My Fatal Futility Shellshock

by N.J.M. Hemfrey

In a neo-Japanese inspired future, comes a cyberpunk epic with a razor-sharp time travel edge.

Kage Carnifex never bleeds easily. He's stronger than the slickest cybernetics. And the chip in his brain whispers the value of violence.

Kage is the last product of a dead corporation. When he is scraped off the streets by another megacorp, Kage plunges headlong into an unforgiving world of unbreakable contracts, absolute loyalty, and soulful devotion beyond what he thought possible.

Yet, the psychotic butchers from his shrouded past cannot be escaped forever, nor their malicious masters denied Kage's life. Blood is owed and carnage is coming to carve everything Kage loves apart.

And the secret to surviving may lie within a device Kage can't control; the chrono-disruptor -- a time machine -- but time is a fatal thing...

522 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2021

About the author

N J M Hemfrey has degrees in Philosophy and Sociology, and Information and Library Studies, and is an administrator for a charity. He lives with his fiancé Kasha and his lovely baby daughter Olive, both of whom are the best individual to spend existence with. He is an utter movie, book, video game and comic enthusiast, especially for the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. One of his greatest frustrations is that there is not enough time in the universe to ever finish the lists of things he wants to do.

Find N J M Hemfrey:

Website: www.njmhemfrey.com
Instagram: works_of_veil_and_void
Twitter: @cloud_neil

Reviews

[Julio Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Fatal Futility Shellshock by N J M Hemfrey is positively one the THE BEST Sci-fi books I’ve EVER read in my life, and certainly THE BEST Sci-fi book I’ll read this year.

It’s big, it’s intriguing, it has humour, sarcasm and tech with a suitable narrative and an approach to futuristic materials that actually makes you envision the future, and you will not have to wait much until the first battle takes place with all its might and imagery! It’s VERY COOL.

Although the book is packed with words, the simple narrative does help us forget about those 500+ pages and actually read and enjoy the story through it, as it steadily and smoothly develops.

This is an indie book that feels like it was published by a top tier literary house!


There are several elements when it comes to imagery here that we must take notice. First, it’s the animalistic fusion of beasty and human figures, which evoke many things and as intended, give that Asian-like, more accurately, Japanese-like atmosphere, especially after the combo with words written how they would be pronounced in Japanese, which is always a nice touch indeed. The second thing that we notice, or have to notice is how these same images make us understand each character that has it, given that it will mark some of their personalities and roles. It’s something well-put by Neil J M Hemfrey.

Violence is a common theme here, and it seems like it will be constant as the book progresses, escalating with it as the pages turn, which is a nice sensation on itself to us readers, because we know, and we have learned on the prologue that the author knows how to make some great action scenes.

One thing that we LOVED in this book is that it catches you off-guard and throws you moral questions and dilemmas that take you aback and make you think and engage with yourself or the book. It’s super cool, and rather impressive how well Neil, the author can weave conflicts, strains and thoughts so well in the dialogue and the lucid narrative while showing that “Kage”, our main character, doesn’t have memories of his past whatsoever and it’s constantly fighting to have a grip on who he is, spilling unnerving reactions towards it while trying to keep his cool and comply with the dictorial mandates of the Corporation he is in, all of this having a preaching chip implant on his head he is powerless to control.

There is a slight Orwellian atmosphere on the background, due to the implications of the society they are put under and what happens between corporations.


This book is also about how out main character grows up, which is a complex and deeply constructed ride and takes most part of the story itself because there is lots to explain about his upbringing, his motivations and what makes him, him, but the author is skilled enough to make this long ride interesting, enjoyable, full of humour, action and sarcasm. It’s something I didn’t expect really and it’s a very nice surprise.


A GREAT thing about this book, besides Kirei-san and Sepi, of course, is that it actually teaches you a lot about violence, rage, anxiety, morality, the flaws of oneself, how to control and how to experience life itself. It’s quite a value-packed book.

This book has everything you can imagine for a top tier science fiction, cyberpunk, time-travel book. Great, well developed characters, a consistent, incredibly well-thought out and planned plot, sarcastic humour, witty remarks, proper futuristic and scientific-like descriptions, imagery and explanations that make sense, interlacing timelines that don’t leave you confused, plot twists, emotional drama, action packed scenes sprinkled here and there, romance, conspiracy theories and above all, chaos and violence! EXCELLENTLY DONE!

Before we kick out this review, we should tell you that “My Fatal Futility Shellshock” has one of the most vicious, hateful villains of all of our books reviewed so far, probably second to only one, and the one that gives the most stomach-punching plot-twist of all. Like, you will feel sick after it starts making sense, and it will leave with a bitter-sweet taste on your mouth. Damn, I don’t think I can wait to read the other two books on this trilogy to find out why the villain said what it said in the end, or how it react the way it reacted.

This is brain food. High quality brain food. You WILL become smarter, and more sarcastic, after you read “My Fatal Futility Shellshock”. If you like physics, quantum physics, time travel, science, fighting and a great and complex story with LOTS of humour, punches, swords, robots and blood, well, you HAVE to read My Fatal Futility Shellshock. Cannot give a better recommendation when it comes to the genre.

Pros:

Amazing, diverse and strong characters, that are built VERY well in terms of emotions and motives. Amazing job there.
AN EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!! EXCELLENT VILLAIN!!!!! TOP TIER villain. Relentless.
I love it that the main character is somewhat dumb, yet tries his best to grow and actually makes quite the progress through sheer effort. It’s VERY nice. Kage is not “apt” at all in any shape or form, and CLEARLY needs all the help he can get, yet he works hard. It’s SUPER COOL to read something like this.
LOTS of Sarcasm and humour
Excellent narrative
Excellently kept plot, which was kind of challenging because it has SO many things to keep in track, specially the implications of the physics of time travel and the constitution of the universe, casual chains, the laws of relativity, that it could go wrong even if a single thing was miscalculated, BUT the author kept it tight, and it is in agreement with the logics of physics and quantum physics. VERY WELL DONE!
IMPRESSIVE EDITING ! Given that this is a self-published book, I wasn’t expecting THIS much quality of editing. It’s almost FLAWLESS. GREAT JOB on the editing. I was REALLY impressed by it.
LOTS of concepts that enlighten you and give you wisdom, both about life, violence, pacifism, enemies, wars, the self, physics, time travel, relationships. This book is PACKED with GREAT content, insights, EXCELLENT quotes and observations. It’s fascinating, to say the least.
Nice descriptions and imagery.
This book and author makes justice to the sci-fi genre. VERY WELL WRITTEN BOOK!
The book ends with a punch in the stomach and then a pat on the back that leaves you wishing for more and leaving you tired at the same time.

Cons:
The book is packed in formatting style, which slowed the reading progress and affected the overall visual experience.
Many of the awesome and pivotal characters die. You won’t accept it, at least we didn’t. It’s too painful to know they won’t be with us on the next books, damn.

Lessons from the book: “Only what can happen does happen.”

Favourite Characters: Sepi and Ori.

Cover Score:

Final score: 8.8/10

Original Review at : https://scribblesworth.wordpress.com/...

[TheBookersDiary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a kid with unusual physiology and a chip that constantly motivates him to embrace violence embedded in his brain. While he struggles with himself, he also has to survive time-travelling assassins trying to kill him. Eventually, he loses his family, his love, and everything he holds dear and has to survive as he hurdles through space and time to find his peace. This is the story of Kage Carnifex and his loyal sumo bot - Sepi. Interesting right? Let’s see how this book fared on our scale.

Uniqueness
Cyberpunk is a niche genre of science fiction that is more focused on a dystopian futuristic setting where society is dominated by technology. This is exactly what you should expect in this book as well. However, unlike many books in this genre, the world is not run by technology overlords. This story is based in a futuristic Japan where humans and AI live in harmony. In terms of uniqueness, it doesn’t get any better for me, at least at this point.

Predictability
The story is heavily based on time travel where characters from the future travel into the past telling you exactly what’s going to happen and you still don’t see it coming. Although the events themselves unfold slowly and book often deviates from explaining how time travel works in the author’s universe.

Writing Style
The author’s writing style is very compact. Every word is there for a reason. And this is of course a sign of a good author. Neil often goes into an explanation of the philosophical principles of a “Shizukira” and the rules of time travel in his universe, which although is important, also makes the book quite heavy to read. This is also one of the reasons why after a few pages, I had to put the book down and recharge. However, the action sequences were incredibly fast-paced and well written making those moments super engaging.

Cost Worth
The book is available for Rs 403 on Kindle which may sound a little steep compared to other books, isn’t all that bad. Although, I hope that we get the paperback edition in India someday. I’d love to keep a copy.

Entertaining
Although the book would become heavy at times, it was in no way monotonous. Sepi was always there to break the seriousness with his jibes and quips. It was fun to watch a robot pretending to enjoy tea so much even though it couldn’t really have it. The overall story has its ups and downs much like any other book. I’m a big fan of character development and this book had it packed in tonnes. The way how Kage’s relationship with other people and AIs evolves and its effect on his personality was a treat to read.

Verdict
Strong character development, fast-paced action sequences and the fun of exploring a new genre make this book a must-read. While the content is heavy and makes you put the book down at times, you’ll always want to come back to keep pace with the story.

This book is for anyone who enjoys Science fiction and reads regularly.

[PageTurner · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, yep, I did find this book to be an actual real page turner which is great because I’ve not had too much luck this year. Never read cyberpunk combined with time travel before either. Add the samurai element/influence and, yep, there’s a very meaningful load of ideas here.

I thought the protagonist was a very complex character with plenty of growth (I mean you’d really have to with character that starts at 9 years old and ends the book in his 30s so hats off for making that actually believable). There’s a violence in Kage Carnifex (MC) which seems to be bone-deep and may be linked to something more frightening (but I’ll avoid spoilers). The brain chip or cerebraflex rather in Kage’s head spouts some very unique mantras about the value of violence, not that I agree with them, but man it was fascinating and my heart went out to the guy trying to deal with that brain chip while trying to be normal in a world that rejects him. He goes through lots of conflicts with his desires and motivations, which I had no hard time empathizing with from the get go.

Kage’s parents as well as his bodyguard/best friend sumo-bot Sepi really shine in supporting Kage in his growth. It sort of reminded me of playing God of War with Kratos teaching life lessons to his son throughout and this is where the “Way of the Shizukira” really comes into play. I think it’s based on samurai culture and Hemfrey’s done a superb job of not making it a dilution of anything or offensive culturally, you know it’s something inspired from the best parts of the samurai I think. So, I felt I learned something.

This all feeds into making this a different sort of cyberpunk than I’ve read or played before (#cyberpunk2077nonsense). There’s real deepness here and it’s a world which is beautiful and dark, it has different sides. The imagination behind the tech is crazy, with really bizarre stuff as well as freaking wicked, not just when it comes to weapons either. I think it was just nice to read a cyberpunk world that wasn’t polluted and everyone’s a no good asshole. Even the villains in this follow a code of respect and honour and these villains aren’t nice people, but they’re not hollow, you know, they’re not one dimensional. The enemy “The Ill Intent” has a plan for the world and I’m equally worried and fascinated by what it could be.

I’m not used to action scenes going on for pages. I probably had my fill several times, but to be fair I wasn’t ever thinking anything dragged. Fight scenes might have lasted pages but I’d race through those bits because it was fast paced.

The time travel pushes the boundaries but in a totally believable way. Time travel can easily become convoluted and stuck in a pile of plot holes, but this is consistent. I really checked (because who doesn’t get a wee thrill from noticing a flaw). The interweaving layers of past and future playing out in tandem must have been nightmarish to write but boy does it pay off. It’s actually really cool how some events pan out.

So, yep, My Fatal Futility is a cinematic, narrative good one with genuinely interesting philosophies.

[Breezyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the gritty texture of the plot, as well as the spiritual side I didn’t expect. The narrative is just totally engrossing, and I really didn’t expect to care this much about the characters so early on. Very real-seeming. Now, the plot is complex with lots of narrative lines, but I wouldn’t say I was like ever overwhelmed. It all comes really naturally and no annoying over-exposition of like this is an information dump. I dove in and emabraced the world as if I was exploring a new place. And the designs of everything are willd and fantastically imaginative. There is never a dull scene in this book, the imagery is so colourful and can be very spiritual as I said before, especially the sections where characters are in more natural environments than the cities.

It does have a unique blend of themes, joining up cyberpunk with takes on samurai culture and bushido, and the time travel element blends surprisingly well and realistically, I felt. The implications of the fatalistic nature of time travel were pretty hard-biting to be honest, probably because of how consistent the rules were. I couldn’t really argue against the logic behind the time travel mechanics and I’m very sketptical of anything time travel related. Stories typically use it just to make things “interesting”, like the time travel serves the plot which just creates plot holes. Not here, though. Hemfrey has put such detail in having future and past events occur in tandem, and sometimes you never realize until the future event occurs and you see a whole situation from a different perspective. It did hurt my brain sometimes but after a good digest, I respected how clever it was.

The dialogue is utterly riveting and hilarious at times, especially the sumo-bot Sepi. He’s gold! Plus the action is like something out of the raid on supe steroids. Action scenes are long and worthwhile, and totally account for the fact that if you have cyberpunk tech, it’s going to be a lot more hectic than guys with fists. So, the action is just insane.

The MC Kage Carnifex has so much character development, I could believe the emotions he goes through and the changes he goes through from boy to man. This is definitely a character that grows.

Conclusion: I found this book truly and unequivocally remarkable and cannot contain my review to so short a space. Genuinely looking forward to the sequel.

[RestlessBookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending us a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

My Fatal Futility Shellshock is a character-driven sci-fi adventure book set in a neo-Japanese dystopian future. It includes a myriad of themes, such as family, loss and belonging as well as characteristic themes for the genre, such as time travel and corporate control.

In the book, we follow Kage Carnifex who, after the death of his adoptive parents, embarks on a crusade through time to prevent said deaths and defeat the Ill Intent - an ever evolving figurehead of evil straight out of Kage’s favourite childhood story.

Something that I surprisingly enjoyed with this book is how much it was centred around character development. We get to watch Kage grow throughout the book, not just age-wise but also as a person. Kage is a character struggling with anger issues, which are exacerbated by the grief he experiences and seeing the journey that this leads him on is a welcome secondary plot throughout the novel.

I also absolutely adored the character design and world building in this book. Within this world, people are able to undergo genetic and cybernetic augmentations, which Hemfrey utilises in the most bizarre and awe inspiring way possible to create characters that have a dizzyingly diverse range of skills and features. It’s a world where the only limit is your imagination and I feel like the scope of this was fully explored with every new character that we meet.

I have been trying to branch out in terms of reading genre this year, with this being my first proper foray into adult sci-fi novels. While the genre is not what I would normally go for, I have to say that everything within My Fatal Futility Shellshock - from the world design to the plot itself - was easy to follow, well thought out and kept me hooked right until the end. Most works of fiction that include time travel often can become confusing when it comes to rules, however the author manages to convey these rules concisely early on, which helps throughout the rest of the book to make sense of what is happening. While the book itself is fairly long, this ease of reading helps keep up the pacing of the book and makes the overall experience quite enjoyable.

I would definitely recommend this to any sci-fi fans out there, as well as anyone trying to get into the sci-fi genre.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best fiction I've read in years! I couldn't put it down. If you enjoyed altered carbon, the last samurai or John wick you'll love this. The author creates believable characters that you genuinely care about. Their relationships are dynamic and they feel real in a very flawed human way. The action is intense and the world fleshed out. Sepi was my favourite character by far! I won't spoil anything but if you don't fall in love with him, you're clearly a monster. Everyone needs a friend like sepi.

The author has clearly put their heart and soul into this book. It must have taken a long time and a lot of sticky notes on the wall to keep track of the time travel element during writing, but an amazingly rich and complex story is made simple for the reader. Time travel doesn't need to hurt your head when you have a strict set of rules to follow.

Overall I was sad to have put this book down but delighted to hear a sequel is in the works. Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy!

[Amy Kidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read with rich and developed world building. Despite having heavy themes of time travel the plot was straightforward to follow and explained in a really clear way. The fight scenes were numerous and the most dynamic I’ve ever read. Overall a great book to get lost in!

[Zack S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of this was initially very interesting (cyberpunk plus time travel) and it was one of those books that became surprisingly touching, incredibly action-packed, and always thought provoking. The fact that this was one of those books which stuck in my mind for weeks after I’d finished it. The story explores the interesting themes of family, revenge, body modification, and the very nature of time and what that means for our identities. So often in cyberpunk, I feel, that characters can become too easily unlikable, due to existing in a really unlikable world where there’s not much call for manners, per say. But Hemfrey here managed to pull off making really grounded, believable, and really approachable people you could sympathise with completely, and this probably helped that the unique world he created isn’t a bad place to live. It’s refreshing cyberpunk where corpos care about their impact on the environment and live by rules of respect (of course there are dark costs to this and a “third world”, per say, which is horribly climate ravaged and mutated and the justifications for it, really reflect our own world). The samurai side of it, or “shizukira” side, is also worth mentioning. It’s not just paperthin cultural appropriation where the “Japanese” part is purely cosmetic. There’s a deep look at Japanese values, I’d say or an attempt at least, which is nice.
Truly, I’d say this is one of those books which you feel good about straight after reading and it just becomes something marvelous after a few weeks of stewing on it and revisiting chapters, especially for the time travel. The time travel should make your head spin but it’s really easily to follow Hemfrey’s rules and, if anything, it makes everything cooler because you can track past and future selves dealing with the same situations and creating havoc for each other. There are definitely elements here, world design, tech, and ideologies you’ve never encountered before. On the surface, this story is a solid high-octane action story with plenty of heart, and deep down it makes you think about time itself and what your own free will means.

[Lina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kage Carnifax is a unique person. He has extra strength, even without augments. He’s also more prone to violence, but his mentors in his life are working to curb that.

Things are going well, dramatically less violent incidents, when something happens that changes his life forever. Kage is willing to do whatever it takes, even give up the life he knows, to try to right the wrong. But… what if the only thing that could help is time travel?

First of all, I’d like to be clear that I only read half of the book, and I am DNFing it. It’s not that I didn’t like it, I did. It’s just really long and is consuming more of my mental capacity than I can afford right now. I hope to return to it one day and finish it. To be fair, though, because I only read half, I’m going to rate it on half of the scale (out of 5, not 10).

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, and the writing style was great. I enjoyed the world Hemfrey built. It was really interesting that people could just change their appearance in super dramatic just to look cooler or whatever, and that was normal.

The economic system was also intriguing. People worked only to keep society running, and made purchases based on their reputation basically. For example, misdeeds lowered the repustat score, and living in accordance with society’s standards and doing good raised it. Based on how high or low it was, you were permitted to do certain things or buy certain things. I can’t tell if it’s better or worse than our monetary systems. Sure, it’d be great to get whatever you want because you’re a great citizen, and as long as you do your part you don’t have to worry about being poor… but it also feels like a slave system. People are being forced to work, or they can’t have anything. I mean, that part isn’t much different than our society. But they’re also being forced to fit into a mold. Kage sometimes lost repustats essentially because he was different. So while I don’t like the concept of money, I can’t quite say that I think this economic system is better. (Which is likely the point: Hemfrey has degrees in philosophy and sociology, so he was probably hoping that he could get readers to reflect on things like this.)

I also loved the character Sepi. I imagined him as a less-balloonish and adult version of Baymax from Big Hero 6. (Adult because not all of his comments would be Disney appropriate.) I am not really a hugger anymore, but I just always wanted to give him a hug for being so adorable (even when he was fighting 😂).

“Lina, it sounds like you did actually like this book. Why are you DNFing it?” Good question. As much as I enjoyed it, it was really long. 512 pages in a large-sized book with tiny letter. That’s not so bad, but I felt that not all of the pages helped the story progress as well as they could have. We spent a lot of time on Kage’s early life, which definitely added to the story, but also made it really long. I get a feeling that those early events are going to tie back in later in the book, too, but sometimes the chapters just felt really long and unnecessary. As such, it made it difficult to want to come back and pick up the book to read again, especially with everything that I’ve had going on lately.

But like I said, I do want to come back and read the whole book someday.

[Louise Pagemanic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a straight up underrated masterclass on character development. From the moment i started reading the first chapter where it starts from the perspective of Old Man Kage then goes back to when he's 9 years old I was hooked. That word association test between Kage and Dr Stynar was so effective at getting a grip of the main character's psychological state as well as the corporate world he's been abandoned to. In almost one swift sitting, over a couple of days, I found myself reading the entire book on the edge of my seat. The character development is truly brilliant, Kage and his sumo-bot companion Sepi are just the best duo in the world, and the entire time you are invested in their relationship as well the relationships they make with the condescending and annoyingly logical AI of the time machine Ori (who represents himself via digital Origami animals, cute!) and Aky, the cyberpunk archer who saves him, but who he saves when she's younger, recognising features from her older self, and also Hayami the main villain of this book who had my perspective on her change 180 during the last few chapters. The neo-japanese, eco conscious world is vibrant, beautiful and utterly brutal when it comes to the action bonanza. This is wince worthy brutality but with so much heart, really well balanced. In fact, the book had so much more heart than i was expecting, usually cyberpunk stuff is so nihilistic that you can't like anybody for how depressed and despicable they are, but this is totally different. These aren't people made bad by tech. These are people who make choices and live with the consequences while discovering how deep the time travel rabbit hole goes and it goes very deep. I mean Old Man Kage is in the past while his younger self is in the future and there is so much interconnectedness between past and future that effect comes before cause and it's a right mind flip, but amazingly no paradoxes and Ori's rules of reality are a god send in educating anyone who doesn't understand time travel...I will likely have the final scenes on my mind for weeks to come. This one will stick with me. Possibly best cyberpunk book of the year. Highly recommend.

[Sam Worth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a one of a kind cyberpunk action epic that I truly believed is destined to make a mark (hopefully before the author’s dead). It is not only entertaining in its own right but absolutely sets the bar for the ultimate time travel paradox story in a refreshing take on futuristic samurai and yakuza. Although it's cliche to say, it's absolutely true with this book that every time you see it you'll catch something new that was missed previously, the time travel lines are so expertly intersected from the get go without you realising. Inside this intricate plot (as it’s not all about time travel) of cyber-punk fiction, there is the successful melding of intriguing philosophical ideas (like versions of bushido, family values, and an AI who spits mandates about violence into our protagonist’s brain) with coherent, well thought-out pieces of character development (I was really taken aback by how much character development mattered, especially in something that has such brutal and long actions scenes). The book’s action sequences are strikingly different from other books that spend little more than a few sentences saying how people hit each other. Hemfrey creates symphonies of destruction that you’d see in most action hardcore films. Gunfire, martial arts combat, and car chases are depicted exactly as they would occur in a real world where cybernetic augments were available. There is so much creativity to show why tech would be used in a situation where the mindset of people is to use tech first and foremost. There are no easy get outs and no paradoxes. When Hemfrey kills a character, it freaking hurts and he offers no way out, which fits in very well with Kage’s shizukira mindset of accepting impermanence and inevitability. This is a book that should be read and discussed for the impact of the time travel as well as the spiritual aspects for how to remain human in the future.

[Terrence Trearty · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know you have a great book when the only complaint is that you didn't find out about it sooner. This is truly very hardcore cyberpunk and time travel that has a very accessible edge at the same time. Hemfrey gives the reader space, time, and plenty of great dialogue and descriptions to understand the situations while still retaining an air of mystery about the overall plot: why do a secret gang want to kill Kage? Did they kill his parents? Who sent the chrono-disruptor? Is there truly an apocalypse coming? And so many more questions. It's like reading an RPG with so many interconnected threads and hugely developed characters. Hemfrey created a whole world which is beautiful, filled with amazing Japanese architecture, and yet very strange, having a completely Climate-ravaged third world which is all too familiar. You can absolutely appreciate the tech everyone uses and the sense it makes fitting into this PUBLIC Vs PRIVATE WORLD where the gov control everything outside the coporate pagodas and have no say in what happens inside. Plus having the cerebraflexes in order to download all you need from the corp you work for as well as the cyber-tattoos that show the financier you work for, it's all so different and unique. The action is truly phenomenal and so creative, showing why if you had cybertech your first thought would be to use it not do things traditionally. I also really dig the time travel. I don't think I ever really understood how time travel could realistically work until this book explains it so sensibly and measurably. Probably helps that I care about the characters. I cared about Sepi way too much #Sepiforever

[Liam Scificorner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a total mind bleep and gave me a great emotional time of it (goddamn it Sepi). It was such a crazy series of events, with insane temporal loops or streams or whatever you want to call them, they were fantastically original. Thematically the story blends its dizzying thoughts about time and its impact on the human race, with that of our basic human condition, that of identity, with surprising takes on samurai/bushido culture in a heavily cybernetic and beautiful world (if you’re expecting dreary bladerunner, this is not it, I mean why does the future have to be pollution filed and corporation destroyed). The plot goes beyond tyring to be simplistic and make uninteresting warnings about technology: instead it attempts to contribute to our understanding of reality by breaking existence down into biological/temporal terms and making us question, along with the characters in the book, whether or not any of us is a zombie pulled along by causal chains or not. My Fatal Futility is one of those books that it’s hard to say too much about because no description does it characters or action justice, you have to read it. It's such a meticulously thought out thrill-ride – slowly and superbly unravelling as each and every page turns – that the real joy here is unwrapping and grasping (or attempting to any rate) what it is you're actually reading happening to Kage and Sepi. However, if you really just wanted cyberpunk action spectacle, the time travel is very easily laid out and not shoved in your face repeatedly. It’s a book with many dimensions.

[Scifibookrecs · Rating 4 out of 5]

After my third reading, I can finally admit that this book has me by the soul. I enjoyed it when I first read it, enjoyed it even more the second time around, seeing it as more than just cyberpunk, and now, I can only say that I love how ground breaking it is on the time travel side of things. The characters are exemplary. Sepi the sumo-bot is so good in this book that I can't forgive the author for what happens. Kage Carnifex, the main character, is an incredibly realised person - displaying rare sensitivity and intensity and breathing life into the way of the shizukira while fighting a brain-chip that tries to provoke his bionetically predetermined feral side. I feel that I must also single out Aky, Hayami, and Kokoro for their subtle strength and believability as very challenging female characters. As a time travel tale we're given consistent rules uttered out by the AI Ori, who doesn't half show how fragile human psychology is delusion wise. Half explanations of what is happening and why are given elsewhere, as it's clear we're seeing perspectives of time travel events that happen later. Being used to complex science fiction storylines, I was able to piece it together and understand the overall message of what book was attempting to deliver. All in all, the action is out of this world on steroids, the range of cybernetic augments is endless, and the final feeling in the final showdown with this book's main antagonist, Hayami, is completely emotional.

[Lyssa Coyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came for the time travel but I stayed for the cyberpunk and I am NOT a fan of cyberpunk but I thoroughly enjoyed this because of how different is. The main character Kage Carnifex was fantastic and vulnerable, despite having augments/bionetics/gene enhancements that make him practically invulnerable (which also leads to his interesting shunning by society because his skin can't be breached in order to give him cybernetics needed to engage with this neo-Japanese society). The concept of a fatalistic timelines which constantly intersects and interweaves was profoundly interesting. The descriptions of this more nature infused cyberpunk were beautifully done and were a feast for your imagination combining both futuristic concepts while still incorporating retro ideas and Japanese landscapes. The dialogue was such that you were always rooting for the protagonist and his trusty sumo-bot Sepi who's like a cuddly terminator who likes tea, can cook, make great jokes, and dish out the minigun when required. That's me not even touching how incredible the female characters Aky and villainous Hayami are. Both seemed so real and flawed and like genuine people, not parodies that insist of women speaking a certain way. The time travel is unforgettable and twists you right around, while making perfect sense. No paradoxes here and every situation is brilliantly new and innovative. Such a surprise joy of a read!

[Chloe Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a total mind-f**k experience but in such a good feeling way. I'm still trying to wrap my head around some things about the intense time travel

First of all, it goes without saying that this is a very intelligent cyberpunk book. When reading it helps for the reader to abandon all their preconceived concepts of time travel and cyberpunk and straightforward storytelling to focus on a thoughtful, emotive, and intelligent storyline. I can't think of many cyberpunk stories that have such an absolute gosh-wow factor. It is uniquely entertaining stuff. Each chapter in the neon-japanese city scape catapults you somewhere you didn't expect to be and there are so many time travel hints from the get go showing how the future invades the past and vice verse. Tensions rise between characters at a great pace and threats hit unpredictably, while the level of humour present and spirituality offers nice reprieves. Upon closer inspection (more like, deep meditation) of the questions this raises about life, the nature of time, duty, honour, and revenge, I've found each moment serves a purpose just as the main storyline does.

All of this adds up to a "What the f**k" mind-blowing experience and a very tear jerking set up for the next book. What "My Fatal Futility Shellshock" has going for it is a deep and intelligent narrative, properly fleshed out because of Hemfrey's skilled and thoughtful writing.

[Keith Krank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book knows its target audience because it delivers everything you'd want and expect from such a crazy concept of a book. Does it feel like you're in an authentic Japan-inspired world with unlimited varieties of cybernetics, robotics, genetic tampering, and their effects have proper places in the world's functioning? Yes. Are these endearing characters of both male and female that are well fleshed out through dialogue, action set pieces and encounters with future selves? Yes. Is there hyperviolent action, ultra cool violence, and gore that doesn't hold back because the intended audience wants a martial arts inspired epic? Yes. Do all the neon, surrealistic, colorful, and spiritually uplifting aesthetic re-paint how we should view cyberpunk and stop being obsessed with Bladerunner polluted worlds? Yes. I freaking loved this in no uncertain terms. It was right up my alley. The philosophical and inspiring outlook about futility and fatality, the spiral downwards of our characters as the temporal war grips them and causal chains force certain deaths, and the ending, oooph the powerful ending, just hit it off for me. It also didn't get bogged down in telling any love story, sure the characters do feel affection and stuff, have sex and all, but it doesn't turn into weird love triangles. They always felt like real people trying to get on in life.

[Gavin Dayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had such an unexpected impact on me. Such an adrenal rush of emotions as I reflect on this futuristic samurai tale that journeys through battles between time travelling syndicates with mysterious motivations. The storyline, following the life of a boy to an old man, which we get snippets of in seeing future versions here and there really hit home how if you time travel once it could affect every part of your life, knowingly and unknowingly. The character development is excellent and there are so many delightfully innovative characters from almost indestructible Kage with his mysterious bionetic, monstrous skin, to Sepi the shape shifting sumo-bot, to Aky the bunny archer, to Hayami the female villain with the jagged iridescent bionic jaw, to Akasuki who loves golden cybernetics as he flaunts his superiority and wealth, to Gael the panther-splice gunsmith, to Ori the mirror-ball chrono-disruptor, it just goes on and on, and I haven't even gotten to the guns yet. There is so much to mine from this book from spiritual philosophy, hardcore action set pieces worthy of Michael Bay, and hardline time travel that shows how truly fascinating and messed up warfare can get when you can have multiple versions of yourself show up. This is so creative and tear-jerking, I wish it hadn't gone under my radar for so long.

[Theresa Thackery · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Key Elements this has should entice anyone: It has Interesting, well portrayed characters who feel very relatable emotions and very relevant to the cyberware they choose to harness. It has astounding creativity when it comes to the neo-Japanese society that is protected by massive climate control stations, while the Sylvan (the fourth world) is left to its own decay. It has excellently choreographed action scenes that rival anything you've seen Jet Li, Uko Uwais, or Jackie Chan do, but with the cyberpunk formula so you have gunfu as well as other wild contraptions all over the place. Humour that is just so uplifting, I mean Sepi the sumo-bot is just the god of easing worries, making tea, and having a great time. Absolutely impressive and accessible time travel which doesn't shove anything down your throat, presents rules and explanations that make narrative sense, show rather than tell, and of course Ori who powers the time machine is hilarious with sarcasm and general displease at being smarter than everyone else. It also has a very moving human element that doesn't become self-indulgent, but rather quite informative of the best parts of samurai culture and what we should perhaps aim to emulate.

I shall definitely read this book again si I don't miss out on any of the cool time travel stuff and I wouldn't be at all surprised if this eventually becomes a cult classic.

[Kylie BookObsessed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is solid entertainment. This dark cyberpunk novel is the cutting edge of the genre. Hemfrey has conjured up a rich world full of images, sounds, scents and tastes that, never cease to be recognizably human. His imagination has given this neo-Japanese future such depth that allows him to move effortlessly back and forth in time, weaving temporal warfare with real skill. This is generously littered with the emotive language and interesting philosophical quotes about time, identity, and psychology. It's a proper sized book that lesser authors would have made two books out of if even been brave and creative enough to take on the task at all. This is bold cyberpunk that isn't copying what came before it but boldly striding ahead. The novel is taut as a violin string with a carefully laid mystery inside, in parts horror with frequent bouts of brutal action that rival the greatest action scenes in scifi epics. Make no mistake, this is how action should be written. This is the first book from NJM Hemfrey I have read and it won't be the last. He was recommended by a friend and I'm very grateful for the heads up. If you read this review and don't buy the book then you're missing out on everything.

And a great ending. 100% original, and absolutely right.

[Ben King · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always found time travel books to try and be a bit too clever for their own good but this one takes it to the extreme in a profound and refreshing way. I just about figured what was going on but it took so much thinking. To appreciate it fully, I did what my friend asked and looked up certain pages again which then really made clear the complex yet highly rewarding intricacy of the time travel. Not to mention that it is full of truly breath-taking scenery, gorgeous cybernetic tech, mind-blowing genetic splicing, and superb battle scenes. The lead characters, Kage and Sepi his sumo-bot bodyguard are truly an amazing duo which take the readers through a very well crafted story. There are some really touching scenes between them, a well as with the story's villain, one of many we'll have to contend with over the course of the trilogy (is it?). Into this epic story the author also injects themes of honor, pride, cultural clashes, technological change, and the fatal futility of time (see what he did with the title there) that truly makes this hella unique in the cyberpunk genre. Think of this as like something Akira Kurosawa would direct, following a samurai-esque character wandering through Jason Bourne like temporal warfare spy play.

[Carol Blithe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique and unforgetable read! I went into this book expecting some cool sci-fi cyberpunky stuff and maybe some silly time travel! Instead i got hypertastic rollercoaster ride into temporal warfare that i wont soon forget! Hemfrey really did a great job of creating a unique cyberpunk world, that's actually quite pleasant and beautiful like Japan, and the atmosphere just exudes cool with all the heavily unique tech and gene-splicing. Everytime a new character or enemy showed, there would be a new piece of cyberware to shake things up. You dont actually need to be familiar with the genre or time travel to enjoy or understand this as Hemfrey sets the rules and lays them out clearly! This is definitely for anyone who wants to get into either of these genres however. The ultra-cool and lengthy action sequences which tended to get crazier and crazier as well as the humourous and poignant interaction between Kage and Sepi were particular highlights, but so was the overall story and the villain Hayami who I think I fell for the moment she tried to torch Kage - it's weird but she's got a real deep side when it's revealed! At this point i see a book that has yet to get the attention it truly deserves!

[Frasier Scififan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline is amazing and unprecedented, i didn't know you could mix these two genres. The descriptions, world-building, time travel machine, and general Japanese feel from a western point of view are all very respectful and bloody intriguing. This book had absolutely incredible edge of your seat moments, great characters I want to take home with me (Aky in particular, my favourite kind of "bunny" archer), and there's no plot armor for any of the characters at all. People get hurt, really hurt, and people die, really die. Hemfrey didn't take time travel as an excuse to bring people back as he pleased and repair holes. If anything, he's using it to show how things can't be fixed, things just are and we have to accept that and move forward, we have to accept consequence and the physiological cosmic restrictions of the human body. Even if you aren't a big cyberpunk or time travel person, read this book for its drama, action, and samurai-inspired life lessons. The typical tropes aren't there and it really really feels like a book will get some joy and enlightenment from while having a riproaring time with the action sequences (Michael Bay or the people who did The Raid couldn't do better).

[Nancy Drear · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is absolutely an action-packed, profoundly thoughtful, craziest flashiest cyberpunk epic about time travel, temporal warfare, samurai-like honour and revenge, with a real funny bone and great relatable emotional characters. The battle scenes/martial art fights/car chases are beautifully and grittily described and there are plenty of moments when the intensity of the fighting reminds me of The Raid, The Night Comes for Us, or Extraction but with cyberpunk flare. They've got the tech and Hemfrey gets very creative with it. With one of the most inventive stories for a wholly original book in a long time, from an indie author too without creative restriction, and the best sprawling time travel tale since anything Robert Heinlin wrote, IMO. It will have you chuckle and laugh nearly as much as drop your jaw in awe and have you ruminating on the spiritually enlightening samurai mentality as well as the profound thoughts on the nature of time. It goes without saying that the far-reaching interconnectedness of the time jumping is incredible, taking place right from the get go even if you don't at first realise it, and I think showing stuff from the other two books in the trilogy without us knowing it.

[Raya Cardwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that has such the right blend of cyberpunk and time travel I can't believe it's not been done before. The action and drama do not stall. Action sequences so well crafted and paced. The descriptions of neo-Japan and cybernetic weapons and augments, along with a slick variety of robots and mechs, fell so realistic yet fantastical. The climate conscious world Hemfrey has created is believable. All the ELysian city scapes are brilliant, where nature meets human made wooden and metal structures. The fights are brilliant, I can't get enough of the chase through the city through the highways and vertical highways with the shifting gravity, and the scene where the beach is exploding like something out of saving private ryan mixed with aliens as they chase the villain down. So heartbreaking about how perishes there, geez and how the aftermath time travel wise is handled is just so cathartic. The scenes that were the best in the book for me were when Hayami and Kage have their final no holes barred showdown, when Sepi leaves his message, or whenever sarcastically brilliant Ori the chrono disruptor sarcastically dresses down Kage for wanting to provoke a paradox. Once again the best bits are all the character developing stuff where I actually get emotionally attached to the book.

[S. Jeyran Main · Rating 4 out of 5]

My fatal futility is an action thriller cyberpunk, time travel story about Kage Carnifex. The story is set in the year 2322. 61-year-old Kage is not in a good state, moving forward 100 years in the future, you see a 9 year old Kage being the last product of a corporation that is long gone.

Kage isn’t ordinary. His body has an unknown bionetic augmentation making him super strong and durable. His memory is damaged and the cerebraflex chip in his brain is also malfunctioning so he can’t access any original information only what he has been given now.

As the story moves along you see Kage growing up, learning more and more about his past. He is constantly on the move and either running away from being killed. Love is also in the mix for the protagonist and the added romance was nice to read as well.

The book is written in a superb manner. I wouldn’t be shocked if the story became a film or was successful in some other shape or form. It is just executed so well. I immensely enjoyed the science fiction side of things. Everything including scene, plot and originality was narrated.

I recommend this book to cyberpunk readers and sci-fi fans.

[Callum Wrights · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful visions of the possibilities of the far future while also being greatly fantastical. It takes a while to get going but the ending is very emotive and there are plenty parts that pack a punch and the world-building is intriguing (cyberpunk without bladerunner vibes for once). The amount of sophistication and attention to detail with the time travel is uncanny, and Hemfrey shows that an action extravaganza that can and will challenge the intelligence of its readers. I admire Japanese culture, which probably helped, but this just had something so special about it's representation of a cyberpunk like Japan. I couldn't finish reading it without tears welling up in my eyes for Sepi and then Hayami, what a double whammy. Ultimately, the book comes down to a very personable boy come man defending the things he loves and loses, his parents, his former paramore, his future, and learns how to hold dearly and let go due to time's futility. It's not short of wild action scenes and even wilder time travel manouevring. There is nothing that combines 2 genres like this and so entertainingly.

[Xander Kaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is never boring and it never sacrifices character development for pacing. In fact the pacing feels spot on as things unravel and we learn more and more about how the future impacts the past and the past affects the future and so on. The world building is very good, it's detailed and very dynamic, not you're usual run of the mill dreary cyberpunk full of drug addicts and Trainspotting types which always seem to prefer sitting in squalor rather than actually do anything cool. Kage and Sepi are all about doing cool things, while sharing funny moments, vicious high-energy violent sequences, and profound loss they can't change. Time machines are not error-correctors as Ori would say. The character design in terms of cybernetics and augments is so inventive and creative, most of them have really interesting looks, that never feel overly sexualised, unless that's the point of the product or situation, everything is for a story purpose. This book leaves you wanting more with a tear in your eye for the villain just because of how interesting everything is. There is so much left to learn about how Kage becomes his old man self in the future battle.

[Theo Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sharp, complex, and utterly intriguing vision of time travel mixed with incredibly revamped cyberpunk. The way this is done is so fresh and it seems to be as simple as creating consistent rules, following them, never causing paradoxes for the sake of plot, and actually creating interesting scenarios within the limits you've set. Hemfrey clearly respects both the time travel and cyberpunk genres, offering futuristic visions of samurai, Japan, how cyberware can mix with biology and what this actually does to class systems, how gene-splicing can be used without causing the end of the world. This is not a doom and gloom story where characters remain depressed because it's cyberpunk. Kage, Sepi, Aky, and Hayami, the stunning and deep villain, all want to live, all want to fulfil their senses of honour and this is what makes the story so pleasing to read. The believable characters help ground the high-octane, amazingly described action sequences as well as the time travel logic the AI of the chrono-disruptor keeps spouting. If time travel indeed works this way, then we've all got some thinking to do about our identity, morality, and views on the best ways to live.

[Heather Halliday · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is intelligent, full of twists, witty, brutal where it's appropriate, and the action is always appropriate, and overall highly enjoyable slant on the cyberpunk/time travel genres. The characters of Kage Carnifex the struggling samurai with a weird mutagenic augment, the hilarious and dependable Sepi the sumo-bot who is what heroes are made of, Aky the brilliant cyberpunk archer who is kicks the corpo world in the face despite being so young, and Hayami the relentless chasing villain of the piece, coming through timezones to assassinate Kage and kill everyone he loves for reasons unknown. What's amazing is that they are are all so believable. What should be ridiculous is well thought out, emotive, and utterly raw at times, with the dialogue really fitting the characters. The fatalistic time travel of everything being inevitable is so cleverely done that you can't see what's coming, genuinely, and if you want to find paradoxes, good luck. Hemfrey has crafted his rules of reality well and they reveal so much about the nature of ourselves. This is instructive as well as being play hyper action awesome, like a martial arts movie.