Grimbargo

by Laura Morrison

It's 2054, and there has been a death. The first death in ten years. And there will be more before too long, unless Jackie Savage and Jamie Nguyen--two exceptionally under-qualified gals--can complete their dangerous and vague mission. Too bad they aren't exactly sure how. As they blunder through Kyoto, running from evil scientists, hired thugs, rogue AI, and a cyborg raven, they get closer and closer to discovering a plot to take the future out of the hands of humanity. But even if they decipher their place in the puzzle, will they be any match for ruthless scientists and artificial intelligence with agendas of their own? Short no. But maybe things will end up OK anyway. Right? “Laura Morrison’s Grimbargo is a madcap noir joyride across a
 dystopian near-future where death has lost its power in the face of
 perfect regeneration. Onto the scene two unlikely heroines bumble 
their way across a world of pseudo-suicide cults, dastardly ravens, 
inappropriate flirtations, and awkward nicknames in a race against 
time to investigate the first death in a decade, and perhaps to even
 save the worldddddd!” 
- (Al)lison Spector, author of Let’s Stalk Rex Jupiter! and featured writer
 in Five2One Magazine, Molotov Cocktail, & the Mad Scientist Journal;
 allisonspector.com “Grimbargo is a slick sci-fi thriller that will leave the reader on the
 edge of their seat from start to finish. Morrison has crafted a unique
 and engaging world where humans are immortal, able to heal from 
any wound with the help of nanites, but be warned, this is a far cry
 from the utopia it might sound like. Watching [Jamie and Jackie]
 stumble from one conspiracy to the next is a delight. Morrison has
 struck gold with two likable protagonists who drive the plot forward
 with energy and a healthy dose of snark.” 
- Kathy Joy, author of Last One to the Bridge. “A tightly-plotted combination of dystopian science-fiction and
 whodunit, with a healthy dash of humor, Grimbargo gives us two
 well-drawn main characters who find themselves thousands of miles 
from home and embroiled in some truly bizarre circumstances.
Morrison makes it a pleasure to follow these two accidental
 adventurers as they uncover the outlines of a grave threat to
 humanity and struggle to understand, then fight it. With plenty of
 action and plot twists that keep you guessing, Grimbargo delivers!”
 – Brian Kirchner, award-winning author of The Syrian Drummer and the 
Cactus Crimson Paint and The Manzanar Scrapbook

428 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 31, 2017

About the author

Laura Morrison lives in the Metro Detroit area with her husband, daughters, cats, and vegetable garden. She has a bachelor’s degree in applied ecology and environmental science from Michigan Technological University. Before she was a writer and stay-at-home mom, she battled invasive species and researched turtles.

Reviews

[Angus Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morrison starts with a great premise and follows its implications all the way to the end.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

The singularity has arrived and... nothing's really changed. Which isn't an unbelievable premise if you look at our current lack of flying cars.

Grimbargo lands squarely on the softer side of the sci-fi Mohs scale, focusing less on the technology behind its nanobot-addled society than on the frantic antics of its main characters as they try to either avert or expedite the apocalypse depending on whoever is trying to manipulate them in any given chapter. The swiftly-moving narrative leaves little time for exposition, but when you're called upon to inflict cartoonish amounts of violence on your former employers by a rogue AI, precisely how the nanobots keep you regenerating isn't one of your more immediate concerns. Jackie and Jamie's dialogue is snappy enough to distract you from the lack of hard-technical details you don't really care about anyways.