The Kill Order

The Kill Order takes place in a dystopian society that is still in the middle of rebuilding after a natural disaster. Most of the past society is gone, and technology symbolizes that lost society in addition to signifying hope for the future. For instance, when a Berg—an airship—appears in the sky above the settlement where the main characters live, it is instantly a symbol of hope to most of the survivors. This Berg is a technological relic that reminds the survivors what life was like before the world was altered by the solar flares and electricity became a thing of memory. In this same way, when Mark and Alec find a workpad on the Berg, this is also a symbol of a time gone by. The programs on the workpad imply it is meant to be both used for work and entertainment, but this kind of device is no longer relevant to most people in post-flare society.

Toward the end of the novel, Mark and Alec find several weapons they call Transvices. These items are also symbolic of the society Mark and Alec once lived in because they are clearly advanced, elite weaponry; Alec confirms the Transvice is an expensive item that most people would not have been able to access.