What do you think?
Rate this book
The Scorpion Game
ASIN B00D19LB0U moved to the most recent edition here
In 2458, on a continent sized starship with its own atmosphere and an entire civilization churning inside, the poor live in rotting organic cities and the rich live in massive orbital mansions drifting in the clouds. When a hooker plunges from the sixty-sixth floor of an opulent nightclub and a senator is found dead in his room, the police call on Lieutenant Durante Hoskin to solve what swiftly becomes a string of murders of the rich and powerful. Now Hoskin must stop a vicious and brilliant sociopath, who’s executing the elite, erasing their memories and exposing their lives to an angry public, before his society explodes in open class war.
In 2458, on a continent sized starship with its own atmosphere and an entire civilization churning inside, the poor live in rotting organic cities and the rich live in massive orbital mansions drifting in the clouds. When a hooker plunges from the sixty-sixth floor of an opulent nightclub and a senator is found dead in his room, the police call on Lieutenant Durante Hoskin to solve what swiftly becomes a string of murders of the rich and powerful. Now Hoskin must stop a vicious and brilliant sociopath, who’s executing the elite, erasing their memories and exposing their lives to an angry public, before his society explodes in open class war.
310 pages, ebook
First published May 26, 2013
19 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 15, 2014
Edited by Sffaudio friend Marissa Vu. It sounds pretty cool. Sample chapter:
http://meuploads.com/2011/08/30/the-s...
Can some librarian put the cover art in?
Thanks.
Wish the kindle ebook had page numbers.
His blog is interesting. http://meuploads.com/blog/
This kind of reminds me of Jack Kincaid's sf audio drama "Edict Zero" http://edictzero.wordpress.com/ I have to finish listening to that sometime. (He does the intro to the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast.)
FINAL:
All done. Why do things seem to get more familiar as they end? Lots of imagination along the way though. I stopped reading for a while during the villain's childhood. But once I got back in it was downhill from there. They would probably drop that part in a movie version. Some heavy sex and violence. My status updates follow.
02/10 38.0% "Kindle says about 5 hours left. I got past the slow part about the villian's childhood. It's getting fun, like a future cop comic book."
02/13 42.0% "Hmm. Some women aren't going to like that scene."
02/13 44.0% ""Hoskin flashed his bags and a stream of forensics spiders poured out of them, flowing into the air, their backs expanding like tiny parachutes as they drifted down onto the bed.""
02/13 59.0% "It's a murder mystery set in the singularity. I get it now. Or I remembered."
02/14 64.0% "I like this semi-spiritual scene."
02/14 80.0% "Hmm, I don't want Quinlin. I want Hoskin."
02/14 91.0% "I'm definitely getting a Ghost in the Shell vibe from this battle."
June 21, 2013
This book was incredible. It was not just good sci-fi. The author's insights into human nature and creation of a futuristic world are amazing. It is both entertaining and thought provoking. Excellent work!
June 17, 2014
This was a great book. It was an interesting take on the future possibilities and the direction science could go. There were elements that made it possible to relate to the culture and the people.
The villain was particularly well done. The author made it possible to see how evil can grow within a person for years before breaking free and wreaking havoc. Very well written.
Some elements of the government system were eerily familiar as well. The whole novel is really thought provoking and asks important questions about government and inequality.
The villain was particularly well done. The author made it possible to see how evil can grow within a person for years before breaking free and wreaking havoc. Very well written.
Some elements of the government system were eerily familiar as well. The whole novel is really thought provoking and asks important questions about government and inequality.
May 3, 2021
This book is just great. It is really something I usually don't like reading - dark, violent cyberpunk detective. Yet, I couldn't stop reading (which is especially strange, given the fact that I have troubles reading English fiction literature, as English is not my native language, - in a good way). Sometimes I thought "How could he even imagine such a world?!" - a vibrant picture of our future in about 440 years. It's neither utopia nor anti-utopia - it's just something we are moving to. It's one of those books you think about long after finishing them, remembering early pieces and fitting them into the whole picture. Highly recommend. It may be not your book - but you'll understand it after several pages, so just give it a chance.
November 3, 2013
This was a very unique and unusual science fiction work. I thought the science, the suspense and the characters all very interesting. It was easy to suspend my disbelief pages into it...
October 3, 2017
A friend of mine wrote a script, playing out the dynamics of subatomic particles. I told him it was unreadable, but actually I did read it. I just think that no-one else would. He broke a few canonical boundaries, mostly by giving identity to things at a level where strictly speaking there is none.
It was interesting to apply the dynamics of subatomic physics to the way that characters interrelate. My friend was working out some basic issues with inappropriately limited power, especially as it had been deployed against him.
Here, this exceedingly clever fellow, Daniel Jeffries, follows to some almost impossible to imagine extent, what happens if we really do keep going along our current trajectories. This is what an entire section of sci-fi does, isn't it? It's essentially the same script of power and its limits.
By the end Jeffries seems to reduce character to the mother-child relation, and power to some conviction that it's worth making the choice for the good, with eyes willfully open, in the person of a wayward officer of the law. Talk about well hackneyed channels. But I have a way of getting sucked into such narratives, especially when they're on offer for free (viz Noel Hynd).
I came upon the book because I found his essay up on medium.com which laid out the power structures of money, as well as Jeffries' conjecture that bitcoin might ultimately prevail. It was a worthwhile, and made a nice other-than-technobabble explanation about the technology. Not so much liberatarian claptrap as I've seen elsewhere.
I discovered that he had written what sounded like an impossibly clever novel - or budding series of suchlike - detailing what might happen in China when good-souled ordinary coders manage to outsmart, indelibly, the political machinery of power. An actually good use for techno if ever there could be one.
I discovered that Jeffries has dived into Chinese, which turned me more in his direction. Then I found this freebie, branched off from his blog, and thought it would be a way in to his more ambitious omnibus.
So far so good. I seem to have read this in a single gulp, so it moves well. I don't tend to prefer writing which emphasizes worlds more than character, and so some extent he's guilty of that sin. But like my friend, and like lots of good sci-fi authors, he does so toward exploring the essence of character, and so far I give him a pass. He's brilliant enough. He imagines over-tech to some extent few have gotten, and certainly more than I ever could.
Anyhow, I'll let you know what I think after I get into his Jasmine Wars . I look forward to it!
It was interesting to apply the dynamics of subatomic physics to the way that characters interrelate. My friend was working out some basic issues with inappropriately limited power, especially as it had been deployed against him.
Here, this exceedingly clever fellow, Daniel Jeffries, follows to some almost impossible to imagine extent, what happens if we really do keep going along our current trajectories. This is what an entire section of sci-fi does, isn't it? It's essentially the same script of power and its limits.
By the end Jeffries seems to reduce character to the mother-child relation, and power to some conviction that it's worth making the choice for the good, with eyes willfully open, in the person of a wayward officer of the law. Talk about well hackneyed channels. But I have a way of getting sucked into such narratives, especially when they're on offer for free (viz Noel Hynd).
I came upon the book because I found his essay up on medium.com which laid out the power structures of money, as well as Jeffries' conjecture that bitcoin might ultimately prevail. It was a worthwhile, and made a nice other-than-technobabble explanation about the technology. Not so much liberatarian claptrap as I've seen elsewhere.
I discovered that he had written what sounded like an impossibly clever novel - or budding series of suchlike - detailing what might happen in China when good-souled ordinary coders manage to outsmart, indelibly, the political machinery of power. An actually good use for techno if ever there could be one.
I discovered that Jeffries has dived into Chinese, which turned me more in his direction. Then I found this freebie, branched off from his blog, and thought it would be a way in to his more ambitious omnibus.
So far so good. I seem to have read this in a single gulp, so it moves well. I don't tend to prefer writing which emphasizes worlds more than character, and so some extent he's guilty of that sin. But like my friend, and like lots of good sci-fi authors, he does so toward exploring the essence of character, and so far I give him a pass. He's brilliant enough. He imagines over-tech to some extent few have gotten, and certainly more than I ever could.
Anyhow, I'll let you know what I think after I get into his Jasmine Wars . I look forward to it!
December 22, 2017
This book has everything one needs of a compelling sci-fi read - clever plot, well-drawn characters and an interesting universe - so often, authors manage only one or two of the three.
The author doesn't shy away from darkness and horror but most of the book is a classic detective story set in the future. I like that the futuristic aspects are subtly woven into the narrative, not sledge-hammered at you as proof of how clever the author is.
(It sounds like I'm anti sci fi books or authors, and I'm not, it's my favourite genre, but it's also a genre that can be particularly disappointing too).
Shall seek out more of this author's work.
The author doesn't shy away from darkness and horror but most of the book is a classic detective story set in the future. I like that the futuristic aspects are subtly woven into the narrative, not sledge-hammered at you as proof of how clever the author is.
(It sounds like I'm anti sci fi books or authors, and I'm not, it's my favourite genre, but it's also a genre that can be particularly disappointing too).
Shall seek out more of this author's work.
August 10, 2017
I could not read this book. The horrors and disgusting scenes of the "pleasure" house are images I never want to remember. I skipped past most of that to the next section only to find that it began with a little boy who sliced live animals open for fun. This was only the first 5% of the book! No thank you.
January 31, 2019
I didn't think I would like it after a few pages cause the writing was a bit weak. And it felt like it just wanted to shock in its extreme over-sexed descriptions of the future. But then I found myself turning pages and losing track of time and almost missing my train stop. The ending was a bit weak again but overall I was pleasantly surprised.
March 22, 2018
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Thoughtful and interesting futurisms and a fast-paced, compelling story line made this a quick and entertaining read that kept me thinking about technology's impact on identity and sense of self.
Great story!
Thoughtful and interesting futurisms and a fast-paced, compelling story line made this a quick and entertaining read that kept me thinking about technology's impact on identity and sense of self.
Great story!
December 2, 2019
Was given this book a few years ago from a contest. Finally read it. I couldn't get beyond the first 50 pages. Was one of the worst books I have ever read and I will read just about anything. Also, many typos and grammatical errors were distracting.
April 8, 2018
Not really my genre, steampunk. It was OK
July 21, 2020
A by moments fascinating and intriguing story, but with too many baroque elements and overly explicit passages to my taste. A case of overdoing it ...
August 16, 2016
I should first disclose that I received a promotional copy of this novel for review - though I do not feel in any way inclined to change my review as a result. It's quite a decent novel on its own merits, and there are rather a lot of things that I really liked!
Firstly, the technology! I love the v-selves tech: just imagine how quickly and efficiently an intelligent person could tackle an issue when their intellect was multiplied (literally, duplicated in to multiple instances) to address the concept from different angles and approaches. Or, these virtual selves could delve in to many, many situations at the same time, efficiently addressing many things at once. Brilliant! Then, with stimulants that could increase one's focus, how much more amazing might those selves perform? And with a Phyle that does not require one to sleep... you'd have a one man, 24/7 think tank. It has SO much potential.
And that's hardly even the tip of the iceberg. There's also the typical stealth and heads-up display technologies and all of that, but then there are all of the mites and nanites and drones and probes, and the concept of Morphs - also pretty amazing. Cloning is one thing, but to have a singular consciousness inhabit a potentially endless number of bodies... well, just sayin'. Move over, Storm Troopers.
Briefly addressing the writing, world-building, character development, and concept work - I had no significant issues with any of it (sort of - see below... and also, the insanely exaggerated number of stories to every building? in excess of the hundreds? c'mon, dude, what kind of magical engineering are we talking about here?) and rather loved the mobility and freedom of the world. As I stated in my review of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - I was quite impressed by the openness and boundary-less nature of magic and the supernatural. Similarly here, I really like how the possibilities seem endless. Synth manufacturers would apparently have the potential of the most wild, amazing, expensive, powerful 3D printers in the world - able to make food, weapons, armor, water, even your daily toiletries - oh, and with the correct codes and access, Tangle ports can send you absolutely anywhere - this is a world in which anything is possible.
Then again, it's a world plagued by sthe tandard human problems - poverty, unemployment (hugely exacerbated by the high tech nature of the world), civil unrest (caused by tremendous wealth disparity), and so on. And here's where one of my major irritations with this novel, and cyperpunk in general, began: the introduction of sex and misogyny into every damn cyberpunk novel I've ever come across. It even makes a major appearance in quite a lot of short cyberpunk stories. Honestly, I don't care whether a novel has a little sex and some romantic subplots. It's normal, it's human, we all like a little of that in our lives, male writers of nerdy shit do tend to do this with great regularity. No biggie. But! the violence of it in cyberpunk is deeply disturbing. This is what really bothers me. Why does it always have to be the incredibly gratuitous, slasher, gore-porn variety of sex? I get that we're talking semi-dystopian societies, where high tech has gone awry and humankind hasn't matured along with the tech it has harnessed... but boredom and decadence don't necessarily equate to violent torture-porn, k? This seems to be something of a mathematic equation in cyberpunk and it has always really bothered me, here as much as elsewhere.
That, and the objectification of women. Jesus - it's all over the place in this novel. I get the point, really, but in the end, it's just not cool. When are we going to start seeing the type of cyberpunk where women are made equals or betters by the advancement of society and technology? I'd really like to see something different and unexpected here. That would have really impressed me. What a huge missed opportunity.
That being said... this didn't ruin the novel for me, and I rather enjoyed it. Great pacing, pretty decent writing (the language is actually quite good in some passages, but tends towards the generic and stereotypical in others), a minimal number of tropes and cliches (for instance, it seemed that every time a puzzle reared its head, the protagonist would dwell on things and think, "something's not right here" - like I said, every single time... it's just a little tedious and repetitious like that - but I'm assuming this is just a minor miss in the editing, and I didn't let it bother me).
Overall, I liked The Scorpion Game quite a lot and would recommend it to cyberpunk fans. Thanks go to the author for the promotional copy - I'll be looking forward to his next novel!
Firstly, the technology! I love the v-selves tech: just imagine how quickly and efficiently an intelligent person could tackle an issue when their intellect was multiplied (literally, duplicated in to multiple instances) to address the concept from different angles and approaches. Or, these virtual selves could delve in to many, many situations at the same time, efficiently addressing many things at once. Brilliant! Then, with stimulants that could increase one's focus, how much more amazing might those selves perform? And with a Phyle that does not require one to sleep... you'd have a one man, 24/7 think tank. It has SO much potential.
And that's hardly even the tip of the iceberg. There's also the typical stealth and heads-up display technologies and all of that, but then there are all of the mites and nanites and drones and probes, and the concept of Morphs - also pretty amazing. Cloning is one thing, but to have a singular consciousness inhabit a potentially endless number of bodies... well, just sayin'. Move over, Storm Troopers.
Briefly addressing the writing, world-building, character development, and concept work - I had no significant issues with any of it (sort of - see below... and also, the insanely exaggerated number of stories to every building? in excess of the hundreds? c'mon, dude, what kind of magical engineering are we talking about here?) and rather loved the mobility and freedom of the world. As I stated in my review of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - I was quite impressed by the openness and boundary-less nature of magic and the supernatural. Similarly here, I really like how the possibilities seem endless. Synth manufacturers would apparently have the potential of the most wild, amazing, expensive, powerful 3D printers in the world - able to make food, weapons, armor, water, even your daily toiletries - oh, and with the correct codes and access, Tangle ports can send you absolutely anywhere - this is a world in which anything is possible.
Then again, it's a world plagued by sthe tandard human problems - poverty, unemployment (hugely exacerbated by the high tech nature of the world), civil unrest (caused by tremendous wealth disparity), and so on. And here's where one of my major irritations with this novel, and cyperpunk in general, began: the introduction of sex and misogyny into every damn cyberpunk novel I've ever come across. It even makes a major appearance in quite a lot of short cyberpunk stories. Honestly, I don't care whether a novel has a little sex and some romantic subplots. It's normal, it's human, we all like a little of that in our lives, male writers of nerdy shit do tend to do this with great regularity. No biggie. But! the violence of it in cyberpunk is deeply disturbing. This is what really bothers me. Why does it always have to be the incredibly gratuitous, slasher, gore-porn variety of sex? I get that we're talking semi-dystopian societies, where high tech has gone awry and humankind hasn't matured along with the tech it has harnessed... but boredom and decadence don't necessarily equate to violent torture-porn, k? This seems to be something of a mathematic equation in cyberpunk and it has always really bothered me, here as much as elsewhere.
That, and the objectification of women. Jesus - it's all over the place in this novel. I get the point, really, but in the end, it's just not cool. When are we going to start seeing the type of cyberpunk where women are made equals or betters by the advancement of society and technology? I'd really like to see something different and unexpected here. That would have really impressed me. What a huge missed opportunity.
That being said... this didn't ruin the novel for me, and I rather enjoyed it. Great pacing, pretty decent writing (the language is actually quite good in some passages, but tends towards the generic and stereotypical in others), a minimal number of tropes and cliches (for instance, it seemed that every time a puzzle reared its head, the protagonist would dwell on things and think, "something's not right here" - like I said, every single time... it's just a little tedious and repetitious like that - but I'm assuming this is just a minor miss in the editing, and I didn't let it bother me).
Overall, I liked The Scorpion Game quite a lot and would recommend it to cyberpunk fans. Thanks go to the author for the promotional copy - I'll be looking forward to his next novel!
September 28, 2016
Ok so to be clear, I got this e-book for free upon entering a contest. This has in no way affected my opinion or review of this book.
Now that that's clear, Daniel Jeffries has created a distant future world where any possible physical modification is just a simple surgery away, new bodies can be grown for people if they die, drugs are common in everyday use and are in fact often "built-in" to people, cities are built on starships and buildings are grown of living tissue. Despite all of this it's not much different from today. The Scorpion Game is a crime noir story at heart with a gritty hard nosed old fashioned detective who won't give up and doesn't like to use all the modern conveniences unless he has to, a mysterious woman and a nefarious villain bent on bringing everything down all wrapped in a wild cyberpunk skin.
I enjoyed Mr. Jeffries story and I thought his characters were interesting and well written. He does a great job of explaining all the wonders of his future world without boring explanations. His use of context and description makes the weird and imaginative tech he's created just seem normal. His world is complex and filled with many things that one day might be real and many that we should hope never are. It is a far future and alien, yet familiar.
I did feel the ending was a little rushed. Near the end the story began to feel a little choppy, disconnected and like parts were missing. It also seemed like there were a few more spelling and grammatical errors towards the end. I think it was supposed to be generating a feeling of speeding towards the climax, but it all just seemed rushed to me.
Overall as I said enjoyed this book and I feel Daniel Jeffries has done a great job.
Now that that's clear, Daniel Jeffries has created a distant future world where any possible physical modification is just a simple surgery away, new bodies can be grown for people if they die, drugs are common in everyday use and are in fact often "built-in" to people, cities are built on starships and buildings are grown of living tissue. Despite all of this it's not much different from today. The Scorpion Game is a crime noir story at heart with a gritty hard nosed old fashioned detective who won't give up and doesn't like to use all the modern conveniences unless he has to, a mysterious woman and a nefarious villain bent on bringing everything down all wrapped in a wild cyberpunk skin.
I enjoyed Mr. Jeffries story and I thought his characters were interesting and well written. He does a great job of explaining all the wonders of his future world without boring explanations. His use of context and description makes the weird and imaginative tech he's created just seem normal. His world is complex and filled with many things that one day might be real and many that we should hope never are. It is a far future and alien, yet familiar.
I did feel the ending was a little rushed. Near the end the story began to feel a little choppy, disconnected and like parts were missing. It also seemed like there were a few more spelling and grammatical errors towards the end. I think it was supposed to be generating a feeling of speeding towards the climax, but it all just seemed rushed to me.
Overall as I said enjoyed this book and I feel Daniel Jeffries has done a great job.
July 14, 2013
What a ride! This book takes cyberpunk to a whole new level, embracing near-singularity concepts. Jeffries is a master at his craft and this is an excellent debut novel. His tech is exciting, sophisticated and full of organic architecture and nanotech, a thread that is constant throughout the story and one that Jeffries makes consistent and highly plausible. You can totally imagine this future.
Whether you label this a detective mystery or thriller, this is a great read. Hoskins is the detective protagonist, and he and his partner Quinlin make a great pair. Their repartee is witty and entertaining. The plot races forward with one murder after another, set against the backdrop of increasing civil unrest and fascinating characters. There are some graphic scenes of violence, but they are well-placed and Jeffries is definitely not out for cheap thrills.
The plot is masterfully woven, full of drama and tension and you soon find yourself suspecting everyone. When the twist comes, you'll fully appreciate what a ground breaking novel this is. Wow. And I defy anyone to put the book down once it enters the final conflict.
Watch Jeffries. I think he's going to be a force to be reckoned with. If you like Chandler, cyberpunk, Banks then check this out.
Whether you label this a detective mystery or thriller, this is a great read. Hoskins is the detective protagonist, and he and his partner Quinlin make a great pair. Their repartee is witty and entertaining. The plot races forward with one murder after another, set against the backdrop of increasing civil unrest and fascinating characters. There are some graphic scenes of violence, but they are well-placed and Jeffries is definitely not out for cheap thrills.
The plot is masterfully woven, full of drama and tension and you soon find yourself suspecting everyone. When the twist comes, you'll fully appreciate what a ground breaking novel this is. Wow. And I defy anyone to put the book down once it enters the final conflict.
Watch Jeffries. I think he's going to be a force to be reckoned with. If you like Chandler, cyberpunk, Banks then check this out.
September 10, 2016
First serious competition the Neuromancer
Gritty, slimy, thoughtful, deep are all words I can use to describe this book. It was so good that I plan to read it again next summer vacation when I can savor it like a fine wine.
As a long time sci fi and cyberpunk fan (Neromancer came out when I was in high school) this book REALLY scratched that itch I didn't even know I had. I have been ready so much lightweight stuff that this was like a double shot of tequila after drinking water for months. Very heady stuff!
The author had reached out to me and asked if I could read his book and he would give me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. After reading the first chapter I went and bought the book, and then bought a copy for a couple of my friends and sent it to them too. It really is that good. Keep up the good work, you are now on my watchlist for the future.
Gritty, slimy, thoughtful, deep are all words I can use to describe this book. It was so good that I plan to read it again next summer vacation when I can savor it like a fine wine.
As a long time sci fi and cyberpunk fan (Neromancer came out when I was in high school) this book REALLY scratched that itch I didn't even know I had. I have been ready so much lightweight stuff that this was like a double shot of tequila after drinking water for months. Very heady stuff!
The author had reached out to me and asked if I could read his book and he would give me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. After reading the first chapter I went and bought the book, and then bought a copy for a couple of my friends and sent it to them too. It really is that good. Keep up the good work, you are now on my watchlist for the future.
December 7, 2016
Beginning this book is like waking up in the middle of downtown Tokyo - a sudden neon phantasmagoria. After I settled in, though, the far-future noir gripped me and I was hooked. Jeffries makes well-informed extrapolations of some current state-of-the-art technologies that I heartily approve of (vSelves!) as well as a hint of space opera. Fans of Blade Runner and Neuromancer will not be disappointed.
December 31, 2016
Behind a smokescreen of futuristic technology lies a story based on the old tropes. A hardened, cynical detective is called to the murder of a young woman (it's always a woman - in this case, a prostitute, for double misogyny points, I suppose). He can trust no one, even his partner. etc. No strong female roles, lots of explosions. Need I go on?
April 1, 2016
FREAKING AWESOME
Great science fiction melded with good cop story with a few moral lessons. Was so good I nearly read it in one sitting. I was given a free copy in exchange for a review however even though I normally just read free books, I will buy book two.
Great science fiction melded with good cop story with a few moral lessons. Was so good I nearly read it in one sitting. I was given a free copy in exchange for a review however even though I normally just read free books, I will buy book two.
July 14, 2016
This is a really good cop-who done it-action thriller. The world building is pretty tough to get through but it's worth it. The writer way actually lose some readers with all the details of this crazy scifi/fantasy world. But be patient and just keep reading because it's a crazy good ride.
December 24, 2016
Not really a SF guy but like good man hunt ,too much on the killer and morality not my cup of tea
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews