The Pandora Directive

Tex Murphy #2

by Aaron Conners

Project Bluebook was the official government investigation of UFOs that examined the "incident" at Roswell, New Mexico. The official story was that the Roswell crash was a balloon. But the real story is that Project Bluebook became Project Blueprint and helped start WWIII. Tex Murphy has never been good at staying out of trouble . . . and this time he's in for lots of trouble

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Cyberpunk, Crime, Mystery

336 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 1995

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb throwback to the PI noir genre. This is one of my all-time detective favourites. Conners transplants a Marlowe-esque character into a post-WWIII world of norms and mutants in which our main character, Tex Murphy, finds himself pulled into a conspiracy surrounding the existence of an alien spacecraft on Earth, a serial killer, double-crossing women and corrupt government agencies. All of which happens after taking on an apparently straightforward case to find a man by the name of Thomas Malloy for distinguished Gordon Fitzpatrick. It's funny, dramatic, witty and engaging and the characters truly shine; you can hear each distinct voice so clearly in your mind. The mix of laconic wit and all-out sarcasm make Tex a humorous character, yet his sense of honour and loyalty also makes him surprisingly heroic. Conners style makes the story flow superbly, and really is a treat. Highly recommended reading, alongside the other Tex Murphy novel 'Under A Killing Moon'.

[Christian Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The next great Tex Murphy novel by Aaron Conners, and possibly his best story, in my opinion.

As with the previous novel, "Under a Killing Moon," Tex Murphy and the Pandora Directive follows hardboiled detective Tex Murphy through a case of increasing complexity.

Unlike the previous novel, which stuck to its 1930s roots, this one seemed to me to be more Indiana Jones than Sam Spade. Not that there's an issue with that. It's great to see Tex get down and dirty, and character development is certainly something to be desired in a book.

Conners continues with his first-person limited narrative, which does a credit to the character of Tex Murphy. If you're looking for a good story that's part detective novel, part soft apocalyptic sci-fi, and part thriller, this novel is absolutely recommended.

[Max Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming. It has that retrofuturistic appeal of a detective book written in the 90s by the author who is obviously a big fan of old detectives and does not bother to make his world feel futuristic enough. Those stationary vidphones now feel so quaint!

[Eric Brinsfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you played the games in the 90's or today, then you will enjoy this book

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read and a fantastic stroll down memory lane. Very well written with a great story and lots of humour. Wish there was a series of 50 of these!

[Mira · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s something so nostalgic about reading the novelisation of a game you loved. I miss Tex.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the video games, and it was translated well into the book. He's a dogged detective who's not afraid to put in the work, and gets results.

[Courtney Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

'My nose felt like it was wrapping around my face, like a flower turning toward the sun.' 🌸 🌞

This book is based on an interactive movie game my siblings and I used to play years ago (can confirm it still hold ups now). The story follows the game pretty well and is a very easy reading detective/adventure story. I could've happily devoured it in one sitting, but tried to savour it as I love this story /game so much and I just think Tex is such a funny and likeable character. Even though I knew the story line I was still completely wrapped up in it, detective stories/games/TV etc are my jam. 🔎

[Byrdie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this audio book as part of the rear for backing Project Fedora, funding for the latest Tex Murphy game. I never did finish the actual "Pandora Directive" game because, well, I seem to suck at video games. However, I adore Chris Jones's voice - I hear him in my head when I read Harry Dresden novels - and decided to give the audio book a listen

This is the first not-quite professional audio book I've listened to. I don't use that media much, so I wasn't used to hearing pages turning, the occasional outside noise (beeps, tones, somebody knocking), flubs during the reading, unclear changes in character voice, or even exasperated sighs from the reader that have nothing to do with the story. I thought Jones did a fine job, as these were rare oopses, but I do wonder about the post-production work. Then again, given that this was basically a perk I'm pretty stunned by the quality. I'm going to guess they needed to rush at the end and call it even.

The story was entertaining. It didn't have quite the sense of humor as "Under a Killing Moon", but Tex was snide and self-depreciating enough that I felt comfortable reuniting with the Private Eye I know and love.

As to the story. I was surprised by some of the character's fates, pleased with the Rosewell theme, and happy that the puzzle aspects of the game were treated well in fiction. The book actually makes me want to give "The Pandora Directive" another try.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This excellent story is based on the video game of the same name. We are taken into the world of Tex Murphy, an old-school private eye living in San Francisco's future. Written from a first-person perspective, we follow Tex's adventures in what starts as a simple missing person case and continues on to murder, betrayal, conspiracies and cover ups. All this while trying to juggle a relationship with potential girlfriend Chelsea.

There's the comedy you'd expect if you're familiar with the video games, but also a twist - where some parts don't follow exactly the same as the game's story, which helps to keep things fresh and interesting.

[John Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great tribute to the games of the mid 90s. Noir-esque theme played out over a futuristic, dystopian setting. Anyone that played the games would love it, and even if you didn't there is still something for fans of many genres.

[Gustavo Krieger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good book. I think Under a Killing Moon is a better novel, but Pandora Directive has the best characters.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I love the Tex Murphy series and Tex as a character. I liked this book, but I was a bit disappointed in the ending.