What do you think?
Rate this book
Shadowrun Novels #60
Shadowrun: Makeda Red
ON A COLLISION COURSE...
It was supposed be a simple extraction from the Brussels2Rome party train. With an eclectic crowd, a willing target, and a lot of nuyen at stake, what could go wrong?
Everything—as Makeda Red discovers the hard way. There’s more than one target on the train, and more than one shadowrunner team in play. When someone sabotages the tracks in the middle of the Swiss Alps, she’s forced to extract her client much earlier than planned. To complicate matters, other survivors are also fleeing the crash for their own reasons. One of them is trying to escape his corporate masters as well, and offers to pay Makeda to escort him to his safe haven.
A paying client is a paying client, and his corp won’t be looking for three people traveling together. Makeda knows it’s a risk, but one she’s willing to take. In the shadows, however, nothing and no one is what they seem, and before it’s over, this already dangerous run may be Makeda’s last...
It was supposed be a simple extraction from the Brussels2Rome party train. With an eclectic crowd, a willing target, and a lot of nuyen at stake, what could go wrong?
Everything—as Makeda Red discovers the hard way. There’s more than one target on the train, and more than one shadowrunner team in play. When someone sabotages the tracks in the middle of the Swiss Alps, she’s forced to extract her client much earlier than planned. To complicate matters, other survivors are also fleeing the crash for their own reasons. One of them is trying to escape his corporate masters as well, and offers to pay Makeda to escort him to his safe haven.
A paying client is a paying client, and his corp won’t be looking for three people traveling together. Makeda knows it’s a risk, but one she’s willing to take. In the shadows, however, nothing and no one is what they seem, and before it’s over, this already dangerous run may be Makeda’s last...
- GenresScience Fiction
214 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 7, 2019
11 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Brozek
166 books133 followersJennifer Brozek is a multi-talented, award-winning author, editor, and media tie-in writer. She is the author of the Never Let Me Sleep, and The Last Days of Salton Academy, both of which were nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. Her BattleTech tie-in novel, The Nellus Academy Incident, won a Scribe Award. Her editing work has netted her Bram Stoker Award, British Fantasy Award, and Hugo Award nominations. She won the Australian Shadows Award for the Grants Pass anthology. Jennifer’s short form work has appeared in Apex Publications, Uncanny Magazine, and in anthologies set in the worlds of Valdemar, Shadowrun, V-Wars, Masters of Orion, and Predator. Jennifer is also the Creative Director of Apocalypse Ink Productions.
Jennifer has been a freelance author and editor for over ten years after leaving her high paying tech job, and she’s never been happier. She keeps a tight schedule on her writing and editing projects and somehow manages to find time to volunteer for several professional writing organizations such as SFWA, HWA, and IAMTW. She shares her husband, Jeff, with several cats and often uses him as a sounding board for her story ideas. Visit Jennifer’s worlds at jenniferbrozek.com.
Jennifer has been a freelance author and editor for over ten years after leaving her high paying tech job, and she’s never been happier. She keeps a tight schedule on her writing and editing projects and somehow manages to find time to volunteer for several professional writing organizations such as SFWA, HWA, and IAMTW. She shares her husband, Jeff, with several cats and often uses him as a sounding board for her story ideas. Visit Jennifer’s worlds at jenniferbrozek.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 29, 2019
Overall I liked it.
We start off with a mission that seems straightforward enough, but things quickly go sideways and now they have to survive the wilds, angry corpsec forces and other teams. Not all will.
The sexuality is turned up a few notches over what is usual for the genre without getting too graphic or dominating the story, it's a steady burn throughout as the protagonist has to balance biz and body to make it through.
The mini story at the end is a nice bonus and ties in well while serving as a homage to classic noir.
We look forward to seeing more by the author.
We start off with a mission that seems straightforward enough, but things quickly go sideways and now they have to survive the wilds, angry corpsec forces and other teams. Not all will.
The sexuality is turned up a few notches over what is usual for the genre without getting too graphic or dominating the story, it's a steady burn throughout as the protagonist has to balance biz and body to make it through.
The mini story at the end is a nice bonus and ties in well while serving as a homage to classic noir.
We look forward to seeing more by the author.
June 5, 2021
I do like Shadowrun books. Nice world and alot of action.
July 2, 2019
It would always appear that the shadows are never done with me but alas it is the only place in the literary world I really feel like home. Makeda Red is actually the backstory for Rune's Avatar Cafe, a short story from the World of Shadows Anthology (back when I was doing 50 word reviews) a few years back. Thankfully for those who don't have a copy of that story can find it in the book as a bonus.
Anyway, Makeda Red is a Shadowrunner, specialized in extraction who needs to recover a very important asset named Tojo from the Party Train. The Party Train is exactly what the name implies and Makeda does her best to blend in when she finds her way on board with the help of an elf named Imre. However, when things go awry, Makeda and Tojo find themselves on the run. This is further complicated when Imre offers Makeda a large sum to be taken to safety. Keeping the two clients safe is the priority but Makeda needs to almost make sure she stays alive as well.
As I've noticed from her short stories, Jennifer Brozek finds a way to stretch the Shadowrun world into new avenues. Rather than sticking to the a-typical Shadowrun on the streets of Seattle, this one goes on a train from Brussels in Belgium to Morocco and various points in between. It is also at its heart, a tragic romantic story with lots of "hot" action.
By "hot", I mean this Shadowrun book has an ample amount of S-E-X. Okay, there I said it. I spelled it out because for as long as I can remember, it seems almost all Shadowrun novels have been afraid of this concept. Thank the great Dunkelzahn somebody thought to start including it as part of the story. Now, it's not a Fabio romance novel or anything but it's certainly steamy and a breath of much needed air.
While dialing up the temperature, it is also well written and characters are thougtfully fleshed out. The rising tension is well done and even though I wish it had stayed on the train tracks a little longer, it kept up the pace until the gripping finish. Makeda is a fascinating bold character and hopefully this is not the last we see of her. Heavily recommended and I hope that we see future Shadowrun books that push the boundaries of conventional scenarios (but still feel like a SR book). Enjoy.
Reviewer Note: I couldn't let this go but the piece of over-negotiating at the end of the book was completely unnecessary. That's my only real quibble in this otherwise wonderful novel.
Anyway, Makeda Red is a Shadowrunner, specialized in extraction who needs to recover a very important asset named Tojo from the Party Train. The Party Train is exactly what the name implies and Makeda does her best to blend in when she finds her way on board with the help of an elf named Imre. However, when things go awry, Makeda and Tojo find themselves on the run. This is further complicated when Imre offers Makeda a large sum to be taken to safety. Keeping the two clients safe is the priority but Makeda needs to almost make sure she stays alive as well.
As I've noticed from her short stories, Jennifer Brozek finds a way to stretch the Shadowrun world into new avenues. Rather than sticking to the a-typical Shadowrun on the streets of Seattle, this one goes on a train from Brussels in Belgium to Morocco and various points in between. It is also at its heart, a tragic romantic story with lots of "hot" action.
By "hot", I mean this Shadowrun book has an ample amount of S-E-X. Okay, there I said it. I spelled it out because for as long as I can remember, it seems almost all Shadowrun novels have been afraid of this concept. Thank the great Dunkelzahn somebody thought to start including it as part of the story. Now, it's not a Fabio romance novel or anything but it's certainly steamy and a breath of much needed air.
While dialing up the temperature, it is also well written and characters are thougtfully fleshed out. The rising tension is well done and even though I wish it had stayed on the train tracks a little longer, it kept up the pace until the gripping finish. Makeda is a fascinating bold character and hopefully this is not the last we see of her. Heavily recommended and I hope that we see future Shadowrun books that push the boundaries of conventional scenarios (but still feel like a SR book). Enjoy.
Reviewer Note: I couldn't let this go but the piece of over-negotiating at the end of the book was completely unnecessary. That's my only real quibble in this otherwise wonderful novel.
September 18, 2022
While the short, terse sentences create a fast-paced rhythm and mood in this action packed offering, it also creates a weak presence in environment and place and fails to give impact at certain crucial emotional moments. Sure, references to Saeder-Krupp and liberal use of Shadowrun slang are all pluses, but I don't get a strong enough impression that this is Shadowrun in location, as it were, notwithstanding the atypical, exotic European setting for much of the book. The journey through the forest area after the train crash with the random mana storm savage Troll beast-thing was rather drawn out and not particularly immersive to the Sixth World. The fairly superficial introduction of a handful of characters broke rhythm. Thumbs up for illustrating how fragged things can get when combat occurs, i.e. lots of characters get killed, grievous wounds sustained.
Probably the style of prose isn't my cup of tea. It's like a novel written via Whatsapp. Short phrases and paragraphs and SMS-style conversations designed to resonate with those suckered in by the "pink mohawk", cyberpunk bling type flavour of Shadowrun. I'm more taken by multiple viewpoints, deep corporate intrigue, political horsetrading and strategizing side of things than high octane spectacles, namedropping references and sexy times.
Probably the style of prose isn't my cup of tea. It's like a novel written via Whatsapp. Short phrases and paragraphs and SMS-style conversations designed to resonate with those suckered in by the "pink mohawk", cyberpunk bling type flavour of Shadowrun. I'm more taken by multiple viewpoints, deep corporate intrigue, political horsetrading and strategizing side of things than high octane spectacles, namedropping references and sexy times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2020
While I liked this book a lot: the characterizations, pacing, and tension ... I felt it started to come apart a bit towards the end. In particular I disliked the main character's loss of agency as Makeda had to depend on Imre. I also felt the confrontation with Schmidt was really weak. I don't know if I'd expected an Imre related double cross or what, but the boss battle was a serious disappointment especially after the tension and pacing of earlier fight scenes.
And speaking of summations, the way things wrapped up with regards to Morocco, was so discordant that they felt like they were written by another author.
Finally, the book has more sexual content then younger readers might be find comfortable.
Bottom line, going into the books last 40 pages I'd have given it a 5, the last few chapters though made me consider giving it a 3.
I'd recommend it for fans of the cyberpunk genera and read more books by Brozek without hesitation.
And speaking of summations, the way things wrapped up with regards to Morocco, was so discordant that they felt like they were written by another author.
Finally, the book has more sexual content then younger readers might be find comfortable.
Bottom line, going into the books last 40 pages I'd have given it a 5, the last few chapters though made me consider giving it a 3.
I'd recommend it for fans of the cyberpunk genera and read more books by Brozek without hesitation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2024
I didn't hate this book, but it was by no means a good Shadowrun novel. Apparently this is an origin story to another character in the Shadowrun universe Rune Red. Unfortunately I have never heard of her. The initial setting of the book had promise, a train Shadowrun story. Only the first 1/3 of this book took place on a train. The character Makeda Red had potential, but throughout the story she never distinguisher herself. Her back story was shallow and juvenile and her action scenes were nonexistent. I did not dread this book. I did not wish it would end, but it was overall, boring and not worthy of the Shadowrun title.
April 11, 2023
This is a book for anyone interested in Shadowrun.
It does a great job of introducing the reader to the world of Shadowrun and the dangers therein.
I really like how the author took the classic extraction run and changed it in nearly every way from what we are used to seeing.
She also isn't afraid to kill named characters which goes a long way remove plot armor and the readers belief that everything will be ok for everyone involved.
I place it in the top 5 for post-FASA SR Novels.
Bonus: If you like this, read her Novella Doc Wagon-19.
It does a great job of introducing the reader to the world of Shadowrun and the dangers therein.
I really like how the author took the classic extraction run and changed it in nearly every way from what we are used to seeing.
She also isn't afraid to kill named characters which goes a long way remove plot armor and the readers belief that everything will be ok for everyone involved.
I place it in the top 5 for post-FASA SR Novels.
Bonus: If you like this, read her Novella Doc Wagon-19.
December 10, 2019
High intrigue in the 6th world, and no one to trust. An easy extraction run gone horribly wrong leaves Makeda with her hapless client and a too-suave stranger stranded in the Alps. Then things go from bad to far worse...
So many twists and turns in this story, and so many suspects! I purchased this book from the author at GenCon, and she wrote "Who do you trust?" on the title page... So true!
A good read, with a bonus short story in the back.
Highly recommended!
So many twists and turns in this story, and so many suspects! I purchased this book from the author at GenCon, and she wrote "Who do you trust?" on the title page... So true!
A good read, with a bonus short story in the back.
Highly recommended!
July 12, 2019
Ich kann verstehen, wenn man es mag, allerdings war ich nicht so recht nach meinem Geschmack. Die Handlung wirkte etwas konstruiert, die einzelnen Dialoge Klängen wie direkt aus den Gedanken der Autorin abgebildet. Wenn etwas nur unter Bedingungen funktioniert, wird das wie zur Rechtfertigung in der Handlung erwähnt. Alles in allem eine ganz unterhaltsame Reise, aber nicht ganz meins.
September 19, 2019
Makeda Read
An engaging, twisting yarn overall if a bit cliche in parts. Can't say the prose blew me away but I was drawn into the world and it's inhabitants nonetheless.
It's a serviceable stab at cyberpunk if that's what you're looking for. A robust rendering of the world as realised in the techno-fantasy trappings of Shadowrun. Ultimately it's good more than great but I enjoyed it.
An engaging, twisting yarn overall if a bit cliche in parts. Can't say the prose blew me away but I was drawn into the world and it's inhabitants nonetheless.
It's a serviceable stab at cyberpunk if that's what you're looking for. A robust rendering of the world as realised in the techno-fantasy trappings of Shadowrun. Ultimately it's good more than great but I enjoyed it.
July 16, 2019
***1/2: one of the better Shadowrun novels I’ve read. More than just a series of set pieces, the plot evolves into a series of moral quandaries and double-crosses that develop organically and the writing is solid for the genre.
August 25, 2019
Good story with a caveat of two
Overall a well told and thought out story, though the miss use of goblinization tweaked the hard core Shadowrun fan in me. One of two reminders of the real world miffed, but easy enough to ignore other wise well told and interesting story.
Overall a well told and thought out story, though the miss use of goblinization tweaked the hard core Shadowrun fan in me. One of two reminders of the real world miffed, but easy enough to ignore other wise well told and interesting story.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews