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Soul Jacker #1
Soul Jacker: A Science Fiction Thriller
A strange killer stalks the neon-lit slums.
Ritry Goligh is a broken man. Once the greatest of the Soul Jackers - marines sent to hijack enemy minds - now he peddles cheap memory highs on the floating slums, trying to forget the horrors of the past.
But the past is stalking him. On a drunken night out at the slum's edge, Ritry stumbles upon a bizarre murder scene staged just for him. The killer calls himself Mr. Ruin, and he offers Ritry a devil's bargain - one last mind-bending jack, in exchange for the peace Ritry has long sought.
But nothing is what it seems, and soon Ritry is plunged into a Soul Jack beyond the bounds of madness, with more lives at stake than he ever imagined...
"If you're a fan of Stephenson and Gibson, you must read Soul Jacker!" - Pat Mills, creator of 2000AD featuring Judge Dredd."With head-turning ideas and tight prose, MJG proves that cyberpunk is alive and kicking." - Michael Marshall Smith, bestselling SF author of 'Only Forward' and 'One of Us'.
Get Soul Jacker today to dive into Ritry's battle for all Souls.Book 1 in the complete Soul Jacker Soul Jacker, Soul Breaker, Soul Killer. Previously published as The Ruin War.
"Ferocious new SF - bristling with razor-bright ideas and action."
Ritry Goligh is a broken man. Once the greatest of the Soul Jackers - marines sent to hijack enemy minds - now he peddles cheap memory highs on the floating slums, trying to forget the horrors of the past.
But the past is stalking him. On a drunken night out at the slum's edge, Ritry stumbles upon a bizarre murder scene staged just for him. The killer calls himself Mr. Ruin, and he offers Ritry a devil's bargain - one last mind-bending jack, in exchange for the peace Ritry has long sought.
But nothing is what it seems, and soon Ritry is plunged into a Soul Jack beyond the bounds of madness, with more lives at stake than he ever imagined...
"If you're a fan of Stephenson and Gibson, you must read Soul Jacker!" - Pat Mills, creator of 2000AD featuring Judge Dredd."With head-turning ideas and tight prose, MJG proves that cyberpunk is alive and kicking." - Michael Marshall Smith, bestselling SF author of 'Only Forward' and 'One of Us'.
Get Soul Jacker today to dive into Ritry's battle for all Souls.Book 1 in the complete Soul Jacker Soul Jacker, Soul Breaker, Soul Killer. Previously published as The Ruin War.
"Ferocious new SF - bristling with razor-bright ideas and action."
241 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2019
143 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Michael John Grist
57 books109 followersMichael John Grist is a British/American author and ruins photographer who lives in London, UK. He writes dark and weird science fiction and fantasy books, such as the fantasy novel Ignifer’s Rise and the SF series The Ruins Sonata.
For 11 years he lived in Tokyo exploring Japan’s modern ruins, such as abandoned theme parks, military bases, and ghost towns, gaining millions of hits on this website with his photographs and stories.
The best of these adventures are now collected in his unique travel book Into the Ruins, which thriller bestseller Barry Eisler calls, “gorgeous, haunting, stunning.”
Now Michael enjoys working out in the gym, watching TV and movies, and of course writing stories and novels. He lives in London with his wife, and works as an academic English lecturer at university.
For 11 years he lived in Tokyo exploring Japan’s modern ruins, such as abandoned theme parks, military bases, and ghost towns, gaining millions of hits on this website with his photographs and stories.
The best of these adventures are now collected in his unique travel book Into the Ruins, which thriller bestseller Barry Eisler calls, “gorgeous, haunting, stunning.”
Now Michael enjoys working out in the gym, watching TV and movies, and of course writing stories and novels. He lives in London with his wife, and works as an academic English lecturer at university.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 31, 2019
If You Love Classic Cyberpunk, Soul Jacker Is A Must-Read
Michael John Grist’s Soul Jacker is easily one of the most unusual and thought-provoking cyberpunk novels out there. This book is up there with the classics of the genre in terms of style, narrative voice, and introduction of new concepts.
Grist has built a world that is strange and fascinating both inside and out: memories are injectable, mind bombs can disrupt and destroy thousands of minds without leaving a physical trace, and we’ve honed hacking the human mind down to a fine (if dangerous) art.
Ritry Goligh is one such hacker, or Soul Jacker, a former marine left adrift by the end of the war he was created for. He’s a hard individual who’s made a lot of sacrifices in order to survive, but he isn’t a bad guy. Despite picking up the pieces of a psyche shattered by trauma multiple times throughout his life, he never quite succumbs to the darkness. I found myself really liking that about him. He’s a hero, if nothing else than because he refused to become a monster like those that surrounded him. In an ugly world, refusing to give in to cruelty is an act of rebellion.
Grist gives the reader plenty of demons to hate, though, (or cheer for, if that’s your thing.) This is a narrative that pulls no punches, and gory is an understatement for much of the action. We plumb the depths of a world ravaged by fuel wars and rising sea levels, as well as the depths of Ritry’s oft-broken-and-rehealed mind– a labyrinthine maze of hidden memories and missing pieces, hidden behind steel walls of protective scar tissue and stalked by monsters. And then of course there are the traps laid by the enigmatic character known as Mr. Ruin.
Soul Jacker is a wilder ride than I ever expected when I picked it up, full of dizzying highs and sickening lows that I found oddly satisfying. This is a novel that will thrill you, horrify you, and make you think about where we’re going. I loved it, and I think you will too.
Michael John Grist’s Soul Jacker is easily one of the most unusual and thought-provoking cyberpunk novels out there. This book is up there with the classics of the genre in terms of style, narrative voice, and introduction of new concepts.
Grist has built a world that is strange and fascinating both inside and out: memories are injectable, mind bombs can disrupt and destroy thousands of minds without leaving a physical trace, and we’ve honed hacking the human mind down to a fine (if dangerous) art.
Ritry Goligh is one such hacker, or Soul Jacker, a former marine left adrift by the end of the war he was created for. He’s a hard individual who’s made a lot of sacrifices in order to survive, but he isn’t a bad guy. Despite picking up the pieces of a psyche shattered by trauma multiple times throughout his life, he never quite succumbs to the darkness. I found myself really liking that about him. He’s a hero, if nothing else than because he refused to become a monster like those that surrounded him. In an ugly world, refusing to give in to cruelty is an act of rebellion.
Grist gives the reader plenty of demons to hate, though, (or cheer for, if that’s your thing.) This is a narrative that pulls no punches, and gory is an understatement for much of the action. We plumb the depths of a world ravaged by fuel wars and rising sea levels, as well as the depths of Ritry’s oft-broken-and-rehealed mind– a labyrinthine maze of hidden memories and missing pieces, hidden behind steel walls of protective scar tissue and stalked by monsters. And then of course there are the traps laid by the enigmatic character known as Mr. Ruin.
Soul Jacker is a wilder ride than I ever expected when I picked it up, full of dizzying highs and sickening lows that I found oddly satisfying. This is a novel that will thrill you, horrify you, and make you think about where we’re going. I loved it, and I think you will too.
April 21, 2019
I'm a huge fan of cyberpunk and the synopsis of this novel convinced me to buy it on impulse. It ended up being a little too eclectic for my tastes. A lot of the elements of the story felt random, and the characters didn't catch my interest. The descriptions of the experience of "soul jacking" were a little too bizarre for my tastes and, overall, it just didn't click for me the way I was hoping it would.
May 12, 2019
Welcome to Ritry Goligh’s world, and the other world within him
Original world building (This a “future” Earth you could not possible have imagined.) and solid character development. By times the narrative is almost poetic / lyrical. Not everything is fully explained when something new is introduced, but explanations develop as the narrative moves forward. There a few loose ends in the plot, but there are two more novels to follow (and I already have Soul Breaker and have just started reading and the first 10 pages are jaw-dropping!).
Like the other novels by Michael John Grist, nothing is derivative of anything other authors are working at. His stories are completely original, and captivating. At some point in this one, you might think…”Kinda reminds me of Inception, but it is nothing like Inception.”
And it has a Glossary!
Original world building (This a “future” Earth you could not possible have imagined.) and solid character development. By times the narrative is almost poetic / lyrical. Not everything is fully explained when something new is introduced, but explanations develop as the narrative moves forward. There a few loose ends in the plot, but there are two more novels to follow (and I already have Soul Breaker and have just started reading and the first 10 pages are jaw-dropping!).
Like the other novels by Michael John Grist, nothing is derivative of anything other authors are working at. His stories are completely original, and captivating. At some point in this one, you might think…”Kinda reminds me of Inception, but it is nothing like Inception.”
And it has a Glossary!
April 6, 2019
Do you like cyber punk, William Gibson style tales? Would you enjoy a sublime puzzle box of the mind, set in the back drop of a tsunami plagued world, written well with great depth of vision?
This is a great story, well layered and put together with overtones of Inception, Gibson and perhaps, even the Cube-conceptually.
The journey is deep in mind and in the main characters life, he's raised high and razed low, his life struck blow after blow, yet in the end as you discover him, who he is, you could not ask for more, at all, from such a story.
A good story can have you wonder about yourself, just a little, take a moment to imagine parts of you reflected within, even just small parts.
This happens here.
This is a great story, well layered and put together with overtones of Inception, Gibson and perhaps, even the Cube-conceptually.
The journey is deep in mind and in the main characters life, he's raised high and razed low, his life struck blow after blow, yet in the end as you discover him, who he is, you could not ask for more, at all, from such a story.
A good story can have you wonder about yourself, just a little, take a moment to imagine parts of you reflected within, even just small parts.
This happens here.
February 21, 2021
Does its best work when it’s not trying to explain things, and just has you accept it. Early on, the methods of soul jacking are given explanations. The explanations make it less understandable than just getting it thrown at you because they try to apply a level of logic it just does not have. And that’s fine. Once that drops, you can just accept it and enjoy. It also does a solid job of making me want to read the next book, which I hope to do soon!
April 20, 2019
Soul Jacker
Tightly written, excellent pacing and solidly cyberpunk. Dark without being morbidly dystopian. As a retired physician, I found this exploration, of deep psychological structure fascinating, fast paced as an action- adventure, gripping as a mystery thriller. Highly recommend!
Tightly written, excellent pacing and solidly cyberpunk. Dark without being morbidly dystopian. As a retired physician, I found this exploration, of deep psychological structure fascinating, fast paced as an action- adventure, gripping as a mystery thriller. Highly recommend!
June 22, 2019
Weird, wonderful and oddly unique. To quote a line from Grist in this book which I think sums Soul Jacker up perfectly is, "What began as faintly amusing if bizarre is now repellently charismatic". The writing has the ability to keep you plugged in, it felt perfectly paced and the characters were executed just nicely.
September 14, 2019
Novel, fresh concepts for understanding aspects of the human mind
I struggled with this rating. That’s perhaps fitting since I struggled with this book. I tremendously respect Mr Grist for putting so much of himself into this work, for writing; but it didn’t resonate with me.
I struggled with this rating. That’s perhaps fitting since I struggled with this book. I tremendously respect Mr Grist for putting so much of himself into this work, for writing; but it didn’t resonate with me.
April 12, 2019
Gave up 6% in. I value story and content, not endless descriptions of everything nearby.
May 19, 2019
Wavered from 2 to 4 stars, very odd book, hard to get into and get your head around but persevered and will try the second in the series, 3.5*
dnf
July 12, 2019Not to my taste. Nothing wrong with it in the first couple of chapters, just not my cup of chai.
June 12, 2020
Dang this book is dense AF. Some cool ideas but most of the book is just describing things. But yeah, cool ideas. Didn't ever really care what happened to the main character.
April 1, 2019
epub ARC - a revised verson of Mr Ruin(s)
I enjoyed this as much as the previous version and in fact more or less read both in parallel to try and spot the changes: not too many major ones, the odd word here and there and some slight reordering.
I enjoyed this as much as the previous version and in fact more or less read both in parallel to try and spot the changes: not too many major ones, the odd word here and there and some slight reordering.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews