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Faceless: BASTION/Blackstone I
Detective Elliot Blackstone looks into the murder of a man who was deleted from the government surveillance system. In trying to get to the bottom of who the man was, and how he got deleted, Elliot runs afoul of a new, anonymous gang in the city. To unravel the mystery, he has to do what he hates most, play a VR video game the victim created and left behind. Unfortunately, the person most suited to help him is his wife and they haven't been able to speak without arguing in months.
Faceless is a cyberpunk murder mystery about the one police officer in the whole city who volunteers to go into the slums. Bastion is a city ruled by corporations, governed by an AI, and populated by people who live only in virtual reality.
Faceless is a cyberpunk murder mystery about the one police officer in the whole city who volunteers to go into the slums. Bastion is a city ruled by corporations, governed by an AI, and populated by people who live only in virtual reality.
218 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2022
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 6, 2023
Elliot Blackstone is a cop working one of the lowest, nastiest beats of the vast, crowded city of Bastion. Although he's pretty easy-going and is genuinely trying to make a difference, he's distrusted by nearly everyone he meets. And it doesn't make things easier to come home to a wife so wrapped up in her failed career as an online gamer, that she's on the edge of mental illness.
Called to investigate the death of an unknown corpse in a surveillance state where everyone knows or can find out everything about their neighbors, Blackstone becomes obsessed with bringing some sort of closure to the dead man's sordid and lonely story.
Along the way, he tangles with a gang of masked hoodlums, runs afoul of powerful corporate security forces and even faces his own ultimate challenge--as non-gamer, he must enter a virtual reality game in order to find clues to an ever-expanding and potentially deadly puzzle.
“Faceless” hits a lot of familiar cyberpunk and crime noir themes in a throughly entertaining way. It's a fast-paced, immersive ride, with a satisfying pay-off. Krake covers a range of societal and economic issues with a light and clever touch free of sermons. He puts his engaging characters in a gritty and vivid setting and shows us how they navigate this world of strict social castes, game addiction, and vast corporations that own and run just about everything. It's the first part of a series, and I am looking forward to the next installment. Recommended.
Called to investigate the death of an unknown corpse in a surveillance state where everyone knows or can find out everything about their neighbors, Blackstone becomes obsessed with bringing some sort of closure to the dead man's sordid and lonely story.
Along the way, he tangles with a gang of masked hoodlums, runs afoul of powerful corporate security forces and even faces his own ultimate challenge--as non-gamer, he must enter a virtual reality game in order to find clues to an ever-expanding and potentially deadly puzzle.
“Faceless” hits a lot of familiar cyberpunk and crime noir themes in a throughly entertaining way. It's a fast-paced, immersive ride, with a satisfying pay-off. Krake covers a range of societal and economic issues with a light and clever touch free of sermons. He puts his engaging characters in a gritty and vivid setting and shows us how they navigate this world of strict social castes, game addiction, and vast corporations that own and run just about everything. It's the first part of a series, and I am looking forward to the next installment. Recommended.
June 1, 2022
Super fun and great setting and story. Though I definitely would have liked more tension in the space and mind of the character, Krake builds a living breathing world that is fantastic to live in and discover.
Set in a future akin to Judge Dredd or Blade runner the story is the unraveling of a mystery that is less mysterious, and more revealing the character of bastion the city and the fantastic world living around Elliot the protagonist.
I'm excited to read more books from the Author, and even heard there is a sequel to this one coming. Definitely going to check that one out as well, when it's released.
Set in a future akin to Judge Dredd or Blade runner the story is the unraveling of a mystery that is less mysterious, and more revealing the character of bastion the city and the fantastic world living around Elliot the protagonist.
I'm excited to read more books from the Author, and even heard there is a sequel to this one coming. Definitely going to check that one out as well, when it's released.
June 6, 2022
Faceless is a great cyberpunk detective novel!
Usually, cyberpunk isn't a setting that I can get into. That said, Krake paints a wonderful world for the main protagonist to live in and explore.
The story itself is interesting and I enjoyed following Elliot (the main protagonist) as he works on his case. The VR segments were fun, the mystery surrounding the void masks were fun, and there are a lot of segments that play out well.
There's great pacing and character development.
All in all, a 4/5! I'm looking forward to Elliot's next case!
Usually, cyberpunk isn't a setting that I can get into. That said, Krake paints a wonderful world for the main protagonist to live in and explore.
The story itself is interesting and I enjoyed following Elliot (the main protagonist) as he works on his case. The VR segments were fun, the mystery surrounding the void masks were fun, and there are a lot of segments that play out well.
There's great pacing and character development.
All in all, a 4/5! I'm looking forward to Elliot's next case!
November 1, 2023
A quick and fun read
This was a quick and fun read. I believe this was Mr. Krake's first published work and was well-written. If you enjoy your detective stories with a coat of cyberpunk, then this should be right up your alley.
I'm looking forward to reading future work by Mr. Krake.
This was a quick and fun read. I believe this was Mr. Krake's first published work and was well-written. If you enjoy your detective stories with a coat of cyberpunk, then this should be right up your alley.
I'm looking forward to reading future work by Mr. Krake.
August 28, 2022
What a great read. I don't get to read enough sci-fi/cyberpunk books but I'm glad I read this one because it's a belter. A great central character and an involving story had me gripped from the first page. One of my favourite reads this year and I would highly recommend it.
April 3, 2023
This is a great and digestible murder mystery story in a cyberpunk setting. I loved the detective character and his quirks very much.
Krake shows exceptional talent and ability to tell a compelling story. Big fan and highly recommend.
Krake shows exceptional talent and ability to tell a compelling story. Big fan and highly recommend.
June 23, 2022
Review to come
June 1, 2022
Super fun and great setting and story. Though I definitely would have liked more tension in the space and mind of the character, Krake builds a living breathing world that is fantastic to live in and discover.
Set in a future akin to Judge Dredd or Blade runner the story is the unraveling of a mystery that is less mysterious, and more revealing the character of bastion the city and the fantastic world living around Elliot the protagonist.
I'm excited to read more books from the Author, and even heard there is a sequel to this one coming. Definitely going to check that one out as well, when it's released.
Set in a future akin to Judge Dredd or Blade runner the story is the unraveling of a mystery that is less mysterious, and more revealing the character of bastion the city and the fantastic world living around Elliot the protagonist.
I'm excited to read more books from the Author, and even heard there is a sequel to this one coming. Definitely going to check that one out as well, when it's released.
May 19, 2022
I'm the author, lmao.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews