What do you think?
Rate this book
Lost Names
Dan wasn’t sure what he had expected when he signed up for the army, but losing his hand and being turned into a human energy supply wasn’t on the list. Being rescued presented new problems; he was now on the run from the only country he’d ever known, and his saviour was a thief, a man of the underworld. But he was nice.
He helped Dan to heal, to adapt and to learn. Maybe living outside of the law wouldn’t be so bad. Even better, Dan made a few friends along the way. One of these friends was Oliver, a scavenger with the same taste in terrible pop music and shady bars. They got along well.
So when the rumour surfaced that Dan and his team had died while doing a job for the CEO of Highlight Technology, Oliver was the only one left for them to contact. Bereft of one of his only friends and wildly unqualified for the work, the promise of money and answers lands Oliver in the same dangerous trap that might have killed Dan. But will he be able to escape it?
Follow both of their stories, through loss and healing and friendship and more. Oliver is going to need to use everything he has if he’s going to save himself, and the people he’s come to love.
He helped Dan to heal, to adapt and to learn. Maybe living outside of the law wouldn’t be so bad. Even better, Dan made a few friends along the way. One of these friends was Oliver, a scavenger with the same taste in terrible pop music and shady bars. They got along well.
So when the rumour surfaced that Dan and his team had died while doing a job for the CEO of Highlight Technology, Oliver was the only one left for them to contact. Bereft of one of his only friends and wildly unqualified for the work, the promise of money and answers lands Oliver in the same dangerous trap that might have killed Dan. But will he be able to escape it?
Follow both of their stories, through loss and healing and friendship and more. Oliver is going to need to use everything he has if he’s going to save himself, and the people he’s come to love.
386 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2018
2 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 29, 2019
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
I enjoyed this book so much! Lost Names is a very queer (yes I mention this specifically because it's my jam) and otherwise very diverse adult sci-fi book. Two teams are tasked with the same (not very legal) job, except we know from the beginning the first one failed.
The book is character-driven which is also 100% My Thing, because you could make me read anything if I love the characters and I did. I loved them so much, all of them, with a shameless favourite in the person of Hastin, trained assassin, adorable femme kid, who deserves so many hugs. But honestly they were all super loveable which made that! ending! very upsetting even if it's literally IN THE BLURB, I was warned and it still hurt my feelings.
The sci-fi bits are great and interesting and very cool (I'm very into Oliver having horns and Ame and Rosa's tails and all the augmentations). Also, many interesting reflections that I SHOULD have highlighted on my e-reader now that I think of it. This book is just??? Great??? Read it!
Everyone is very queer, many characters are PoC, there's anxiety, depression, PTSD, past abuse rep, Dan is an amputee, Oliver is trans, I probably forgot things but: all the rep!!
Anyway Lost Names gave me all the feeeeels~~ Found family vibe, great rep, interesting plot and ideas and setting, MANY SCREAMS AT THE END, and it was a really great read <3
Content Warnings: abuse, experimentations on humans, violence, gun violence, death, all the bloody stuff, mention of suicide, alcohol, explicit sex and I think that's it but I'm not 100% sure
I enjoyed this book so much! Lost Names is a very queer (yes I mention this specifically because it's my jam) and otherwise very diverse adult sci-fi book. Two teams are tasked with the same (not very legal) job, except we know from the beginning the first one failed.
The book is character-driven which is also 100% My Thing, because you could make me read anything if I love the characters and I did. I loved them so much, all of them, with a shameless favourite in the person of Hastin, trained assassin, adorable femme kid, who deserves so many hugs. But honestly they were all super loveable which made that! ending! very upsetting even if it's literally IN THE BLURB, I was warned and it still hurt my feelings.
The sci-fi bits are great and interesting and very cool (I'm very into Oliver having horns and Ame and Rosa's tails and all the augmentations). Also, many interesting reflections that I SHOULD have highlighted on my e-reader now that I think of it. This book is just??? Great??? Read it!
Everyone is very queer, many characters are PoC, there's anxiety, depression, PTSD, past abuse rep, Dan is an amputee, Oliver is trans, I probably forgot things but: all the rep!!
Anyway Lost Names gave me all the feeeeels~~ Found family vibe, great rep, interesting plot and ideas and setting, MANY SCREAMS AT THE END, and it was a really great read <3
Content Warnings: abuse, experimentations on humans, violence, gun violence, death, all the bloody stuff, mention of suicide, alcohol, explicit sex and I think that's it but I'm not 100% sure
June 7, 2019
Okay so. This is one of my favorite books by A.N. Mouse so far, certainly the one that got to me the most in terms of emotionality. I have too many things to say about this book and all of the wonderful things in it, but suffice to say it’s a rollercoaster of action, intrigue, darkness, and little spots of love and light in the midst of it all. I’ve never been so continuously distressed while reading a book, yet so hopelessly invested in what the next page held.
The premise is interesting and grabs you right off the bat; an intertwined story of two separate groups working toward the same goal, with varying methods and degrees of success, and characters that connect to each other in interesting ways. It is doubly impressive that the fate of one of these groups is revealed from the very beginning, and yet you still end up getting so deeply attached to them that it’s still just as painful to read as if you hadn’t known it was coming. Overall, the closing sequence of the book is powerful and emotional, and I cried more than once, either from happiness or heartbreak.
The setting is fantastic too. The city of Spectra is dark and intriguing, and full of both danger and excitement. I loved how diverse the cast was as well, a good chunk of them hailing from countries across the world, in addition to their various identities as people. The world felt very gritty and real, and it added a lot to the overall tone of the story.
And my favorite part: the characters. The cast of Lost Names is stellar; every single character brought something amazing to the table, and I dearly loved all of them. Their dynamics with each other are fascinating to see unfold and grow, and the relationships they build are honestly some of the more satisfying, soothing aspects of the book. I could literally spend the entire review talking about how much I love these characters, but I’ll just say that even aside from everything else great about this book, they are the absolute highlights. The way their individual arcs tie into the story, particularly Hastin’s (my personal top fave), is excellently handled and I couldn’t be happier with how it was all executed.
I cannot wait to read the continuation of this series, and see how the cast continues to grow and pick up from where they left off here. I adored this story, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a dark, gritty sci-fi story, with a touch of fragile goodness at its core. 10/10, will definitely read (and cry) again in the future.
The premise is interesting and grabs you right off the bat; an intertwined story of two separate groups working toward the same goal, with varying methods and degrees of success, and characters that connect to each other in interesting ways. It is doubly impressive that the fate of one of these groups is revealed from the very beginning, and yet you still end up getting so deeply attached to them that it’s still just as painful to read as if you hadn’t known it was coming. Overall, the closing sequence of the book is powerful and emotional, and I cried more than once, either from happiness or heartbreak.
The setting is fantastic too. The city of Spectra is dark and intriguing, and full of both danger and excitement. I loved how diverse the cast was as well, a good chunk of them hailing from countries across the world, in addition to their various identities as people. The world felt very gritty and real, and it added a lot to the overall tone of the story.
And my favorite part: the characters. The cast of Lost Names is stellar; every single character brought something amazing to the table, and I dearly loved all of them. Their dynamics with each other are fascinating to see unfold and grow, and the relationships they build are honestly some of the more satisfying, soothing aspects of the book. I could literally spend the entire review talking about how much I love these characters, but I’ll just say that even aside from everything else great about this book, they are the absolute highlights. The way their individual arcs tie into the story, particularly Hastin’s (my personal top fave), is excellently handled and I couldn’t be happier with how it was all executed.
I cannot wait to read the continuation of this series, and see how the cast continues to grow and pick up from where they left off here. I adored this story, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a dark, gritty sci-fi story, with a touch of fragile goodness at its core. 10/10, will definitely read (and cry) again in the future.
February 17, 2022
Having just finished this book yesterday, I decided to type up some quick thoughts on this book while everything was fresh. However, that might be the best word to describe Lost Names, fresh.
Author AN Mouse is among my favorite authors and one thing I’ve always noticed about his work is his willingness to go beyond and try new things. Lost Names is a success story in that way. In a mix between a cyberpunk anime and a heist film, the author has crafted a gritty story but that grit feels earned and authentic and isn’t just “edginess” for the sake of it. The plot and its twists and turns are engaging, exciting, and in some cases totally heartbreaking.
The biggest strength this novel has going for is its characters. Lost Names is populated with a diverse cast of bizarre yet lovable characters who all get thrown into the mix together. No character is ever overlooked and you get to learn so much about who they are and what they’re after throughout the course of the story. Usually, I’m not one to like a story who’s plot stands still for too long, but spending time with these characters made me wish, at points, that the plot would never recommence.
All in all, Lost Names is an excellent book about friendship, love, found family, and dealing with trauma, among other things. I highly recommend any fans of this author to read this book at once.
Author AN Mouse is among my favorite authors and one thing I’ve always noticed about his work is his willingness to go beyond and try new things. Lost Names is a success story in that way. In a mix between a cyberpunk anime and a heist film, the author has crafted a gritty story but that grit feels earned and authentic and isn’t just “edginess” for the sake of it. The plot and its twists and turns are engaging, exciting, and in some cases totally heartbreaking.
The biggest strength this novel has going for is its characters. Lost Names is populated with a diverse cast of bizarre yet lovable characters who all get thrown into the mix together. No character is ever overlooked and you get to learn so much about who they are and what they’re after throughout the course of the story. Usually, I’m not one to like a story who’s plot stands still for too long, but spending time with these characters made me wish, at points, that the plot would never recommence.
All in all, Lost Names is an excellent book about friendship, love, found family, and dealing with trauma, among other things. I highly recommend any fans of this author to read this book at once.
February 20, 2019
Lost Names is a thrilling ride that I never wanted to get off! Lost Names is one of those stories that is the perfect amount of unsettling horror, with gripping action with just a dash of heartfelt moments that tug on both your tear ducts and your heart strings that really brings the whole story together. As always with this particular author the characters are one of the selling points and there is one in particular that I had gotten particularly attached to. Their journey struck a chord and their are a number of characters who are capable of the same feat. Lost Names is a book I would absolutely recommend as long as you keep a box of tissues nearby that is.
December 26, 2018
Cried my eyes out but also got a half chub. Simultaneously? You decide.
April 16, 2018
Lost Names is an interesting back-and-forth story by chapter of two teams tasked with the same goal. It keeps you on your toes as you learn of the character's personalities...and of their deceptions. Action packed and character-driven, LN is a great read that takes you on one hell of a ride.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews