity arcs also come into play, even exploring whether transforming someone's identity is actually a good thing when it makes them a kinder, happier person and helps them escape from a dreadful past life. Drone handles these questions in a bold way, taking paths that novels of a similar scenario wouldn't dare tread, much less arrive at the same answers. Drone stands out because of this, and it's much of the reason I found the book deserving of such a long review. Only in an indulgent erotic fantasy like this could such themes be explored in ways other books would find unthinkable.

A Sarcastic Amount of Sex
The amount of sex in this book is ludicrous, and I love that about it. The author once posted on Bluesky that the book has a "sarcastic" amount of sex, and I couldn't agree more. The characters get down more often than a gnat in a swarm under a streetlight. Is it shoehorned in at times? Yes. Is it blatantly self-indulgent? Absolutely. But it's also extremely fun. I'm sure even readers who enjoy it will find the sex over the top. Perhaps it will suspend some people's disbelief. But I myself just couldn't help but find the liberal slathering of sex throughout the book charming. Sometimes I love it when authors just decide to throw restraint to the wind and go all in on something indulgent. It's very evident that the author knows what he's doing and is having a lot of fun with it, and that sense of fun is infectious. It also makes the parts where the sex is a functional aspect of the story feel all the more important and fitting. (See tactical blowjob.)

Oh No, He Snapped Out of It!
It's difficult for me, someone who enjoys hypnosis content and appreciates thematic depth in erotica, to find any big issue with this book. I can only think of small, inconsequential issues I have with it, and even those are a bit of a reach. For readers who don't share my kinky and literary interests though? I'd imagine this book is a hard sell. Some readers will take one look at what the book says about consent and identity and entirely nope out. If certain people on Twitter read books like this, they'd probably riot. This book is niche. Readers who aren't familiar enough with kink and erotic escapism, and who don't tend to look past the surface of certain topics, will not enjoy this book, and may even find it akin to a horror story. So keep in mind if you pick up this book that it's certainly not for everyone, and if it's not for you, that's okay. It's a weird and challenging one. I'd honestly be interested in seeing how someone outside the target audience would react to it. I'd imagine it'd be entertaining, at the very least.

3...2...1...Wake up
So, Drone is amazing. At least in my eyes, and I think it will prove the same to anyone who enjoys the thrill of both kink and mystery. Despite seemingly being about a pretty messed up scenario, I found myself longing for a similar sense of belonging and escape from past traumas that the compound provided for the characters. It filled me with warm sentiments for this two-part story, and I can't wait to read the eventual sequels.

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