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The Big Sheep #2
The Last Iota
The year is 2039, and Los Angeles is poised between order and chaos. After the Collapse of 2028, a vast section of LA, now known as the Disincorporated Zone, was disowned by the civil authorities and became a de facto third world country within the borders of the city.
Navigating the boundaries between DZ and LA proper is a tricky task, and there's no one better suited than eccentric private investigator Erasmus Keane. So when movie mogul Selah Fiore decides she needs to get her hands on a rare coin lost somewhere in the city, she knows Keane is the man for the job.
But while the erratic Keane and his more sensible partner Blake Fowler struggle to unravel the mystery of the elusive coins, Blake's girlfriend Gwen goes missing and Selah Fiore turns up murdered. Both of these crimes seem to be linked to the coins--and to an untraceable virtual currency called iotas, used by drug dealers and terrorist networks.
Framed for Selah's murder and desperate to find Gwen, Keane and Fowler must outwit DZ warlords, outmaneuver a reclusive billionaire, and stay a step ahead of the police while they gradually uncover the truth about iotas. Soon the clues begin to point to a conspiracy at the highest levels of government--and to a mysterious trickster who has orchestrated it all. As the DZ devolves into chaos and another Collapse seems to loom, Blake Fowler realizes that the brilliant Erasmus Keane may have finally met his match.
Set in the world of The Big Sheep, Robert Kroese delivers another dystopian adventure novel full of wit and intrigue.
Navigating the boundaries between DZ and LA proper is a tricky task, and there's no one better suited than eccentric private investigator Erasmus Keane. So when movie mogul Selah Fiore decides she needs to get her hands on a rare coin lost somewhere in the city, she knows Keane is the man for the job.
But while the erratic Keane and his more sensible partner Blake Fowler struggle to unravel the mystery of the elusive coins, Blake's girlfriend Gwen goes missing and Selah Fiore turns up murdered. Both of these crimes seem to be linked to the coins--and to an untraceable virtual currency called iotas, used by drug dealers and terrorist networks.
Framed for Selah's murder and desperate to find Gwen, Keane and Fowler must outwit DZ warlords, outmaneuver a reclusive billionaire, and stay a step ahead of the police while they gradually uncover the truth about iotas. Soon the clues begin to point to a conspiracy at the highest levels of government--and to a mysterious trickster who has orchestrated it all. As the DZ devolves into chaos and another Collapse seems to loom, Blake Fowler realizes that the brilliant Erasmus Keane may have finally met his match.
Set in the world of The Big Sheep, Robert Kroese delivers another dystopian adventure novel full of wit and intrigue.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 9, 2017
22 people are currently reading
497 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kroese
70 books632 followersRobert Kroese's sense of irony was honed growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan - home of the Amway Corporation and the Gerald R. Ford Museum, and the first city in the United States to fluoridate its water supply. In second grade, he wrote his first novel, the saga of Captain Bill and his spaceship Thee Eagle. This turned out to be the high point of his academic career. After barely graduating from Calvin College in 1992 with a philosophy degree, he was fired from a variety of jobs before moving to California, where he stumbled into software development. As this job required neither punctuality nor a sense of direction, he excelled at it. In 2009, he called upon his extensive knowledge of useless information and love of explosions to write his first novel, Mercury Falls. Since then, he has written 18 more books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
May 9, 2017
4.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/05/09/...
The Last Iota is definitely one of those awesome and rare instances where a sequel surpasses its predecessor. All the elements that made The Big Sheep such a rollicking good read are back, and this time the mystery is even bigger, better, and more impressive than before. The humor has been cranked up a notch as well, thanks to the often witty, sardonic back-and-forth exchanges between the two main characters. Just to give you an idea of how much I enjoyed myself, I was still wiping away the tears of laughter as I sat down to draft this review.
It is the year 2039, eleven years after the great Collapse which decimated the world’s economy and caused a large chunk of Los Angeles to be abandoned by the American government, turning it into the Disincorporated Zone. Picking up shortly after the end of the first book, the story once again follows Blake Fowler as he struggles to keep his and his partner Erasmus Keane’s private investigation firm afloat following the fallout from their last assignment. Things have gotten so desperate that they are forced to take a job from an old adversary, the famous actress and movie mogul Selah Fiore. The Hollywood star is paying them a large sum of money to track down one of the nine rare commemorative collectible iota coins that were minted post-Collapse, back when the dollar was tanking and the powers-that-be were pushing hard for the use of a new virtual currency. But since the iota coin itself has little value, as it is only a physical representation of the iota currency which is all virtual, why would Selah be putting so much of her effort and resources into recovering just one? Even without the prospect of a large paycheck, Fowler knows that Keane will agree to take the job, if nothing else to satisfy his own curiosity.
Meanwhile, Fowler’s missing girlfriend Gwen has recently resurfaced, claiming to have been hiding in the Disincorporated Zone for the last three years. After finding out about his new case, however, she suddenly takes off again, presumably back to the DZ. Perhaps not coincidentally, her re-disappearance also occurs simultaneously with a series of online auction sales for iota coins, all to the same anonymous buyer. Someone else is out there is snapping up the coins, and they’re going to great lengths to do it. The mystery deepens further when Selah turns up dead, and Keane and Fowler are framed for her murder. Soon it becomes clear everything is linked to the coins, and our protagonists must somehow decipher the puzzle of the nine iotas before their enemy can get their hands on the last one.
Besides being hilariously funny and full of exhilarating plot twists, the premise behind The Last Iota is also incredibly fascinating. If you told me last week that I’d be on the edge my seat reading about the dollar index and currency markets, I would have laughed in your face. And yet, Robert Kroese has managed to make these concepts a huge part of his story, while at the same time making it easy for a complete banking and finance noob like me to understand. Most impressively, he made everything sound so exciting. After all, I’ve always asserted that the best reads are not only fun and satisfying, but they also leave you feeling like you learned something interesting and new. I found myself enthralled with the mechanisms and potential behind virtual currencies, and the events described in this book inspired me to read further on the subject after I was finished.
As well, the characters continue to be very well drawn, and I love the dynamic between Keane and Fowler. With the former’s genius and the latter’s tactical knowledge, together they make a formidable team. Still, while it’s hard not to compare their relationship to that of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes and Watson, the complexities behind their partnership go far deeper than that. Calling them friends would be stretching it, and sometimes they even feel like opponents who are sticking together simply because they both need something from the other. And yet, neither is it strictly business. Keane may be an eccentric, and Fowler may be keeping secrets, but at the end of the day a strange kind of trust exists between them, and against all odds they make it work. As a reader, I can hardly complain about the clash of personalities either, not when their interactions often result in such amusing banter and scenarios.
Compared to the first book, The Last Iota also features a tighter, more logical plot, and the twists are even more shocking and unexpected. My attention was gripped by the intensity of the story as the hunt for a simple coin gradually snowballed into a life-or-death race to unravel a conspiracy threatening to throw the world into another Collapse. Within this narrative Kroese has injected all the central features of classic noir and then some, combining mystery elements with imaginative world-building and social ramifications to create something that is entirely unique and stands on its own.
The result is a truly fascinating and unforgettable novel, one that was a distinct pleasure to read. I have a feeling the author has a lot more in store for us now that a strong foundation for the series has been established, and it will be interesting indeed to see what Keane and Fowler will be up to next. To the last line of the book, all I have to say is: Hell yes, I’m ready for another round!
The Last Iota is definitely one of those awesome and rare instances where a sequel surpasses its predecessor. All the elements that made The Big Sheep such a rollicking good read are back, and this time the mystery is even bigger, better, and more impressive than before. The humor has been cranked up a notch as well, thanks to the often witty, sardonic back-and-forth exchanges between the two main characters. Just to give you an idea of how much I enjoyed myself, I was still wiping away the tears of laughter as I sat down to draft this review.
It is the year 2039, eleven years after the great Collapse which decimated the world’s economy and caused a large chunk of Los Angeles to be abandoned by the American government, turning it into the Disincorporated Zone. Picking up shortly after the end of the first book, the story once again follows Blake Fowler as he struggles to keep his and his partner Erasmus Keane’s private investigation firm afloat following the fallout from their last assignment. Things have gotten so desperate that they are forced to take a job from an old adversary, the famous actress and movie mogul Selah Fiore. The Hollywood star is paying them a large sum of money to track down one of the nine rare commemorative collectible iota coins that were minted post-Collapse, back when the dollar was tanking and the powers-that-be were pushing hard for the use of a new virtual currency. But since the iota coin itself has little value, as it is only a physical representation of the iota currency which is all virtual, why would Selah be putting so much of her effort and resources into recovering just one? Even without the prospect of a large paycheck, Fowler knows that Keane will agree to take the job, if nothing else to satisfy his own curiosity.
Meanwhile, Fowler’s missing girlfriend Gwen has recently resurfaced, claiming to have been hiding in the Disincorporated Zone for the last three years. After finding out about his new case, however, she suddenly takes off again, presumably back to the DZ. Perhaps not coincidentally, her re-disappearance also occurs simultaneously with a series of online auction sales for iota coins, all to the same anonymous buyer. Someone else is out there is snapping up the coins, and they’re going to great lengths to do it. The mystery deepens further when Selah turns up dead, and Keane and Fowler are framed for her murder. Soon it becomes clear everything is linked to the coins, and our protagonists must somehow decipher the puzzle of the nine iotas before their enemy can get their hands on the last one.
Besides being hilariously funny and full of exhilarating plot twists, the premise behind The Last Iota is also incredibly fascinating. If you told me last week that I’d be on the edge my seat reading about the dollar index and currency markets, I would have laughed in your face. And yet, Robert Kroese has managed to make these concepts a huge part of his story, while at the same time making it easy for a complete banking and finance noob like me to understand. Most impressively, he made everything sound so exciting. After all, I’ve always asserted that the best reads are not only fun and satisfying, but they also leave you feeling like you learned something interesting and new. I found myself enthralled with the mechanisms and potential behind virtual currencies, and the events described in this book inspired me to read further on the subject after I was finished.
As well, the characters continue to be very well drawn, and I love the dynamic between Keane and Fowler. With the former’s genius and the latter’s tactical knowledge, together they make a formidable team. Still, while it’s hard not to compare their relationship to that of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes and Watson, the complexities behind their partnership go far deeper than that. Calling them friends would be stretching it, and sometimes they even feel like opponents who are sticking together simply because they both need something from the other. And yet, neither is it strictly business. Keane may be an eccentric, and Fowler may be keeping secrets, but at the end of the day a strange kind of trust exists between them, and against all odds they make it work. As a reader, I can hardly complain about the clash of personalities either, not when their interactions often result in such amusing banter and scenarios.
Compared to the first book, The Last Iota also features a tighter, more logical plot, and the twists are even more shocking and unexpected. My attention was gripped by the intensity of the story as the hunt for a simple coin gradually snowballed into a life-or-death race to unravel a conspiracy threatening to throw the world into another Collapse. Within this narrative Kroese has injected all the central features of classic noir and then some, combining mystery elements with imaginative world-building and social ramifications to create something that is entirely unique and stands on its own.
The result is a truly fascinating and unforgettable novel, one that was a distinct pleasure to read. I have a feeling the author has a lot more in store for us now that a strong foundation for the series has been established, and it will be interesting indeed to see what Keane and Fowler will be up to next. To the last line of the book, all I have to say is: Hell yes, I’m ready for another round!
February 11, 2018
I seem to be reading a lot of humor books capturing the essence of economics lately. It's almost as if economics is funny.
AND MAYBE IT IS. :)
The Last Iota certainly takes electronic currencies on a wild spin. It throws us in a wild cyberpunk future mixing clones, lawless zones in the heart of LA with high-tech military action and gives us a sociopathic genius as the other MC, the main one being a tactically brilliant hands-on guy who we follow and love to see clash with his partner.
So wait. Is this a great high-tech thriller or is it a comedy?
It's both, maybe neither. It's a noir mystery with overtones of Sherlock Holmes if Sherlock just wanted to see the world burn and he thought an Ex-Seal Team murderer might be a good choice to serve as his conscience. It's certainly funny as hell. Weird, huh? It works. Especially when you hunted a lost sheep in the heart of the city in the previous book and a worthless limited edition coin representing electronic currency in this one. :)
See the disconnect?
Oh yeah. It's pretty awesome.
:)
AND MAYBE IT IS. :)
The Last Iota certainly takes electronic currencies on a wild spin. It throws us in a wild cyberpunk future mixing clones, lawless zones in the heart of LA with high-tech military action and gives us a sociopathic genius as the other MC, the main one being a tactically brilliant hands-on guy who we follow and love to see clash with his partner.
So wait. Is this a great high-tech thriller or is it a comedy?
It's both, maybe neither. It's a noir mystery with overtones of Sherlock Holmes if Sherlock just wanted to see the world burn and he thought an Ex-Seal Team murderer might be a good choice to serve as his conscience. It's certainly funny as hell. Weird, huh? It works. Especially when you hunted a lost sheep in the heart of the city in the previous book and a worthless limited edition coin representing electronic currency in this one. :)
See the disconnect?
Oh yeah. It's pretty awesome.
:)
December 2, 2022
https://booknest.eu/reviews/charles/2...
THE LAST IOTA by Robert Kroese is the sequel to THE BIG SHEEP and the further adventures of Erasmus Keane and his Watsonian sidekick, Blake Fowler. I really enjoyed The Big Sheep for the fact it managed to be an excellent parody of cyberpunk detective fiction while simultaneously being a really good example of the genre itself. The trick to pulling off the best send ups is that you have a good story at the heart of it and this is why SNOW CRASH remains a cyberpunk classic as well as a parody.
The setting's premise is that California suffered great social upheaval and the creation of the "Disincorporated Zone" or DZ resulted in a large chunk of Los Angeles being a lawless territory run by gangs. Life has more or less gone on outside of the DZ with cloning, holographic technology, virtual reality, and so on all adopted by Hollywood to squeeze every last New Dollar from a jaded fame-hungry populace.
The book follows up the previous one with the two detectives asked by their old enemy, Selah Fiore, hiring them for a job. This is unexpected because the last time they met, Selah was trying to have them killed. Money is the great negotiator, though, and hunger is the best pickle, however. Facing bankruptcy and losing their office, Erasmus and Blake agree to take the case to find a physical representation of a cryptocurrency called Iotas. It was given away in a contest years ago and Selah is willing to pay a fortune for it.
Cryptocurrency is something I expect will eventually be viewed in much the same way as Pogs or headbands by the next decade, let alone NFTS, but forms the basis for our story. Like many promises by techbros who foresaw ways of subverting traditional economic forces and rewriting paradigms, it has proven to be a playground of scammers and broken promises.
Indeed, one of the humorous elements of Robert Kroese's novel here is he highlights many vulnerabilities that cryptocurrency suffers and how these could be exploited by bad faith actors. Given the date the novel was written, it's fascinating to realize this work was eerily prescient about the crashes we're currently experiencing due to all of the revelations about pyramid schemes, money laundering, fraud, and embezzlement.
A bunch of cryptocurrency issues doesn't sound like a very exciting cyberpunk detective story, but it really is. A bit like Chinatown, The Two Jakes, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the larger issues of white-collar crime are accompanied with much nastier crime on the streets. There's a lot of fascinating sci-fi twists and turns that end in unexpected directions. There's perhaps one twist too many in the identity of one character that is a bit too STAR WARS but, otherwise, I feel this was a really solid sequel.
In conclusion, I really like this novel but note that despite not being listed as part of a series, it definitely requires reading The Big Sheep to get the full effect. It is not a standalone. I hope that Robert Kroese will continue writing noir detective fiction with a cyberpunk twist as it’s my personal peanut butter and jam.
THE LAST IOTA by Robert Kroese is the sequel to THE BIG SHEEP and the further adventures of Erasmus Keane and his Watsonian sidekick, Blake Fowler. I really enjoyed The Big Sheep for the fact it managed to be an excellent parody of cyberpunk detective fiction while simultaneously being a really good example of the genre itself. The trick to pulling off the best send ups is that you have a good story at the heart of it and this is why SNOW CRASH remains a cyberpunk classic as well as a parody.
The setting's premise is that California suffered great social upheaval and the creation of the "Disincorporated Zone" or DZ resulted in a large chunk of Los Angeles being a lawless territory run by gangs. Life has more or less gone on outside of the DZ with cloning, holographic technology, virtual reality, and so on all adopted by Hollywood to squeeze every last New Dollar from a jaded fame-hungry populace.
The book follows up the previous one with the two detectives asked by their old enemy, Selah Fiore, hiring them for a job. This is unexpected because the last time they met, Selah was trying to have them killed. Money is the great negotiator, though, and hunger is the best pickle, however. Facing bankruptcy and losing their office, Erasmus and Blake agree to take the case to find a physical representation of a cryptocurrency called Iotas. It was given away in a contest years ago and Selah is willing to pay a fortune for it.
Cryptocurrency is something I expect will eventually be viewed in much the same way as Pogs or headbands by the next decade, let alone NFTS, but forms the basis for our story. Like many promises by techbros who foresaw ways of subverting traditional economic forces and rewriting paradigms, it has proven to be a playground of scammers and broken promises.
Indeed, one of the humorous elements of Robert Kroese's novel here is he highlights many vulnerabilities that cryptocurrency suffers and how these could be exploited by bad faith actors. Given the date the novel was written, it's fascinating to realize this work was eerily prescient about the crashes we're currently experiencing due to all of the revelations about pyramid schemes, money laundering, fraud, and embezzlement.
A bunch of cryptocurrency issues doesn't sound like a very exciting cyberpunk detective story, but it really is. A bit like Chinatown, The Two Jakes, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the larger issues of white-collar crime are accompanied with much nastier crime on the streets. There's a lot of fascinating sci-fi twists and turns that end in unexpected directions. There's perhaps one twist too many in the identity of one character that is a bit too STAR WARS but, otherwise, I feel this was a really solid sequel.
In conclusion, I really like this novel but note that despite not being listed as part of a series, it definitely requires reading The Big Sheep to get the full effect. It is not a standalone. I hope that Robert Kroese will continue writing noir detective fiction with a cyberpunk twist as it’s my personal peanut butter and jam.
Want to read
April 1, 2017PW Starred: Kroese gifts readers with his gripping second mystery set in 2039 Los Angeles (after 2016’s The Big Sheep), another sophisticated blend of science fiction and crime. A decade after a national economic trauma known simply as the Collapse, a large segment of the city, the Disincorporated Zone, remains beyond the reach of law and order. PI Blake Fowler’s ex-girlfriend Gwen Thorson went into hiding there after her colleagues on a planning task force disappeared or were murdered. Gwen has now returned to L.A. proper, a development that coincides with a new case for Blake and his eccentric partner, Erasmus Keane. Selah Fiore, an actress who attempted to kill the pair in the prior book, offers them a huge sum of money to track down an iota coin, a tangible representation of the virtual currency that gained wide acceptance after the Collapse. The plot twists are both logical and surprising, with developments and motivations straight out of classic L.A. noir. Every part of the book simply works. The compelling story, memorable leads, and imaginative worldbuilding suggest the series has a long and promising future. (May)
May 5, 2018
Smart, sexy. Actually uses some of the tech we have no. Interesting characters.
Some of the stuff I figured out ahead of time which is better than a Sherlock Holmes novel where you have no chance. That made this one more fun. Descartes!
I'd call it a 'cyberpunk mystery'.
I enjoyed it.
5/5
Some of the stuff I figured out ahead of time which is better than a Sherlock Holmes novel where you have no chance. That made this one more fun. Descartes!
I'd call it a 'cyberpunk mystery'.
I enjoyed it.
5/5
January 4, 2019
A worthy sequel, and a wild ride
Whether or not you have had a chance to read The Big Sheep, the continuing adventures of the erratic supergenius Erasmus Keane and his long-suffering assistant Blake Fowler are a wild and entertaining ride.
Equal parts whip-smart social commentary and good old fashioned noir detective novel, The Last Iota will make you laugh out loud, ponder the puzzles of the case... and think.
Set in a wholly believable future and populated with characters you would enjoy knowing, this is just the latest example of Kroese's inventive and skilled storytelling, and one of the most enjoyable things I've read this year.
Whether or not you have had a chance to read The Big Sheep, the continuing adventures of the erratic supergenius Erasmus Keane and his long-suffering assistant Blake Fowler are a wild and entertaining ride.
Equal parts whip-smart social commentary and good old fashioned noir detective novel, The Last Iota will make you laugh out loud, ponder the puzzles of the case... and think.
Set in a wholly believable future and populated with characters you would enjoy knowing, this is just the latest example of Kroese's inventive and skilled storytelling, and one of the most enjoyable things I've read this year.
October 22, 2017
The Last Iota is the second book in a series by Robert Kroese that started with The Big Sheep. I was a huge fan of the The Big Sheep; it was a fun, cyberpunk thriller in the vein of a science fiction Sherlock Holmes. This sequel is similar, but I will say that I liked it slightly less than The Big Sheep; it's still a good, fun, fast-paced book, but some of the character turns made it slightly less enjoyable.
I will try to not spoil anything from the plot of this book, but I can't avoid spoilers for the first, as the plot of The Last Iota follows directly from the events in The Big Sheep, so if you haven't read it, be warned.
In The Last Iota, Blake Fowler and Erasmus Keane are hired by Selah Fiore (who was a prominent antagonist in the first book) to find an iota; a physical representation of a virtual currency in the vein of XKreddits or bitcoins. At the same time, Blake is dealing with the reappearance of his ex-girlfriend Gwen, who had been hiding in the DMZ for the past 3 years.
Like its predecessor, the plot here too is very interesting and well researched. There's a lot of themes that are explored; currency, virtual currency, the global economy and even the economy of MMO-RPGs. Parts of this plot reminded me a lot of the plot of the second season of SAO, and some of the relationships were also pretty reminiscent of BBC Sherlock (unfortunately the 4th season, which as we all know, was critically acclaimed, just like SAO!) It was a blast to think about iotas and virtual currency, and there were a lot of references to programming, code and virtual reality, which are all things I'm very interested in. It made me think about aspects of the technology that exist in our world, and how with a little of tweaking we could potentially get to the place that LA has gotten to here. The explanations and reveals in The Last Iota are a little more grounded than the ones in The Big Sheep, which was nice as the plot of the previous book did get a little too far fetched towards the end.
The writing was excellent, though there were some things that I liked less. Kroese brings back his dry humor and commentary (especially as Blake is way less patient with Keane's BS this time around), but we have lines and even jokes (like the one about the LA freeway being a failed experiment like rap-metal) that were repeated verbatim from the first book. I accept that there needs to be some reminder of what happened in the previous book, but the second chapter is all essentially recap and not particularly well-written recap. There were some jokes that landed (like April calling the iota's 'Spectre rings'), but for the most part, this book takes itself a little more seriously than the first one.
As for the characters, that's where my biggest complaints were. Selah Fiore and Mag-Lev were great villains from the first book, but the new main villain here wasn't particularly interesting or memorable. Likewise he's barely in the book! The new female lead, Olivia pales in comparison to Fiore (if you've read the book, you know why this is funny), and Leila... well listen it's literary the reveal from Sherlock. Literary.
Keane is muted in this book; in the first he could be downright reprehensible and acted like the somewhat unhinged genius he was described as. Here he acts more or less like Sherlock, but is way less abrasive, and has less of a personality. I'm not saying she should be more of an asshole, but if the characters constantly point out how out of touch he is with human behaviors and emotions, then he should be a little more abrasive.
On the flip-side, Blake Fowler gets more of a personality, but he unfortunately makes some really stupid decisions. For example, he keeps getting texts from"Lila" who goads him into playing a game, but doesn't tell Keane? He constantly keeps secrets from Keane, mostly to spite him for Gwen, but why? Blake is presented as a smart person, slower than Keane for sure, but it seems unlike him that he would continuously refuse to confront Keane for lying about Melstrom and Gwen, and then turn around and lie back and hide things (all things that Keane will of course find out easily).
He does get a lot of time to show his training and military background which was nice. However emotionally I didn't really feel that he cared about Gwen as much as we were lead to believe in the first book. I feel like the plot really took a lot of the book, at the expense of the characters, and Keane deffinitely got the worst out of it. Additionally the cliffhanger at the end was also straight out of BBC Sherlock, and if the books follow the quality of the show... I dunno how much I should be looking forward to the next book.
I liked this book a lot, but it's not as good as the first one. However it's still a great, fun read, and I do recommend it especially as a book to get you out of a reading slump.
I will try to not spoil anything from the plot of this book, but I can't avoid spoilers for the first, as the plot of The Last Iota follows directly from the events in The Big Sheep, so if you haven't read it, be warned.
In The Last Iota, Blake Fowler and Erasmus Keane are hired by Selah Fiore (who was a prominent antagonist in the first book) to find an iota; a physical representation of a virtual currency in the vein of XKreddits or bitcoins. At the same time, Blake is dealing with the reappearance of his ex-girlfriend Gwen, who had been hiding in the DMZ for the past 3 years.
Like its predecessor, the plot here too is very interesting and well researched. There's a lot of themes that are explored; currency, virtual currency, the global economy and even the economy of MMO-RPGs. Parts of this plot reminded me a lot of the plot of the second season of SAO, and some of the relationships were also pretty reminiscent of BBC Sherlock (unfortunately the 4th season, which as we all know, was critically acclaimed, just like SAO!) It was a blast to think about iotas and virtual currency, and there were a lot of references to programming, code and virtual reality, which are all things I'm very interested in. It made me think about aspects of the technology that exist in our world, and how with a little of tweaking we could potentially get to the place that LA has gotten to here. The explanations and reveals in The Last Iota are a little more grounded than the ones in The Big Sheep, which was nice as the plot of the previous book did get a little too far fetched towards the end.
The writing was excellent, though there were some things that I liked less. Kroese brings back his dry humor and commentary (especially as Blake is way less patient with Keane's BS this time around), but we have lines and even jokes (like the one about the LA freeway being a failed experiment like rap-metal) that were repeated verbatim from the first book. I accept that there needs to be some reminder of what happened in the previous book, but the second chapter is all essentially recap and not particularly well-written recap. There were some jokes that landed (like April calling the iota's 'Spectre rings'), but for the most part, this book takes itself a little more seriously than the first one.
As for the characters, that's where my biggest complaints were. Selah Fiore and Mag-Lev were great villains from the first book, but the new main villain here wasn't particularly interesting or memorable. Likewise he's barely in the book! The new female lead, Olivia pales in comparison to Fiore (if you've read the book, you know why this is funny), and Leila... well listen it's literary the reveal from Sherlock. Literary.
Keane is muted in this book; in the first he could be downright reprehensible and acted like the somewhat unhinged genius he was described as. Here he acts more or less like Sherlock, but is way less abrasive, and has less of a personality. I'm not saying she should be more of an asshole, but if the characters constantly point out how out of touch he is with human behaviors and emotions, then he should be a little more abrasive.
On the flip-side, Blake Fowler gets more of a personality, but he unfortunately makes some really stupid decisions. For example, he keeps getting texts from"Lila" who goads him into playing a game, but doesn't tell Keane? He constantly keeps secrets from Keane, mostly to spite him for Gwen, but why? Blake is presented as a smart person, slower than Keane for sure, but it seems unlike him that he would continuously refuse to confront Keane for lying about Melstrom and Gwen, and then turn around and lie back and hide things (all things that Keane will of course find out easily).
He does get a lot of time to show his training and military background which was nice. However emotionally I didn't really feel that he cared about Gwen as much as we were lead to believe in the first book. I feel like the plot really took a lot of the book, at the expense of the characters, and Keane deffinitely got the worst out of it. Additionally the cliffhanger at the end was also straight out of BBC Sherlock, and if the books follow the quality of the show... I dunno how much I should be looking forward to the next book.
I liked this book a lot, but it's not as good as the first one. However it's still a great, fun read, and I do recommend it especially as a book to get you out of a reading slump.
January 9, 2019
Robert Kroese's "The Last Iota" is the second novel in his "Big Sheep" series. It picks up about three weeks after the end of "The Big Sheep" novel. First, there are a few discrepancies between the two books:
- For some reason, the villain from the first book got about 10 years younger in this book. She was "in her late 60s" in the first book, while she's 57 years old in this one. There doesn't seem to be any reason for that except for the apparent age of another character (and that character didn't fool anyone).
- In this book, Kroese summarizes part of the plot of the first book by saying our heroes foiled the villain's plot to clone herself. Not really. They foiled her plot of cloning another actress (who's not mentioned anywhere in this book). Yes. Her ultimate goal was probably to clone herself. But, that's not what the earlier book was about.
- The protagonist of the first book ended that book with a broken arm. Three weeks later, at the start of this book, not only is his arm un-harmed, but it's also fully functional.
All of those are trivial. My biggest problems with the book are:
- This one reads more like an action movie or James Bond movie than the detective novel feel of the first book. Yes. The first book also had a high body count. But, it felt like there was more thought and discovery involved instead of the breaking things and killing people in this one.
- Every single time the protagonist tries to do anything, he gets stymied. Not only is he stopped, but he's stopped in the most painfully obvious way. Time after time after time. It really gets irksome after a while.
But, on the whole, the writing is mostly OK and the plot interesting. So, I'm rating the book at an OK 3 stars out of 5.
- For some reason, the villain from the first book got about 10 years younger in this book. She was "in her late 60s" in the first book, while she's 57 years old in this one. There doesn't seem to be any reason for that except for the apparent age of another character (and that character didn't fool anyone).
- In this book, Kroese summarizes part of the plot of the first book by saying our heroes foiled the villain's plot to clone herself. Not really. They foiled her plot of cloning another actress (who's not mentioned anywhere in this book). Yes. Her ultimate goal was probably to clone herself. But, that's not what the earlier book was about.
- The protagonist of the first book ended that book with a broken arm. Three weeks later, at the start of this book, not only is his arm un-harmed, but it's also fully functional.
All of those are trivial. My biggest problems with the book are:
- This one reads more like an action movie or James Bond movie than the detective novel feel of the first book. Yes. The first book also had a high body count. But, it felt like there was more thought and discovery involved instead of the breaking things and killing people in this one.
- Every single time the protagonist tries to do anything, he gets stymied. Not only is he stopped, but he's stopped in the most painfully obvious way. Time after time after time. It really gets irksome after a while.
But, on the whole, the writing is mostly OK and the plot interesting. So, I'm rating the book at an OK 3 stars out of 5.
July 28, 2017
One of those rare books when the 2nd book in a series never gives the feeling of a middle book or a middling one either. There is significant plot progression, a lot of questions from the previous book answered and there is an almost logical ending with a hook to hint at further sequels. It helps that the book is almost episodic as well, bringing a lot of threads to a satisfying halt
The Last Iota picks up shortly post the events of the previous book with our lead pair, Erasmus & Fowler, the future LA equivalent of Sherlock & Watson. Almost immediately, they are contact by a past adversary, plunging them into a conspiracy linked to a new currency, framed murders, the complications behind the collapse of LA, clones and a gangwar with the potential to be something bigger in LA. In midst of all this, past family incidents come back to haunt both men to complicate the situation further.
The plot is rather well structured and easy to follow despite the jargon being bandied around (well, my financial services background also helps I guess in this case). The pace is stunning and unlike the previous book, cos we know the characters, it was rather easy to slip into. Really, nothing to complain about except that adversary-wise, this almost seemed to be a repeat of the latest season of Sherlock. Not sure if its pure coincidence, but given that the effect almost felt cheapened
The Last Iota picks up shortly post the events of the previous book with our lead pair, Erasmus & Fowler, the future LA equivalent of Sherlock & Watson. Almost immediately, they are contact by a past adversary, plunging them into a conspiracy linked to a new currency, framed murders, the complications behind the collapse of LA, clones and a gangwar with the potential to be something bigger in LA. In midst of all this, past family incidents come back to haunt both men to complicate the situation further.
The plot is rather well structured and easy to follow despite the jargon being bandied around (well, my financial services background also helps I guess in this case). The pace is stunning and unlike the previous book, cos we know the characters, it was rather easy to slip into. Really, nothing to complain about except that adversary-wise, this almost seemed to be a repeat of the latest season of Sherlock. Not sure if its pure coincidence, but given that the effect almost felt cheapened
July 9, 2023
Kroese has low key become a favorite author of mine. He has a fast-paced writing style and peculiar way of presenting his stories that is a bit unorthodox, but this gives hist stories a unique life that tends to stick with me well after I’ve finished a book.
This story is a sequel to his book called The Big Sheep. Like its predecessor, it features the futuristic detective work Erasmus Keane and Blake Fowler as they attempt to stop a globally catastrophic event centered on a fictitious cryptocurrency.
The story was fast-paced and intriguing enough to keep me turning the page. The ending — and the big twist therein — was orchestrated cleanly, but did fall into a couple inconsequential clichés. Because of this, I ultimately found more satisfaction from the first 3/4 of the book than from the ending.
Also, while the book had some very intelligent and thought-provoking themes, it seemed like the editor must have been sleeping when they went through the manuscript because there are multiple typos in the way of duplicated words or phrases and words that you could tell were from a previous thought.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and plan to go hunt down more from this author.
This story is a sequel to his book called The Big Sheep. Like its predecessor, it features the futuristic detective work Erasmus Keane and Blake Fowler as they attempt to stop a globally catastrophic event centered on a fictitious cryptocurrency.
The story was fast-paced and intriguing enough to keep me turning the page. The ending — and the big twist therein — was orchestrated cleanly, but did fall into a couple inconsequential clichés. Because of this, I ultimately found more satisfaction from the first 3/4 of the book than from the ending.
Also, while the book had some very intelligent and thought-provoking themes, it seemed like the editor must have been sleeping when they went through the manuscript because there are multiple typos in the way of duplicated words or phrases and words that you could tell were from a previous thought.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and plan to go hunt down more from this author.
October 26, 2022
The Last Iota by Robert Kroese and read by P.J. Ochlan is a great follow-up to The Big Sheep. Picking up where the previous book left off, Kroese delivers another sci-fi mystery for Fowler and Keane to investigate, this time revolving around a cryptocurrency known as the Iota. The book ties up some loose ends from the previous installment, while leaving the door open for more. Ochlan did a good job narrating, although I am not generally a fan of audiobook series’ changing narrators from one book to another. Perhaps the most egregious shortcoming of this audiobook is that at least one name was pronounced differently in The Last Iota than in The Big Sheep. I consider a lack of continuity between installments in an audio series to be a cardinal sin in this medium, and I’m frustrated it has been committed here. If Kroese writes additional books in this saga, which I sincerely hope he will, I fervently wish that the publisher will hire Fred Berman or P.J. Ochlan for the remainder of the series, rather than changing narrators again. Overall, I enjoyed it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 overall.
September 24, 2018
Dang. This was another book I mainlined. I shouldn't make vast sweeping statements based on just two books, but at this moment I think Robert Kroese is one of my favorite SF writing. (Does my library have any of his other stuff? No it does not. Sigh.)
I was not in love with part of the ending, but all in all, I loved it. Near future tech + recovered from an apocalypse + economic concepts + good characters + banter = yes please! (The world building and style of this book and The Big Sheep really remind me of Snow Crash, if you want a comparison.)
I was not in love with part of the ending, but all in all, I loved it. Near future tech + recovered from an apocalypse + economic concepts + good characters + banter = yes please! (The world building and style of this book and The Big Sheep really remind me of Snow Crash, if you want a comparison.)
May 26, 2017
Erasmus Keane and his partner Blake Fowler (Keane supplying the eccentric genius, Fowler the muscle and narration) are hired by a woman who tried to kill them in their last book (which I'd advice reading first--I didn't and found myself confused at times by the relationships) in a Los Angeles which is just pulling itself out of the recent Collapse, which almost destroyed the world's monetary system. Fowler is still trying to find his girlfriend Gwen, who disappeared three years previously. He's also getting mysterious messages from someone who signs the name "Lila," who seems to know altogether too much about what he's doing. A lot of action and danger, until Keane pulls out a solution that pleases everyone but a murderer.
August 16, 2017
As a sequel to The Big Sheep I was expecting roughly more of the same, which would have been just fine with me. Really though I enjoyed this one even more. The intricacy of the plot was solid and had a patina of plausibility that made it better. Lots of interesting ideas going on. The Sherlock/Watson vibe in a Raymond Chandler plot works pretty well. While you expect a certain amount of humor in a Kroese book, this one plays it straight more than The Big Sheep where often he was leading you down an alley just to sap you with a pun (not complaining).
This book also expands on the subplot of the first novel and certainly leaves room for hopefully more in the series.
This time around I got the Audiobook version, which is excellent.
This book also expands on the subplot of the first novel and certainly leaves room for hopefully more in the series.
This time around I got the Audiobook version, which is excellent.
April 20, 2019
My review for the first book, The Big Sheep, applies to this sequel as well. The difference is that I was in a less tolerant mood when I read this one. There was one point where Fowler pointed out that something was “pure conjecture”, and I cried aloud “Everything you two have done so far has been based on pure conjecture!!”
Every bit of action in this book is predicated on a conversation whereby the characters offer various hypothesis, pick one and then proceed to act as if it’s utterly true. Despite the fact that they just made it up.
This kind of crap is why I hate “detective/mystery” books. They are almost always rife with sloppy nonsense.
Anyway, despite that, this guy is not a bad writer and is pretty good at bringing the action sequences alive.
Every bit of action in this book is predicated on a conversation whereby the characters offer various hypothesis, pick one and then proceed to act as if it’s utterly true. Despite the fact that they just made it up.
This kind of crap is why I hate “detective/mystery” books. They are almost always rife with sloppy nonsense.
Anyway, despite that, this guy is not a bad writer and is pretty good at bringing the action sequences alive.
May 24, 2017
This futurist/dystopian/noir had me hooked from the opening (as my internal soundtrack played "Dead Men's Bolero"). "Phenomenological inquisitor" Erasmus Keane and his often-frustrated minder return to pursue intrigue and skullduggery in Los Angeles' Disincorporated Zone, in a plot exploring the potential developments of virtual currency and reality, as well as plenty more technological extrapolation. But it also turns out to be linked to another mystery. Who and what IS Erasmus Keane?
But "Wahabi coup in Sauda Arabia"? Uh, the Wahabi dynasty (see "abdul-Wahab") launching a coup against itself? Pay some more attention to research next time.
But "Wahabi coup in Sauda Arabia"? Uh, the Wahabi dynasty (see "abdul-Wahab") launching a coup against itself? Pay some more attention to research next time.
December 14, 2017
When I found out three days ago that the sequel for The Big Sheep was out, I went right to the Kindle store.
I did like this book but not as much as the first one. Yes, all the characters with their quirks are there, the story is fast paced and amusing, there are a lot of twists and turns, etc.
The difference is that everything in the last book was way blown over the top and that was it's charm. In The Last Iota, all the glamour, the villains, the plot itself is not as strange and amusing. To put it visually, it's colors are not as blindingly bright as its older brother's.
But still, it was a fun breeze of a read and a great way to top my 2017 reading challenge.
I did like this book but not as much as the first one. Yes, all the characters with their quirks are there, the story is fast paced and amusing, there are a lot of twists and turns, etc.
The difference is that everything in the last book was way blown over the top and that was it's charm. In The Last Iota, all the glamour, the villains, the plot itself is not as strange and amusing. To put it visually, it's colors are not as blindingly bright as its older brother's.
But still, it was a fun breeze of a read and a great way to top my 2017 reading challenge.
January 10, 2018
This is the last book I managed to finish in the Dec 2017, it was absolutely great, considering that for me it approached relevant today topics. And in my view, it was better than the first book. Yes I know it has a cheesy: "everything is great in the end" and the story is absolutely linear, but nonetheless it was very enjoyable. Mystery, multiple twists, as usual, a bit or a lot of action(depending on your preferences), corrupt government, corrupt wealthy individuals, secret services, warlords(though their existence will be erased in this book), nihilistic genius(although I felt mildly sorry that Rachel died) it has all you want in small amounts.
May 15, 2018
If the first book in this series is Sherlock Holmes in the middle of the 21st Century, this book introduces us to Moriarty. This book was everything I would expect from a sequel and much, much more. It goes further into the background of the first book, even introducing new tech without disrupting the plot points and universe-feel of the first book, which leaves the Author a lot of wiggle room moving forward. Plots on plots on plots. Bonus points/ kudos to the author for including cryptocurrency and the problems of fiat currency and valuation in general as main plot points in this book. Great read. Would recommend.
July 29, 2017
Second mystery with investigators Fowler and Erasmus Keane and their nemesis Selah Fiore set in post-collapse LA. The titular last iota is a promotional coin representing a bitcoin-like digital currency called "iotas" that has a sterling reputation but seems to be caught up in the Collapse and subsequent DZ carved out of LA. We learn a bit more about Keane, Gwen, Fowler et al and how entwined the currency manipulators are with all the violence. There are a few laughs and interesting background developments, but it seems a bit warmed-over.
January 2, 2018
This time, I'm satisfied with leaving four stars instead of four-and-a-half. The Last Iota is still good, but not as good as The Big Sheep, and in the beginning chapters with the obligatory recap of who Fowler is and why he's working for Keane, it literally copy-pastes 2-3 pages from the first book. Word for word. I almost tossed this book out on general principal just for that, but I needed something to read during holiday traveling, so I stuck with it. The rest of the book was good, I'm just shocked at the level of laziness and blatant disregard for readership that took.
October 13, 2021
First time in ages that I tracked down and read bk 2 of a series soon after finishing the first (The Big Sheep). Not quite as involving, nor as funny as bk 1 but still a well developed “world” that I enjoyed visiting. Also learned a thing or two about crypto currency and the value of “real” money. Do hope there will be another in this series.
July 8, 2018
Kroese, Robert. The Last Iota. Dunne, 2017.
The Last Iota is a close sequel to The Big Sheep. Once again, we have our mismatched pair of noir investigators involved with moguls, mobsters, and missing girlfriends in post-collapse Los Angeles. This time the tech issue involves a hunt for a missing coin that is the key to retrieving a bundle of cryptocurrency. If you enjoyed the first one, you will enjoy this one.
The Last Iota is a close sequel to The Big Sheep. Once again, we have our mismatched pair of noir investigators involved with moguls, mobsters, and missing girlfriends in post-collapse Los Angeles. This time the tech issue involves a hunt for a missing coin that is the key to retrieving a bundle of cryptocurrency. If you enjoyed the first one, you will enjoy this one.
September 1, 2018
Classic tough guy thriller married to cyberpunk; the two genres don't divorce here but I still don't know if the marriage will last. The start was slow enough that I was actually on my way to returning it to the S.F. library, when having nothing else to read on BART I picked up with it again and decided it was worth finishing. Nobody who knows enough about cryptocurrency will find the speculation about credible, I suspect -- fortunately I don't know enough yet.
July 9, 2020
I like the world Kroese has created here, a dystopian future Los Angeles that looks more accurate this Summer of 2020. I like the way more than onemystery is being solved and some like Keane will never be solved. Plot? A group of special coins are being collected in the city and our PI's are hired by a former enemy to get one for her too. Satisfying conclusion but leaves you wanting more, who is Lila? Please Robert, tell me you are going to finish the trilogy soon.
December 12, 2017
Pretty meh for me - it's supposed to take place after a collapse of the dollar and the US economy, but... everything is pretty much the same, other than air cars, holographic actors, and a vast swath of LA given over to gangs and warlords. But, even that doesn't REALLY ring true, because, while the phone company doesn't work inside the DZ, the gas company does?
May 23, 2018
I enjoyed this novel although the concept of iotas are beyond my comprehension. The characters are all well developed and the plot moves quickly taking many twists and turns. The setting is good and the social atmosphere is probable. It is a well written novel with excellent dialogue and I look forward to the sequel if there is one.
July 15, 2017
The Big Sheep and The Last Iota are primed as the next great prestige series on a network like FX or Netflix or something. Terrific dark sci-fi without feeling like it's just riding the coattails of the recent dystopian fiction hype. Wonderful stuff.
May 19, 2018
I could follow the genetic/scientific discussions in the previous book, but for the life of me, I could not understand the economic parts of this one. Charley Brown trombone noises is all I hear. Other than that, it's good.
July 31, 2019
A quick popcorn read. Noticed more continuity errors and such in this one which broke the immersion a little. The Holmes and Watson dynamic was still pretty solid here, with some fun interaction between Keane and Fowler. Overall it was a fun little book, but not a great one.
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