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Finding Sid Bassett
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August 19, 2026
Finding Sid Bassett, by Rob Savette, is the first in a projected trilogy. It is an interesting combination of genres: techno-thriller, noir, future dystopian world—in short something for almost everyone. The atmosphere is dark, haunted by nightmares that are actualized.
Full disclosure: Rob Savette is my brother. This is the only reason I read a novel so far outside my usual interests. And I am grateful I was pushed into doing so. Finding Sid Bassett is populated by intriguing characters, complex relationships, thought-provoking questions about the nature of reality in an ever-evolving technological society. One question which particularly intrigues me is the question of what is “real” and in regard to robotic life, at one point—if any—does an AI driven entity become a sentient being with the rights accorded to the rest of us.
Justin, the major character through whose perspective much of the story is told, is a man with a past who currently owns and runs a sort of futuristic club (which illegally sells meat in a world where meat is outlawed as “dirty”—an irony in a highly corrupt society). He is morally ambiguous, seeming somewhat detached from the world around him, despite his generally amical relationships with staff and customers as well as, more profoundly, his own being. Justin lives in his head and seems to be in an eternal present, without past or future.
The plot kicks off when Justin is summoned to the office of District Attorney Varrick, an antagonist member of law enforcement whose character falls into the best tradition of private eyes vs the establishment. Supported by threats, Varrick demands that Justin find Sid Bassett, generally believed to be dead. Justin has no idea why he has been chosen for this task nor how he is to achieve it. And thus begins the action.
This is not, however, a novel that is only (maybe not even primarily) of action. Of course, being a reader of character-driven novels, this may be the result of my own focus—there is plenty of action as well as people to go around and suit all tastes! The world seems to be one of night and rain and a sense of menace, although the darkness is relieved by characters I found engaging and likeable—Amir Haddad (a particular favorite of mine), restaurant business manager who spouts supposedly ancient sayings that are like zen koans; Tony Alvarez who runs the kitchen and acts as an enforcer when there are disturbances; Babe (another character I love) who is in charge of Justin’s “wellness.” And of course there’s Fluffy, Justin’s beloved dog.
My most favorite character is one who lives separately from the rest of the characters. The daughter of a scientist, Lian is highly intelligent, sensitive, thoughtful and fascinated by the possibility of creating artificial life so strongly resembling human life as to be virtually indistinguishable.
I was engaged throughout (trigger warning: there are h some graphically violent scenes which, being squeamish, I basically skimmed). The question of whether Sid Bassett is alive and if he is where he is hiding drives the action. Bassett appears to be the personification of evil and everywhere throughout the novel there are questions about morality, meaning, and choice.
Of course, someone more technologically savvy than myself will undoubtedly discover other layers and meanings in addition to what I saw.
But—what I understood was more than enough to thrill and fascinate me.
I strongly recommend this book to . . . well, everybody. There is something here for a wide variety of readers.
My gratitude to Rob Savette for providing me with a copy of the ebook which is also available in paperback and kindle formats.
Full disclosure: Rob Savette is my brother. This is the only reason I read a novel so far outside my usual interests. And I am grateful I was pushed into doing so. Finding Sid Bassett is populated by intriguing characters, complex relationships, thought-provoking questions about the nature of reality in an ever-evolving technological society. One question which particularly intrigues me is the question of what is “real” and in regard to robotic life, at one point—if any—does an AI driven entity become a sentient being with the rights accorded to the rest of us.
Justin, the major character through whose perspective much of the story is told, is a man with a past who currently owns and runs a sort of futuristic club (which illegally sells meat in a world where meat is outlawed as “dirty”—an irony in a highly corrupt society). He is morally ambiguous, seeming somewhat detached from the world around him, despite his generally amical relationships with staff and customers as well as, more profoundly, his own being. Justin lives in his head and seems to be in an eternal present, without past or future.
The plot kicks off when Justin is summoned to the office of District Attorney Varrick, an antagonist member of law enforcement whose character falls into the best tradition of private eyes vs the establishment. Supported by threats, Varrick demands that Justin find Sid Bassett, generally believed to be dead. Justin has no idea why he has been chosen for this task nor how he is to achieve it. And thus begins the action.
This is not, however, a novel that is only (maybe not even primarily) of action. Of course, being a reader of character-driven novels, this may be the result of my own focus—there is plenty of action as well as people to go around and suit all tastes! The world seems to be one of night and rain and a sense of menace, although the darkness is relieved by characters I found engaging and likeable—Amir Haddad (a particular favorite of mine), restaurant business manager who spouts supposedly ancient sayings that are like zen koans; Tony Alvarez who runs the kitchen and acts as an enforcer when there are disturbances; Babe (another character I love) who is in charge of Justin’s “wellness.” And of course there’s Fluffy, Justin’s beloved dog.
My most favorite character is one who lives separately from the rest of the characters. The daughter of a scientist, Lian is highly intelligent, sensitive, thoughtful and fascinated by the possibility of creating artificial life so strongly resembling human life as to be virtually indistinguishable.
I was engaged throughout (trigger warning: there are h some graphically violent scenes which, being squeamish, I basically skimmed). The question of whether Sid Bassett is alive and if he is where he is hiding drives the action. Bassett appears to be the personification of evil and everywhere throughout the novel there are questions about morality, meaning, and choice.
Of course, someone more technologically savvy than myself will undoubtedly discover other layers and meanings in addition to what I saw.
But—what I understood was more than enough to thrill and fascinate me.
I strongly recommend this book to . . . well, everybody. There is something here for a wide variety of readers.
My gratitude to Rob Savette for providing me with a copy of the ebook which is also available in paperback and kindle formats.
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