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Shadowrun: Kings of the Street:
RUNNING WILD IN THE STREETS...
Pícaro is a street kid living in the slums of Tenochtitlan, resigned to his dead-end life and just trying to survive until the next day. But when his grandmother falls ill, he throws in with drug pushers to try and earn enough money to save her, until he gets what he thinks is an even better idea—robbing his connection.
Betrayed, captured, and beaten, Pícaro is turned over to the most powerful street gang in the barrio, and expects a quick death. Instead, he is made one of them, and when his own magical ability begins to emerge, Pícaro realizes there’s more to life than just survival.
But as he delves deeper into the gang’s motives, and their charismatic, mysterious leader Serpiente, Pícaro soon learns that the gang has its own darker plan for the neighborhood…and if he doesn’t take a stand against them, it could mean the destruction of everything he holds dear…
Pícaro is a street kid living in the slums of Tenochtitlan, resigned to his dead-end life and just trying to survive until the next day. But when his grandmother falls ill, he throws in with drug pushers to try and earn enough money to save her, until he gets what he thinks is an even better idea—robbing his connection.
Betrayed, captured, and beaten, Pícaro is turned over to the most powerful street gang in the barrio, and expects a quick death. Instead, he is made one of them, and when his own magical ability begins to emerge, Pícaro realizes there’s more to life than just survival.
But as he delves deeper into the gang’s motives, and their charismatic, mysterious leader Serpiente, Pícaro soon learns that the gang has its own darker plan for the neighborhood…and if he doesn’t take a stand against them, it could mean the destruction of everything he holds dear…
141 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 31, 2022
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2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 24, 2025
It was a short book, but I like the Shadowrun stories.
February 11, 2022
I’ve heard my friends talk about Shadowrun in passing, but I’ve never played it, and yet, I had absolutely no problem diving into the fictional world of O.C. Presley’s novella Shadowrun: Kings of the Street.
O.C., or Opti, as he’s known in some corners of the gaming community, paints a rich picture of what it’s like to be a poor ork, down on his luck, in the slums of Tenochtitlan. Picaro’s journey is so interesting, I found myself constantly craving more details, and yet it’s the immediacy of this novella that makes it so impressive. Just as Picaro starts to establish a status quo for himself, something comes up that disrupts everything. As for me, I think, “Forget what I had planned. I’ve got to read this next chapter now.”
Kings of the Street also follows one of my favorite narrative approaches. I call it the concentric circles method, and I first noticed it while playing Final Fantasy VII as a teenager. The circle of Picaro’s concern expands incrementally, from personal to family, to community, and all the way up to “the fate of the world is on my shoulders.” I want to applaud Opti for choosing this method of storytelling, because it gives something for all readers. My friend Brian might only care for small, personal stories, like Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, whereas some of my favorite books are big, world-changing epics like Lord of the Rings. Picaro’s struggle, and ultimately his quest, are like sending Holden Caulfield to destroy the one ring in Mount Doom, the best of both worlds.
From what I know about Shadowrun, there are themes of confronting injustice baked into the game. From what I know about Opti, I can’t imagine that he would ever publish a story unless it attempts to subvert structures of oppression. In this light, Shadowrun: Kings of the Street is typical of the genres of Subversion and The Works of Opti (not really a thing… yet?). For Opti, it’s not enough to be a super saiyan, world-class fighter. You have to be a super saiyan, world-class fighter for the poor and downtrodden.
Shadowrun: Kings of the Street is a good book, it’s accessible to people who have never played Shadowrun, and it’s super affordable, only $2.99. I don’t see any barriers to access there. The COVID-19 Pandemic has afforded most of us an excess of quiet nights at home. I recommend you spend one of those nights reading this novella − I read it in a day, and I’m a notoriously slow reader – and when you’re done you can join me in petitioning Opti for a sequel, prequel, or some other Kings of the Street-adjacent future title.
(Oh, and don’t forget the, “Leave a high quality review,” part of the process. As you can see, I finally remembered that part.)
O.C., or Opti, as he’s known in some corners of the gaming community, paints a rich picture of what it’s like to be a poor ork, down on his luck, in the slums of Tenochtitlan. Picaro’s journey is so interesting, I found myself constantly craving more details, and yet it’s the immediacy of this novella that makes it so impressive. Just as Picaro starts to establish a status quo for himself, something comes up that disrupts everything. As for me, I think, “Forget what I had planned. I’ve got to read this next chapter now.”
Kings of the Street also follows one of my favorite narrative approaches. I call it the concentric circles method, and I first noticed it while playing Final Fantasy VII as a teenager. The circle of Picaro’s concern expands incrementally, from personal to family, to community, and all the way up to “the fate of the world is on my shoulders.” I want to applaud Opti for choosing this method of storytelling, because it gives something for all readers. My friend Brian might only care for small, personal stories, like Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, whereas some of my favorite books are big, world-changing epics like Lord of the Rings. Picaro’s struggle, and ultimately his quest, are like sending Holden Caulfield to destroy the one ring in Mount Doom, the best of both worlds.
From what I know about Shadowrun, there are themes of confronting injustice baked into the game. From what I know about Opti, I can’t imagine that he would ever publish a story unless it attempts to subvert structures of oppression. In this light, Shadowrun: Kings of the Street is typical of the genres of Subversion and The Works of Opti (not really a thing… yet?). For Opti, it’s not enough to be a super saiyan, world-class fighter. You have to be a super saiyan, world-class fighter for the poor and downtrodden.
Shadowrun: Kings of the Street is a good book, it’s accessible to people who have never played Shadowrun, and it’s super affordable, only $2.99. I don’t see any barriers to access there. The COVID-19 Pandemic has afforded most of us an excess of quiet nights at home. I recommend you spend one of those nights reading this novella − I read it in a day, and I’m a notoriously slow reader – and when you’re done you can join me in petitioning Opti for a sequel, prequel, or some other Kings of the Street-adjacent future title.
(Oh, and don’t forget the, “Leave a high quality review,” part of the process. As you can see, I finally remembered that part.)
March 29, 2022
A fantastic story about a High School aged Orc trying to survive in the undercity of Mexico City.
It is a refreshing take on the world and more slice of life than actually Shadowrunning.
The main character feels like he would be a prospect on the Mayans TV show.
He is trying to do the right thing, but constantly makes terrible choices, all to survive and provide for his family.
The Protagonist is realistic and relatable.
Like my last 3 Catalyst E-book reviews my only complaint is that the back quater of the book has ever increasing clerical errors. I don't think I noticed a single 1 in the first half.
It is a refreshing take on the world and more slice of life than actually Shadowrunning.
The main character feels like he would be a prospect on the Mayans TV show.
He is trying to do the right thing, but constantly makes terrible choices, all to survive and provide for his family.
The Protagonist is realistic and relatable.
Like my last 3 Catalyst E-book reviews my only complaint is that the back quater of the book has ever increasing clerical errors. I don't think I noticed a single 1 in the first half.
September 29, 2022
Good, fast paced action
Nice to see a story set in Atzlan, with a real, human story behind it. The author did a great job with this short story!
Nice to see a story set in Atzlan, with a real, human story behind it. The author did a great job with this short story!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews