Ninth Step Station: The Complete Season 1

Ninth Step Murders #1.1-1.10

by Malka Ann Older, Fran Wilde, Jacqueline Koyanagi

A local cop. A US Peacekeeper. A divided Tokyo.

In the future, two mismatched cops must work together to solve crimes in a divided Tokyo.

Years of disaster and conflict have left Tokyo split between great powers. In the city of drone-enforced borders, bodymod black markets, and desperate resistance movements, US peacekeeper Emma Higashi is assigned to partner with Tokyo Metropolitan Police Detective Miyako Koreda. Together, they must race to solve a series of murders that test their relationship and threaten to overturn the balance of global power. And amid the chaos, they each need to decide what they are willing to do for peace.

Created by Malka Older, whose Infomocracy was named one of Kirkus' "Best Fiction of 2016", with cowriters Jacqueline Koyanagi (author of Ascension), Fran Wilde (2016 Nebula Award nominee, and winner of the 2016 Andre Norton and Compton Crook awards), and Curtis C. Chen (2017 Locus Awards and Endeavour Award Finalist).

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Cyberpunk, Anthologies, Crime, Fiction

329 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 13, 2019

Reviews

[Sherwood Smith]

This series at Serial Box really lends itself to the weekly episode format.

The blurb is the best introduction to the basics: Years of disaster and conflict have left Tokyo split between great powers.

In the city of drone-enforced borders, bodymod black markets, and desperate resistance movements, US peacekeeper Emma Higashi is assigned to partner with Tokyo Metropolitan Police Detective Miyako Koreda.

Each episode is a case, setup, conflict, solve, which makes satisfying reading for those who don't like artificial cliff-hangers. While the cases get solved, each week we learn a little more about our main pair, Emma (Japanese-American, coming to Japan with American cultural values and background) and Miyako, Japanese born, and still even in this future, dealing with gender bias.

The women are prickly, Miyako especially closed off, but gradually they begin learning about each other as they learn to depend on the other's particular skill set. It's a real pleasure for readers who like complicated cultural, political, and military overlay in character development to watch these two navigating cultural and gender shoals on top of dealing with the aftermath of war and disaster.

The worldbuilding backdrop is more sketched in. The world stage is not complicated, more like TV situational backdrops, but the foregrounding more than makes up for that in complexity.

I loved watching the spiky, wary pair form their partnership as they dealt with a dangerous, fascinating world. The writers worked to complement tones and focus, making this series a pleasure both as science fiction and as mystery.

Copy provided by Serial Box

[Kaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, very engaging near-future police procedural set in occupied Tokyo, starring an American peacekeeper and a Japanese police officer.

This story is set up much like a TV crime show, with distinct cases in each episode tied together with some overarching narrative threads. It took a little while for me to get used to this format - I struggled at times to keep track of the larger storylines and to have a sense of the timeline of the different cases. There were a few rough transitions and times where I felt that the episodes were too short for me to fully understand what was going on with some of the investigations, but overall the story was a good fit for the format.

However, in all honesty, I am not a huge murder mystery fan, so I was more interested in other parts of the story. For me, the really enjoyable aspects were Emma and Miyako, and the dynamics of their relationship; the cool sci-fi tech, especially body-mods; and the political storylines. The end of this season was simultaneously very exciting and kind of frustrating because it promises a second season that brings these elements even more to the forefront but also now I am very impatient to read that next season!

A second listen-through helped a lot to clarify some of my confusion around the cases and overarching plotlines. A second reading also increased my appreciation of the authors' skills in developing the relationship between Emma and Miyako, building in both friendship and tension. Overall, I really enjoyed the audio version, much of which I listened to on the new Serial Box app for Android. As someone who is easily distracted from audiobooks, I found the sound effects to be very helpful in keeping my brain focused on listening.

I received a free ARC from the publisher.

[Claudie Arseneault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in a near future Tokyo divided between a China-controlled sector and a US-chaperonned, Japanese sector, NINTH STEP STATION is an amazing mystery serial. I loved the way the impact of the recent war was threaded through the every episode, both in the crimes and their motivations and in the means available to our two police MCs (limited or unreliable databases, no access to the Chinese side, etc.). Watching the slow build of trust between Miyako and Emma was so rewarding--I'm always here for prickly partners growing on each other with time. Between that and the web of political tensions and shifty allegiances which grew in importance and impact until the blazing finale, NINTH STEP STATION had absolutely everything I wanted out of it, and I'm glad to have read it.

So, thank you to serial box for a review copy of this in exchange for a review. <3 It was worth every moment.

[Andrew Hiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the benefits of an anthology or collection is that the reader is exposed to different writers and gets the opportunity to discover a new diamond. Ninth Step succeeds in this regard. There were several really compelling episodes and watching how each author took on the cast, setting, and the past details left behind by the previous author was fascinating. For this, both the authors and editor deserves a lot of credit. The stories flow together really well. The characters maintain the same personality even as new aspects are unfolded.

Set in a near future Tokyo caught between rival world powers, Ninth Step Station tells the story of a partnership between a Japanese inspector and an American peacekeeper. The book progresses like the episodes of a TV series, each story being both standalone and linked to the previous one. Several themes emerge and a few nuggets set up in Episode 1 get their payoff later in the series. Also, similar to many TV shows, Ninth Step Station has been written by a team of talented writers.

The crimes follow a wide range: murder, theft, kidnapping, terrorism, etc. which prevent the reader or book from falling into too predictable a pattern. That said, like most police procedurals, the stories do follow a formula and at times that stalled me. Readers who enjoy thrillers will not have a problem with this.

Personally, I found the way the stories were broken up into "Acts" a little offputting. Maybe it's the playwright in me, but these didn't feel like "Acts." Worse, the idea that any play or TV show might have five acts is downright frightening. However, that's a pretty picky nothing compared to the fun I had with the great cast, interesting plots, and fun stories.

Should you read it. Probably. If only because I was a little sad when I reached the last story and the series ended.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently I never reviewed this back when I read it. So forgive me because a few of the details may be a bit foggy.

I really enjoyed this. The kind people at Serial Box (now called Realm), reached out after I won this in a giveaway and offered me the audio portion as well. I absolutely love the audio versions of the serials at Realm. Emily Woo Zeller narrates and she does a wonderful job.

I think what brings these serials to life are all the little sound effects and background noises. They really helped with the sense of immersion in the story. I enjoyed the characters and thought they were well rounded and diverse.

And the science fiction aspect here was a lot of fun. The technology was really cool and almost felt a little cyber punk-ish. I don't think the mystery aspect was super strong- I wasn't picking up on a lot of the clues and such but it might have been due to me absorbing it via audio rather than reading. All in all I'd highly recommend this series.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the idea of episodic content written by different SF authors, but this lacked any new or interesting ideas. All the tropes you would expect from a detective noir story including plenty of male perpetrated violence with female victims.

Was often bored because the characterisation was mediocre and the detectives were at times annoyingly lacking in curiosity.

[Maria Haskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an entertaining read. Mix a near-future setting (Japan has been laid low by natural disasters and Chinese interference, and is now a divided nation) with some very plausible scifi-tech (body-mods, implants, and people who use tech-y "sleeves" to communicate and interface), and make it all a cyber-punkish police procedural, and you get the vibe of this excellent story. But what really sells this for me, are the two main characters, US peacekeeper Emma Higashi and Tokyo Metropolitan Police Detective Miyako Koreda who are assigned to work together.

The two have a great odd-couple/burgeoning buddy-cop vibe, and their different backgrounds gives insight into the world and the society they now have to navigate.

Written as a serial, Higashi and Koreda deal with various crimes (often involving technology and politics) and each part of this story is entertaining and gripping. (Check out the audio version at SerialBox for an extra-delicious enhanced version!)

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what you get when you mix Blade Runner and Altered Carbon in a feminist blender. The two protagonists are women, a soldier and a cop and they are delightful. The futuristic world-building was excellent and each of the cases was interesting. I kind of cheated because I didn't listen to the episodes as they were released weekly but rather binged them all in a few days. Either way this was an exciting story that kept me listening and I'm ready for season two!

The narration was very good with just one woman voicing all the characters. That one woman was Emily Zoo Weller and she did an excellent job at all the accents and languages. She did the male voices really well too. Serial Box audio also has sound effects and music Graphic Audio style which makes it feel like a movie and I enjoy a lot. Two thumbs up for this book and its audio!

[Mareike · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars not rounded up

The author knows the noir and cyberpunk genres very well, but doesn't really do anything new with them, leading to a "benn there, done" that feeling with the individual cases being solved.
The relationship between the POV characters and their colleagues xould have bern interesting, but they sadly remained somewhat underexplored.

This was pleasant enough background listening for chores and such, but I had hoped for....more.

[Roland Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review 4.4 stars

I was pleased to receive this serialised fiction as an ARC from Serial Box Publishing as it was an exciting read.

This police procedural set in a near future Tokyo consists of ten engrossing episodes written by different authors, including at least one, Jacqueline Koyanagi whose debut novel I've read and reviewed.

The style is reminiscent of US crime series, but with its own interesting approach as the sense of an imminent future pervades but doesn’t take over the plots. This could be ‘tomorrow’ with China occupying part of Japan and a sector of Tokyo, and with the US playing what is meant to be peacekeeper. Ninth Step Station has some fascinating characters, interesting plots, futuristic tech and very real political intrigue.

US peacekeeper Emma Higashi (Japanese-American) is assigned to partner with Tokyo Metropolitan Police Detective Miyako Koreda at Nine Step Station, one of the key TMP stations. The cases they are tasked with solving are standalone, but there are overarching events that carry through the novel/series with the usual TV-style cliff-hanger to lead into Series 2.

The crimes in the ten episodes vary from suspected suicide and domestic violence to assassination and terrorism with differing levels of technological involvement such as body-mods, drones, data mining, and data sleeves – all realistic evolutions of existing tech. The data sleeves especially play a key role in enabling people to instantly communicate and interface – although this is also a city troubled by regular power-cuts/blackouts. However, the war and the gangs/Yakuza make solving crimes challenging with some data irretrievable and some information obscured by human evasiveness.

Each of the writers gives an individual feel to each episode, yet together they create a seamless story with consistent and evolving characters, a realistic-feeling Tokyo post-occupation and those building overarching events. The TV-style structure means the episodes are formula to some degree, but they are enjoyable – although not as complex as some mysteries I read.

Both the two main characters and the supporting players are distinctly portrayed, and there are developing attributes and discoveries as the episodes unfold. The misunderstanding and conflicts arising between the two protagonists due to cultural differences, personal secrets and political agendas create a more complex relationship than an instant crime-fighting partnership and that relationship has room to grow. I was also pleased to see that the issues of gender bias and sexuality were addressed – although not as suspected.

Not knowing Tokyo, I assume that the world-building does build on the present city, although I realise that the format only allows the setting to receive less attention than the stand-out characters who are what will pull me back here.
I look forward to the sequel as there is plenty to build on in Ninth Step Station.

Story – four stars
Setting/World-building – four stars
Authenticity – four stars
Characters – five stars
Structure – four stars
Readability – five stars
Editing – five stars

Full review at: https://rolandclarke.com/2019/01/31/%...

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

On your mark. Get set. Tokyo. A fistful of years beyond the 2031 opportunistic China partial grab, the city is global player sectored and kept that way by checkpoints and drone walls. Reconstruction, power, records, data access are all sketchy. Tokyo Metropolitan Police Detective Miyako Koreda is assigned a murder case. And a new partner, US peacekeeper Emma Higashi, on a let's-see-how-this-goes basis for both organizations, with the silent admonition that the women need to be the ones to make it work; for their supervisors, and for whatever agenda the lead actors may not have shared. Plays well with others is not a valued skillset in superpower hegemony.

The team doesn't want to be a team, but has to. They are instructed to solve the murder posthaste. The two have to find a killer, but first find out who the sans-identification victim is.

Meanwhile. A container truck hauling who knows what, under the jurisdiction of who knows who, has disappeared through a checkpoint it should not never have been able to cross.

Nishimura, Yardley, Kensuke Maeda, Sato and suspects are superbly written. There are bodymods and modifiers, data miners, drone tech, Organized Crime, civic governance misbehaviours, flirtations and hatreds and - it's good. Super.

I received an eARC of this series, and also an introduction to Serial Box, which intrigues me, too. I remember serials at the movie theater. One episode a Saturday, and if you had to run away from home the following Saturday and suffer the consequences later to keep up, that's what you did. Thrilling tales! Don't miss the next episode! Cliffhangers. We'd hover at the comic books store for the next installation. Feels fresh now, and I'm sure will fit the reading profiles of younger device users. Readers of Malka Ann Older and Fran Wilde will be delighted, and I now have 2 authors more to read. Brava, bravo!

[Aidan Budd · Rating 4 out of 5]

So - that was fun!

Enjoyed listening just now to "The Faceless Body" by Malka Older, first episode of the first season of the Serial Box serial "Ninth Street Station".

I tend to only listen to "audio books" when trying to get to sleep, but with this format (episodes in a season, each audio episode I guess around 90 min) I thought it might work well in my "podcast slot" (i.e. cooking and doing the dishes) - happy to say it did. Certainly planning to buy the full season now (something I didn't expect when I started listening to the first free episode).

While different in several key ways, the episode reminded me *strongly* of the John Rain books of Barry Eisler. More specifically, Eisler's books and this episode share...:

- well written strong women characters with lots of agency
- Japanese setting
- well written immersive sense of place
- martial arts
- interest and focus on information and security
- intersection and tension between US and Japanese cultures

Having said that, "The Faceless Body" differs from the Eisler books as it is:

- speculative fiction, not a "real-world" thriller
- *two* women protagonists, not a man protagonist
- more focus on detection, less on (superbly-described) action sequences (Eisler IMHO writes some of the best action I've ever read)

Anyway! Looking forward very much to episode 2!

[USOM · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this free book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

More like a 3.5 from me.

Ninth Step Station is a fast paced crime science fiction thriller. There's mystery, murder, and manipulation. Written by four different authors, it is a serialized action book. I'm interested in how it felt to work with three other authors and you can see their characters develop. Each author picks up where the other left off, taking you to a new case with our cop and US peacemaker. There's a great deal of world building with fast moving technology, eerie new advancements, and a world hanging by a thread.

full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...

[Brook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This read much like a series of Ghost in the Shell. From the NeoTokyo setting, to the ubiquitous cybernetic body mods, I expected Major Kusanagi to pop up at any juncture. That said, it also ruled. It’s been a long time since I read serialized fiction outside of comics, and the episodic nature made for a fun time. Each author added to the tale, instead of distracting with wild stylistic flourishes. I would happily read another series with Emma, Miyako, and the rest. There were less political machinations that I expected, based on other work from Older, but the story was fun, exciting, and well-told.

[Geonn Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this, although I didn't *quite* love it. It's definitely good enough I'm interested in checking out other SerialBox productions. If you're not aware, these are presented like a TV series. Each story is an "episode," the book is a season. It's how I released the Riley Parra seasons way back when if you're a reader of my stuff. Good stories, a good series, and a good introduction to a new service.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

With uncanny plot points presaging American stumbles in democracy, the all-star authors of this podcast (originally a Serial Box serialized novel) have created a near-future, proto-cyberpunk, earthquake-shattered, divided Tokyo whose many factions harbor hidden agendas and grudges. The Chinese occupy half of the city, American peacekeepers patrol the other half, and the Tokyo police (and organized crime) are caught up in the middle. And what is the top American diplomat in the city up to?

The tech level is bumped up a decade or so: there are military drones, smart guns, fuel cells, self-driving cars with separable cabs, cybernetic implants, ubiquitous "sleeves"---suped-up communication/media devices you wear on your arm. We follow an American peacekeeper and a Japanese cop who have been teamed up to publicly bolster strained U.S.-Japanese relations. Both are powerful female leads who share equal POV time. As they work out of Tokyo's Ninth Step police station to solve murders, a deadly city-wide conspiracy is slowly revealed, and a battle for the fate of the divided city is enjoined. (Cue Akira, Vol. 1 tagline!)

I loved this podcast. The narrator is decent (and knows Japanese), the sound effects are immersive, and the writing is taut and without discontinuity among the four authors, one of whom writes each episode. Malka Older in particular is one of the smartest genre writers of the day, and I was floored with her prescience in the last episode which features a January 6 type event. The 2nd season on Realm can't arrive fast enough.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the last few years I've discovered a fondness for Japanese mysteries and science fiction. I think the Japanese style is mannered,  rather like the Edwardian style,  and perhaps because it's unusual to my perspective,  I enjoy very much reading Japanese mysteries and SF in translation.

NINTH STEP STATION is Near-Future Apocalyptic Dystopian Science Fiction. Yes it's all of these. Set in the early 2030's, Tokyo is partially destroyed by a terrible earthquake plus is a divided city following China's war on Japan. In fact, part of Tokyo is under Chinese control,  where infrastructure works and the economy is stable. Japan's portion suffers almost nightly
from blackouts and shortages.

A U. S. Peacekeeper is tasked to partner with a Tokyo Metropolitan Police Detective, and they encounter a series of unusual and puzzling cases. Initially a serial publication from Serial Box, NINTH STEP STATION features two strong empowered female protagonists and some LGBT+ representation as well as deep psychological insights into characters.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

In a future that doesn't seem so nice, Japan finds itself occupied by China, as well as the USA after a war. There's a strange murder, and a cyborgized American finds herself paired with a Japanese female detective. The two fight crime, and try to keep China on their side of the line.

Pretty good, especially if you're into Manga and/or anime.

[Adrianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent serial revolving around a Tokyo cop and an American peacekeeper's efforts to solve a series of murders in a Tokyo that has yet to be. The mysteries were written by several different authors, but the pacing was excellent, characterization was strong and consistent, and there was a fascinating story arc that transcended each installment. The setting was so real that I felt like I was in Tokyo again, and I loved the way that inter-office politics brought secondary characters to life. This is available on serialbox.com in both audible and ebook format, and will be available on Kindle 4/13/19. The audio narrator is excellent, and brings a lot to an already wonderful story.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very cool concept, and if one of myriad TV networks out there (looking at YOU, Netflix) needs more programming, they should check this out.

Great characters, interesting worldbuilding, and murder mysteries, all chopped up and neatly packaged in serial format.

Like any series, there were stronger episodes and weaker ones, but the overall quality and compatibility among the crack writing team made this a genuine pleasure.

4.5/5

[Sidsel Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really read too few mysteries. I really liked the characters. The story was griping. The world building was really interesting - including the use of tech and I loved the episodical nature of it - it suits my brainspace right now.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.And here we are at the end! Today's episode marks the end of Season 1 of Ninth Step Station. It's been a blast covering each episode on a weekly basis, and I hope it's been at least somewhat entertaining for you! In this review I'll discuss Episode 10, as well as give you my overall thoughts about the story. For those of you who've been with me from the beginning of this grand experiment, thank you so much for stopping by each week!

All hell breaks loose in the final episode of Ninth Step Station , Season 1, and everything comes to a head. For obvious reasons, I don’t want to discuss the events of The Foreign Mischief too much, but I will give you a brief recap.

The episode starts with at attack on the Diet during a council meeting. Armed men in business suits storm the building and start shooting. Emma and Miyako arrive at the scene, and Miyako discovers that one of the dead, Minister Kobayashi, has been murdered, not by bullets but by a knife to the throat. As news breaks out of another threat on the border, Emma takes off to help with that situation, while Miyako decides to stay and investigate the murder.

As the city falls into turmoil and the threat from the Chinese seems very real, Miyako and Emma must do everything they can to hold their city together.

I love how everything came together in this episode. Older brings back threads from the beginning of the series, which I loved. I had a couple of “oh yeah!” moments when events I had forgotten about were suddenly front and center.

There are plenty of surprise reveals as well. People that Emma and Miyako trust turn out to be untrustworthy, and it’s not always clear which side their friends are on. These unexpected twists made this a fast-paced and exciting finale. And the ending was perfectly played. Just like a good episodic TV show, we get some resolution, but we also get a clear lead-in to the next season. I loved the twist at the end, and I think it will make for a thrilling second season.

Reading each week’s episode in real time was such an interesting experiment! I actually enjoyed the bite-sized stories which I was able to fit into my schedule along with my other reading commitments. Serial Box stories are meant to be enjoyed this way, meant for busy readers who may only have less than an hour at a time to squeeze in some reading, and they are written in such a way that makes you look forward to the next week’s episode.

And Ninth Step Station isn’t just for people who love science fiction. This series has a lot to offer fans of political intrigue, mysteries and police procedurals. The characters really grew on me, and I’m especially pleased that this story centers around such well-drawn female characters. I'm really looking forward to spending more time with Emma and Miyako in particular, and I’ll be anxiously awaiting Season 2!

Big thanks to Serial Box for supplying a review copy.



About Ninth Step Station:

A local cop. A US Peacekeeper. A divided Tokyo.
Years of disaster and conflict have left Tokyo split between great powers.

In the city of drone-enforced borders, bodymod black markets, and desperate resistance movements, US peacekeeper Emma Higashi is assigned to partner with Tokyo Metropolitan Police Detective Miyako Koreda.

Together, they must race to solve a series of murders that test their relationship and threaten to overturn the balance of global power. And amid the chaos, they each need to decide what they are willing to do for peace.

Episode 1: The Faceless Body

Episode 2: The Bodiless Arm

Episode 3: The Fallen Executive

Episode 4: The Blackout Killer

Episode 5: The Deadly Defection

Episode 6: The Stolen Xiaohái

Episode 7: The Loud Politician

Episode 8: The Clawed Limb by Jacqueline Koyanagi

Episode 9: The Assassin's Nest by Fran Wilde & Curtis C. Chen



Are you intrigued? You can purchase the entire series for $13.99! Click here now to learn more.

About Serial Box:

Serial Box brings everything that's awesome about TV (easily digestible episodes, team written, new content every week) to what was already cool about books (well-crafted stories, talented authors, enjoyable anywhere).

Like TV, we release a new episode of our serials every week and serials typically run for seasons of 10-16 weeks. Easy to pick up, episodes are enjoyable on their own but build over the course of the season to tell a bigger story. Each episode is available in ebook and audio and takes about 40 minutes to enjoy.á

This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy

[Nicole (bookwyrm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun episodic story from Serial Box. It wasn't what I expected going in: for some reason I was expecting more sci-fi, less murder mystery. I still enjoyed it a lot, I just had to adjust my expectation of what I was going to get from each episode. Actually, that's probably my biggest issue with this as a series: I kept having to adjust my expectations. The first few episodes are very episodic, with few things other than the characters and general setting carrying over, with everything being neatly tied up by the end of the episode. And then there was a switch, and there were major plot points left unresolved between episodes. Ultimately, this left us with the final two episodes getting almost no resolution at all. In that, it reminds me of a TV series that ends on a "to be continued" plot so that you'll watch the next season. Now, I already knew there was going to be a Season Two for Ninth Step Station, since it was released before I started listening to this serial. However, based on the early episodes of this story, I didn't expect quite so little resolution at the end of Episode 10.

That said... I still really enjoyed the story. I feel it was well-written, with the different authors somehow managing to have a unified flow and feel to each story. It was very well crafted, and the audio version—narrated by the wonderful Emily Woo Zeller—was the perfect way to experience this serial.

[Artemis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Malka Older, I like cyberpunk, and I'm normally very eh on police procedurals, but in listening to this I learned that Emily Woo Zeller is an excellent narrator. Overall, it was a fun listening experience.

This was a serialized near-future sci-fi police procedural audiobook set in a war-divided Japan, with a drone curtain separating Tokyo into Chinese-controlled territory and Japanese-controlled American-occupied territory. The parallels to the Cold War separation of Berlin are clear, and bringing the modern surveillance state into the mix provided an interesting launchpoint for sci-fi investigations of the premise.

I was expecting more sci-fi and worldbuilding, but the focus is really on the two police partners (one Japanese, one American) solving a murder-of-the-week, usually. It's billed as a buddy-cop story, so honestly it's on me for not expecting it to be structured so like a cop show. I like the characters; Emma Higashi the American soldier was frequently torn between her feelings of her duty to the US and her respect for her Tokyo colleagues; Koreda Miyako the local Japanese police officer dealing in turn with her conflicting loyalties to her police job to solve crimes and keep order, and her loyalty to her country against the Chinese invasion encroaching over the city (and her friendship with Emma vs. the overbearing shadow of the US peacekeeping force). All of that interplayed well, making for compelling characters with tense emotions. (And Miyako's relationship with her girlfriend, which she keeps secret from most of her colleagues because it's None Of Their Business, was surprisingly sweet - and because Miyako's girlfriend lives in the Chinese zone of the city, another layer of difficult political entanglements whenever they try to see each other).

The strengths are really in the political drama, and the cop-show structure does allow for that to be explored well, but… the valorization of the police force, the awkward way the story deals with isolated examples of corrupt officers, and the way it presents the main characters yelling in suspects' faces, smacking them around, and lying to them, as just part of Police Work, and how it portrays anyone who's suspicious of and nervous around the police as always ending up being guilty of something… it made me kind of uncomfortable. This story is only two years old, we were already having these discussions. It's not egregiously awful, but it keeps marring my engagement in the hacking and crime-solving and political mysteries with uncomfortable actions by our heroes we're not evidently supposed to think are out of line. It may be set in Japan, it may be near-future under different political pressures... but listening to it now, I keep feeling like I want some acknowledgement of this.

[Matthew Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of the complete first series of Ninth Step Station from the publisher. This means that I read the episodes not week-by-week as you would for at least the second half of the season if you subscribed soon after this review appears, but over just under three weeks. I tried, at first, to read Ninth Step Station as if I didn't immediately have access to the next episode. I managed, for a little while. But you know how it is when you have a whole season in front of you. I just wanted to keep on reading to see what was going to happen.

Ninth Step Station is set in the not-too distant future in a Tokyo recovering from the twin disasters of a substantial earthquake and occupation by China, which has split the city into occupied territory and the US zone, the 'free' Tokyo protected by peacekeepers. The story begins when Tokyo Metropolitan Police detective Miyako Koreda is partnered with seconded US peacekeeper Lieutenant Emma Higashi. Their investigations in each episode vary from solving murders to political intrigue, usually revolving around a technological development of which we may or may not be on the brink in the present.

While the setting is great, it's the mismatched detectives Miyako and Emma and their developing relationship that make the series. Miyako is a loner, isolated in her workplace and very quiet about her private life, and not entirely happy about having this American interloper thrust upon her; Emma is more outspoken, perhaps impetuous and, if not trigger-happy, at least gun-toting. The episodic nature of Serial Box's releases means that their relationship fluctuates as they get to know one another in ways that wouldn't work so well in a novel, but works well in a serialized narrative (and that's one of the reasons I tried to take breaks between episodes). There are great supporting characters, too - the scheming US liaison to the Japanese Government, Charles Yardley III; charming misogynist Kensuke Maeda; sleazy Chinese detectives Liu and Wong. But it's Emma and Miyako that make the series wonderful.

While each episode has its own story, there is an overall arc as the political situation in occupied Tokyo worsens. I certainly want to see how this story develops going into a second season. For now, I'm going to go back and listen to the audio of season one.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second serial from Serial Box and I absolutely loved it! Ninth Step Station starts from the traditional police drama ‘”You’re getting a new partner.” “I don’t need a partner.” “Too bad you’re getting one anyway.”‘ scenario, and absolutely kills it. Emma and Miyako have amazing chemistry together and the two of them together (rocky relationship and all), really hold the story together. The culture clash between the two (Emma being the brash American and Miyako the more tempered Japanese) gets thoroughly explored and I loved how fleshed out each character became. Side characters like the other officers and officials at Ninth Step Station, officers Waverly and Santiago on the American side, and the various politicians get nicely fleshed out as well.


With the extended serial format, Ninth Step Station has more time to flesh out its world and the authors take full advantage of that. This world of a divided Tokyo, with China and America vying for influence while a shady underworld of yakuza groups play in the background, truly come to life in this very cyberpunk-esque setting. Technology plays a huge role in this society, between drones used for almost everything, futuristic armband communication tech, to human augments that truly get explored to their full potential. Yet, at the same time, there the reader (or listener) is grounded in fuel shortages, complaints about public transport, and the ever-present politics.

The narrator for this serial, Emily Woo Zeller, does a fantastic job of bringing this serial to life. For the most part, I enjoyed the different voices that helped differentiate the characters. The narration gets a little dodgy when she deepens her voice to do the male characters, but I got used to it over time. The added sound effects, the press of a button, the swish of a door, or the sharpness of gunfire all add to the overall immersion.

Overall, I rate this serial 4/5. I thoroughly enjoyed the chemistry between the two main characters and I loved how fleshed out this wartorn version of Tokyo became. The narration and sound effects certainly added to the atmosphere.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of season 1 in exchange for an honest review.)

Intriguing new concept in reading; it was a little jarring at first (especially since I had not actually noticed the description of the TV/serialized format before I started).

The story is set up much like a TV series, with individual "monster of the week" episodes with cases that (mostly) resolve by the end, but also an ongoing story arc of a divided Japan after an invasion from China, with US forces stationed in Tokyo to help keep the peace. US peacekeeper Emma Higashi is assigned to partner with a Tokyo PD detective to help solve cases, as a way of keeping up good relations between the US and Japan. Despite the advanced technology, it reads mostly like a buddy-cop show.

In general, I enjoyed the stories and the way they flowed together, although sometimes I found it hard to keep all the names and political factions and other players straight in my head -- I'm fine with a good cop story, but political machinations are not really my thing. I found that when I picked it up to read, I'd get engrossed and read an entire episode or two at a time...but when I put it down, I was often not all that eager to pick it back up like I am with my favorite books. I'm not entirely sure why that is. However, it more or less ended on a cliffhanger, and I do want to know what happens next. If it was a TV show, I'd totally watch it.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A local cop. A US Peacekeeper. A divided Tokyo.


In the future, two mismatched cops must work together to solve crimes in a divided Tokyo.


Years of disaster and conflict have left Tokyo split between great powers. In the city of drone-enforced borders, bodymod black markets, and desperate resistance movements, US peacekeeper Emma Higashi is assigned to partner with Tokyo Metropolitan Police Detective Miyako Koreda. Together, they must race to solve a series of murders that test their relationship and threaten to overturn the balance of global power. And amid the chaos, they each need to decide what they are willing to do for peace.


Created by Malka Older, whose Infomocracy was named one of Kirkus' Best Fiction of 2016, with cowriters Jacqueline Koyanagi (author of Ascension), Fran Wilde (2016 Nebula Award nominee, and winner of the 2016 Andre Norton and Compton Crook awards), and Curtis C. Chen (2017 Locus Awards and Endeavour Award Finalist)

Excellent story and great narration by Emily Woo-Zeller who does an amazing job with all the voices. The body-mods are pretty weird in some cases and the murders suitably gruesome. I'm looking forward to getting Season 2

[Calzean · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book has the hallmarks of something special. The near future. After an earthquake severely damaged Japan, the rascally Chinese invaded. In the fragile peace Japan is now divided into a Chinese sector, a Japanese sector and an ASEAN sector. The US provides a peace keeping force. All good so far.
A US peacekeeper is attached to the Tokyo police department and the book becomes a series of short murder tales where the evil doer is normally found with little fuss and often within hours. There is no great mystery with each story with the guilty party confessing with no real pressure.
The book started to get interesting towards the end where the various blocs start to ramp up. The objectives of the resistance force, the mafia, the Chinese, the locals and the US become clearer and for the first time I was interested in the story. Then the book ended. Bah humbug.

[Deborah MB · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Ninth Step Station' is a collaborative creation to be either read, or listened to as a podcast. As a result, it is not so much a book per se, as a collection of episodes written by either Older, Chen, Koyanagi, or Wilde. It is interesting as a concept, and despite the slight differences in style and focus, the episodes/chapters do follow a cohesive line.

'Ninth Step Station' refers to a police station in futuristic, cyber-rich, post-war fragmented Tokyo. Here, loner Japanese Inspector Miyako Koreda is assigned a collaboration partner from the US Peacekeeping force, Lieutenant Emma Higashi. As they confront espionage, gang-wars, as well as political and social issues, the two women learn from each other. Koreda learns to trust her partner, while Higashi realises why the locals regard the American mission just as suspiciously as they do the Chinese invaders.

This is a very visual cyber-punk narrative, with heavy influences from Phillip K Dick, ‘Akira’, and darker cop television series. Similarly, the authors also use the time and place dystopia to address very present issues, such as technological dependency, interventionism, homophobia, sexism, nationalism, mental health issues, and others.

Who would enjoy this
'Ninth Step Station' is a dream for those who like ‘Blade Runner’, Sci-Fi anime, and Netflix series, yet are trying new ways of entertainment. The episodes are short enough, and specific enough, for independent reading.

Of course, it will appeal to audiences who enjoy crime fantasy, as well. The read is light enough, both in content and detail, to make it an option for those looking for light fun with a dark tinge.

Lastly, this work could appeal to all ages, but mostly to young adults with a taste for dark novels. Particularly those who are into strong women leads and don’t mind a bit of an international social agenda.

Who should give this a pass
Any reader who dislikes cyber-punk, anime, or Sci-fi would do well giving this a pass. It would be a bit difficult to engage with characters who have undergone surgical modification to ‘enhance’ their abilities, at the very least.

Moreover, I would dissuade those who are easily upset by war stories and confrontation. Despite the shallow approach, the tone is too dark, and the ‘in-your-face’ attitude of some of the characters, while mostly believable within context, comes out too forceful at times.

Finally, I can imagine both American and Chinese patriotic nationals taking some of the matters quite personally. I would actually recommend they read it, but taking it with a pinch of salt and an open mind.

Conclusions and suggestions
Ninth Step Station is a well-executed project, carefully constructed, but still a collection of linked stories with an open ending – a season, not a volume.

The authors, under the leadership of Malka Older, have been very smart in keeping a simple main plotline. By so doing, and by leaving it unburdened with great amount of details, they could attach the episodes, and their individual plots, very successfully, almost seamlessly. Another point for this simplicity, is the use of the narrative itself to explain the (limited) new concepts – whether this be terminology (seku-haru, Kudan, etc.) or elements of the futuristic reality (the modular cars, the sleeves, …).

My main issues with 'Ninth Step Station' are the sudden, gratuitous goriness of some of the episodes, as unlike most others; and the lack of closure. Actually, the first one is not that much of a deal breaker, although it messes up the standard 3-Act structure, as they fall outside that line.

The second one, however, is more pernicious. While audiences are willing to wait for new television seasons, readers can get “antsy” about being unfulfilled. Even worse, is the sense of having the cliff-hanger used as a means to ensure future readership. In a book, that is a very delicate balance to handle, and sadly Ninth Step Station does not seem to do it well. The new, open plotline into the next season is rushed, and not enough emotional involvement has taken place.

(For a more detailed review, and suggestions, please visit my blog www.thereadingreview.com)