Retribution

Bloodlight Chronicles #2

by Steve Stanton

In a post-cyberpunk future, Mia and Zakariah Davis risk their lives to secure an activated sample of the life-prolonging “eternal virus” for their son Rix. Afterwards, Mia is murdered in retribution and the family is overcome by grief. Zakariah goes on a quest to contact her spirit in the afterlife while Rix wants revenge, no matter the cost. Niko, the teenage clone of Zakariah’s dead sister, has received the eternal virus and has been captured by vampires who drain her blood nightly for its rejuvenating effects. After Rix helps Niko escape, they team up in a quest to track down Mia’s murderer. An engaging and compelling story, this work of science fiction delves into questions of religion, God, family, and the source of life in our universe.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Steve Stanton writes science fiction novels about the future of the human brain, artificial intelligence, transhumanist immortality, and the mystery of consciousness. His short stories have been published in sixteen countries in a dozen languages, spanning categories from cyberpunk to space opera. A trilogy of novels, The Bloodlight Chronicles, was published by ECW Press in Toronto from 2010 to 2012. His fourth novel, Freenet, is now available in bookstores and libraries!

Reviews

[Alexander Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked the first book you will likely enjoy the second. The plot still barrels along at a good clip, but the author took his foot off the gas a bit to add some metaphysical ramblings. Along with cyberspace adventures we have various forms of grieving ranging from murderous revenge to soul searching new age explorations. Character development takes a bit more of the stage, but the twists and turns of the plot are still the main driver of the novel.

I enjoyed the writing. Vivid descriptions, good cyber-action, spare yet evocative prose.

[K. Counihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retribution is Book 2 in the Bloodlight Chronicles

It is a good idea to read book 1 Reconciliation first as a lot of information on how the story world works is in book 1. I got the 3 books for $1.99 each, so you can check out book 1 to gage your own interest. Generally this is a Cyberpunk type of a book with with the Vampires taking over in book 2. I liked it .

[Krista D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cyberpunk is alive and well, thanks to Steve Stanton’s new series, THE BLOODLIGHT CHRONICLES.

The second book, Retribution, is a testament to the fact that cyberpunk as a genre is not dead, nor is it unattainable for the average reader. The characters acted like people, and acted their age. Adults were adults, teenagers were teenagers. Too often, adults act like spoiled brats and there is none of that in Stanton’s novel. It’s brisk, mature, and masterfully put together.

I loved the character Niko, from her motorbike in the first chapter, to her encounter with the “vampires,” to her relationship with Rix. Poor Rix. God, he made me cringe at the thought of how my sixteen-year-old self treated those computer geeks who flirted with me.

Even though this is second in a series, I had no trouble following the story line. By chapter 4, I went out and purchased the first book, Reconciliation. It isn’t often that I back-pedal in a series, but I needed, not wanted, to know what brought all of these characters to where they were.

If you can understand your sixteen your old talking about the internet and follow a Star Trek episode, I think most people can follow the science of this book. Even if you can’t do either, I recommend reading the first chapter all the same and seeing…the story is so good, you might just opt to accept you won’t understand it all and just keep on going. For me, that’s the beauty of this novel.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't know that this was a sequel to an earlier book when I got it from the First Readers Giveaway at Goodreads, but I quickly realized it. Normally I hate reading series out of sequence, and this book is a good example of why as it references the previous book every four pages. While the world-building and tech seem okay so far (with one exception), the references to the previous story are annoying. If this were truly a stand-alone novel, people wouldn't need reminding of what happened previously. Every. Four. Pages.

Ultimately, I couldn't get into this book where the author seems to be trying to blend alien influences, virtual reality and society, ghost in the machine references, along with the more bio-engineering side of cyberpunk.

[Silly]

I won this book from First Reads. Looks like a good book. Thank you.

[David Caron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This follow-up on a great debut was even better than the first book. As a novelist, Steve Stanton is really coming into his own.

[David]

loved it