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Shadowrun Novels #61
Shadowrun: The Johnson Run
AGE IS MORE THAN JUST A NUMBER
Keandra’s been around for a long time, outliving most Shadowrunners twice over. With a legacy of runs under her belt, she has the solid reputation and wisdom that comes with surviving the shadows longer than most.
Looking for a way to cash in on her street cred, Keandra comes up with a novel idea: Why not set herself up as a Johnson? With her rep, she could take on the high-paying jobs act as the in-between, and collect payment with no risk? With her rep, she could take on high paying jobs and farm them out to other capable teams, minus a small cut as a finder’s fee. Everyone wins, and no one’s the wiser…unless someone makes the wrong call.
And when a run goes south, Keandra and her team must scramble to salvage more than just their reputations. They are thrust into a situation which could start a new world war, and have to figure out who to trust, and fast…but trust is hard to come by in the shadows…
Keandra’s been around for a long time, outliving most Shadowrunners twice over. With a legacy of runs under her belt, she has the solid reputation and wisdom that comes with surviving the shadows longer than most.
Looking for a way to cash in on her street cred, Keandra comes up with a novel idea: Why not set herself up as a Johnson? With her rep, she could take on the high-paying jobs act as the in-between, and collect payment with no risk? With her rep, she could take on high paying jobs and farm them out to other capable teams, minus a small cut as a finder’s fee. Everyone wins, and no one’s the wiser…unless someone makes the wrong call.
And when a run goes south, Keandra and her team must scramble to salvage more than just their reputations. They are thrust into a situation which could start a new world war, and have to figure out who to trust, and fast…but trust is hard to come by in the shadows…
- GenresCyberpunkScience Fiction
242 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 27, 2022
I just really like all the Shadowrun books.
July 21, 2020
Your favorite Shadowrun novel reviewer is back, this time with a review of the Kai O' Connal tale, The Johnson Run. The last time we read an O'Connal book was Fire and Frost which was also set in the Shadowrun world. I found it solid and it broke some new ground when it came to location and story ideas. A wonderfully charming story that was worth revisiting. Let's find out if O'Connal's recent run into the Shadows produced a similar result.
The Johnson Run deals with an aging runner team that is considered one of the top teams in the business. However, after countless adventures and barely escaping with their lives and health intact, they decide that maybe there is a better way to do things and still bring in the necessary cred to their accounts.
Keandra, their leader comes up with the idea that they should become their own Mr. Johnson. This means that they would receive a job offer which would usually pay higher due to their stature and then they would farm that out to another shadowrunning group at a lower rate. This would allow them to garner a profit with none of the health risk. It starts out well with a few successful jobs, but as we know the Shadows has a way of catching up with everybody who tries to work the system.
The majority of the book deals with this we'll say unsuccessful run and how the team works to resolve it. Besides Keandra, we have three main characters who include Lance, an elf street samurai; Paz, a heavily cybered dwarf; and E-Jekt, an orc decker who make up the team. I found the characters to be interesting with Paz perhaps the most charismatic. Each of the characters also felt different and were given scenarios and traits that helped to flesh them out.
The story is well written and I did find myself entertained throughout the majority of the book. Becoming a Johnson is something that makes a lot of sense in the Shadowrun world and to this point I haven't really seen the idea in novel form. Huge kudos to O'Connal for successful working with that concept. However, on the negative side I did feel that this novel did get wrapped up a little too tidy for my tastes. Do I enjoy happy endings? Absolutely. But this put a bow on it and I felt that it could have been a little messier as it reached its conclusion.
In the end, I feel pretty much the same about both of O'Connal's books. They are both solid, full of good writing and explore unconventional concepts in this world. But to me, I want them to go that extra step, to turn that unfamiliar corner and dangle its foot into the abyss. I certainly give The Johnson Run a hearty recommendation and is worth the read. Enjoy.
The Johnson Run deals with an aging runner team that is considered one of the top teams in the business. However, after countless adventures and barely escaping with their lives and health intact, they decide that maybe there is a better way to do things and still bring in the necessary cred to their accounts.
Keandra, their leader comes up with the idea that they should become their own Mr. Johnson. This means that they would receive a job offer which would usually pay higher due to their stature and then they would farm that out to another shadowrunning group at a lower rate. This would allow them to garner a profit with none of the health risk. It starts out well with a few successful jobs, but as we know the Shadows has a way of catching up with everybody who tries to work the system.
The majority of the book deals with this we'll say unsuccessful run and how the team works to resolve it. Besides Keandra, we have three main characters who include Lance, an elf street samurai; Paz, a heavily cybered dwarf; and E-Jekt, an orc decker who make up the team. I found the characters to be interesting with Paz perhaps the most charismatic. Each of the characters also felt different and were given scenarios and traits that helped to flesh them out.
The story is well written and I did find myself entertained throughout the majority of the book. Becoming a Johnson is something that makes a lot of sense in the Shadowrun world and to this point I haven't really seen the idea in novel form. Huge kudos to O'Connal for successful working with that concept. However, on the negative side I did feel that this novel did get wrapped up a little too tidy for my tastes. Do I enjoy happy endings? Absolutely. But this put a bow on it and I felt that it could have been a little messier as it reached its conclusion.
In the end, I feel pretty much the same about both of O'Connal's books. They are both solid, full of good writing and explore unconventional concepts in this world. But to me, I want them to go that extra step, to turn that unfamiliar corner and dangle its foot into the abyss. I certainly give The Johnson Run a hearty recommendation and is worth the read. Enjoy.
March 7, 2020
An enjoyable romp in the cyberpunk setting of the Shadowrun world. O'Connal keeps up the pace, and weaves a decent "big heist" tale. I would read more by this author, especially with this crew of characters. All that said, it's probably only for those interested in Shadorun's take on a dystopian future.
November 23, 2025
A different take. Little to no magic at all, Lots of buildup but then an end that camea little suddenly.
October 2, 2019
Dragons and AIs and Johnsons OH MY!
Another great run from an author I look forward to reading. Keeps a great pace throughout. A well developed runner team forced to adapt and learn and do it again. Thank you to the author.
Another great run from an author I look forward to reading. Keeps a great pace throughout. A well developed runner team forced to adapt and learn and do it again. Thank you to the author.
September 6, 2019
Unterhaltsamer und actionreich. Die Charaktere waren nicht sonderlich tief gezeichnet, aber Dialoge und Atmosphäre funktionierten gut.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews