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New White Sands City Cyberpunk #1
Shadow's Fall
"Fast and furious sci-fi action in a world where corporations rule, the climate has been nuked and augmentations are commonplace."
Welcome to New White Sands City.
Raven’s not averse to a little heat. She’s got a reputation from TopSide to UnderCity as a tour guide, a good-time girl, and a killer for hire. When a routine grab goes wrong and she kills a high-profile vigilante named Shadow, she winds up holding a custom data core and the attention of a dangerous mega-corp.
Now, Raven’s on the clock to ditch the stolen goods before they get her killed, but when she learns what’s on the core, nothing about the job stays routine. This is big picture stuff, and worse, as the conspiracy unfolds, she discovers her new enemy knows more about her past than she does.
This time it’s not about earning a paycheck. It’s about freedom. And the reality is … no one is as free as they think.
New White Sands City Cyberpunk is a near-future science fiction series of interconnected standalone novels.
Warnings for coarse language and high-octane violence.
"The world Bender builds is well thought out and reminiscent of William Gibson’s Bridge Trilogy with a splash of Mad Max. New White Sands is a place where futuristic technology intersects with people living on the edge. Its population can be both cut throat and fiercely loyal, adhering to rules spoken and unspoken." --Michael Prelee, Author of Milky Way Repo
Welcome to New White Sands City.
Raven’s not averse to a little heat. She’s got a reputation from TopSide to UnderCity as a tour guide, a good-time girl, and a killer for hire. When a routine grab goes wrong and she kills a high-profile vigilante named Shadow, she winds up holding a custom data core and the attention of a dangerous mega-corp.
Now, Raven’s on the clock to ditch the stolen goods before they get her killed, but when she learns what’s on the core, nothing about the job stays routine. This is big picture stuff, and worse, as the conspiracy unfolds, she discovers her new enemy knows more about her past than she does.
This time it’s not about earning a paycheck. It’s about freedom. And the reality is … no one is as free as they think.
New White Sands City Cyberpunk is a near-future science fiction series of interconnected standalone novels.
Warnings for coarse language and high-octane violence.
"The world Bender builds is well thought out and reminiscent of William Gibson’s Bridge Trilogy with a splash of Mad Max. New White Sands is a place where futuristic technology intersects with people living on the edge. Its population can be both cut throat and fiercely loyal, adhering to rules spoken and unspoken." --Michael Prelee, Author of Milky Way Repo
- GenresCyberpunkScience Fiction
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 26, 2017
27 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Ron Bender
5 books13 followersTook an arrow to the knee... Now he tells stories. Stay awhile and listen.
A born storyteller with a passion for cyberpunk, gaming, and all things tech. Once known as Roland the Savage. Since retired from mock combat. Also retired from business consulting.
A born storyteller with a passion for cyberpunk, gaming, and all things tech. Once known as Roland the Savage. Since retired from mock combat. Also retired from business consulting.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 28, 2016
In a future where corporations govern, eCash rules, and technology is everything, Raven steals, kills, and shops while looking damn good at it. When she acquires some explosive data, and the scrutiny of powerful adversaries who know more about her than she does, she discovers that having the right friends, the right family, is the most valuable prize of all.
A fast paced cyberpunk action adventure that twists and turns, taking you down dark, dirty underworld paths and up to lofty, bright corporate corridors. The vast cast of characters pop, springing alive to populate a fully realized New White Sands City and one crazy world. A fantastic beginning to an ambitious series, highly recommended!
A fast paced cyberpunk action adventure that twists and turns, taking you down dark, dirty underworld paths and up to lofty, bright corporate corridors. The vast cast of characters pop, springing alive to populate a fully realized New White Sands City and one crazy world. A fantastic beginning to an ambitious series, highly recommended!
August 30, 2023
DNF at 36%. Did not like this at all.
I first added to my list a couple of years ago. I don't remember exactly how I came across it, but I always add things that I think may interest me even a little, so I can decide later to read or not. I then completely forgot about this until a week or so ago, when I was browsing my to-read list. It caught my eye, so I decided to grab it. I've only read cyberpunk connected to a big name in some way - either tied to an IP like Deus Ex and Shadowrun, or a noteworthy classic novel like Neuromancer and Snow Crash. I was interested to see how an "indie" book in the genre would shake out.
I thought this was mostly a mess. Nothing really felt like it was described to a satisfying degree. I think the author was relying on cyberpunk tropes a little too much, and figured the reader would already be familiar, so he didn't bother explaining or describing things all that much. One glaring issue I found was that the setting itself was ambiguous - there is no indication where this is located for quite some time. We know the city's name is New White Sands City, so somewhere sandy. (Side note, what a terrible name for a city; it's too wordy!) It is stated that it's in the United States, so there's at least that, but no other detail. Around 20% in, it's mentioned that it's coastal. Almost exactly one-third in, the Gulf Coast is mentioned, so I guess it's somewhere there. That particular coast would've been my last guess, honestly.
I also thought the story was somewhat thin. The inciting, driving force behind the plot occurs before the book begins, and we're only told in vague details what happened. I think it might have been done this way so as to not make the main character look bad, because she murdered some guy and stole his belongings. But it makes for a weak set-up. I felt disconnected from the events that were happening, because I had little understanding of what was going on and why. If you didn't want the main character to look bad, then you shouldn't have had her be the one to murder someone.
Now, for my biggest issue - the main character. I hated her. From the very start. She's a terribly written character. I believe that the problem is it's a female character written by a man. The way he characterizes her really smacks of being written by a man, because it's things that a man thinks a woman thinks like. If that makes any sense.
The first chapter is not terribly long. Just in the first few pages of that first chapter, the main character:
- Thinks about how her partner in crime is hopelessly in love with her, but she won't return the feeling
- Thinks about how the lighting in the cafe is flattering for her appearance
- Thinks about how her top makes her cleavage look great
- Has to fight the urge to go shopping (because women like shopping, hah, get it)
Then, shortly later (still in the first chapter), a gunfight breaks out in the cafe. People have seemingly come to kill her. During that gunfight, she:
- Goes for cover in the bathroom doorway. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see the bathroom mirror, and she thinks about how great her ass looks in her jeans (Remember that bullets are literally flying through the air towards her, but she's thinking about this)
- Signals for the barista to take cover behind the counter. She then thinks about how the barista could use a better bra
- This causes her to think about how she herself would like to go bra shopping, but she's had to fire expensive custom ammo during this gunfight, so she shouldn't (Bullets are still whizzing through the air, but she's thinking about buying a bra)
After the gunfight, she and her partner escape into a medical van. She notices how one of the paramedics is checking out her ass, so she purposefully gives him a better view. Then she flirts with and ultimately decides to sleep with the van's driver.
All of that is crammed into the first chapter. It does little to improve from there - those types of moments become a bit spread out rather than constantly happening, but they still happen, routinely. Every time she comes across a man, she's thinking about how much they're checking her out and how attracted to her they are. Every woman she comes across, she gets jealous of and starts to hate them, because it means she's no longer the sole center of attention. And she's always thinking about going shopping. It's intended to be like 'hey look at me I'm a woman and proud of it' type of quirky thing, but it's not. It's just tiresome, embarrassing, and clueless.
Not to mention that she is constantly getting angry over the most insignificant things. Also, from the little we've heard of her past exploits and adding on what she does in this novel, she's rather incompetent and not good at her line of work. Outside of being an object of sex appeal.
I've read the synopses of the other novels in this series, and honestly, every one of them sounds more interesting than this one does. The series probably does improve, and probably goes interesting places. But I don't want to continue reading this one, so I'll never know.
I first added to my list a couple of years ago. I don't remember exactly how I came across it, but I always add things that I think may interest me even a little, so I can decide later to read or not. I then completely forgot about this until a week or so ago, when I was browsing my to-read list. It caught my eye, so I decided to grab it. I've only read cyberpunk connected to a big name in some way - either tied to an IP like Deus Ex and Shadowrun, or a noteworthy classic novel like Neuromancer and Snow Crash. I was interested to see how an "indie" book in the genre would shake out.
I thought this was mostly a mess. Nothing really felt like it was described to a satisfying degree. I think the author was relying on cyberpunk tropes a little too much, and figured the reader would already be familiar, so he didn't bother explaining or describing things all that much. One glaring issue I found was that the setting itself was ambiguous - there is no indication where this is located for quite some time. We know the city's name is New White Sands City, so somewhere sandy. (Side note, what a terrible name for a city; it's too wordy!) It is stated that it's in the United States, so there's at least that, but no other detail. Around 20% in, it's mentioned that it's coastal. Almost exactly one-third in, the Gulf Coast is mentioned, so I guess it's somewhere there. That particular coast would've been my last guess, honestly.
I also thought the story was somewhat thin. The inciting, driving force behind the plot occurs before the book begins, and we're only told in vague details what happened. I think it might have been done this way so as to not make the main character look bad, because she murdered some guy and stole his belongings. But it makes for a weak set-up. I felt disconnected from the events that were happening, because I had little understanding of what was going on and why. If you didn't want the main character to look bad, then you shouldn't have had her be the one to murder someone.
Now, for my biggest issue - the main character. I hated her. From the very start. She's a terribly written character. I believe that the problem is it's a female character written by a man. The way he characterizes her really smacks of being written by a man, because it's things that a man thinks a woman thinks like. If that makes any sense.
The first chapter is not terribly long. Just in the first few pages of that first chapter, the main character:
- Thinks about how her partner in crime is hopelessly in love with her, but she won't return the feeling
- Thinks about how the lighting in the cafe is flattering for her appearance
- Thinks about how her top makes her cleavage look great
- Has to fight the urge to go shopping (because women like shopping, hah, get it)
Then, shortly later (still in the first chapter), a gunfight breaks out in the cafe. People have seemingly come to kill her. During that gunfight, she:
- Goes for cover in the bathroom doorway. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see the bathroom mirror, and she thinks about how great her ass looks in her jeans (Remember that bullets are literally flying through the air towards her, but she's thinking about this)
- Signals for the barista to take cover behind the counter. She then thinks about how the barista could use a better bra
- This causes her to think about how she herself would like to go bra shopping, but she's had to fire expensive custom ammo during this gunfight, so she shouldn't (Bullets are still whizzing through the air, but she's thinking about buying a bra)
After the gunfight, she and her partner escape into a medical van. She notices how one of the paramedics is checking out her ass, so she purposefully gives him a better view. Then she flirts with and ultimately decides to sleep with the van's driver.
All of that is crammed into the first chapter. It does little to improve from there - those types of moments become a bit spread out rather than constantly happening, but they still happen, routinely. Every time she comes across a man, she's thinking about how much they're checking her out and how attracted to her they are. Every woman she comes across, she gets jealous of and starts to hate them, because it means she's no longer the sole center of attention. And she's always thinking about going shopping. It's intended to be like 'hey look at me I'm a woman and proud of it' type of quirky thing, but it's not. It's just tiresome, embarrassing, and clueless.
Not to mention that she is constantly getting angry over the most insignificant things. Also, from the little we've heard of her past exploits and adding on what she does in this novel, she's rather incompetent and not good at her line of work. Outside of being an object of sex appeal.
I've read the synopses of the other novels in this series, and honestly, every one of them sounds more interesting than this one does. The series probably does improve, and probably goes interesting places. But I don't want to continue reading this one, so I'll never know.
December 23, 2017
*** I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ***
WHEN THE SKY FALLS…
In a future of uncertainty, Raven, a thief, assassin and many other things gets caught up in something she may not be able to handle. Now, she is used to the frying pan… not the whole damn fire. She comes across a data core that starts this mess and this could end up killing her if she’s not careful. Once she finds out even an inkling of what is on it she’s running because the original owner wants it back IMMEDIATELY and is willing to use excessive force to get it. Seems the enemy knows a lot about Raven, more than she knows about herself and her past.
Now this isn’t just a job or a paycheck, it is about living to the next day and everyone’s freedom. Also, finding out all these underlying conspiracies. Is anyone really as free as they think they are? Or is this all just a fancy illusion?
This book really reminded me of a mix between The Asanti Series by David Finn and The Resident Evil movies, plus something completely new. Between the futuristic technology, chemicals and the female assassin that doesn’t need anybody, but has a team anyway. When reading it, you don’t know what is going to happen next because there is so much action with all the fireplay and gunplay. Violence is as common as ecash if not more, this is where corruption rules and bad things happen… most don’t bat an eye. This is normal for these characters.
There are so many layers in this book that it was fascinating and I gobbled it up like a starving man at his last breakfast. So many conspiracies that lie in one book of fiction. There is politics in here as well, so many cities and areas that are governed by corrupted people. What is sad and scary is that something like this is totally possible in the real world… all this hero worship of a bad guy.
In some areas it’s like concentration camps for people, robots and clones. Plus they sacrifice each other to stay alive. What is more mess up about this is that the clones don’t even see what is morally wrong with this. They have nothing that says that is wrong in their processors. This is just one of the multilayers within the book and one of the things Raven finds out about on a mission and gets angry over and I agree. Then again why would a monster make clones morally right anyway? Bastard.
Even with all these layers and conspiracies, I still felt like there was some things missing that could have made this book better. If there was more depth to the characters then I would have been able to give a better star rating. I wanted to know more about Raven’s mental issues and more about her past and the ending of the book. I want more details on her partner Brios, who is a part of her team who we barely got to know. I feel like we did this huge adventure with strangers and I want more. The 292 pages were simple not enough for me and so I guess I’ll have to read the next book to get to know them better.
There are many twists and turns in Shadow’s Fall that make it a really worthwhile book to read. Oh and if I am honest I kinda feel like it is a book that has the idea of “every man for himself” if ya know what I mean. Has got the Lord Of The Flies feel, at least in SOME areas, i.e. the Ganglands.
You’ll have to read it to find out for yourself.
WHEN THE SKY FALLS…
In a future of uncertainty, Raven, a thief, assassin and many other things gets caught up in something she may not be able to handle. Now, she is used to the frying pan… not the whole damn fire. She comes across a data core that starts this mess and this could end up killing her if she’s not careful. Once she finds out even an inkling of what is on it she’s running because the original owner wants it back IMMEDIATELY and is willing to use excessive force to get it. Seems the enemy knows a lot about Raven, more than she knows about herself and her past.
Now this isn’t just a job or a paycheck, it is about living to the next day and everyone’s freedom. Also, finding out all these underlying conspiracies. Is anyone really as free as they think they are? Or is this all just a fancy illusion?
This book really reminded me of a mix between The Asanti Series by David Finn and The Resident Evil movies, plus something completely new. Between the futuristic technology, chemicals and the female assassin that doesn’t need anybody, but has a team anyway. When reading it, you don’t know what is going to happen next because there is so much action with all the fireplay and gunplay. Violence is as common as ecash if not more, this is where corruption rules and bad things happen… most don’t bat an eye. This is normal for these characters.
There are so many layers in this book that it was fascinating and I gobbled it up like a starving man at his last breakfast. So many conspiracies that lie in one book of fiction. There is politics in here as well, so many cities and areas that are governed by corrupted people. What is sad and scary is that something like this is totally possible in the real world… all this hero worship of a bad guy.
In some areas it’s like concentration camps for people, robots and clones. Plus they sacrifice each other to stay alive. What is more mess up about this is that the clones don’t even see what is morally wrong with this. They have nothing that says that is wrong in their processors. This is just one of the multilayers within the book and one of the things Raven finds out about on a mission and gets angry over and I agree. Then again why would a monster make clones morally right anyway? Bastard.
Even with all these layers and conspiracies, I still felt like there was some things missing that could have made this book better. If there was more depth to the characters then I would have been able to give a better star rating. I wanted to know more about Raven’s mental issues and more about her past and the ending of the book. I want more details on her partner Brios, who is a part of her team who we barely got to know. I feel like we did this huge adventure with strangers and I want more. The 292 pages were simple not enough for me and so I guess I’ll have to read the next book to get to know them better.
There are many twists and turns in Shadow’s Fall that make it a really worthwhile book to read. Oh and if I am honest I kinda feel like it is a book that has the idea of “every man for himself” if ya know what I mean. Has got the Lord Of The Flies feel, at least in SOME areas, i.e. the Ganglands.
You’ll have to read it to find out for yourself.
August 31, 2018
The first in a series, Ron Bender’s SHADOW’S FALL is a top-notch cyberpunk thriller set in New White Sands City, one of the megalopolises that emerged from the ruins of a collapsed America. I hadn’t read cyberpunk since the classic MONA LISA OVERDRIVE, and had a lot of fun with it.
Raven, a good-time girl and gun for hire, runs afoul of big corporate interests when she kills a man she later finds out is Shadow, a high-profile vigilante with widespread connections across the city. Accompanied by Brios, her loyal muscle, she goes on the offensive and eventually learns the truth about her identity and her past.
This is just good fun. Raven’s a bit hard to swallow, as she’s abrasive and erratic (with reason, we find out later), so while I still wasn’t crazy about her even after closing the covers, I’d totally fallen for the author. The action sequences are absolutely riveting, the secondary characters are all stand-out, and there’s enough weird future, high technology, and gun play to satisfy anybody who’s ever enjoyed or think they might enjoy a cyberpunk story.
His second novel, STREETS OF FIRE, is out, telling a different but connected story with some new and familiar characters, and I’ll be checking it out.
Raven, a good-time girl and gun for hire, runs afoul of big corporate interests when she kills a man she later finds out is Shadow, a high-profile vigilante with widespread connections across the city. Accompanied by Brios, her loyal muscle, she goes on the offensive and eventually learns the truth about her identity and her past.
This is just good fun. Raven’s a bit hard to swallow, as she’s abrasive and erratic (with reason, we find out later), so while I still wasn’t crazy about her even after closing the covers, I’d totally fallen for the author. The action sequences are absolutely riveting, the secondary characters are all stand-out, and there’s enough weird future, high technology, and gun play to satisfy anybody who’s ever enjoyed or think they might enjoy a cyberpunk story.
His second novel, STREETS OF FIRE, is out, telling a different but connected story with some new and familiar characters, and I’ll be checking it out.
December 24, 2017
Wow, where to begin. This book by Ron Bender has to be one of my favorite reads of 2017, and I have read well over 200 books this year. The series is simply going to be awesome to read based on this first book. The characters were fun to identify and play with. There was humor, drama, betrayal, suspense, and warning to readers, lots and lots of graphic depictions of violence and mayhem. This genre might be called cyberpunk, but to me it is simple fun and enjoyable science fiction that just so happens to use lots of robots, robotics, advanced technology, etc. etc. I can't wait to add Streets of Fire, Book 2 in this series to my TBR list. This is a voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Hidden Gems.
January 17, 2018
Excellent cyberpunk.
The world building is impressive, the characters are vibrant, and the storytelling polished; this was an immensely enjoyable read.
Fascinating and detailed world building together with some great tech really helps to create atmosphere.
The prose is crisp, the humour wry and the secrets and action just keep on coming.
Talented writer, and a well crafted, compelling read. This is a series I'll be following.
The world building is impressive, the characters are vibrant, and the storytelling polished; this was an immensely enjoyable read.
Fascinating and detailed world building together with some great tech really helps to create atmosphere.
The prose is crisp, the humour wry and the secrets and action just keep on coming.
Talented writer, and a well crafted, compelling read. This is a series I'll be following.
January 1, 2018
An enjoyable book, with lots of everything in it. The story follows Raven, a fashionista gun for hire, who loves fast living. She tries to sell a data core she's heisted, and gets herself into a lot of trouble. Without spoiling, it leads her into realisations about herself, and how deeply the world she lives in is manipulated by hidden political forces.
At some points, I felt there was too much going on, which detracted from the main flow of the plot, and I had to sift through details to get at the story. Once found, however, the story was very entertaining.
At some points, I felt there was too much going on, which detracted from the main flow of the plot, and I had to sift through details to get at the story. Once found, however, the story was very entertaining.
December 29, 2024
I couldn't finish this.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews