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The Switch
A hundred years in the future, in a world where technologically enhanced bodies are valued above organic ones, Complete Life Management (CLM) is selling perfection in the form of the latest and greatest bionic model, the Apogee. As an elite runner and inadvertent spokesperson for the humanism movement, NYPD Detective Naomi Gate has eschewed vanity upgrades. However, if she hopes to survive in New York City’s fierce criminal Underground and find her brother, she can’t show up in her organic cop body. When Jax Raelyn—CLM’s playboy CEO and Naomi’s boyfriend—offers her an unauthorized body transfer, she accepts in order to save the only family she has left.
Plunging into the Underground’s den of illegal body modifications and bionic hit squads, it turns out to be the first of several body transfers. And as the stakes rise, Naomi fears the price for saving her brother may be the thing she values most—her own humanity.
April McCloud [she/her] is a 1% bionic human who worships her cat and hopes to be reincarnated as a red panda. A librarian, educator, and opinionated black belt, she hails from Rochester, NY and enjoys plotting, be it a book, vacation, or a heist at a GF bakery. She identifies as disabled, LGBTQIA+, neurospicy, and as a struggling practitioner of Zen Buddhism.
Plunging into the Underground’s den of illegal body modifications and bionic hit squads, it turns out to be the first of several body transfers. And as the stakes rise, Naomi fears the price for saving her brother may be the thing she values most—her own humanity.
April McCloud [she/her] is a 1% bionic human who worships her cat and hopes to be reincarnated as a red panda. A librarian, educator, and opinionated black belt, she hails from Rochester, NY and enjoys plotting, be it a book, vacation, or a heist at a GF bakery. She identifies as disabled, LGBTQIA+, neurospicy, and as a struggling practitioner of Zen Buddhism.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 13, 2024
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 5, 2024
The Switch is a work of cyberpunk fiction verging on transhumanism, with a described visual style perhaps most informed by anime like *Ghost in the Shell*. The Switch features action, romance, and humor, but a human-ship-of-Theseus theme drives it all.
McCloud paints a near-future world transformed by a powerful megacorporation, CLM, which can replace any part of a person, even transferring a human consciousness into a cyborg body with only minimal organic components. The protagonist, Naomi, balances her pride in her mostly-original body and celebrity athleticism with her romantic attachment to CLM's 100% human CEO, Jax. An adventure tracking down her body-hopping sibling before underworld hit-men foments Naomi's bond to a cybernetic bounty hunter named Dane, testing her attraction to Jax and her preconceived notions about people enhanced with cybernetics.
Through shoot-outs, mind-altering Buddhist training, and a deep dive into a violent and surreal underworld, Naomi gains an appreciation for the nuances of a world she previously saw in stark black and white.
McCloud's writing style stays steadily accessible throughout, whether describing high-tech combat action, a perspective-shifting conversation, or a character's internal soul-searching. Shifting point-of-view chapters throughout, McCloud foregrounds each character's sense of humor, especially through audience-pleasing references to anime, D&D alignments, and the classic Marvel movies as well as their (future-world) remakes. The novel explores dysphoria in general, and gender dysphoria specifically, both seriously and with tongue-in-cheek playfulness.
McCloud paints a near-future world transformed by a powerful megacorporation, CLM, which can replace any part of a person, even transferring a human consciousness into a cyborg body with only minimal organic components. The protagonist, Naomi, balances her pride in her mostly-original body and celebrity athleticism with her romantic attachment to CLM's 100% human CEO, Jax. An adventure tracking down her body-hopping sibling before underworld hit-men foments Naomi's bond to a cybernetic bounty hunter named Dane, testing her attraction to Jax and her preconceived notions about people enhanced with cybernetics.
Through shoot-outs, mind-altering Buddhist training, and a deep dive into a violent and surreal underworld, Naomi gains an appreciation for the nuances of a world she previously saw in stark black and white.
McCloud's writing style stays steadily accessible throughout, whether describing high-tech combat action, a perspective-shifting conversation, or a character's internal soul-searching. Shifting point-of-view chapters throughout, McCloud foregrounds each character's sense of humor, especially through audience-pleasing references to anime, D&D alignments, and the classic Marvel movies as well as their (future-world) remakes. The novel explores dysphoria in general, and gender dysphoria specifically, both seriously and with tongue-in-cheek playfulness.
June 8, 2024
This novel is incredible!! Don't miss it!
McCloud's debut shows a mastery of craft rarely seen in a first novel. Her characters are engaging, complex, and quirky. Her story arc is perfectly proportioned, with edge-of-your-seat pacing that will make the pages fly by. Her elegant, crisp prose and distinctive POV voices sink you straight into the fascinating speculative world, and the unique blend of cyberpunk, noir, and speculative carries the best facets of all three genres.
My only complaint is that my time with these characters was over too soon. I will be waiting with bated breath to see what this talented author has for us next!!
McCloud's debut shows a mastery of craft rarely seen in a first novel. Her characters are engaging, complex, and quirky. Her story arc is perfectly proportioned, with edge-of-your-seat pacing that will make the pages fly by. Her elegant, crisp prose and distinctive POV voices sink you straight into the fascinating speculative world, and the unique blend of cyberpunk, noir, and speculative carries the best facets of all three genres.
My only complaint is that my time with these characters was over too soon. I will be waiting with bated breath to see what this talented author has for us next!!
June 2, 2025
A hundred years in the future when technologically enhanced or upgraded bodies were a routine, NYPD detective Naomi Gate has only a bionic leg to replace the one she lost in an accident. She is an elite runner in the human division and an inadvertent spokesperson for the humanism movement. Paridoxilly, she is also dating Jax Raelyn, the playboy CEO of Complete Life Management, a leading company for developing and selling the latest, perfect bionic models. When Naomi’s brother Tyler is in trouble, she must plunge into the crime-ridden NYC underground to save him, starting with an illegal body transfer. As the clock ticks — she has only a weekend to complete the task before reporting back to work on Monday — she realizes that someone actually wants her dead. Can Naomi even survive?
The Switch is not only a page-turning science fiction thriller, but also a smart study of the relationship between humanity and technology. I find it extremely interesting that the book illustrated an idea in the modern East Asian philosophy, particularly in Japan, that is not widely known in the West. The idea emphasizes pluralism of truths, each dependent on its context, and believes that body and mind are not fixed and universal but constantly changing by interacting and integrating with each other. Therefore, one can accept science and technology without degenerating into scientism, and technology is perceived as natural, not human intervention into the natural. The meditating, computer-coding, traditional martial arts-ass-kicking, humanity-saving Buddhist monks in this novel will show you how it's done. The book raises questions about what technologies do to us, but it provides not a gloomy, doomsday picture of the future. Rather, the novel paints a hopeful picture of our ability to remain entirely human, even as we embrace technology that can make our lives easier, such as helping the physically disabled individual to gain back the control of their bodies. This is a timely book for the age of AI, and also an entertaining book for a summer read.
The author identifies herself as “disabled, LGBTQIA+, and neurospicy,” who deserves your support if you’re one of the readers who appreciate the voice of the marginalized and the voiceless, urgently needed in our current political climate.
The Switch is not only a page-turning science fiction thriller, but also a smart study of the relationship between humanity and technology. I find it extremely interesting that the book illustrated an idea in the modern East Asian philosophy, particularly in Japan, that is not widely known in the West. The idea emphasizes pluralism of truths, each dependent on its context, and believes that body and mind are not fixed and universal but constantly changing by interacting and integrating with each other. Therefore, one can accept science and technology without degenerating into scientism, and technology is perceived as natural, not human intervention into the natural. The meditating, computer-coding, traditional martial arts-ass-kicking, humanity-saving Buddhist monks in this novel will show you how it's done. The book raises questions about what technologies do to us, but it provides not a gloomy, doomsday picture of the future. Rather, the novel paints a hopeful picture of our ability to remain entirely human, even as we embrace technology that can make our lives easier, such as helping the physically disabled individual to gain back the control of their bodies. This is a timely book for the age of AI, and also an entertaining book for a summer read.
The author identifies herself as “disabled, LGBTQIA+, and neurospicy,” who deserves your support if you’re one of the readers who appreciate the voice of the marginalized and the voiceless, urgently needed in our current political climate.
February 28, 2025
Wow!!! Just finished this and am sitting in awe of its brilliance. The entire book was so very intricately created without a single detail missing. I was drawn into this futuristic world immediately and only forced out because the book ended. Each of the characters was carefully built with their personalities carved in place throughout. I foresee The Switch being made into a movie someday and it will blow audiences away. Fabulous read!!!!
August 14, 2025
What a trip! I devoured this book. Marvelous pacing and tension. The characters that feel real to the point that I was both surprised and vindicated at the same time. Detective Naomi is not ready for the world of body swapping and has a lot to figure out before she can rescue her wayward sibling from the seedy underground of a distant (but not too distant) future.
What still keeps us human when a body is just a thing you can be in?
Definitely get a copy for yourself.
What still keeps us human when a body is just a thing you can be in?
Definitely get a copy for yourself.
August 12, 2024
I loved the characterisation and the relationships in this novel. This fast paced, intricately-woven plot twisting novel is a must read. The character growth and dynamics are strong and relatable. McCloud is a master storyteller and this novel is important for the under-represented queer and disabled community.
June 13, 2024
Fresh and fantastic! This is a one-of-a-kind story that I loved from start to finish. April McCloud is a master storyteller and expert world-builder who writes with heart, humor, and vivid language.
June 16, 2024
Don't miss this one: A hyperkinetic blend of action, suspense, tech, and corporate intrigue that will keep you turning pages until the satisfying conclusion--an incredible debut!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews