Ctrl+Break

Nekonikon Punk Trilogy #1

by S.D. Miller

In a society ruled by ruthless megacorporations, control is power, and competition breeds loyalty. But what happens when the price becomes too great?

Nekonikon, a breakaway city-state controlled by the iron grip of three megacorps, promises prosperity to those who thrive on competition. For young guard-in-training Juan Fausto, serving and protecting his people is worth any sacrifice – or so he believes.

With graduation looming, Juan must follow the path laid out for him and remain a pawn in a twisted game, or risk everything he's ever known for a chance at true freedom.

Fans of The Matrix and Firefly will be drawn into the gritty, dystopian world of Nekonikon Ctrl Break. This fast-paced cyberpunk adventure delves into themes of colonialism, social control, and the ethics of competition, pushing the boundaries of what it means to resist in a world that demands submission. Prepare to question everything as you dive into this chilling tale of power, control, and the unbreakable human spirit.

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2024

About the author

S.D. Miller is an author and educator from Nova Scotia, Canada. After years teaching and traveling across several continents, he brings a global and philosophical lens to his fiction. His debut novel, Nekonikon Punk: Ctrl Break, won the 2024 Indies Today Award for Best Sci-Fi Action Adventure. Miller’s work blends action and insight, exploring how technology and power shape the human story.

Reviews

[Bozena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author's first book is a dystopian sci-fi story with very interesting and actually very realistic political themes.
Conspiracy theories about the world's rich are everywhere, and even more so than usual lately.
This book is more of a political thriller than science fiction, but set in the distant future.

Our future seems very realistic to me in this book.
Given current developments, the topic feels too real, raw, and authentic.

Mega-corporations, or rather, the super-rich, have taken over parts of our world.
To make it even more realistic, they control parts of the USA.
It sounds frighteningly realistic, given current events in the US.

Power games between the rich and powerful are the subject of this book.
Espionage operations, mysterious killers, and mercenaries who will do anything for money feature prominently.
Adding to the tension are terrifying cyborg soldiers with a thirst for revenge.

A dark and gritty science fiction apocalyptic story with many twists and turns makes the story even more intriguing.
An exciting and action-packed story for fans of science fiction political thrillers and mysterious underground societies.
Perfect for conspiracy theorists, too.

[Ryan Bartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m giving this one a 3/5 stars. This is a cyberpunk meets the matrix action packed story that takes place in a futuristic country run by big business that seceded from the US. The MC is a guard near graduation that second guesses the country mantra getting caught up in an underground hacking world. The story tackles the use of AI and a political system run by big business. The book is fast paced and full of action from start to finished. I enjoyed the futuristic technology and how it was integrated into the fighting. The novel was fun and exciting.

That being said, the concept tackling AI and how it is integrated into society in the future was what really pulled my interest however the book was too fast paced for me to really appreciate the dystopian future and impact. The pacing prevented me from feeling any real attachment to the MC or feel like he had any depth. I largely thought he was naive and cried a little too much for someone that was raised in such a hard society.

If you are looking for something that is straight action that you can get through in less than a day then you might enjoy this!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miller creates a blast of a good time with Nekonikon Punk! You can tell from the start you’re in for a fun ride, with a killer soundtrack to match!

[Matteo Calignano · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you, reading this review, are a fan of the cyberpunk genre, you have to read this book as soon as you can.

The characters are packed with distinctive features, both physical and psychological and is difficult, dare I say impossible, to not fall in love with all of them one way or another.
The social conflict is depicted very well, thanks to the idea of impersonating one wannabe corp that want to climb the social ladder. If this make you frown, trust me. It made me too.
There’s a scene at a punk concert that, for me, made it definitely click as a punk-metal enthusiast myself.
The suggested playlist is, therefore, crazily good.
This good is so cyberpunk it is difficult to believe, and I loved it with all of me. This MAY be also its biggest flaws as I, not a native speaker (hi from Italy, author!), since I don’t know is someone not into the genre may appreciate it as I did. Except from this, buy it, read it, love it and pray S.D. Miller to write the third chapter I cannot f*****g wait

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story discusses themes of who holds power and how individuals maintain that power, what is the difference between greed and corruption, and how corporations and individuals maintain a "monopoly on violence."

S.D. Miller writes in a way that is descriptive but allows for the reader's imagination to fill in the world as well. The main character, Juan Fausto, is faced with a dilemma to either protect the life he knew and was raised to be a part of, or should he throw off his connections to that society to join a band of rebels who want to overthrow the leaders of the world hs knows through interfacing into the vast network of online webs.

Nekonikon Punk: CTRL Break has love of family, loss of friends, attempted murder, betrayal, and cybernetically enhanced individuals, and so much more.

[Lisa Cavola · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book touches very important topics in our society. It’s very innovative in the way it’s written, the writer invented a new world that I was really immersed in. I imagined the city, that sad and hard feeling of injustice that permeated in every single scene. It’s a dystopian world not so far from ours, and you are left asking yourself how far are we from this future? The story it’s really interesting, and I was thinking how beautiful it would be as a movie. Many ideas I loved. Also if you love action scenes, this book is perfect for you, there are many and written very well. Overall a beautiful book, that makes you think about the future. Sad that it’s not well known.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Nekonikon Punk: CRTL Break" is a thrilling read that makes you think about what it really means to earn your place in society and the cost of ambition. It combines action with deep questions about morality and loyalty, keeping you engaged from start (loved the beginning, with the action-filled prologue) to finish :)

Loved the writing style, and the pace of the book. The details really made me feel like I was in Juan's head, which was an interesting place to be. He was soft for such violent surroundings.

[Bianca Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ctrl Break Review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This story talks about whom holds power and how they keep that power, the difference between greed and corruption, and how corporations and individuals maintain a strict monopoly on violence.

S.D. Miller uses a lot of world building so you can imagine the scenery almost as if it's a movie.

Juan Fausto, is faced with a problem to either protect the life he knew and was raised to be a part of, or should he throw off his connections to that society to join a band of rebels who want to overthrow the leaders of the world hs knows through interfacing into the vast network of online webs.


Triggers:
Loss of Friends
Attempted Murder
Betrayal

[J.C. Hammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nekonikon Punk is an awesome exploration of AI and corporatocracy. This was actually my first introduction to cyberpunk, and I look forward to reading more of the genre. You can definitely feel a lot of Miller's personality within the pages, and it works really well. He does a great job pulling the reader into the plot and getting you to care about the characters.

Highly recommend!

[Mihaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does a great job blending thrilling cyberpunk elements with deeper themes like social control, colonialism, and the ethics of competition. Fans of dystopian stories will appreciate the gritty atmosphere and thought-provoking ideas that run throughout the book.

[Kyle Smyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, definitely refreshing to have new author on my favorite list. If you have the opportunity to read it. Take it!! Great book and looking forward to another.

[Shona_reads_in_Devon · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, thank you so much to S D Miller for the opportunity to read this. I haven't read anything like this I don't think, so it was a fun diversion.

Nekonikon Punk is set in a future where mega corporations have broken away from the US and formed their own territory. Allegiance to the megacorp gives a certain level of privilege while remaining 'unaligned' with a corporation leaves you persona non-grata and scraping a living at the edges of society.

We follow military grunt with a heart, Juan. He's kind of a meathead, not too bright. Sucked in to the corporate world and the motto 'Dominate. Control. Prosper.' Until, he isn't anymore, and being thrust into the world of underground hacking has him questioning everything he took for granted.

As others have said, this novel is fast-paced and it tackles some really interesting themes like the use of AI, corporate greed and the dangers of massive corporate power and encouragement of aggressive and competitive individualism.

The writing style is a little pared back for my tastes, but it suits the kind of cyber brutalist settings and themes well. Juan was a little stereotypical. But the found family element was really great, and Juan's doubts about his life were convincingly portrayed. I am a complete dolt about anything remotely tech based but it all sounded convincing to me!

If dystopian anti - capitalism is your thing, you could really vibe with this one!

[Ivy Bookstop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book blew me away! I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Join Juan on an action-packed, topsy-turvy adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

S.D. Miller’s writing is so vividly descriptive that the cyberpunk-themed world leaps off the page and into your mind. I found myself constantly drawn into this technology-driven universe, unable to pull away.

[L. Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nekonikon Punk: Ctrl Break has a lot of big ideas wrapped up in a pretty good story: Corporations as people and what it means when they entirely run your nation; the exploration of AI and how humans may respond when it grows a consciousness. Juan, our protagonist, is a guard in training, questioning the brutal practices of the corporation run city he lives in. He has a fantastic introduction, and when he falls in with a group of hackers, he really shines as a character. I really liked Penny too and I hope we get more from her in the next book. The prose struggled in the early part of the book, losing me in a few places (hence the 3 instead of 4 stars), but the story was strong enough to carry through. I loved the ideas Miller is exploring set in an action-packed story, and with Juan and Penny and their crew together, I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Mike Routliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really creative sci-fi novel.

In a p future america that has rebuilt itself after a great war, companies control a capitalist dystopia.

It blends action sequences with philosophy in an interesting way. The characters grow as they are faced with difficult decisions and the crushing reality of the world they live in.