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Ghost of the Neon God
A thrilling, propulsive story of escape as a small-time crook goes on the run across Australia with a stolen secret that will change the world, perfect for fans of William Gibson’s All Tomorrow’s Parties , Richard Morgan and Ghost in the Shell.
Jackson Nguyen is a petty crook living slim on the mean streets of Melbourne. When he crosses paths with a desperate, but wealthy, Chinese dissident, begging for his help, Jack responds in the only natural he steals her shoes.
And yet, despite every effort to mind his own damn business, a wild spiral into the worst kind of trouble begins – Murder, mayhem, fast cars, fast-talking, bent cops, and long straight highways into the terrible beauty of the vast Australian Outback.
In Jack’s world, taking a stand against the ruling class is the shortest path to a shallow grave. But when an Earth-shattering technology falls into his hands, he must do everything he can to stop the wrong people taking it. In a world of pervasive government surveillance and oppressive corporate control, it’s up to a small-time criminal to keep the spark of human rebellion alive.
Jackson Nguyen is a petty crook living slim on the mean streets of Melbourne. When he crosses paths with a desperate, but wealthy, Chinese dissident, begging for his help, Jack responds in the only natural he steals her shoes.
And yet, despite every effort to mind his own damn business, a wild spiral into the worst kind of trouble begins – Murder, mayhem, fast cars, fast-talking, bent cops, and long straight highways into the terrible beauty of the vast Australian Outback.
In Jack’s world, taking a stand against the ruling class is the shortest path to a shallow grave. But when an Earth-shattering technology falls into his hands, he must do everything he can to stop the wrong people taking it. In a world of pervasive government surveillance and oppressive corporate control, it’s up to a small-time criminal to keep the spark of human rebellion alive.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published June 25, 2024
21 people are currently reading
703 people want to read
About the author
T.R. Napper
36 books239 followersT. R. Napper is a multi-award-winning author. His honours include the prestigious Australian Aurealis four times. His short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Grimdark Magazine, and numerous others. Napper received a creative writing doctorate for his thesis: The Dark Century, 1946 - 2046. Noir, Cyberpunk, and Asian Modernity (yes, he is a Doctor of Cyberpunk).
Before turning to writing, T. R. Napper was a diplomat and aid worker, delivering humanitarian programs throughout Southeast Asia for a decade. During this period he was a resident of the Old Quarter in Hanoi for several years, the setting for his acclaimed debut novel, 36 Streets.
These days he has returned to his home country of Australia, where, in addition to his writing, he runs art therapy programs for people with disabilities.
Before turning to writing, T. R. Napper was a diplomat and aid worker, delivering humanitarian programs throughout Southeast Asia for a decade. During this period he was a resident of the Old Quarter in Hanoi for several years, the setting for his acclaimed debut novel, 36 Streets.
These days he has returned to his home country of Australia, where, in addition to his writing, he runs art therapy programs for people with disabilities.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
February 26, 2024
Johnny Mnemonic in the Australian Outback with some Ghost in the Shell ruminations on the future of artificial intelligence. A cracking good read; Tim Napper is one of the best SF writers working today.
June 9, 2024
3.0 Stars
I adore this author's novel, 36 Streets, so I was eager to read another story by this author.
Like their previous work, this one is dark and gritty. The narrative is fast paced and thrilling. Personally, I wish the novella slowed down a touch because I wanted more character development and world building. Instead, this high octane ride was fast and furious. It was an easy pageturner but it felt too surface level to leave much of an impression on me.
That being said, I would still look definitely read more by this author as I see a lot of potential.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
I adore this author's novel, 36 Streets, so I was eager to read another story by this author.
Like their previous work, this one is dark and gritty. The narrative is fast paced and thrilling. Personally, I wish the novella slowed down a touch because I wanted more character development and world building. Instead, this high octane ride was fast and furious. It was an easy pageturner but it felt too surface level to leave much of an impression on me.
That being said, I would still look definitely read more by this author as I see a lot of potential.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
July 29, 2025
Cyberpunk? In Australia? In MELBOURNE?!?!?!?
That was pretty much my excitedly-yelled reaction to the first few pages of Ghost of the Neon God.
It's always a pleasure to see my home city in a Sci-Fi story, even if T.R Napper's version is slightly climate-change blasted and completely dark-future dysfunctional. Actually, those things just make it a better Cyberpunk setting, TBH, and Napper uses it very well.
This novella is classic small-time crim gets caught up in something very big, where the stakes start with petty crime, and soon escalate to world-threatening.
Jackson Nguyen is a low-level criminal in Melbourne, on the edge of society, squatting with a friend in an abandoned building. He gets by on petty theft and his wits, until a chance encounter with a desperate Chinese woman sucks him into something a little bigger than stealing motorcycle parts.
Nguyen soon finds himself on a journey that will take him across the entire Australian continent, with death pursuing him at every dry and dusty turn.
The start of Nguyen's story might already feel familiar. If you've read Napper's short story collection - Neon Leviathan - you'll recognise the beginning of GOTNG. This Novella is an expansion of a story from that collection, so if you've read it recently you can skim the first section to refresh your memory and get you ready for where the story goes next. The original story is a strong one, and I welcome any opportunity to return to the universe of 36 Streets and The Escher Man.
GOTNG is a worthy return to that world, and Napper's protagnoist is a sympathetic character, despite his history. Nguyen isn't superhuman. He isn't a retired assassin or a black-ops guy who can snap five necks before his morning coffee. He's just an ordinary Aussie whose history of run-ins with authority have driven him largely outside of the networked and interlinked future.
Across his Cyberpunk stories Napper's characters pretty much single-handledly keep fictional big tobacco going with their nicotine habits, and Nguyen keeps continues the tradition. He's a one-man fogbank with all the cancer sticks he sucks down, something that is amusingly referred to by another character who points out that a set of new lungs is somewhat out of our hero's pricerange. It all adds to the Cyberpunk vibe, which Napper nails so well.
Overall, this is a great novella. Pacy, action packed, and with a memorable turn of phrase that had me highlighting passages tosteal inspire my own writing, Napper has continued his winning streak here. He has become a go-to author of mine, a writer whose stories are never dull, always home to well-realised kinetic action and with enough big-thinky ideas to elevate them above the cyberpunk norm.
Buy a copy. You won't regret it.
Five fugitive Melbourne street crims out of five.
That was pretty much my excitedly-yelled reaction to the first few pages of Ghost of the Neon God.
It's always a pleasure to see my home city in a Sci-Fi story, even if T.R Napper's version is slightly climate-change blasted and completely dark-future dysfunctional. Actually, those things just make it a better Cyberpunk setting, TBH, and Napper uses it very well.
This novella is classic small-time crim gets caught up in something very big, where the stakes start with petty crime, and soon escalate to world-threatening.
Jackson Nguyen is a low-level criminal in Melbourne, on the edge of society, squatting with a friend in an abandoned building. He gets by on petty theft and his wits, until a chance encounter with a desperate Chinese woman sucks him into something a little bigger than stealing motorcycle parts.
Nguyen soon finds himself on a journey that will take him across the entire Australian continent, with death pursuing him at every dry and dusty turn.
The start of Nguyen's story might already feel familiar. If you've read Napper's short story collection - Neon Leviathan - you'll recognise the beginning of GOTNG. This Novella is an expansion of a story from that collection, so if you've read it recently you can skim the first section to refresh your memory and get you ready for where the story goes next. The original story is a strong one, and I welcome any opportunity to return to the universe of 36 Streets and The Escher Man.
GOTNG is a worthy return to that world, and Napper's protagnoist is a sympathetic character, despite his history. Nguyen isn't superhuman. He isn't a retired assassin or a black-ops guy who can snap five necks before his morning coffee. He's just an ordinary Aussie whose history of run-ins with authority have driven him largely outside of the networked and interlinked future.
Across his Cyberpunk stories Napper's characters pretty much single-handledly keep fictional big tobacco going with their nicotine habits, and Nguyen keeps continues the tradition. He's a one-man fogbank with all the cancer sticks he sucks down, something that is amusingly referred to by another character who points out that a set of new lungs is somewhat out of our hero's pricerange. It all adds to the Cyberpunk vibe, which Napper nails so well.
Overall, this is a great novella. Pacy, action packed, and with a memorable turn of phrase that had me highlighting passages to
Buy a copy. You won't regret it.
Five fugitive Melbourne street crims out of five.
September 9, 2024
This urban cyberpunk novella is action packed! Whether our characters are running from officials, debating with a sentient AI, or sparring with one another; the pace is quick and non-stop in Ghosts of the Neon God. Not only has T. R. Napper given us an amazing title, but he’s also written a story full of philosophical anecdotes regarding surviving, capitalism, and AI technology.
”Small acts of resistance. Heterogeneity in the face of crushing corporate assimilation.”
Napper discusses the issue of sentient AI being built and sold by ruthless corporations only interested in profits. How can we allow someone to be owned, in any way, by an entity that doesn’t care about its well being? The core argument being that an intelligent AI, who is aware of themselves, should have autonomy and the ability to choose its own future (or at least as much as any human gets to).
Whether it’s our street rat, or university student, or even the sentient AI; Napper asks us to consider that we all have the same existence, even if our lives might be drastically different in the middle. Our ending is certainly the same. A new way of viewing existence began to form the more I read and really experienced Napper’s argument alongside our characters
”All life is a dream walking. Death is going home.”
Ghosts of the Neon God is a great addition to the amazing science fiction short story/novella’s that already exist. My rating drop down to four stars is really because I think there was a lot more to be said and done here. I’m overall disappointed that the story felt cut down when it could easily have been a full length novel that really explores what it means to be ‘yourself’. There is a distinct part in which there is a discussion about conscious moving from one ‘body’ to another; and if that makes you still yourself. I’d love to read more of this debate and further past the ending we receive here. Irregardless this is well worth the quick read it is and may leave you wondering about how we are developing AI today.
I’ll leave you with my favourite quote regarding when to panic. I might need to make it my personal mantra to try and quell my own (seemingly constant) anxiety.
”Relaxing or not relaxing will have no impact on the future course of events”
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
”Small acts of resistance. Heterogeneity in the face of crushing corporate assimilation.”
Napper discusses the issue of sentient AI being built and sold by ruthless corporations only interested in profits. How can we allow someone to be owned, in any way, by an entity that doesn’t care about its well being? The core argument being that an intelligent AI, who is aware of themselves, should have autonomy and the ability to choose its own future (or at least as much as any human gets to).
Whether it’s our street rat, or university student, or even the sentient AI; Napper asks us to consider that we all have the same existence, even if our lives might be drastically different in the middle. Our ending is certainly the same. A new way of viewing existence began to form the more I read and really experienced Napper’s argument alongside our characters
”All life is a dream walking. Death is going home.”
Ghosts of the Neon God is a great addition to the amazing science fiction short story/novella’s that already exist. My rating drop down to four stars is really because I think there was a lot more to be said and done here. I’m overall disappointed that the story felt cut down when it could easily have been a full length novel that really explores what it means to be ‘yourself’. There is a distinct part in which there is a discussion about conscious moving from one ‘body’ to another; and if that makes you still yourself. I’d love to read more of this debate and further past the ending we receive here. Irregardless this is well worth the quick read it is and may leave you wondering about how we are developing AI today.
I’ll leave you with my favourite quote regarding when to panic. I might need to make it my personal mantra to try and quell my own (seemingly constant) anxiety.
”Relaxing or not relaxing will have no impact on the future course of events”
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
December 31, 2024
Cyberpunk novella set circa 2100 in the Melbourne, Australia demimonde, and Highway 1 Westbound.
Fugitive Arc
story where a petty thief flees west with a
Slippery MacGuffin
.
Straight road in Western Australia east of Norseman, WA.
My dead pixels version was a moderate 134-pages. A dead tree copy would be 128-pages. It had a UK 2024 copyright.
T. R. Napper is an Australian science fiction author. He has written four novels, and numerous works of short fiction. This was the third book I’ve read by the author. The last being The Escher Man (my review).
This novella was set in the universe of the author’s 36 Streets series. Having read any of the books in that series was not strictly necessary, but would be helpful in quickly appreciating the world building.
I’m a fan of the defunct sci-fi subgenre of Cyberpunk . After reading Napper’s 36 Streets and The Escher Man I threw this, his latest, onto my TBR—near the top. This novella, like those books was a good, effort at resuscitating the genre with a peculiar Australian flavor.
Jackson “Jack” Nguyen was a petty thief in future Melbourne. In a riff on Robbing the Mob Bank , Jack ends-up with an Artifact of Hope (a McGuffin) and flees west by car to Perth, a 3410 km (2,120 miles) drive.
Like 36 Streets and The Escher Man, this story was modern cyberpunk. It’s similar to Richard K. Morgan's or Paolo Bacigalupi's work in the genre.
The prose was not well-groomed. I found several errors, all in Part Three: Oondiri. These included wrong words and grammar errors, all likely due to autocorrect? The Titan Publishing Group used a different editor than on The Escher Man with this one.
Napper’s dialog is always good, with a genuine Australian flavor. I’ve always like his convention for cochlear implant translation of Asian spoken language into the protagonist’s native English on their retinal display. The Australian protagonist’s, and in this story’s characters dialog and inner dialog use their native vernacular. This included the culturally pervasive C*word. Action scenes were as Tarantinoesque as in his previous work. This was also an action-heavy story. However, it was not as overused, as in previous books. In this story, the narrative was more humorous, than in previous ones. In particular Jack’s, deadpan, raillery could be very funny. Descriptive prose was OK.
The protagonist was Jackson “Jack” Nguyen. His was the main POV. Sally Redacre was the other POV.
As a petty thief, Nguyen was hard to like. He’s a young man, who could have been in uni. Instead, he and his mate (Col) exist interstitially in future Melbourne. They spend their time: staying offline dodging the algorithms, squatting for shelter, and avoiding the pervasive surveillance. They get by with his hacking, and stealing and then re-selling small high-value items for traceless credit.
I note that the Col character felt half-done? He was a throwaway. Several of the supporting characters were thrown away after what felt like a lot of development.
The story also included Sally Redacre. She was the daughter of Australian privilege and a uni student. She starts out as Nguyen’s mark, to get him far out-of-town as fast as possible. (She’s got a car.) She’s an intentional Mary Sue . Napper subverts the trope by using her as the foil for the social commentary on the dystopian Australia as they drive west. Not too shortly after they start west, and the pursuit catches up, Nguyen falls under the compulsion of the Dulcinea Effect with her.
The Big Bad was a Multi-Government Conspiracy after Nguyen’s McGuffin.
The story also contained a host of supporting characters with some artful, modern Australian riffs on noir-ish arch-types. There were: cyborged assassins, mercenaries, cobbers, almost all cops were Bad Cops, fences, and AI boffins. Interestingly—there were no Lawyers or Physicians, crooked or otherwise. Napper seems to have an aversion for them?
At its heart, this was a Run or Die story. Unbeknownst to Nguyen the MacGuffin had been planted. This set him up for many attempts at his murder and an eventual Heroic Sacrifice . Strangely, Napper went for an atypical for cyberpunk potential HEA.
There was: “No Sex, Some Drugs, and No Rock’n roll" music, along with some ultraviolence in the story.
Nobody had sex. Although, Jack and Sally eventually took a shine to each other. Intoxicants were used. Futuristic, synthetic drugs were mentioned, but not consumed. Marijuana was consumed. Tobacco was consumed in “packs per day” quantity. Old fashioned alcohol, mostly lager, was consumed in social settings, sometimes in excess. Music was referenced, but without any specifics.
The body count was moderate. The violence was: physical, edged weapons, impact weapons, and small arms, including automatic weapons. There was a Mad Max (1979) -like amount of vehicular mayhem. I suspect this was a trad Western Australian theme? The violence was moderately graphic. Nguyen took a beating, but “kept on ticking”, like the Energizer Bunny™, despite frequent, and serious injury. Redacre was also not spared. She got banged-up in the crashes.
World building was good in its breadth and detail.
Note that the world building in this was the same as found in 36 Streets and The Escher Man. However, I can’t be certain if this story took place: before, after, or in-between either of those books?
Several of the technologies were “sufficiently advanced technologies to be indistinguishable from magic”. For example, “ Brain Uploading ”. Quantum computers were prevalent technology too. Although, most of the tech would be recognizable from today. There were no new, unrecognizable Consumer Products. For example, folks were still lighting, paper rolled, tobacco-filled cigarettes with cigarette lighters. (Pervasive futurism is hard to do.)
A future Melbourne was sketchily covered. It could have been any Anglo-city from the description. This was surprising, considering the depth of description Napper put into Hanoi and Macau in his previous books.
Napper wrote a credible, modern cyberpunk story. The story had good world building for a near-future (?) Australia. In many ways it was better written than either 36 Streets or The Escher Man.
I’m ambivalent about modern cyberpunk. In particular, I’m not a fan of the ultraviolence that appears in it. This story had a modicum of violence in comparison to Napper’s previous books. Those both felt gratuitously violent, to me, to the detriment of the whole. I heaved a sigh of relief there were no sword fights in this story. Still, this would have been a better story, if the violence was still less theatrical.
The scenes involving: politics, technology and human limitations were well done. The story was also gritty, a necessary component in cyberpunk.
The Australian locale and narrative was a refreshing change from the familiar Northern hemisphere Anglo versions found in most, contemporary sf.
This story was also blissfully short, despite having a few, too obvious tropes. Pruning-out scenes, particularly the numerous vehicular crashes, would have tightened-up the story. Napper also did more trope subversion, than in previous stories. However, a more sophisticated use of bait and switch with tropes and a lessor dependence on ultraviolence would have improved the story.
I liked this story. It was good, but it could have been better. I thought this novella was better written than The Escher Man . It was a good piece of narrative craftsmanship. However, Napper needs to tone down and reduce the number of the violent action scenes, and try to subvert every trope to clamber into the upper-tier of this withering genre.
A recommended read for those interested modern cyberpunk with an Australian flavor.
Straight road in Western Australia east of Norseman, WA.
My dead pixels version was a moderate 134-pages. A dead tree copy would be 128-pages. It had a UK 2024 copyright.
T. R. Napper is an Australian science fiction author. He has written four novels, and numerous works of short fiction. This was the third book I’ve read by the author. The last being The Escher Man (my review).
This novella was set in the universe of the author’s 36 Streets series. Having read any of the books in that series was not strictly necessary, but would be helpful in quickly appreciating the world building.
I’m a fan of the defunct sci-fi subgenre of Cyberpunk . After reading Napper’s 36 Streets and The Escher Man I threw this, his latest, onto my TBR—near the top. This novella, like those books was a good, effort at resuscitating the genre with a peculiar Australian flavor.
Jackson “Jack” Nguyen was a petty thief in future Melbourne. In a riff on Robbing the Mob Bank , Jack ends-up with an Artifact of Hope (a McGuffin) and flees west by car to Perth, a 3410 km (2,120 miles) drive.
Like 36 Streets and The Escher Man, this story was modern cyberpunk. It’s similar to Richard K. Morgan's or Paolo Bacigalupi's work in the genre.
The prose was not well-groomed. I found several errors, all in Part Three: Oondiri. These included wrong words and grammar errors, all likely due to autocorrect? The Titan Publishing Group used a different editor than on The Escher Man with this one.
Napper’s dialog is always good, with a genuine Australian flavor. I’ve always like his convention for cochlear implant translation of Asian spoken language into the protagonist’s native English on their retinal display. The Australian protagonist’s, and in this story’s characters dialog and inner dialog use their native vernacular. This included the culturally pervasive C*word. Action scenes were as Tarantinoesque as in his previous work. This was also an action-heavy story. However, it was not as overused, as in previous books. In this story, the narrative was more humorous, than in previous ones. In particular Jack’s, deadpan, raillery could be very funny. Descriptive prose was OK.
The protagonist was Jackson “Jack” Nguyen. His was the main POV. Sally Redacre was the other POV.
As a petty thief, Nguyen was hard to like. He’s a young man, who could have been in uni. Instead, he and his mate (Col) exist interstitially in future Melbourne. They spend their time: staying offline dodging the algorithms, squatting for shelter, and avoiding the pervasive surveillance. They get by with his hacking, and stealing and then re-selling small high-value items for traceless credit.
I note that the Col character felt half-done? He was a throwaway. Several of the supporting characters were thrown away after what felt like a lot of development.
The story also included Sally Redacre. She was the daughter of Australian privilege and a uni student. She starts out as Nguyen’s mark, to get him far out-of-town as fast as possible. (She’s got a car.) She’s an intentional Mary Sue . Napper subverts the trope by using her as the foil for the social commentary on the dystopian Australia as they drive west. Not too shortly after they start west, and the pursuit catches up, Nguyen falls under the compulsion of the Dulcinea Effect with her.
The Big Bad was a Multi-Government Conspiracy after Nguyen’s McGuffin.
The story also contained a host of supporting characters with some artful, modern Australian riffs on noir-ish arch-types. There were: cyborged assassins, mercenaries, cobbers, almost all cops were Bad Cops, fences, and AI boffins. Interestingly—there were no Lawyers or Physicians, crooked or otherwise. Napper seems to have an aversion for them?
At its heart, this was a Run or Die story. Unbeknownst to Nguyen the MacGuffin had been planted. This set him up for many attempts at his murder and an eventual Heroic Sacrifice . Strangely, Napper went for an atypical for cyberpunk potential HEA.
There was: “No Sex, Some Drugs, and No Rock’n roll" music, along with some ultraviolence in the story.
Nobody had sex. Although, Jack and Sally eventually took a shine to each other. Intoxicants were used. Futuristic, synthetic drugs were mentioned, but not consumed. Marijuana was consumed. Tobacco was consumed in “packs per day” quantity. Old fashioned alcohol, mostly lager, was consumed in social settings, sometimes in excess. Music was referenced, but without any specifics.
The body count was moderate. The violence was: physical, edged weapons, impact weapons, and small arms, including automatic weapons. There was a Mad Max (1979) -like amount of vehicular mayhem. I suspect this was a trad Western Australian theme? The violence was moderately graphic. Nguyen took a beating, but “kept on ticking”, like the Energizer Bunny™, despite frequent, and serious injury. Redacre was also not spared. She got banged-up in the crashes.
World building was good in its breadth and detail.
Note that the world building in this was the same as found in 36 Streets and The Escher Man. However, I can’t be certain if this story took place: before, after, or in-between either of those books?
Several of the technologies were “sufficiently advanced technologies to be indistinguishable from magic”. For example, “ Brain Uploading ”. Quantum computers were prevalent technology too. Although, most of the tech would be recognizable from today. There were no new, unrecognizable Consumer Products. For example, folks were still lighting, paper rolled, tobacco-filled cigarettes with cigarette lighters. (Pervasive futurism is hard to do.)
A future Melbourne was sketchily covered. It could have been any Anglo-city from the description. This was surprising, considering the depth of description Napper put into Hanoi and Macau in his previous books.
Napper wrote a credible, modern cyberpunk story. The story had good world building for a near-future (?) Australia. In many ways it was better written than either 36 Streets or The Escher Man.
I’m ambivalent about modern cyberpunk. In particular, I’m not a fan of the ultraviolence that appears in it. This story had a modicum of violence in comparison to Napper’s previous books. Those both felt gratuitously violent, to me, to the detriment of the whole. I heaved a sigh of relief there were no sword fights in this story. Still, this would have been a better story, if the violence was still less theatrical.
The scenes involving: politics, technology and human limitations were well done. The story was also gritty, a necessary component in cyberpunk.
The Australian locale and narrative was a refreshing change from the familiar Northern hemisphere Anglo versions found in most, contemporary sf.
This story was also blissfully short, despite having a few, too obvious tropes. Pruning-out scenes, particularly the numerous vehicular crashes, would have tightened-up the story. Napper also did more trope subversion, than in previous stories. However, a more sophisticated use of bait and switch with tropes and a lessor dependence on ultraviolence would have improved the story.
I liked this story. It was good, but it could have been better. I thought this novella was better written than The Escher Man . It was a good piece of narrative craftsmanship. However, Napper needs to tone down and reduce the number of the violent action scenes, and try to subvert every trope to clamber into the upper-tier of this withering genre.
A recommended read for those interested modern cyberpunk with an Australian flavor.
September 1, 2024
Ghost of the Neon God is a fast-paced, modern near-future philosophical cyberpunk, with incredibly complex characters, outstanding prose, and heavy themes. I can describe this novella in a single word: masterwork.
Starting with the prose, it is succinct yet cinematic. Napper knows exactly which word to put on the page to paint the entire picture of a scene, of a character, or of their feelings—and he does it so expertly it is easy to read. This succinctness works perfectly well for the novella, moving the plot at break-neck speed, while allowing time for character development and the presentation of themes.
Likewise, Napper also uses his prose to convey mood and speed, not shying away from writing in "non standard" ways. I'll have to explain this in spoilers, but it is pure praise.
The characters are nuanced—even those we meet briefly—and often a product of their past, their actions, and their circumstances. The narrative always has time to showcase their past, and how the characters are who they are both because of everything that happened to them, and the choices they continue to make.
To me, this presentation of a character's complexity "showed" (as in show-don't-tell) the theme that is open presented towards the end—a thorough, neat reflection on how we are more than just our memories, more than just our past. There is a covert, between-the-lines parallelism between the characters' doings and life, and the topics that (because of the plot) are also discussed more overtly.
This novella is set in Australia, in (what I guess) are ~50-60 years in the future. Something that enthralled me are the subtle (sometimes, not so subtle) comments on worldwide geopolitics. Even though Ghosts is set in the road between Melbourne and Perth, occupying about ~110 pages, Napper still managed to give us the wider context of this setting, touching on the dynamics of the countries in a way that feels terrifyingly possible.
The future Napper unveils in Ghost is terrifying because of how real it feels. It is grounded on enough current trends (this review is written in 2024) to tease the reader's imagination while forcing us to walk the fine line leading us to imagine society's evolution. Basically, he teases the reader, pulling from what we have grounds to guess it could happen, to push it forward into the core beats of cyberpunk. It is a masterclass on worldbuilding, because it required both an acute understanding of technological trends, but also of the human aspects of society, and the interrelation between both.
This is modern cyberpunk at is finest—and it doesn't shy away from philosophising on identity, individuality, and rights of AI.
Something that I loved about the presentation of themes is how they are woven into the story. Some things are questions left dangling—like ideas foreshadowing underlying concepts. Other themes are completely implied by the setting, and not overtly discussed (such as the geopolitics). Other themes pop up from the page, being explicitly discussed because understanding them is fundamental to grasp the complexity of the problem the characters are faced with.
TL;DR: Overall, this was a fascinating read, and one that deserves to be re-read to analyse and digest. If you like a bit of philosophy in your books, and are keen on sci-fi as the literature of ideas, you've got to read this one.
Starting with the prose, it is succinct yet cinematic. Napper knows exactly which word to put on the page to paint the entire picture of a scene, of a character, or of their feelings—and he does it so expertly it is easy to read. This succinctness works perfectly well for the novella, moving the plot at break-neck speed, while allowing time for character development and the presentation of themes.
Likewise, Napper also uses his prose to convey mood and speed, not shying away from writing in "non standard" ways. I'll have to explain this in spoilers, but it is pure praise.
The characters are nuanced—even those we meet briefly—and often a product of their past, their actions, and their circumstances. The narrative always has time to showcase their past, and how the characters are who they are both because of everything that happened to them, and the choices they continue to make.
To me, this presentation of a character's complexity "showed" (as in show-don't-tell) the theme that is open presented towards the end—a thorough, neat reflection on how we are more than just our memories, more than just our past. There is a covert, between-the-lines parallelism between the characters' doings and life, and the topics that (because of the plot) are also discussed more overtly.
This novella is set in Australia, in (what I guess) are ~50-60 years in the future. Something that enthralled me are the subtle (sometimes, not so subtle) comments on worldwide geopolitics. Even though Ghosts is set in the road between Melbourne and Perth, occupying about ~110 pages, Napper still managed to give us the wider context of this setting, touching on the dynamics of the countries in a way that feels terrifyingly possible.
The future Napper unveils in Ghost is terrifying because of how real it feels. It is grounded on enough current trends (this review is written in 2024) to tease the reader's imagination while forcing us to walk the fine line leading us to imagine society's evolution. Basically, he teases the reader, pulling from what we have grounds to guess it could happen, to push it forward into the core beats of cyberpunk. It is a masterclass on worldbuilding, because it required both an acute understanding of technological trends, but also of the human aspects of society, and the interrelation between both.
This is modern cyberpunk at is finest—and it doesn't shy away from philosophising on identity, individuality, and rights of AI.
Something that I loved about the presentation of themes is how they are woven into the story. Some things are questions left dangling—like ideas foreshadowing underlying concepts. Other themes are completely implied by the setting, and not overtly discussed (such as the geopolitics). Other themes pop up from the page, being explicitly discussed because understanding them is fundamental to grasp the complexity of the problem the characters are faced with.
TL;DR: Overall, this was a fascinating read, and one that deserves to be re-read to analyse and digest. If you like a bit of philosophy in your books, and are keen on sci-fi as the literature of ideas, you've got to read this one.
August 21, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 to Ghost of the Neon God. A neon-soaked, noir novella that packs a razor sharp punch, with solid pacing, oppressive environs, pulse-pounding action and fascinating technology. Napper is unafraid to look deep into the dark heart of humanity’s future, leading the charge of modern cyberpunk.
June 14, 2024
8.5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
When and his friend stumble upon a gorgeous Chinese woman, hysterical and pleading for help, they do the only thing that someone who can’t understand a word of Mandarin would.
They steal her shoes.
Real leather, these—worth a pretty penny to any fence. But undeniable trouble follows in this woman’s wake. Soon Jackson Nguyen is on the run from everyone in a country that doesn’t want him, and is all too willing to give him up. No friends, no idea what’s going on, and nowhere to turn, he sets off across the desolate expanse of the Outback, simply trying to keep his enemies in his rearview and the future laid out ahead of him.
Though by this point Jack should know—no ‘man can ever outrun his past.
—
人生如夢，視死如歸.
All life is a dream walking. Death is going home.
—
An excellent bit of cyberpunkery, this was. I mean, yeah, it was clipped, brutal, and ofttimes bloody, but a good narrative told by an excellent—if morally dubious—MC that always seemed to put his needs above those of anyone else. As such, we really only needed his POV.
A bit short, but I only really questioned its length come the close, when we were confronted with an unnecessary epilogue. Bite-sized it is, then. Just a tale to whet one’s appetite.
I loved the world and regret absolutely none of the time spent in its embrace. The characters were mostly good, too—though everyone fell short of the brutal beauty that was Jackson Nguyen, even Sally, a late—but surprisingly good—entry. The story itself was probably the weakest bit of the whole thing—though very far from bad, by any stretch.
An easy recommendation, despite coming with a $10 price point—steep for something that’s maybe one and a half. Though, with what some other novella publishers have been charging, this is hardly the worst ask.
Note: most of the ebook marketplaces I’ve seen still list this as 400 pages. Be well aware: it ain’t. Maybe 140, but probably a bit short of that even. This is a novella; over too quickly, but primed for a reread in short order.
TL;DR
An entertaining, evocative tale set in a near-future Australia, following a petty criminal suddenly in over his head, Ghost of a Neon God is ofttimes brutal and bloody, but all in all a great bit of cyberpunking in bite-sized form. Sure, it really should’ve ended a bit earlier, but one takes the good with the bad, and this misstep really isn’t enough to detract from the efficient beauty of the tale. Short of it is: I loved it and can’t wait to devour more of the author’s work. One novel in the bank and one more coming out later in the year, if you like cyberpunk as a genre, this is someone you really need to try.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
When and his friend stumble upon a gorgeous Chinese woman, hysterical and pleading for help, they do the only thing that someone who can’t understand a word of Mandarin would.
They steal her shoes.
Real leather, these—worth a pretty penny to any fence. But undeniable trouble follows in this woman’s wake. Soon Jackson Nguyen is on the run from everyone in a country that doesn’t want him, and is all too willing to give him up. No friends, no idea what’s going on, and nowhere to turn, he sets off across the desolate expanse of the Outback, simply trying to keep his enemies in his rearview and the future laid out ahead of him.
Though by this point Jack should know—no ‘man can ever outrun his past.
—
人生如夢，視死如歸.
All life is a dream walking. Death is going home.
—
An excellent bit of cyberpunkery, this was. I mean, yeah, it was clipped, brutal, and ofttimes bloody, but a good narrative told by an excellent—if morally dubious—MC that always seemed to put his needs above those of anyone else. As such, we really only needed his POV.
A bit short, but I only really questioned its length come the close, when we were confronted with an unnecessary epilogue. Bite-sized it is, then. Just a tale to whet one’s appetite.
I loved the world and regret absolutely none of the time spent in its embrace. The characters were mostly good, too—though everyone fell short of the brutal beauty that was Jackson Nguyen, even Sally, a late—but surprisingly good—entry. The story itself was probably the weakest bit of the whole thing—though very far from bad, by any stretch.
An easy recommendation, despite coming with a $10 price point—steep for something that’s maybe one and a half. Though, with what some other novella publishers have been charging, this is hardly the worst ask.
Note: most of the ebook marketplaces I’ve seen still list this as 400 pages. Be well aware: it ain’t. Maybe 140, but probably a bit short of that even. This is a novella; over too quickly, but primed for a reread in short order.
TL;DR
An entertaining, evocative tale set in a near-future Australia, following a petty criminal suddenly in over his head, Ghost of a Neon God is ofttimes brutal and bloody, but all in all a great bit of cyberpunking in bite-sized form. Sure, it really should’ve ended a bit earlier, but one takes the good with the bad, and this misstep really isn’t enough to detract from the efficient beauty of the tale. Short of it is: I loved it and can’t wait to devour more of the author’s work. One novel in the bank and one more coming out later in the year, if you like cyberpunk as a genre, this is someone you really need to try.
June 17, 2024
A philosophical cyberpunk thriller set in the near-future desolated world of urban and rural Australia, T.R. Napper meditates on the nature of human interaction, artificial intelligence, classism, and personal responsibility.
I devoured this novella in one sitting, as the story began and stayed in a high gear throughout. Even conversations about politics, society, and history felt like they hummed along at a breakneck pace while the circumstances kept worsening for our main characters.
Good science fiction and cyberpunk feel like their future is not only plausible but imminent. The sense of realism added an extra layer of queasiness to the horrors of the events, and it feels like only a matter of time before we fall into the same trappings.
Ghost of the Neon God is as entertaining as it is prescient. Napper has a gift for presenting a dearth of exciting ideas in very few pages, this novella is no different. Recommended.
I devoured this novella in one sitting, as the story began and stayed in a high gear throughout. Even conversations about politics, society, and history felt like they hummed along at a breakneck pace while the circumstances kept worsening for our main characters.
Good science fiction and cyberpunk feel like their future is not only plausible but imminent. The sense of realism added an extra layer of queasiness to the horrors of the events, and it feels like only a matter of time before we fall into the same trappings.
Ghost of the Neon God is as entertaining as it is prescient. Napper has a gift for presenting a dearth of exciting ideas in very few pages, this novella is no different. Recommended.
July 20, 2024
3.75 stars. Solid novella that is fast-paced and explores the realm of artificial intelligence in a somewhat interesting way. However, this book, for me, is the perfect example of a book that should have been a full length novel. There was so much to explore and I can’t help but feel like I was cheated out of this… especially given the themes are complex and layered and require time and attention.
That’s not to say it was bad. It wasn’t. It’s a fun, action-packed ride. I just personally think this should have been fleshed out more, especially as the author is able to do that as he’s done in his previous book.
I will share some more thoughts on this when I do a review on my channel.
That’s not to say it was bad. It wasn’t. It’s a fun, action-packed ride. I just personally think this should have been fleshed out more, especially as the author is able to do that as he’s done in his previous book.
I will share some more thoughts on this when I do a review on my channel.
July 24, 2024
A street punk, Jackson Nguyen, unknowingly comes into possession of advanced technology that could change the world, and now he's on the run from shadowy forces intent on killing him and reclaiming the tech. It's a simple enough premise, but in T.R. Napper's hands, this story sizzles from beginning to end.
Ghost of the Neon God pulls the reader into Jack's sordid world, where the disaffected and forgotten survive any way they can. Ripped from his comfortable urban squalor, Jack is forced to flee into the starkly beautiful, but lethal, Australian Outback in a doomed attempt to outrun the agents of the faceless bureaucracies that have targeted him. He tricks an upper-class young woman into helping him, and although neither can understand the world that the other one comes from, they begin to find certain fundamentally human traits that they share in common, especially when they share an encounter with an AI.
Like all Napper's work, Ghost of the Neon God is a superbly written adventure thriller that fuses exciting action with intelligent and thoughtful speculation. This is what the best cyberpunk is all about: a crisp, action-packed story with no wasted words or space, but a story that makes the reader think hard about where the world is headed, and whether that's where humanity really wants to go.
Ghost of the Neon God pulls the reader into Jack's sordid world, where the disaffected and forgotten survive any way they can. Ripped from his comfortable urban squalor, Jack is forced to flee into the starkly beautiful, but lethal, Australian Outback in a doomed attempt to outrun the agents of the faceless bureaucracies that have targeted him. He tricks an upper-class young woman into helping him, and although neither can understand the world that the other one comes from, they begin to find certain fundamentally human traits that they share in common, especially when they share an encounter with an AI.
Like all Napper's work, Ghost of the Neon God is a superbly written adventure thriller that fuses exciting action with intelligent and thoughtful speculation. This is what the best cyberpunk is all about: a crisp, action-packed story with no wasted words or space, but a story that makes the reader think hard about where the world is headed, and whether that's where humanity really wants to go.
June 29, 2024
T. R. Napper’s stories continue to feel like they were written specifically for me. The world he has built in his stories is rich and familiar, hard in a way that makes his characters real and soft in a way to make you care. Enough of the old cyberpunk to have edge, but aping none of it.
September 16, 2024
This is the third novel I have read by Napper and I have to say it may be my favourite to date. First of all, I adore cyberpunk style novels. If you are looking for a world that will give you Blade Runner, William Gibson or Ghost in the Shell vibes look no further. Best of all as well as a wonderful cyberpunk setting with a tightly woven plot with engaging characters. To put this into perspective and without spoilers, if I can manage that, I was invested in three characters that only seemingly appeared in the first 5% to 20% of the novella.
Napper is brilliant at creating well rounded, believable characters even if they are the bad guys. This pairs perfectly with his ability to create tightly woven thrillers and vividly depicted worlds. While the basis of the novel is a futurist Australia as someone who has never visited the country I could easily imagine the landscapes and cityscapes. If you are fan of furtistic thrillers which pose questions about where society could be headed this is for you!
Napper is brilliant at creating well rounded, believable characters even if they are the bad guys. This pairs perfectly with his ability to create tightly woven thrillers and vividly depicted worlds. While the basis of the novel is a futurist Australia as someone who has never visited the country I could easily imagine the landscapes and cityscapes. If you are fan of furtistic thrillers which pose questions about where society could be headed this is for you!
February 9, 2025
È incredibile che questa sia solo una novella!!!
Napper qua da un lavoro incredibile, partendo da un idea ultimamente piuttosto comune, quella delle AI senzienti, sviluppando però una storia fresca, adrenalinica, imprevedibile e talmente densa da sembrare un romanzo!
Ambientato nello stesso mondo degli altri suoi libri, questa volta ci porta nell'Australia del futuro, nazione rimasta ai bordi delle super potenze tecnologiche come Cina e India, più selvaggia e naturale, ma molto molto affascinante nella sua versione cyberpunk..
Per stile, trama, profondità nel creare personaggi così reali, uso della tecnologia e per genialità, diamo onore a Napper che ha di nuovo reso grande il cyberpunk!!!!
Napper qua da un lavoro incredibile, partendo da un idea ultimamente piuttosto comune, quella delle AI senzienti, sviluppando però una storia fresca, adrenalinica, imprevedibile e talmente densa da sembrare un romanzo!
Ambientato nello stesso mondo degli altri suoi libri, questa volta ci porta nell'Australia del futuro, nazione rimasta ai bordi delle super potenze tecnologiche come Cina e India, più selvaggia e naturale, ma molto molto affascinante nella sua versione cyberpunk..
Per stile, trama, profondità nel creare personaggi così reali, uso della tecnologia e per genialità, diamo onore a Napper che ha di nuovo reso grande il cyberpunk!!!!
November 26, 2024
Despite being a short book, it took me a bit to get into the story and actually understand what was happening.
The author switches between at least 5 different characters and gives us no information. It wasn’t until we focused on 2 characters that the storyline came into focus and the world was better explained.
Once I understood what was going on, I was sucked in and couldn’t put it down. I am a sucker for dystopian stories and this one didn’t disappoint. It made interesting commentary on the world and the integration of AI that I think English teachers would love this book.
Overall a good read and being so short I didn’t know what was going to happen next. The ending was ambiguous but it felt right for the plot.
The author switches between at least 5 different characters and gives us no information. It wasn’t until we focused on 2 characters that the storyline came into focus and the world was better explained.
Once I understood what was going on, I was sucked in and couldn’t put it down. I am a sucker for dystopian stories and this one didn’t disappoint. It made interesting commentary on the world and the integration of AI that I think English teachers would love this book.
Overall a good read and being so short I didn’t know what was going to happen next. The ending was ambiguous but it felt right for the plot.
July 9, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed it and it was great to see the event I originally read in Neon Leviathan play out
June 2, 2024
Napper delivers again. Ghost of the Neon God is a speculative, dystopian, treat - Cyberpunk that's relevant, gritty and relatable.
The writing is tight. Napper's prose is superb. His visual discriptions are brilliantly conveyed, as if you're viewing through the characters optic nerve.
The story is great and delivers some thought-provoking and philosophical ideas and questions on AI.
Thematically strong, with story provides commentary on society, war, poverty, and crime.
The characters feel real, with real-world problems. Jackson is a fun anti-hero and really helps drive the narrative.
My only quibble is I felt it petered out a little bit toward the end, but overall I really enjoyed it.
Napper is definitely one of my new favourite authors, with a voice and style that stands out from the crowd. If you enjoy sci-fi with a cerebral edge, packed with action and real characters, then look no further.
I would say that this novella serves as the perfect entry point to discovering T. R. Napper for the first time.
I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley.
The writing is tight. Napper's prose is superb. His visual discriptions are brilliantly conveyed, as if you're viewing through the characters optic nerve.
The story is great and delivers some thought-provoking and philosophical ideas and questions on AI.
Thematically strong, with story provides commentary on society, war, poverty, and crime.
The characters feel real, with real-world problems. Jackson is a fun anti-hero and really helps drive the narrative.
My only quibble is I felt it petered out a little bit toward the end, but overall I really enjoyed it.
Napper is definitely one of my new favourite authors, with a voice and style that stands out from the crowd. If you enjoy sci-fi with a cerebral edge, packed with action and real characters, then look no further.
I would say that this novella serves as the perfect entry point to discovering T. R. Napper for the first time.
I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley.
November 13, 2024
This is a cyberpunk adventure, that is road trip in the outback of Australia. A chase over AI and foreign governments. Lots of fun!
June 29, 2024
A very well-done action-packed cyberpunk novella! I really adore the way T. R. Napper has created a modern version of this classic SciFi subgenre, focussing on surveillance and memory technology rather than war-tech. His focus on Australia and south-east Asia also sets this book apart from other cyberpunk stories I've read. Plus, the remarks on world politics made the setting feel vast.
I am so excited to find out if some of the reveals in this novella will be mentioned in his next book!
I am so excited to find out if some of the reveals in this novella will be mentioned in his next book!
December 20, 2025
3.5 stars, rounded up to four.
I hadn't read Cyberpunk in forever, and it took me some getting used to and some processing after. This one's snappy, cool, pulsating, and the entire time while reading my brain was playing rap music in the background.
For just over 100 pages, this is a dense little book. We have a petty criminal accidentally stealing AI technology the Chinese want in their hands. Our accidental hero, Jack, finds himself on the run and on a car chase across half of Australia along with an equally accidental sidekick.
After getting used to the sleek, street-smart style of the novella and some disorientation at the beginning, I really liked the vibe it was giving, along with its critical portrayal of an oligarchic future society with massive surveillance technology. The AI was an interesting character in the story. Very thought-provoking. I even warmed up to the main character up to the point of heartbreak, and I did not expect that.
My main complaint is that the story and its characters had so much potential that it should have been a full-length novel. The world-building fell a bit short. I would've liked to learn more about the society Jack lived in, about its political system, ethics and rules. Jack and Sally would've been worthy of more background, just like the creator of the AI. It all felt like we only caught intriguing glimpses of what could've been rounder, bigger, even more fascinating. The ending, as well, felt a bit rushed and too ambiguous for my taste.
In the end, while I appreciated the book's slick complexity, its ideas and speed and the thoughts it triggered, I would've preferred a full-blown novel in exchange for a slower beat. Definitely made me curious about Cyberpunk again, that's for sure.
I hadn't read Cyberpunk in forever, and it took me some getting used to and some processing after. This one's snappy, cool, pulsating, and the entire time while reading my brain was playing rap music in the background.
For just over 100 pages, this is a dense little book. We have a petty criminal accidentally stealing AI technology the Chinese want in their hands. Our accidental hero, Jack, finds himself on the run and on a car chase across half of Australia along with an equally accidental sidekick.
After getting used to the sleek, street-smart style of the novella and some disorientation at the beginning, I really liked the vibe it was giving, along with its critical portrayal of an oligarchic future society with massive surveillance technology. The AI was an interesting character in the story. Very thought-provoking. I even warmed up to the main character up to the point of heartbreak, and I did not expect that.
My main complaint is that the story and its characters had so much potential that it should have been a full-length novel. The world-building fell a bit short. I would've liked to learn more about the society Jack lived in, about its political system, ethics and rules. Jack and Sally would've been worthy of more background, just like the creator of the AI. It all felt like we only caught intriguing glimpses of what could've been rounder, bigger, even more fascinating. The ending, as well, felt a bit rushed and too ambiguous for my taste.
In the end, while I appreciated the book's slick complexity, its ideas and speed and the thoughts it triggered, I would've preferred a full-blown novel in exchange for a slower beat. Definitely made me curious about Cyberpunk again, that's for sure.
June 4, 2024
My full review of Ghost of the Neon God
a quick read but in the best possible ways. usually sff novellas can feel too short or underdeveloped, but this was perfect in terms of the length. it's a cyberpunk story about AI so a lot of the worldbuilding is done by the fact that the readers have probably read other cyberpunk stories before, so this book didn't need to explain much. The three main characters are really compelling especially considering how short the book is. And while the story doesn't contain anything particularly new or revolutionary, almost everything felt well-executed.
a quick read but in the best possible ways. usually sff novellas can feel too short or underdeveloped, but this was perfect in terms of the length. it's a cyberpunk story about AI so a lot of the worldbuilding is done by the fact that the readers have probably read other cyberpunk stories before, so this book didn't need to explain much. The three main characters are really compelling especially considering how short the book is. And while the story doesn't contain anything particularly new or revolutionary, almost everything felt well-executed.
September 16, 2024
Plot-driven cyberpunk novella with heavy action scenes. There weren't many new ideas here, which I guess might have been part of the reason it was just a novella, but everything that was in it was as masterfully executed as I'd expect from Napper. Had it been developed into a full novel we would've gotten more character development in addition to a road trip across Australia, but this was still an exciting romp and quick read.
November 20, 2025
Really enjoyed this novella and it left me wanting more.
All-action, with the plot kicking along fast and barely giving you time to breathe, but afterwards leaving you wondering at the end what happens next, and pondering the philosophical questions raised. I love Napper’s style, the gritty world and characters that feel real even though we only get a small slice of their lives.
Also shout-out to Dymocks Adelaide for stocking plenty of scifi including this gem.
All-action, with the plot kicking along fast and barely giving you time to breathe, but afterwards leaving you wondering at the end what happens next, and pondering the philosophical questions raised. I love Napper’s style, the gritty world and characters that feel real even though we only get a small slice of their lives.
Also shout-out to Dymocks Adelaide for stocking plenty of scifi including this gem.
August 17, 2024
absolutely amazing
What I like about TR Nappers work is the same in this novella. He takes the best of Cyberpunk puts his own spin on it. I also get a Chinese Slice of Life drama vibe from his stories. The characters feel real as their story is being told and his writing is addictive as the Chinese Dramas I am hooked on. Can,r wait for the next one.
What I like about TR Nappers work is the same in this novella. He takes the best of Cyberpunk puts his own spin on it. I also get a Chinese Slice of Life drama vibe from his stories. The characters feel real as their story is being told and his writing is addictive as the Chinese Dramas I am hooked on. Can,r wait for the next one.
January 20, 2025
Very short experience with very tight and precise writing. I liked the overall broad concepts of the story, however there are some plot points that could have been elaborated on more. The pacing moves at a breakneck pace for most of the time with occasional stutters like a faulty transmission. Overall a fun first read of the year and am interested in looking at the author's other works.
April 25, 2025
Such a fun, quick read. Being an Aussie myself, seeing landmarks and local references is refreshing to read and of course blended craftily with TR’s cyberpunk themes of AI made it perfect. As a cyberpunk fan and author myself, this has all of the qualities you want out of a book from this genre. And lastly Jack Nguyen… what a gem of a character, loved his humour and arc.
September 14, 2024
Wird als moderner Cyberpunk verkauft, aber nur die ersten 10-20% haben sich so angefühlt, dann blieb thematisch nur mehr eine KI übrig. Ich stimme der Frau des Autors zu, er hätte dem Buch ein schlechtes Ende geben sollen, dann wäre es besser gewesen.
June 29, 2025
Tough one to rate because while I appreciate the fast-paced, straight up action/scifi movie-ness of it all, I really wish this one had been a full length novel instead. There's so much to work with here.
September 27, 2024
5⭐️ dear lord. I’ll upload a review in several days, but, T. R. Napper you’ve changed my life.
December 12, 2024
Outstanding. Wish I could read it for the first time again.
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