Electric

by Chad Taylor

Sam Usher is a data technician who works in a blacked-out city defined by drugs and dreams. He has come close to death once and would like to try it again. When he meets Candy Strange, he finally gets his chance.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Chad Taylor is the author of the novels Blue Hotel, Departure Lounge, Electric, Shirker, Heaven, Pack of Lies and The Church of John Coltrane. He was awarded the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship and the Auckland University Literary Fellowship. Heaven was made as a feature film and his novels and stories are in translation. He wrote the movie Realiti which was selected for Fantastic Fest. Blue Hotel was a finalist for Best Novel in the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards.

Reviews

[Leah L Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very interesting and different story.
The characters were shrouded in mystery and you truly felt like you were Sam, uncovering things as it progressed.
However, through that I felt a little distant to the plot. It didn't feel like it was going anywhere in particular until the very end, and I was often left confused and having to go back over certain pages to drill it into my head what had occurred.
A great read regardless!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taylor's narrative voice is seductive, pared-down, modern. This is dark, dark noir where the sense of impending catastrophe comes from the narrator's every move. Also, kids, don't do drugs.