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The Sommerfeld Experiment #1
Zero-Day
Packed with dark action, imaginative violence and a well thought out story, Zero-Day is a wild ride you’ll want to buckle in for! - Indies Today
Cyberpunk aficionados will enjoy this slick and highly readable tale." - Kirkus Reviews
Covert government cyborg agents from Nevada's underground expansion of Area 51. A crumbling megacity ruled by cybergangs. An insane neuroscientist and a kidnapped infant lost to memory, until now...
Joshua goes by many names. Zer0-Day: gamer legend in the Virtual. Reaper: ruthless leader of the Epitaph cybergang. The Operator: sole controller of the Maelstrom, a mind-linked weapon that can kill any human and circumvent any security measure.
Despite the notoriety and dubious achievements, Joshua doesn’t know who—or what—he is. While he suspects his amplified senses and reflexes are due to a head full of wetware, he doesn’t know how it got there.
Joshua’s activities have always placed him on the wrong side of the law, but his homemade weapon, the Maelstrom, has attracted the attention of a covert government entity. Evading law enforcement may be second nature, but he’s never dodged a hunter as relentless as Agent Vince Farrell.
Farrell and his team have two orders: 1) apprehend Joshua (mostly) unharmed, and 2) hand him over to black budget scientists who will permanently mind-link him to the Maelstrom. Farrell is confident this mission will be a simple snatch and grab.
Simple never applies when Joshua is backed into a corner because his backup plan is always deadly.
Head over to aldavidsonstories.com for more story art, a sneak peek at The Sommerfeld Experiment #2 Gauntlet, and character short stories. Listen to reporter Sabrina Kasai's podcast on Old Town San Francisco life and the impact of cybergangs. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter to get exclusive mugs and T-Shirts. Submit fan art or stories and be featured on the webpage.
Cyberpunk aficionados will enjoy this slick and highly readable tale." - Kirkus Reviews
Covert government cyborg agents from Nevada's underground expansion of Area 51. A crumbling megacity ruled by cybergangs. An insane neuroscientist and a kidnapped infant lost to memory, until now...
Joshua goes by many names. Zer0-Day: gamer legend in the Virtual. Reaper: ruthless leader of the Epitaph cybergang. The Operator: sole controller of the Maelstrom, a mind-linked weapon that can kill any human and circumvent any security measure.
Despite the notoriety and dubious achievements, Joshua doesn’t know who—or what—he is. While he suspects his amplified senses and reflexes are due to a head full of wetware, he doesn’t know how it got there.
Joshua’s activities have always placed him on the wrong side of the law, but his homemade weapon, the Maelstrom, has attracted the attention of a covert government entity. Evading law enforcement may be second nature, but he’s never dodged a hunter as relentless as Agent Vince Farrell.
Farrell and his team have two orders: 1) apprehend Joshua (mostly) unharmed, and 2) hand him over to black budget scientists who will permanently mind-link him to the Maelstrom. Farrell is confident this mission will be a simple snatch and grab.
Simple never applies when Joshua is backed into a corner because his backup plan is always deadly.
Head over to aldavidsonstories.com for more story art, a sneak peek at The Sommerfeld Experiment #2 Gauntlet, and character short stories. Listen to reporter Sabrina Kasai's podcast on Old Town San Francisco life and the impact of cybergangs. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter to get exclusive mugs and T-Shirts. Submit fan art or stories and be featured on the webpage.
- GenresAudiobookScience Fiction
413 pages, ebook
First published December 28, 2021
101 people are currently reading
606 people want to read
About the author
Al Davidson
4 books20 followersI'm a former UNIX engineer and now a full time writer living in the California coastal mountain range above the Pacific Ocean.
The final book in the Sommerfeld Experiment published on May 30, 2023 and brings the series to a close. I describe it as Blade Runner meets John Wick.
My next series is an epic progression fantasy that should be coming out in October 2024.
The final book in the Sommerfeld Experiment published on May 30, 2023 and brings the series to a close. I describe it as Blade Runner meets John Wick.
My next series is an epic progression fantasy that should be coming out in October 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 24, 2022
high tech, high action
This book had me interested from the get go. It had great momentum and only gained as the story went on.
*reader warning* this book has very strong language.
This book had me interested from the get go. It had great momentum and only gained as the story went on.
*reader warning* this book has very strong language.
December 30, 2021
This book has some cool new toys that people play with, as well as some good writing that will bring you along on the ride. This is the first book, and the world as described is big and complex with multiple layers that seem to be set up for the next few books.
I am curious to see if the author will be able to evolve the mc and the world and friends from what he is now, or if he will get stuck in being a bad boy. Reminds me a little bit of "The Fixer" by Andrew Vaillencourt, except less humour here and more 'raw'.
I am curious to see if the author will be able to evolve the mc and the world and friends from what he is now, or if he will get stuck in being a bad boy. Reminds me a little bit of "The Fixer" by Andrew Vaillencourt, except less humour here and more 'raw'.
January 23, 2023
Disclaimer - I received a free copy of this book to review for the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC).
Joshua, AKA Zer0-Day, is your ultimate vigilante. In this dystopian future where global warming and earthquakes have decimated the San Francisco area, Joshua uses the profits from aiding an arms dealer and crooked casino owner to aid the businesses and residents of the ghetto of “old town” - the area abandoned after the “big one” in San Francisco.
Of course every vigilante needs an arch nemesis and that is Agent Vince Farrell. The government has taken over the state of Nevada and turned it into research labs and a giant prison. Known as the Nevada State Military Zone (NSMZ), Farrell is Nevada’s version of Darth Vader. So we have heroes, anti-heroes, villains, arms dealers, drug dealers, and a whole assortment of criminals and innocent bystanders.
This book is action packed from beginning to end. It is well written and raises a slew of moral issues for the reader to battle with. Are the criminals the good guys or the bad guys, when do those enforcing the law become the antithesis of legality, and does any of this matter when the rich are living “high off the hog” in their luxury neighborhoods.
I will forewarn you that this is the first book in a four part series. While this book can be read as a stand-alone you will definitely be left eager to find out what happens next.
Joshua, AKA Zer0-Day, is your ultimate vigilante. In this dystopian future where global warming and earthquakes have decimated the San Francisco area, Joshua uses the profits from aiding an arms dealer and crooked casino owner to aid the businesses and residents of the ghetto of “old town” - the area abandoned after the “big one” in San Francisco.
Of course every vigilante needs an arch nemesis and that is Agent Vince Farrell. The government has taken over the state of Nevada and turned it into research labs and a giant prison. Known as the Nevada State Military Zone (NSMZ), Farrell is Nevada’s version of Darth Vader. So we have heroes, anti-heroes, villains, arms dealers, drug dealers, and a whole assortment of criminals and innocent bystanders.
This book is action packed from beginning to end. It is well written and raises a slew of moral issues for the reader to battle with. Are the criminals the good guys or the bad guys, when do those enforcing the law become the antithesis of legality, and does any of this matter when the rich are living “high off the hog” in their luxury neighborhoods.
I will forewarn you that this is the first book in a four part series. While this book can be read as a stand-alone you will definitely be left eager to find out what happens next.
November 8, 2022
‘Zero-Day’ (or possibly ‘Zer0-Day’ with a zero instead of an o) is a futuristic Internet handle and nickname for the main kind-of-antihero protagonist, who is a really quite tall and super good-looking ambidexbrained science experiment animal-hybrid type badass who has lots of sex.
Okay, look. The titular (extremely titular) main character aside, there are actually a lot of really cool ideas in this action-packed cyberpunk romp. Even the mad scientist’s sexy, sexy magnum opus is a great and fun idea for a protagonist, don’t take my cynical mutterings too seriously. The future history is very neat, and the virtual world and its legal separation from the ‘real’ world is fantastic. A little unexplored and underutilised, but I guess this isn’t what Zero-Day was about. The glimpses I got were really intriguing.
What the story was about was Joshua “Zer0-Day”, the only guy who can drive the Maelstrom, a cloaked nanobot delivery drone that can kill people in cool creepy ways and do data stuff, possibly also in cool creepy ways, and is operated by a plugged-in human brain-operator. Or in this case superhuman brain-operator. It takes too much brain to fly it, see, so Josh has to do it and also do sex with hot babes.
For real – aside from Josh’s brief but loving character description, I have no idea what any of the male characters in this story looked like. I’m in no such visual blackout regarding the female characters, because their attributes are all lasciviously tallied up. And their numerous costumes. And the fact that they’re all about as tall as the guys’ chins while wearing high heels. I make fun, but hey, it was entertaining in a cheesy sort of way – and clearly cyberpunk fans get a kick out of it. And who am I to argue with that? I personally found it a bit of a distraction from the story, rather than an enhancement of it. Others may feel differently. Others clearly do.
What’s the point of the story, the main driving point of the plot? I’m not entirely certain – and that’s okay! I know it sounds like a complaint but I actually liked the chaos and … okay, the plot may not have been structured (or unstructured) enough to pull off many intentional twists and surprises, but it still left me guessing. The feds are after Josh and this weapon thing, his old arms trader team turns on him (aside from like one guy who is just sort of arrested and still trying to help him), and he’s running a nightclub and a street gang and like I said the whole virtual side of it is woefully underrepresented although that’s probably good because Ready Player One was kind of awful and we don’t need to go there again.
There felt like there should be a Les-Mis-esque enmity between Farrell and Josh, but … not really? They settled, eventually, into a sort of uneasy alliance or enemy-of-my-enemy sort of thing, but there didn’t seem to be any emerging plot. And like I say, that was a plus to me – the world was chaos and events happened, and Josh did his best to get the job done. Whatever that job might have been. It was all just cool snippets of world-building and set pieces with babes in, which okay, fine … but the ol’ connective tissue seemed a little soggy, you know?
The formatting of the e-book was also pretty bad, just as a heads-up. I’m not sure if it was just the review copy I got, but there were a lot of page numbers and page headers and random breaks scattered through it that made it difficult to read.
In an interesting approach, we get the ‘twist’ right at the start of the book, then we go to “six weeks earlier”. Then most of the story happens, and then at around 85% in Farrell finds out what he (and the readers) found out at the start. That could have been handled more effectively, but I’m not sure how. It was interesting, like I say, but Josh’s identity and genetic makeup and stuff could have been … eh. I guess I didn’t understand the plot value of having it be the 85% antagonist reveal that way. It was fine though.
The Maelstrom was forgotten for quite a while there. Then the story ended.
Right, let’s take a look at the meters!
Sex-o-meter
Joshua totally has the sex. That’s about it. It’s fine. One guiltily-hidden adult magazine underneath a pile of old toys and socks out of a possible actual sex.
Gore-o-meter
There’s some gang executions, some covert ops murders and some neat Maelstrom-related death and destruction. Nothing particularly hair-raising. Two flesh-gobbets out of a possible five.
WTF-o-meter
Like I said, there’s some very cool world-building and excellent cyberpunk imagination in this. It was very enjoyable to stumble across, my only complaint is that there could have been more exploration of that stuff. But no, there was negligible WTF to be detected here. It’s a rubber python wearing a hat out of a possible replicant python from Blade Runner with a microscopic serial number etched into its scales.
My Final Verdict
I am clearly not part of the target audience for this book as I’m not a cyberpunk fan as such, and this character-type and subgenre of cyberpunk in particular isn’t for me – but it’s certainly not boring, and like I say it’s very well-received on Amazon and Goodreads so if this is your thing by all means, ignore my grumbling and check this one out! I give it two-and-a-half stars, but I’ll happily round up to three for the sheer scope and creativity of the setting through which Josh drives his cool bike. Sorry.
Okay, look. The titular (extremely titular) main character aside, there are actually a lot of really cool ideas in this action-packed cyberpunk romp. Even the mad scientist’s sexy, sexy magnum opus is a great and fun idea for a protagonist, don’t take my cynical mutterings too seriously. The future history is very neat, and the virtual world and its legal separation from the ‘real’ world is fantastic. A little unexplored and underutilised, but I guess this isn’t what Zero-Day was about. The glimpses I got were really intriguing.
What the story was about was Joshua “Zer0-Day”, the only guy who can drive the Maelstrom, a cloaked nanobot delivery drone that can kill people in cool creepy ways and do data stuff, possibly also in cool creepy ways, and is operated by a plugged-in human brain-operator. Or in this case superhuman brain-operator. It takes too much brain to fly it, see, so Josh has to do it and also do sex with hot babes.
For real – aside from Josh’s brief but loving character description, I have no idea what any of the male characters in this story looked like. I’m in no such visual blackout regarding the female characters, because their attributes are all lasciviously tallied up. And their numerous costumes. And the fact that they’re all about as tall as the guys’ chins while wearing high heels. I make fun, but hey, it was entertaining in a cheesy sort of way – and clearly cyberpunk fans get a kick out of it. And who am I to argue with that? I personally found it a bit of a distraction from the story, rather than an enhancement of it. Others may feel differently. Others clearly do.
What’s the point of the story, the main driving point of the plot? I’m not entirely certain – and that’s okay! I know it sounds like a complaint but I actually liked the chaos and … okay, the plot may not have been structured (or unstructured) enough to pull off many intentional twists and surprises, but it still left me guessing. The feds are after Josh and this weapon thing, his old arms trader team turns on him (aside from like one guy who is just sort of arrested and still trying to help him), and he’s running a nightclub and a street gang and like I said the whole virtual side of it is woefully underrepresented although that’s probably good because Ready Player One was kind of awful and we don’t need to go there again.
There felt like there should be a Les-Mis-esque enmity between Farrell and Josh, but … not really? They settled, eventually, into a sort of uneasy alliance or enemy-of-my-enemy sort of thing, but there didn’t seem to be any emerging plot. And like I say, that was a plus to me – the world was chaos and events happened, and Josh did his best to get the job done. Whatever that job might have been. It was all just cool snippets of world-building and set pieces with babes in, which okay, fine … but the ol’ connective tissue seemed a little soggy, you know?
The formatting of the e-book was also pretty bad, just as a heads-up. I’m not sure if it was just the review copy I got, but there were a lot of page numbers and page headers and random breaks scattered through it that made it difficult to read.
In an interesting approach, we get the ‘twist’ right at the start of the book, then we go to “six weeks earlier”. Then most of the story happens, and then at around 85% in Farrell finds out what he (and the readers) found out at the start. That could have been handled more effectively, but I’m not sure how. It was interesting, like I say, but Josh’s identity and genetic makeup and stuff could have been … eh. I guess I didn’t understand the plot value of having it be the 85% antagonist reveal that way. It was fine though.
The Maelstrom was forgotten for quite a while there. Then the story ended.
Right, let’s take a look at the meters!
Sex-o-meter
Joshua totally has the sex. That’s about it. It’s fine. One guiltily-hidden adult magazine underneath a pile of old toys and socks out of a possible actual sex.
Gore-o-meter
There’s some gang executions, some covert ops murders and some neat Maelstrom-related death and destruction. Nothing particularly hair-raising. Two flesh-gobbets out of a possible five.
WTF-o-meter
Like I said, there’s some very cool world-building and excellent cyberpunk imagination in this. It was very enjoyable to stumble across, my only complaint is that there could have been more exploration of that stuff. But no, there was negligible WTF to be detected here. It’s a rubber python wearing a hat out of a possible replicant python from Blade Runner with a microscopic serial number etched into its scales.
My Final Verdict
I am clearly not part of the target audience for this book as I’m not a cyberpunk fan as such, and this character-type and subgenre of cyberpunk in particular isn’t for me – but it’s certainly not boring, and like I say it’s very well-received on Amazon and Goodreads so if this is your thing by all means, ignore my grumbling and check this one out! I give it two-and-a-half stars, but I’ll happily round up to three for the sheer scope and creativity of the setting through which Josh drives his cool bike. Sorry.
August 23, 2022
Good Cyberpunk with a Major Cliffhanger
In a [typically] ridiculous dystopian world centered around SoCal and the former state of Nevada (carved up by imminent domain to accommodate the additional conspiracy theories coming out of Area 51). Our Hero (Joshua, Z[er0-Day], Shot, Reaper) is a misplaced genetic experiment turned gang banger/leader and former e-games legend trying his hand as a more traditional death merchant (aka arms dealer) when the deal goes south. Don’t over think this … it is just fun entertainment until the story drops off a huge cliff (-1 star just for that). It loses another star for the gratuitous sex scenes.
As can be expected for the genre … most of the characters are over the top … but surprisingly relatable (with an obvious hero’s journey and potential for redemption). Equally surprising is the lack of anything soooo unbelievable that with just little effort you can slide right on past and still enjoy the story (it really was quite fun to listen to). Overall, the story moves quickly with plenty of action that manages to avoid getting overly descriptive or long (nice balance) and the narration was truly excellent … enough so that despite the crappy cliffhanger, I am tempted to get the sequel just to see what else he does with his world building.
I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#LostKingdom #AudiobookEmpire #AuthorsDirect #KindleUnlimited
In a [typically] ridiculous dystopian world centered around SoCal and the former state of Nevada (carved up by imminent domain to accommodate the additional conspiracy theories coming out of Area 51). Our Hero (Joshua, Z[er0-Day], Shot, Reaper) is a misplaced genetic experiment turned gang banger/leader and former e-games legend trying his hand as a more traditional death merchant (aka arms dealer) when the deal goes south. Don’t over think this … it is just fun entertainment until the story drops off a huge cliff (-1 star just for that). It loses another star for the gratuitous sex scenes.
As can be expected for the genre … most of the characters are over the top … but surprisingly relatable (with an obvious hero’s journey and potential for redemption). Equally surprising is the lack of anything soooo unbelievable that with just little effort you can slide right on past and still enjoy the story (it really was quite fun to listen to). Overall, the story moves quickly with plenty of action that manages to avoid getting overly descriptive or long (nice balance) and the narration was truly excellent … enough so that despite the crappy cliffhanger, I am tempted to get the sequel just to see what else he does with his world building.
I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#LostKingdom #AudiobookEmpire #AuthorsDirect #KindleUnlimited
February 18, 2022
Zer0-Day follows the cyberpunk anti-hero Joshua, a man able to control swarms of nanomachines in a weapon called Malestrom. His aptitudes put him at risk and make him quite a commodity as various factions war for control. When he meets Sophia, he gets in over his head as loyalties become strained. The world of constant power struggles will test his resolve as his life, and his friend's, are in turmoil.
Those wanting fast-paced action will love the book.
See full review at:
https://www.markeverglade.com/zero-day
Those wanting fast-paced action will love the book.
See full review at:
https://www.markeverglade.com/zero-day
February 16, 2022
Exciting and good
Very pleasantly surprised! Characterization is good and characters stay true to form. Plot and character evolve instead of just being laid out there. Good world development too.
Only criticism is needs a proofreader!
Very pleasantly surprised! Characterization is good and characters stay true to form. Plot and character evolve instead of just being laid out there. Good world development too.
Only criticism is needs a proofreader!
February 9, 2022
I like a good anti-hero and I love a good cyberpunk so the combo is a winner. The anti-hero my favorite type of protagonist, and this book has one that rivals Riddick from Pitch Black. Joshua has just enough of an odd sense of justice to keep him from being a vile prick. No cardboard cutout action 'hero' here, amazing character depth. Super tight plot and the story moves fast. My only complaint is I have to wait for book #2 which looks like it's out in April.
I especially love the women in the story who are capable and interesting and not window dressing. Spikeware, the second in command of the Epitaph cybergang, is badass. Shelby is my heart girl. I read the short story on the author's website about Shelby and love her. I laughed out loud at Meriwether several times. I used to live in the south and I think the author may have or still does as he gets those idioms right on.
There's also a virtual world that's a little like Ready Player One. Some interesting bioengineering ideas that are explained but not so in depth as to stall the story. Joshua may be good at a lot of things, but being a people person definitely isn't one of them. Love his best friend Kevin. He reminds me of Moss from the IT Crowd.
I especially love the women in the story who are capable and interesting and not window dressing. Spikeware, the second in command of the Epitaph cybergang, is badass. Shelby is my heart girl. I read the short story on the author's website about Shelby and love her. I laughed out loud at Meriwether several times. I used to live in the south and I think the author may have or still does as he gets those idioms right on.
There's also a virtual world that's a little like Ready Player One. Some interesting bioengineering ideas that are explained but not so in depth as to stall the story. Joshua may be good at a lot of things, but being a people person definitely isn't one of them. Love his best friend Kevin. He reminds me of Moss from the IT Crowd.
January 6, 2022
I was immediately drawn in by the author's convincing style. His love for future tech and sci-fi shines through on every page.
Set in a dystopian future Nevada, the story follows two main protagonists. Joshua has enhanced abilities which he often uses for criminal purposes; while Agent Farrell works for a repressive government and sets his sights on capturing Joshua. The blurred lines between good and bad of both main characters made for an intriguing read.
I think this book will most appeal to readers of hard-core sci-fi. The action scenes are exciting and well-written, and especially the fight at the villa. I found the plot was absorbing, leaving me curious to see where the author next takes this new series.
Set in a dystopian future Nevada, the story follows two main protagonists. Joshua has enhanced abilities which he often uses for criminal purposes; while Agent Farrell works for a repressive government and sets his sights on capturing Joshua. The blurred lines between good and bad of both main characters made for an intriguing read.
I think this book will most appeal to readers of hard-core sci-fi. The action scenes are exciting and well-written, and especially the fight at the villa. I found the plot was absorbing, leaving me curious to see where the author next takes this new series.
January 17, 2022
This is honestly one of the best cyberpunk/futuristic stories I’ve read in a long time!! I couldn’t put it down.
No spoilers, but it has a little bit of everything, but without being tropey. It really feels like it was written to be a movie. Excellent plot twists and character growth, really interesting dialogue and tangible action scenes, and strong male and female characters that I just loved and could absolutely relate to. I'm definitely excited for the next book in the series.
No spoilers, but it has a little bit of everything, but without being tropey. It really feels like it was written to be a movie. Excellent plot twists and character growth, really interesting dialogue and tangible action scenes, and strong male and female characters that I just loved and could absolutely relate to. I'm definitely excited for the next book in the series.
January 7, 2022
Just an amazing book!
Compelling story.... check
Awesome characters ... check
Stunning imagery and action that sucks you in and makes you feel like you’re in a movie... check
This book has it all. If you’re thinking of reading it, don’t hesitate, buy it now. The only regret I have is that book 2 isn’t out yet to keep the story going. I’m looking forward to it!
Compelling story.... check
Awesome characters ... check
Stunning imagery and action that sucks you in and makes you feel like you’re in a movie... check
This book has it all. If you’re thinking of reading it, don’t hesitate, buy it now. The only regret I have is that book 2 isn’t out yet to keep the story going. I’m looking forward to it!
June 18, 2022
Lots of action and interesting characters. The world-building is well done. I could see this as a movie.
July 15, 2024
Very creative and original dystopian sci fi. There is good world building and the characters are well-differentiated. You generally like and root for the main character and he does not (usually) do stupid things that make you want to shake him or smack him upside the head.
This book is LONG. It appears to be part of a two-part series. I wonder if it might not have been better as a trilogy, but I am not sure where it would have ended. That is part of the problem. There is a huge cliffhanger. Like most readers, I do not like cliffhangers, at all. If I am reading a book, there should be a proper intro, rising action, climax and resolution. This has all of those things a number of times. But it is as if the author decided, "this is getting too long...I am just gonna chop it, here." And the book just ends with a thud. Anyone who reads this and is wanting resolution is out of luck. If you do not read book two, you will never know. I would normally dock this 1.5 stars at LEAST for that kind of thing. There is a little redemption in all of the other parts of the story.
I probably WILL read the other book because I am curious as to what happens ultimately. But if the author does this again, stars will fall! ;-)
This book is LONG. It appears to be part of a two-part series. I wonder if it might not have been better as a trilogy, but I am not sure where it would have ended. That is part of the problem. There is a huge cliffhanger. Like most readers, I do not like cliffhangers, at all. If I am reading a book, there should be a proper intro, rising action, climax and resolution. This has all of those things a number of times. But it is as if the author decided, "this is getting too long...I am just gonna chop it, here." And the book just ends with a thud. Anyone who reads this and is wanting resolution is out of luck. If you do not read book two, you will never know. I would normally dock this 1.5 stars at LEAST for that kind of thing. There is a little redemption in all of the other parts of the story.
I probably WILL read the other book because I am curious as to what happens ultimately. But if the author does this again, stars will fall! ;-)
June 30, 2023
Interesting premise, decent writing
But I found myself wanting it to end in checking for how long I had to go. Not a good sign. I may I say I am not a fan of this trend (especially in science fiction) to stretch a story out to three or four different novels. Not only does it cost a lot more than you would normally spend but it’s tedious. One of the reasons I find myself looking at the end hoping the book is not much longer is because they add so much to it so they can stretch it into four books.
However if you like good Cyborg teen science-fiction you’ll probably like this series
But I found myself wanting it to end in checking for how long I had to go. Not a good sign. I may I say I am not a fan of this trend (especially in science fiction) to stretch a story out to three or four different novels. Not only does it cost a lot more than you would normally spend but it’s tedious. One of the reasons I find myself looking at the end hoping the book is not much longer is because they add so much to it so they can stretch it into four books.
However if you like good Cyborg teen science-fiction you’ll probably like this series
October 1, 2022
Fear the Reaper
Joshua/reaper is a phenomenal character: Not fully aware of his own superhuman abilities (which render him sort of a combination of Jack Reacher and that dude from “Limitless”) he leads a violent urban gang that has become family, and tangles with some sketchy military bad-asses in this near future cyberpunk world full of implants, bio-enhancements and cybernetics. Great, fast moving plot - looking forward to the next one!
Joshua/reaper is a phenomenal character: Not fully aware of his own superhuman abilities (which render him sort of a combination of Jack Reacher and that dude from “Limitless”) he leads a violent urban gang that has become family, and tangles with some sketchy military bad-asses in this near future cyberpunk world full of implants, bio-enhancements and cybernetics. Great, fast moving plot - looking forward to the next one!
June 2, 2024
I felt an itch for Cyberpunk after Neuromancer and watching Altered Carbon. Then I found this and loved the cover art.
The writing was done so well. Edited very well. The descriptions of the environment and feelings the characters were having was superb. I feel like the story could have had more. It sort of felt like it just suddenly ended. Almost a little too open-ended. But I liked it enough and intrigued enough to get the second in the series.
The writing was done so well. Edited very well. The descriptions of the environment and feelings the characters were having was superb. I feel like the story could have had more. It sort of felt like it just suddenly ended. Almost a little too open-ended. But I liked it enough and intrigued enough to get the second in the series.
August 28, 2022
This is my first time reading this author and I must say, they blew my mind! From the start, I was intrigued. Fast moving story with interesting characters and descriptions you can visualize. I could see myself in future Nevada. The best kind of book is the one you get lost in and this one did it for me.
September 14, 2022
Gritty cyberpunk, futuristic but believable
To be honest, I didn't like some of the plot twists. But, sometimes that is what makes a story worth reading. You get engaged with the world in the words, and sometimes life kicks you in the teeth. Read it and draw your own conclusions.
To be honest, I didn't like some of the plot twists. But, sometimes that is what makes a story worth reading. You get engaged with the world in the words, and sometimes life kicks you in the teeth. Read it and draw your own conclusions.
January 7, 2023
Won this book in a Goodreads giveaway some time back and finally got around to reading it. Glad I did since it is a first rate read. Strong characters (Joshua and Farrell), quick moving, dark and exciting plot. It was an engrossing read and it made me want to find the next in this series.
July 17, 2023
I was pleasantly surprised with this novel. It has many of the quasi-dystopian tropes that are there because we like dystopian tropes, however if you are looking for full-on dystopia read elsewhere. I gave this book 4 stars but i might have gone 3.5 if i could, there was one part of the book where Joshua the main character meets with someone about a big sale and his behavior is so much incongruent with his character throughout the book that it really took me completely out of the story. This book is worth your time and double what i paid for it.
January 30, 2025
Good writing but it is like a never ending story
Good writing but the story never really progressed, kind of like a hamster wheel. It just doesn't make sense to keep reading the series if there really is not much forward movement to the end of the story.
Good writing but the story never really progressed, kind of like a hamster wheel. It just doesn't make sense to keep reading the series if there really is not much forward movement to the end of the story.
July 19, 2022
It was a good read.
April 15, 2024
Violent Gangs, Experimental Cybernetics, Corruption - The Dark Future of San Francisco and Nevada in the 2070s.
I just finished this book yesterday.
The story is exciting, thrilling, and well thought-out. The action scenes were incredible. The first major fight in the book involving the protagonist Joshua was mindblowing. Felt like a movie was playing out in my head and even got my heart racing.To say it was a page-turner is an understatement. Davidson himself compares his series to a combination of Blade Runner and John Wick which I definitely agree with after reading.
The anti-hero Joshua has great character depth and is very easily likeable. He's not your typical anti-hero that's for sure. Took me by surprise many times. There are so many other great characters to mention as well like Kevin, Spikeware, Meriweather, Shelby, the list goes on.
I can feel Davidson's love for Sci-Fi and Cyberpunk through the way he described the various landscapes throughout the dark futuristic world he created. The imagery absolutely immerses you further.
Highly recommend a read. I'm onto book #2 as we speak.
I just finished this book yesterday.
The story is exciting, thrilling, and well thought-out. The action scenes were incredible. The first major fight in the book involving the protagonist Joshua was mindblowing. Felt like a movie was playing out in my head and even got my heart racing.To say it was a page-turner is an understatement. Davidson himself compares his series to a combination of Blade Runner and John Wick which I definitely agree with after reading.
The anti-hero Joshua has great character depth and is very easily likeable. He's not your typical anti-hero that's for sure. Took me by surprise many times. There are so many other great characters to mention as well like Kevin, Spikeware, Meriweather, Shelby, the list goes on.
I can feel Davidson's love for Sci-Fi and Cyberpunk through the way he described the various landscapes throughout the dark futuristic world he created. The imagery absolutely immerses you further.
Highly recommend a read. I'm onto book #2 as we speak.
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