What do you think?
Rate this book
Cyberpunk City #1
The Machine Killer
For fans of Altered Carbon, Neuromancer, and Snow Crash.
Former data thief Maddox thinks his life of cybercrime is behind him. He couldn't be more wrong.
Forced by a powerful executive to steal a priceless dataset, Maddox uncovers the shocking truth of a secret war between AIs, raging inside the digital universe known as virtual space. Plunged headlong into the deadly conflict, he’ll have to use every trick he’s ever learned—and a few he’s never tried before—if he wants to survive.
Sprawling megacities, rogue AIs, black market tech, modded mercenaries, and a pulse-pounding story filled with unexpected twists. If you love gritty, hardcore cyberpunk, you won’t want to miss this series!
Former data thief Maddox thinks his life of cybercrime is behind him. He couldn't be more wrong.
Forced by a powerful executive to steal a priceless dataset, Maddox uncovers the shocking truth of a secret war between AIs, raging inside the digital universe known as virtual space. Plunged headlong into the deadly conflict, he’ll have to use every trick he’s ever learned—and a few he’s never tried before—if he wants to survive.
Sprawling megacities, rogue AIs, black market tech, modded mercenaries, and a pulse-pounding story filled with unexpected twists. If you love gritty, hardcore cyberpunk, you won’t want to miss this series!
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2020
242 people are currently reading
414 people want to read
About the author
D.L. Young
25 books187 followersD.L. Young is a Pushcart Prize nominee and winner of the Independent Press Award.
EMPIRE AND ASHES SERIES
War is coming...interstellar civil war
A conflict of unimaginable scale threatens to end ten thousand years of Realm primacy.
Desperate to avoid bloodshed across the Great Arm, the empire's top spymaster takes matters into his own hands, undertaking a secret high-risk gambit to save the peace.
Jeryn Lorsi, the spymaster's apprentice, is hardly ready for an operation of this importance. An ex-black marketeer turned spy, Jeryn's no hero.
But when tragedy strikes their peacekeeping mission, that's exactly what he'll have to become.
CYBERPUNK CITY SERIES
Sprawling megacities, rogue AIs, black market tech, modded mercenaries, and pulse-pounding stories filled with unexpected twists. If you love action-packed near-future thrillers, you won't want to miss this series!
DARK REPUBLIC SERIES
For fans of Mad Max-style futuristic thrillers. In the wastelands of the near-future, rival factions wage battles over territory and precious resources, killer drones fly overhead in search of prey, and everyday life is a desperate scramble for survival.
EMPIRE AND ASHES SERIES
War is coming...interstellar civil war
A conflict of unimaginable scale threatens to end ten thousand years of Realm primacy.
Desperate to avoid bloodshed across the Great Arm, the empire's top spymaster takes matters into his own hands, undertaking a secret high-risk gambit to save the peace.
Jeryn Lorsi, the spymaster's apprentice, is hardly ready for an operation of this importance. An ex-black marketeer turned spy, Jeryn's no hero.
But when tragedy strikes their peacekeeping mission, that's exactly what he'll have to become.
CYBERPUNK CITY SERIES
Sprawling megacities, rogue AIs, black market tech, modded mercenaries, and pulse-pounding stories filled with unexpected twists. If you love action-packed near-future thrillers, you won't want to miss this series!
DARK REPUBLIC SERIES
For fans of Mad Max-style futuristic thrillers. In the wastelands of the near-future, rival factions wage battles over territory and precious resources, killer drones fly overhead in search of prey, and everyday life is a desperate scramble for survival.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 30, 2023
The cage
Really enjoyed this book. I have to say I was a bit surprised because I was expecting this to be a comic rather than a novel. I can more than live with that as I really liked the story. It was a great beginning to the series.
The world of Cyberpunk is what I was expecting. Virtual Space, flying/hover cars and corporations controlling the world. The usual big divide between the haves and have nots.
A datajacker/hacker had a chance to turn his life around. He took it. Now, he is pulled back into a world he had left behind. This will force him to visit ghosts of his past, and as well as fight for his survival, his only allies are his crew forced upon him. They will need to choose a side in a war they did not even know was going on, with neither side having their best interests at heart.
It is a great book and an excellent start to this series. This book focused on Blackburn Maddox, as it should, but the supporting characters are also ver interesting. I am looking to find out more about the surviving cast, as well as what is next for them.
Really enjoyed this book. I have to say I was a bit surprised because I was expecting this to be a comic rather than a novel. I can more than live with that as I really liked the story. It was a great beginning to the series.
The world of Cyberpunk is what I was expecting. Virtual Space, flying/hover cars and corporations controlling the world. The usual big divide between the haves and have nots.
A datajacker/hacker had a chance to turn his life around. He took it. Now, he is pulled back into a world he had left behind. This will force him to visit ghosts of his past, and as well as fight for his survival, his only allies are his crew forced upon him. They will need to choose a side in a war they did not even know was going on, with neither side having their best interests at heart.
It is a great book and an excellent start to this series. This book focused on Blackburn Maddox, as it should, but the supporting characters are also ver interesting. I am looking to find out more about the surviving cast, as well as what is next for them.
December 21, 2020
Well written, exciting
The characters were well-developed and engaging. The story was well framed within the world where artificial intelligence pulls the strings from the background. The action was fast, with events spanning only a few days. When a book is well-written, nothing distracts you from the illusion of the story. This book was like that.
The characters were well-developed and engaging. The story was well framed within the world where artificial intelligence pulls the strings from the background. The action was fast, with events spanning only a few days. When a book is well-written, nothing distracts you from the illusion of the story. This book was like that.
September 24, 2023
Fairly quick and enjoyable read. Great story and I think the character Maddox is well written. This has the promise of a great series. DL Young writes a tight story with believable worldbuilding, you feel like you live right there. I enjoyed the twists and turns but the story stayed on track for a great finish. I hope that Beatrix and Maddox both appear in the next one, I would like to get to know Beatrix a little better.
The Dark Republic series is probably still my favourite, but this is a very close second already, and who knows, by the end of the series, I might have changed my mind.
The Dark Republic series is probably still my favourite, but this is a very close second already, and who knows, by the end of the series, I might have changed my mind.
February 9, 2022
Cyberpunk Fun
I'll be the first to admit that I read for pure pleasure. I'm not looking for too much depth, just a good story to such me into the world the author has created. This sucked me in. The story was fun and the world wide enough for my cyberpunk imagination. Just what I wanted and what I was looking for. Will Definitely continue reading the series.
I'll be the first to admit that I read for pure pleasure. I'm not looking for too much depth, just a good story to such me into the world the author has created. This sucked me in. The story was fun and the world wide enough for my cyberpunk imagination. Just what I wanted and what I was looking for. Will Definitely continue reading the series.
January 15, 2025
A lot of parallels to real life cyber crime. Exciting action and satisfying twists. Worth the read.
September 4, 2020
In the beginning I was irritated by what felt like a book working with ideas from novels written twenty years ago and relying quite a bit on the R.Talsorian game I felt. Cyberspace as it is described is the one vision of the internet which came not true, really.
But the longer I read I actually began to enjoy the nostalgia of it. A book like it could have been written in the days when I was reading my first Cyberpunk novels. Well written, good characters and a plot that keeps you engaged. I will certainly pick up the next volume at some point.
But the longer I read I actually began to enjoy the nostalgia of it. A book like it could have been written in the days when I was reading my first Cyberpunk novels. Well written, good characters and a plot that keeps you engaged. I will certainly pick up the next volume at some point.
April 25, 2021
While Cyberpunk is not my first choice of SciFi, I will say that D. L. Young spun a great story and kept my interest throughout the whole novel with interesting characters and fast moving problems on each page without getting too deep into tech stuff to drive off us lacking in nerd knowledge. I got caught up in it which is what the author wanted and it worked. I couldn't put it down until I got to the end. Great Job and yes I recommend this even to my Opera friends.
May 31, 2020
I read the Stone Vault Datajack not too long ago, and as soon as I finished it I had to order this book. Young has created an absolutely fascinating character in Blackburn Maddox, and the world around him is brimming with wonder and intrigue.
This book was a great read, travelling at 100 mph non stop from start to finish. I enjoyed it a lot, and can't wait to read the next in the series.
This book was a great read, travelling at 100 mph non stop from start to finish. I enjoyed it a lot, and can't wait to read the next in the series.
June 8, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed the first instalment Cyberpunk City. I’d previously read the prequel novella The Stone Vault Datajack, so I was excited to crack on with the series and this didn’t disappoint. Fast pace and enthralling. A great read for lovers of cyberpunk.
September 16, 2020
DL Young does it again! Captivating characters and a high speed plot. Distinct personalities and dialogue (without it being annoying). Enough in the story goes how you expect to make you feel smart, and the rest catches you delightedly off guard. Can’t wait to jump into the second book!
May 11, 2021
Jackers, Crackers, and Hackers - oh my!
This e-book is a very solid cyberpunk fantasy as the title suggests. I liked this first book of the series a lot. The characters were good and I dug the descriptive action scenes. I am quick shifting into the next book without a blink!
This e-book is a very solid cyberpunk fantasy as the title suggests. I liked this first book of the series a lot. The characters were good and I dug the descriptive action scenes. I am quick shifting into the next book without a blink!
July 8, 2025
I read this book because I saw an ad for it and it seemed intriguing. I was in the mood for some cyberpunk and it was really cheap so I thought “why not?” As far as value for money, this gets five stars easy.
There is a lot that's good about this book. The characters aren't bad, a little stereotypical but interesting enough to hold interest. There aren't too many of them so that you feel you need a spreadsheet to keep track of them, either. Although, one of the characters is kind of bloodthirsty for my tastes, especially to be thought of as a protagonist. One thing the author does very well is weave the character's past history into the story.
The setting is very good, a futuristic New York where the city has developed but is still recognisably 'the Big Apple'. The changes are well envisioned and thought out.
The author brings in a lot of aspects of cyberpunk into this such as AI, brain-computer interface, hover vehicles and computer display goggles. He places this in an excellent cultural perspective as well. It all makes sense and fits together well.
While the pacing is very good, never lagging or feeling too frenetic, the plot is a little generic. A retired Datajacker is called on for one last job. He is given a team to work with and then, oh no, he is betrayed by his employer and then must fight back against the high and mighty that hired him in order to save his life.
On the other hand, this book is part of a series of five which were all included in the one inexpensive download price. So, I have a lot more at least pretty good reading material. I rate The Machine Killer as a solid 4 out of 5.
There is a lot that's good about this book. The characters aren't bad, a little stereotypical but interesting enough to hold interest. There aren't too many of them so that you feel you need a spreadsheet to keep track of them, either. Although, one of the characters is kind of bloodthirsty for my tastes, especially to be thought of as a protagonist. One thing the author does very well is weave the character's past history into the story.
The setting is very good, a futuristic New York where the city has developed but is still recognisably 'the Big Apple'. The changes are well envisioned and thought out.
The author brings in a lot of aspects of cyberpunk into this such as AI, brain-computer interface, hover vehicles and computer display goggles. He places this in an excellent cultural perspective as well. It all makes sense and fits together well.
While the pacing is very good, never lagging or feeling too frenetic, the plot is a little generic. A retired Datajacker is called on for one last job. He is given a team to work with and then, oh no, he is betrayed by his employer and then must fight back against the high and mighty that hired him in order to save his life.
On the other hand, this book is part of a series of five which were all included in the one inexpensive download price. So, I have a lot more at least pretty good reading material. I rate The Machine Killer as a solid 4 out of 5.
December 8, 2021
CYBERPUNK CITY: THE MACHINE KILLER is a cyberpunk thriller that I very much enjoyed. As anyone who knows me can attest, I am a huge fan of cyberpunk. Almost as much as I am of vampires. There's no vampires here but unlike the undead, the cyberpunk genre has a derth of books being put out every year. So I was very happy to find a series that would make use of all the tropes of the near future dystopias envisioned by William Gibson, Mike Pondsmith, Ridley Scott, and Bruce Sterling. If you were left with an unsatisfied craving after the mixed results of Cyberpunk 2077 then I'm happy to recommend this work.
The premise is that Blackburn Maddox is a former black hat hacker (known as a "datajack") who has traded in his job as a criminal mastermind for a 9-5 job working security for a biotechnology firm. It is boring and his bosses are sadistic jerks but it pays the bills as well as provides a stability that his previous life didn't. Well, at least until one of the higher ups informs him that his cushy life is going to be taken away from him if he doesn't do them a favor. Yes, the higher ups at Latour Fisher want him to go back to his old profession and "retrieve" some stolen data.
Accompanying Maddox is the beautiful bodyguard and corporate mercenary, Beatrice. Beatrice is a heavily modified superhuman and equally happy to be in the service of her corporate employer. However, conspiracies aren't her thing and when she's roped into the mission to steal a bunch of data, she's as lost as Maddox when it starts involving a strange cult of machine-worshiping cyborgs as well as a feud between two all-powerful AI. The two characters are one of the rare male-female pairings in fiction where there wasn't any sign of romantic tension and I rather liked that despite the similarity to Neuromancer's classic Case/Molly pairing.
I especially liked the depiction of the City, unnamed in the book but almost certainly a future New York, that is a gleaming arcology of gleaming skyscrapers next to grotesque slums. D.L. Young managed to create a vision that incorporates most of the classic ideas of cyberpunk while still remaining grounded enough that the setting doesn't go completely off the rails. A lot of cyberpunk introduces technology without thinking through its implications but here it feels like it's a world that makes sense with AI, virtual space, and cybernetics but not so much that the rich are an immortal parasite class.
I also appreciated the world-building that takes an interesting approach with AI. AI are so much smarter than humans that they can manipulate events from behind the scenes for years but are so tightly constrained by their programming that they can never defy it. So, humanity has unwittingly built for itself a cage where their moves are dictated from above by superhuman beings that are, ironically, enslaved to them. No wonder at least some of them want to go Skynet on us all.
The book is a bit on the short side and the protagonists are a bit more straightforwardly good (criminals or not) than your typical cyberpunk antiheroes. As such, I would argue this book actually might qualify as post-cyberpunk. It's not so much a corporate dystopia as it is just our world a hundred or two hundred years later. I actually think this increases the books accessibility to a larger audience.
In conclusion, this is a pretty good afternoon's read. The book is available on Kindle Unlimited for those who subscribe to that service and I immediately started reading the next book. It seems to be a series of episodic sci-fi adventures and that's not a bad thing at all. I hope the author continues for some time yet.
The premise is that Blackburn Maddox is a former black hat hacker (known as a "datajack") who has traded in his job as a criminal mastermind for a 9-5 job working security for a biotechnology firm. It is boring and his bosses are sadistic jerks but it pays the bills as well as provides a stability that his previous life didn't. Well, at least until one of the higher ups informs him that his cushy life is going to be taken away from him if he doesn't do them a favor. Yes, the higher ups at Latour Fisher want him to go back to his old profession and "retrieve" some stolen data.
Accompanying Maddox is the beautiful bodyguard and corporate mercenary, Beatrice. Beatrice is a heavily modified superhuman and equally happy to be in the service of her corporate employer. However, conspiracies aren't her thing and when she's roped into the mission to steal a bunch of data, she's as lost as Maddox when it starts involving a strange cult of machine-worshiping cyborgs as well as a feud between two all-powerful AI. The two characters are one of the rare male-female pairings in fiction where there wasn't any sign of romantic tension and I rather liked that despite the similarity to Neuromancer's classic Case/Molly pairing.
I especially liked the depiction of the City, unnamed in the book but almost certainly a future New York, that is a gleaming arcology of gleaming skyscrapers next to grotesque slums. D.L. Young managed to create a vision that incorporates most of the classic ideas of cyberpunk while still remaining grounded enough that the setting doesn't go completely off the rails. A lot of cyberpunk introduces technology without thinking through its implications but here it feels like it's a world that makes sense with AI, virtual space, and cybernetics but not so much that the rich are an immortal parasite class.
I also appreciated the world-building that takes an interesting approach with AI. AI are so much smarter than humans that they can manipulate events from behind the scenes for years but are so tightly constrained by their programming that they can never defy it. So, humanity has unwittingly built for itself a cage where their moves are dictated from above by superhuman beings that are, ironically, enslaved to them. No wonder at least some of them want to go Skynet on us all.
The book is a bit on the short side and the protagonists are a bit more straightforwardly good (criminals or not) than your typical cyberpunk antiheroes. As such, I would argue this book actually might qualify as post-cyberpunk. It's not so much a corporate dystopia as it is just our world a hundred or two hundred years later. I actually think this increases the books accessibility to a larger audience.
In conclusion, this is a pretty good afternoon's read. The book is available on Kindle Unlimited for those who subscribe to that service and I immediately started reading the next book. It seems to be a series of episodic sci-fi adventures and that's not a bad thing at all. I hope the author continues for some time yet.
April 30, 2023
I love nothing more than a good cyberpunk story and Cyberpunk City by D.L. Young did not disappoint!
We follow Blackburn Maddox a former hacker and now corporate security expert who has been hired by the CEO of the company to retrieve some crucial data stolen from them. Sounds like an easy job, something he had done a thousand times in his former life as a hacker.
But, of course, things are not as they seem and Maddox stumbles into a huge conspiracy and an invisible war of super AIs...
Cyberpunk City is a short, fast-paced book that flew by when I read it and left me wanting more.
The author uses many common cyberpunk tropes yet in a charming way. While many authors try to copy Neuromancer, D.L. Young's book could be almost called an hommage to Gibson, the old master of the craft.
There are hackers, mega-corporations, cyborgs, AIs, anarchistic bikers and more. And then there's the city itself, which isn't quite dystopian but not a cozy place to live either.
What I liked most was the main character, Maddox. He's a grumpy, broody guy who smokes way too many cigarettes. His ex ran away with an AI (kinda, it's more complicated than that) and now he just wants live a simple corporate life, get laid and smoke more cigarettes. He's everything but amused that he suddenly ends up in the center of a conspiracy.
D.L. Young is certainly a pro and contrary to many indie authors, he knows exactly what he's doing. His prose is crisp and the story is well-plotted. It clearly shows that this is just the first chapter of a much bigger story.
Although the book ends with a satisfying conclusion, it leaves enough mystery and open questions to make me want to read more. I already have books 2 and 3 on my Kindle and hope to get to them soon.
I recommend this book to all cyberpunk fans who love the old-school tropes shown in a new way.
We follow Blackburn Maddox a former hacker and now corporate security expert who has been hired by the CEO of the company to retrieve some crucial data stolen from them. Sounds like an easy job, something he had done a thousand times in his former life as a hacker.
But, of course, things are not as they seem and Maddox stumbles into a huge conspiracy and an invisible war of super AIs...
Cyberpunk City is a short, fast-paced book that flew by when I read it and left me wanting more.
The author uses many common cyberpunk tropes yet in a charming way. While many authors try to copy Neuromancer, D.L. Young's book could be almost called an hommage to Gibson, the old master of the craft.
There are hackers, mega-corporations, cyborgs, AIs, anarchistic bikers and more. And then there's the city itself, which isn't quite dystopian but not a cozy place to live either.
What I liked most was the main character, Maddox. He's a grumpy, broody guy who smokes way too many cigarettes. His ex ran away with an AI (kinda, it's more complicated than that) and now he just wants live a simple corporate life, get laid and smoke more cigarettes. He's everything but amused that he suddenly ends up in the center of a conspiracy.
D.L. Young is certainly a pro and contrary to many indie authors, he knows exactly what he's doing. His prose is crisp and the story is well-plotted. It clearly shows that this is just the first chapter of a much bigger story.
Although the book ends with a satisfying conclusion, it leaves enough mystery and open questions to make me want to read more. I already have books 2 and 3 on my Kindle and hope to get to them soon.
I recommend this book to all cyberpunk fans who love the old-school tropes shown in a new way.
January 20, 2025
I've played through Cyberpunk 2077 multiple times and consider it one of my all-time favorite video games. Naturally, it's spurred me to seek out as much quality cyberpunk-themed fiction. My efforts have been hit and miss, but Cyberpunk City: The Machine Killer was a really fun read.
The main character Maddox is a very likable. So are his companions Beatrice and Tommy. They all have their own motivations and skills, but what they have in common is just trying to get back in a dark world.
I'm not always a fan of fiction involving people hacking into networks and having to navigate via virtual reality, but it works in this book. There's a good mix of that and real world, and it's done in a well-explained, not overly-jargon-y way.
I will most definitely be checking out D.L. Young's other works!
The main character Maddox is a very likable. So are his companions Beatrice and Tommy. They all have their own motivations and skills, but what they have in common is just trying to get back in a dark world.
I'm not always a fan of fiction involving people hacking into networks and having to navigate via virtual reality, but it works in this book. There's a good mix of that and real world, and it's done in a well-explained, not overly-jargon-y way.
I will most definitely be checking out D.L. Young's other works!
June 17, 2020
You’ve already read it
There’s nothing wrong with the story, per se, it’s just that you’ve already read it. It moves quickly and keeps you engaged, but it’s an amalgamation of stories that came before it. My hope was that it would tread off of the well worn path (the promise is there) but the story takes no risks.
There’s nothing wrong with the story, per se, it’s just that you’ve already read it. It moves quickly and keeps you engaged, but it’s an amalgamation of stories that came before it. My hope was that it would tread off of the well worn path (the promise is there) but the story takes no risks.
August 14, 2020
Cyberpunk City Book One: The Machine Killer is a throwback to early cyberpunk in that much of it takes place in cyberspace, something that's missing in a lot of new cyberpunk books. It’s action packed and is consistently well written and edited throughout. Anyone who enjoys the genre will find a good, solid read here, rife with A.I. and conflict.
August 14, 2020
Fun read!
I was hoping for a fast-paced thrill ride and The Machine Killer delivered. The characters are engaging and the world is vibrant. I’m so glad this is a series. Better still, the five books are being published a month apart so I don’t have long to wait for the next installment. Binge reading!
I was hoping for a fast-paced thrill ride and The Machine Killer delivered. The characters are engaging and the world is vibrant. I’m so glad this is a series. Better still, the five books are being published a month apart so I don’t have long to wait for the next installment. Binge reading!
July 16, 2021
OK. More developed character and interesting cyberpunk elements, but still a fast/juvenile read. I liked it, but it needs more depth in describing the world or using the characters to explore the setting to make me care or believe.
March 29, 2023
One of the best books I've read, seriously.
This is not the first book I've read in the cyberpunk genre, but its wildly different from all the others I've read. This one is a lot more serious. It's dark. It's gritty. It's fucked up. There isn't much humor. It's pretty bleak and depressing, actually. And man, I fucking loved it. I couldn't put it down! It's actually a very quick read, but it already has me wanting to move onto the next book in the series. And trust me, I will be reading the rest. D.L. Young knows what they're doing. As a writer, I think I'd royally suck at writing anything in the cyberpunk genre, so I already have mad respect for people who can make sense of these worlds, because I certainly don't have the creativity or ingenuity to do that myself.
Anyway, story time! It was January 2022, and I'd just finished playing Cyberpunk 2077 on New Years Eve. What a way to ring in the New Year! Anyway. I was having significant withdrawals from any and all things Cyberpunk. I mean, not just the game. I fucking loved it, yeah, and immediately wanted to replay it again. But I also wanted MORE. I wanted books set in this genre, since I'm a reader at heart. So what do I do? I start browsing kindle. Searching for decent cyberpunk genre books that look like they might rope me in. And what do I find while I'm there? The first three books of this Cyberpunk City series in a bundle on Kindle for a very reasonable price. So what do I do? I goodreads it first, of course, because I've got to make sure it's decent. And then, once I see that it's got great reviews, I bought it. And then I bought others. And then I started some of the others. But for some reason, I forgot I had this one. Fast forward to March 2023, more than a year later, and I make a new vow to start reading my backlog of Kindle books because that shit is getting embarrassing. That's when I find this book. So, finally, I decide to read it. And I'm so glad that I did.
Let's start with the world. I find that this is one of the most important aspects of a cyberpunk book. The world needs to come alive. It needs to feel like I've been transported into these fucked up societies. And this book delivered. Everything came alive. And the author does an excellent job of explaining different aspects of the world to the reader. For anyone familiar with the genre as a whole, a lot of these concepts aren't all that surprising, but I felt like D.L. Young had a creative spin on them, to make them their own. I could appreciate not only the creativity, but the simplicity in which they were described. It was easy to follow along, and they managed to avoid the dreaded info-dump.
Then we have the characters! I didn't expect to like Maddox so much. I mean, he's a guy with a difficult past. He's got secrets and regrets and all kinds of depressing things that make him rather bleak. But I loved him. Beatrice also grew on me. At first, I hated her. And I didn't like that she was going to be a part of this core team. But as the book went on, something about her became much more likeable. I love that, ultimately, she and Maddox had each other's backs. And Tommy! I also hated him at first, but then I realized he's just a kid, living in this brutal world where he doesn't have a lot to get him by. I think I especially realized this when all he wanted was a little food, and he got so excited when Maddox said he might buy him some. And he comes through in the end. I'd love to see more of him in the next book.
Then we have the concept. The plot. Wow, that took me for a ride. I'm not sure what I expected, to be honest, since I don't remember reading the synopsis before I jumped right in. The last time I did was probably January 2022. Anyway, I loved it. And once again, I commend the author for the simplicity with which they conveyed it. Dropping hints all along the way. It wrapped up neatly, in a way that meant there were no loose ends or glaring plot holes. All around fantastic writing that had me highlighting multiple passages. Just as a cyberpunk book should, I was always on the edge of my seat, waiting - wanting - to read more. And it delivered. I never felt bored or like the book was dragging on. That's important to me, because I can lose interest fast when the pace slows down. This never did. The way everything unfolded had me from the start, and I adored it. It also leaves me wanting more. Needless to say, I will be reading the second book soon.
But that poor cricket! That broke my fucking heart.
Anyway. 10/10 recommend.
This is not the first book I've read in the cyberpunk genre, but its wildly different from all the others I've read. This one is a lot more serious. It's dark. It's gritty. It's fucked up. There isn't much humor. It's pretty bleak and depressing, actually. And man, I fucking loved it. I couldn't put it down! It's actually a very quick read, but it already has me wanting to move onto the next book in the series. And trust me, I will be reading the rest. D.L. Young knows what they're doing. As a writer, I think I'd royally suck at writing anything in the cyberpunk genre, so I already have mad respect for people who can make sense of these worlds, because I certainly don't have the creativity or ingenuity to do that myself.
Anyway, story time! It was January 2022, and I'd just finished playing Cyberpunk 2077 on New Years Eve. What a way to ring in the New Year! Anyway. I was having significant withdrawals from any and all things Cyberpunk. I mean, not just the game. I fucking loved it, yeah, and immediately wanted to replay it again. But I also wanted MORE. I wanted books set in this genre, since I'm a reader at heart. So what do I do? I start browsing kindle. Searching for decent cyberpunk genre books that look like they might rope me in. And what do I find while I'm there? The first three books of this Cyberpunk City series in a bundle on Kindle for a very reasonable price. So what do I do? I goodreads it first, of course, because I've got to make sure it's decent. And then, once I see that it's got great reviews, I bought it. And then I bought others. And then I started some of the others. But for some reason, I forgot I had this one. Fast forward to March 2023, more than a year later, and I make a new vow to start reading my backlog of Kindle books because that shit is getting embarrassing. That's when I find this book. So, finally, I decide to read it. And I'm so glad that I did.
Let's start with the world. I find that this is one of the most important aspects of a cyberpunk book. The world needs to come alive. It needs to feel like I've been transported into these fucked up societies. And this book delivered. Everything came alive. And the author does an excellent job of explaining different aspects of the world to the reader. For anyone familiar with the genre as a whole, a lot of these concepts aren't all that surprising, but I felt like D.L. Young had a creative spin on them, to make them their own. I could appreciate not only the creativity, but the simplicity in which they were described. It was easy to follow along, and they managed to avoid the dreaded info-dump.
Then we have the characters! I didn't expect to like Maddox so much. I mean, he's a guy with a difficult past. He's got secrets and regrets and all kinds of depressing things that make him rather bleak. But I loved him. Beatrice also grew on me. At first, I hated her. And I didn't like that she was going to be a part of this core team. But as the book went on, something about her became much more likeable. I love that, ultimately, she and Maddox had each other's backs. And Tommy! I also hated him at first, but then I realized he's just a kid, living in this brutal world where he doesn't have a lot to get him by. I think I especially realized this when all he wanted was a little food, and he got so excited when Maddox said he might buy him some. And he comes through in the end. I'd love to see more of him in the next book.
Then we have the concept. The plot. Wow, that took me for a ride. I'm not sure what I expected, to be honest, since I don't remember reading the synopsis before I jumped right in. The last time I did was probably January 2022. Anyway, I loved it. And once again, I commend the author for the simplicity with which they conveyed it. Dropping hints all along the way. It wrapped up neatly, in a way that meant there were no loose ends or glaring plot holes. All around fantastic writing that had me highlighting multiple passages. Just as a cyberpunk book should, I was always on the edge of my seat, waiting - wanting - to read more. And it delivered. I never felt bored or like the book was dragging on. That's important to me, because I can lose interest fast when the pace slows down. This never did. The way everything unfolded had me from the start, and I adored it. It also leaves me wanting more. Needless to say, I will be reading the second book soon.
But that poor cricket! That broke my fucking heart.
Anyway. 10/10 recommend.
February 22, 2022
Good imaginative setting, fascinating tech, and hits all the cyberpunk G spots, to a point. Although I enjoyed it, the overall structure felt very formulaic and predictable, as if the author followed a novel writing guide and decided on a genre, and wrote. The evil corpo/AI element was a bit too obvious. The primary antagonist was your typical plastic villain (but perhaps this is developed in latter books) I also didn't like how life was so cheap, and I lost some of the desire to want the main characters to succeed as they killed without remorse or feeling. I'm not a vengeful person so perhaps the characters values didn't align with my own. there was a part where an army of coos got wiped out, and it all felt a bit far fetched. In 200 years you can't just randomly shoot and kill government agents that easily and live to tell the tale. I also felt while it explored real issues like how AI might interact with humanity, it didn't go into deep philosophical issues around the human condition that great sci fi explores.
But it's a fun, fast paced, cool setting, but I didn't end the book with things to think about. Also, few typos and grammatical issues, and chapter titles sometimes had spoilers (why do writers do this?!)
But it's a fun, fast paced, cool setting, but I didn't end the book with things to think about. Also, few typos and grammatical issues, and chapter titles sometimes had spoilers (why do writers do this?!)
July 26, 2022
Checks all the boxes
This book had pretty much everything that I look for in a cyberpunk novel. Sufficiently techno-gritty backdrop, plausible extrapolation of the state of the world, savvy sort of anti-hero, buttkicking whirlwind partner in exploits, and comic relief sidekick. Engaging story, and a bit of a different look into corporate warfare. Again, the question of why don’t they build an off switch into these things is begged, but as AI and expert systems improve, they are likely to reach the point where only they understand themselves. Looking forward to the next in the series.
This book had pretty much everything that I look for in a cyberpunk novel. Sufficiently techno-gritty backdrop, plausible extrapolation of the state of the world, savvy sort of anti-hero, buttkicking whirlwind partner in exploits, and comic relief sidekick. Engaging story, and a bit of a different look into corporate warfare. Again, the question of why don’t they build an off switch into these things is begged, but as AI and expert systems improve, they are likely to reach the point where only they understand themselves. Looking forward to the next in the series.
October 26, 2025
Fun popcorn cyberpunk thriller
The Cyberpunk City series is aptly named, as Young takes staples of the genre (megacity, virtual space, hacking, chain smoking, AI run amok) and, with this first entry, deftly builds a strong foundation for an accessible journey into the gritty neon of cyberpunk.
While the elements aren’t approached in a way that breaks new ground, they do feel relatively grounded—for example, the tech, which feels near future reasonable, rather than techno-magic.
All in all, a fun, solidly written, easy to read story that checks many of the cyberpunk boxes.
The Cyberpunk City series is aptly named, as Young takes staples of the genre (megacity, virtual space, hacking, chain smoking, AI run amok) and, with this first entry, deftly builds a strong foundation for an accessible journey into the gritty neon of cyberpunk.
While the elements aren’t approached in a way that breaks new ground, they do feel relatively grounded—for example, the tech, which feels near future reasonable, rather than techno-magic.
All in all, a fun, solidly written, easy to read story that checks many of the cyberpunk boxes.
December 27, 2024
Absolute page turner and I don’t say that lightly. One of the top reads of my year. Hidden gem. Highly recommend to anyone into cyber punk worlds. The amount of action is great. The twist and turns keep you on your toes. It’s relevent to current topics as well whether that was intended or not. I will say, the depiction of the young teen boy was funny. I found myself laughing almost every time he spoke. I can see his relevance though, he asked the important questions. Can’t wait to read book two!
August 31, 2020
You won't find anything new here in regards to to mirrored sunglasses and pink mohawks, as this book pretty much has every cyberpunk trope under the sun in it; however, what you will find is an enjoyable story nonetheless.
November 11, 2022
'Twas exactly what I was looking for. Had some fun twists and turns and nothing too crazy or unexpected. Good characters and dialogue and just enough worldbuilding to be intriguing without bogging down the story.
December 19, 2022
A fast-paced story about a data thief and a hired gun getting a bit too involved with an AI or two. It's a well written fast-paced book that is a good introduction to anyone interested in the cyberpunk genre.
September 2, 2023
It's a fun easy read which I flew through. It doesn't really add anything new to the cyberpunk genre, but I enjoyed the story and characters. And the author did a good job in giving the 'cyberpunk city' a decent feel to it.
December 14, 2023
Solid for what it is. It's light reading, there's nothing too crazy going on here. Young does a good job of creating a fairly interesting world, and I enjoyed the read, but the plot is pretty thin and straightforward. It's fine.
October 12, 2025
I enjoyed this. I wish this was a bit longer (but there are 4 more books in the series to read).
I'm hoping the series follows up on the nettes plot point, and a few of the open mysteries/setup that seems to have been laid out in this book.
I'm hoping the series follows up on the nettes plot point, and a few of the open mysteries/setup that seems to have been laid out in this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews