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Bad Sector
In the sentient city of Expectation, an augmented executioner hunts the murderer of Everyday Carrie - The Woman Who Couldn’t Be Killed.
Permanent Mark is going to solve this case if it kills him… again.
Permanent Mark is going to solve this case if it kills him… again.
357 pages, Paperback
Published February 13, 2025
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April 5, 2026
Bad Sector is cyberpunk with a difference. The protagonist, Permanent Mark, is an augmented inquisitor whose vocation is to locate, apprehend, and administer corrective measures to those whom have been deemed Corrupt States by the authoritarian Office of Justice. If you’re lucky, this involves a memory-rollback to your last ‘uncorrupted’ state. However some perpetrators may need a more serious measure; enter Permanent Mark or any of the other Hangmen.
Firmly cyberpunk, while very much doing things differently to the name-dropping brandedness of Gibson or Sterling, the story takes you on a journey through the dystopian nanotechnology-ridden hell of Expectation, Mark’s home.
Bad Sector presents a colourful cast of supporting characters, and the strange and fascinating city of Expectation. There’s a mystery afoot, and as you read on, hints of another, bigger, mystery are encountered.
The pace is fast-moving, and it’s great fun being on the receiving end of protagonist's stream-of-consciousness, encountering new terms that he knows intimately but context makes apparent.
Very interesting, enjoyable and very different take on the cyberpunk genre. Pay attention to the clues. It’s impossible to cite many examples without spoiling the fun. I relished wondering at some of the strangenesses, working it out for myself as I went along, picking up on the hints and gradually piecing them into possible answers to the questions I was asking myself. My guess wasn’t far from the mark.
Should I mention the names? The names are absolutely my brand of humour. Permanent Mark isn’t the only pun you’ll encounter. All fun and clever, and carrying with them a flavour reminiscent of some of the stories from 2000AD from back when I used to read it.
Firmly cyberpunk, while very much doing things differently to the name-dropping brandedness of Gibson or Sterling, the story takes you on a journey through the dystopian nanotechnology-ridden hell of Expectation, Mark’s home.
Bad Sector presents a colourful cast of supporting characters, and the strange and fascinating city of Expectation. There’s a mystery afoot, and as you read on, hints of another, bigger, mystery are encountered.
The pace is fast-moving, and it’s great fun being on the receiving end of protagonist's stream-of-consciousness, encountering new terms that he knows intimately but context makes apparent.
Very interesting, enjoyable and very different take on the cyberpunk genre. Pay attention to the clues. It’s impossible to cite many examples without spoiling the fun. I relished wondering at some of the strangenesses, working it out for myself as I went along, picking up on the hints and gradually piecing them into possible answers to the questions I was asking myself. My guess wasn’t far from the mark.
Should I mention the names? The names are absolutely my brand of humour. Permanent Mark isn’t the only pun you’ll encounter. All fun and clever, and carrying with them a flavour reminiscent of some of the stories from 2000AD from back when I used to read it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review