Alex James's Blog: AlexJamesNovels Blog - Posts Tagged "cyberpunk"

Shadow of a Dead Star is science-fiction cyberpunk, set in a future America called Wonderland, where over-reliance on dark technology fuels society, and sexual and materialistic fantasies are prevalent. Commercial status even determines human rights: the population of Seattle is divided between poverty-ridden Old City, the tumultuous Verge, and the dazzling New City; where lights, advertisements, and simulations overload the senses. I was fully immersed in the opening scenes and the author’s technology of the future was concise and clear. There was no room for ambiguity. After 17%, the writing breaks free from minor rigidity, and then the investigation unfolds with tension.

Federal Agent Walken is the exception, or so he believes; he’s a man of flesh who distrusts the widespread implicit faith in machines. Walken must investigate a case of Princess Dolls, little girls modified into sex toys, a practice that infuriates him. When the Princess Dolls are hijacked, Walken is ordered to investigate dubious sources to trace their location. However, he must work alongside “Civilian” Protection (CivPro) officers: who are unsympathetic and uncooperative because corporate interests masquerade behind most civil and public services. All Walken has is his instincts; and they haven’t let him down yet… I easily sympathised with Walken’s remarkable point-of-view, and liked his tough-guy persona.

Shadow of a Dead Star is a terrifying glimpse into a world where individual independence and initiative has been made obsolete: doors with no handles; administrative workers physically connected to the machines they use; and soldier helmets with view-screens instead of visors. Body “branding” is commonplace. Indeed, faith in machines is absolute to the extent that Walken sees himself alone, apart, and distinct from everybody. For readers worried about the rapid technological invasion in the information age, Shadow of a Dead Star reads like a political statement: cyberpunk realism if you like. Expect a few familiar cyberpunk elements, such as brain-riding (hacking), virtual reality, and an “underground” movement. Many of the main and sub-characters appeared typical of cyberpunk, but with relief the author fast-forwards past all pretence.

The sudden injection of first-person thriller action in the latter half kept me enthralled; it was like a first-person shooter video-game. Don’t expect an average plotline either. Just when you think it’s going to lapse into predictability, it takes a sci-fi/horror twist that is so “out-there” that I was horrified, stunned, and yet fascinated because the conclusion made perfect sense. Shadow of a Dead Star concluded but it didn’t fully end, which is something that will no doubt be cleared up in the sequel. Overall, what an experience! What was life like before this meteor-impact of a novel?

Redeye, sequel to Shadow of a Dead Star, is a cyberpunk novel that speculates on to what extent dependence on machines and automation can have in a worst case scenario, where human bodies are seen only as functions or spare parts in a greater alien (Yathi) system that eludes them.

Bobbi takes centre stage in Redeye, and we see her personal life getting over what happened to partner Tom Walken. When a proficient hacker contacts her with vital information, Bobbi is thrust into a complex web of alien conspiracy, where she will make new well-conceived allies who she is not sure whether to put her trust in. The way Bobbi’s vulnerable, anxious and yet chipper mind worked was fascinating to read and such a contrast to former protagonist Agent Tom Walken’s distrustful and paranoid state. Many of the events in Shadow of a Dead Star were smoothly integrated with Redeye, perhaps painstakingly in the early pages. As soon as Bobbi physically sets out to hack alien sites, the author delivers with outstanding action that fans of classic apocalyptic Philip K Dick science-fiction will love.

Sometimes Bobbi must trust in dubious gifts bestowed by technological god-entities if she is to prevail against the enemy aliens. It is a paroxysm, but maybe an unavoidable one considering the circumstances where hacking and computer code are the basis for alien domination. Redeye shines a real light on how superficial, materialistic, and robotic people appear when they follow trends or adopt technologies they don’t really need, perhaps to show status. ‘The land of meat’ is used to refer to human society as if the computer realm views it with disdain. Ironically, despite all the warnings about digital over-reliance, the main protagonist Bobbi actually prefers the cyber-world of hacking, but is frequently ripped out of it by problems in the ruined world of meat.

Criticism: it took a while to get to the nub of the story; mostly it begins with who Bobbi can trust and this continues well into Redeye. At first I thought the group infiltration into a Yathi base progressed at a snail’s pace, with too many references to past incidents and confrontations with the Yathi in order to understand the current predicament. I see how this was used to add background to what the characters were up against, but I would have preferred present action and confrontation to be the deciding factor in how they unravelled enemy’s complexities. There were many typos, mainly between 25-30%. The author didn’t make clear why the Yathi became as technologically advanced as they were, and the characters’ comprehension of this was at times sketchy. Furthermore, this was the case with the explanations and reasons behind the aliens’ motives and their control of the global communications network. And why do the aliens appear as they do?

Overall, I really liked the balance of speculation, mystery, and action in Redeye. It developed existing ideas much better than Shadow of a Dead Star, fusing classic leader-of-the-underground ideas with an exaggerated balloon of looming ill-will and alien conquest. Every character was interesting, having their histories and characteristics. The thread of strong visual imagination continues in this series, and there is a high likelihood it won’t be too long before I’ll be reading the next.

‘Endless carefree consumption, total comfort, all you can eat, and only at the low, low cost of your human soul and who believed in that anymore.’

In book three of Michael Shean’s dark cyberpunk series, he explores the paths we can take as humanity: to stick with the militaristic war-like foible of the human race or to use the superior technology of the alien Yathi to humanity’s advantage and risk losing a small part of ourselves.

Thomas Walken’s worse fears are realised when he wakes up as one of the Yathi. He doesn’t know his true purpose or what the Mother of Systems has planned for him. Walken must evolve, from a policeman to a spy operative, listening to external intelligence to make considered choices in the greater scheme of things. His new body has the potential to put him on an even keel with his alien enemies, if only he knew how to unlock his capabilities. ‘The magnetic fields around his hands, his arms, the elements that would flash-heat the trapped air into white-hot plasma. His alloy-laced bones, his diamond heart. The poreless white skin beneath his sensory absorptive coating, Nemea invulnerability rendered from flesh impregnated with nanomachines.’

The author keeps the best parts of character Bobbi’s point of view from Redeye (book two) and combines it with Walken’s ego: ‘I’m hoping to kick ass and save the day no matter what you do to me’. Bobbi is much stronger and confident in Gathering Ashes, bringing together a group of hackers and using reclaimed Yathi as assassins. Though I was more excited with Walken’s ‘no shits given’ exchanges with enemies, it was Bobbi’s personality and character that felt more real. The way she thought, acted, and interacted bore uncanny resemblance to somebody who might have lived in the real world.

Criticism: I couldn’t easily fault Gathering Ashes. The quotations marks were presented inconsistently. Author should maybe cut out some similes, which stuck out in the text next to the already excellent pace and tone of the writing. Ch.12 was exceptionally long. When did Tom see Scalli, did I miss that part? There is a gap in my memory there. Regarding the ‘mysterious horseshit’ perpetrated by god-like AI Cagliostro, I wanted more answers than conjecture to explain who he is and whether he really can be trusted. It’s clear more will be answered in the next book, but some things could have been wrapped up better.

The author has adapted his writing, adding brief backstories, more considered settings, and even crossed into the spy genre with infiltration missions, all of which were well balanced, at the correct length and written with superb quality. The story contained some of the most exciting action I’ve read in science fiction with the right level of urgency, a firm grip of technology, and an understanding of cause and effect. I liked the fact that Gathering Ashes was not a rushed third book, and the author took his time to reacquaint the reader with the setting and characters. The flow was perfect. What else can I say except that Gathering Ashes is a well-crafted sequel that I hugely enjoyed? Each book continues to get better.

‘Hope is a vein of gold, faith makes the weakest soul bold, and loving kindness warms those lost in despairing cold.’

Corona-related quotes

‘The Xuan Wu district is under quarantine. Citizens, return to your homes.’ An unseen stealth drone booms its lie as it tries to prevent those infected by the Blood Plague pushing towards a closed-off bridge. ‘A vaccination is ready. Return home and prepare for immuno-psyberware code upload. Please comply or stunning and imprisonment will follow ... Misery goes viral.’

What’s it about?

‘Chaos, let our wills collide, and in the moment between two thoughts decide the dream equilibrium of Dragonland.’

The Moment Between Two Thoughts (TMBTT) is a battle between eco-terrorist group CHAOS and the spaceship New Hope’s psychic authority and guide Gaia, who leads the survivors of the human race to new planet Dragonland, which represents humanity’s last hope after we’ve ruined the planet. ‘Ruined the planet’, you may ask. There is a deadly virus called the Blood Plague, neo Nazis, and governments that pretend to care for the environment as a way of protecting their interests. All the while, it’s spelt out that ordinary people are consumers, too hacked in to the system and reliant on … upgrades, technology, entertainment, and fantasy.

But CHAOS doesn’t want the (privileged?) survivors to survive, ahem, instead wanting them to suffer for their crimes on Earth. Thereafter, we’re introduced to a battle of wills, mostly represented with symbolic good vs evil extravaganza – you’ll have to read it to see how awesome it is – but which is actually occurring in the consciousness of those aboard the ship!

How does TMBTT compare with other science fiction and fantasy?

When I started, I felt it was reminiscent of Neuromancer and Blade Runner. There is certainly that cutting-edge feeling, of high-economy and low morals, but with an ecological twist. The author does this, at first, by taking consumerism to what reads like its natural extreme.

There are many ideas and links he makes, which would be especially interesting for people living in the high-tech society we do live in, of how past belief is similar to present marketing, and the fear of fire in Christian religion may be, through cultural osmosis, the psychic equivalent of hell in the network of devices called ‘psyberware’ that people are connected to – though I didn’t feel I knew exactly what psyberware was. ‘Work hard, party hard, and let your psyberware cook you up something illegal. It’s the only way to survive times like this.’

Conclusion

I was sucked into a world of author Nick Crutchley’s imagination, and when it ended, I felt I’d taken it with me. TMBTT is addictive – the best quality, and not the only one of the author’s writing, having also read Nick Crutchley’s Deadweight. In TMBTT, there was certainly that feeling of having lived through an epic and momentous conflict.

What’s it about?
The first book (?) in the Instant Reality series, Hypercage, had my interest. There was a husband character, Dave, addicted to virtual reality gaming at the cost of his marriage and family. The book coaxed the reader into having a vested interest into whether he would get his marriage and family together or if he’d finally reach Level 50 on his game when all his dreams would come true. Whereas the game offered exciting liberation, his partner was perhaps coming across as uncompromising and mundane, however, at times it’s clear to the reader Dave’s priorities were not his family. From Dave’s point of view, he was doing his best to get ahead to find ways of coping with one reality and making progress in another.

Criticism
I was disappointed we didn’t get to learn more on whether a solution was reached among Dave and his family before other events occurred, and this was likely because it’s a short story, and my rating above was harsher than it would have been as a result. Sometimes I lost sight of where the character was in relation to other objects or situations.

Overall
There were aesthetically pleasing characters in Hypercage, and some novel ideas such as a clinic to help with addiction. They really had everything covered in this world. There was a funny scene at the end of the book, which required more than a touch of imagination and I’d recommend reading through just to get to that part. I definitely had to read ARvekt, book two, to get a grasp on where the author was coming from and for a more fulfilling read – and I was not disappointed!

The main character, Tannis
From the first book in this series to this book, as soon as we’re introduced to new character Tannis, I wasn’t as interested since I felt she hadn’t been introduced properly, but it later became clear she was an action-first–personality-later type of character with a troubled past – and mental state – and that later made sense to me. The prose is a lot to take in – you feel like you’re plugged in – but it’s clear Tannis is a futuristic cop rooting out a group of criminal hackers who hack people’s brains, of all things. She works for some secret department and takes orders from an AI called Ix, a colour shifting entity whose voice changes gender but we remember her best as female.

There is more than meets the eye, as you could have guessed. Is reality real? Is Tannis psychotic or is she being fed lies? Is there really a conspiracy or is it in her head? Why does she keep blacking out? Why does she sense that what she’s seeing just doesn’t make sense? I liked these questions posed as they gave the story more depth, but what really gave it depth were the descriptions, making you feel you’re in a 3D world not dissimilar from the movie Alita or the series Ghost in the Shell.

‘Like a bright roll of silk thrown in the distance. Giant lily pads floated on its surface … thousands of them constantly ascending into the night sky.’

‘The last vestiges of the weapon platform jutting out of the top of the Thames, its rusting form a stark reminder of how close they came to losing that day.’

Ix, the AI
So, there is this AI called Ix that appears benevolent and all knowing at first, perhaps like that model of Alexa you have at home! Not too many chapters in we learn she’s demanding more powers. As soon as the reader knows of this, we suspect we’re up for a power grabbing experience or a conspiracy on a huge scale and the author makes no secret of this. Keep reading, I implore you! It was easy for me to assume how it was going to end …

Criticism
Sometimes I lost sight of where the character was in relation to other objects or situations. Sometimes all the action happened too quickly.

Overall
ARvekt wasn’t too convoluted or derivative as some works in this genre are. You read it having felt like it was unique in its own right, and it does twist the genre in different ways. It felt like a complex multi-coloured video game and to say the story had colour is no understatement: the scenes were vivid and I remember many of them now, a month after reading. ARvekt was a treasured experience and I recommend readers give it that go, which you won’t regret (unless you’re miserable?).