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Colossus
Selina Kan, hacker and aspiring archaeologist, investigates the fate of the missing pieces of the Colossus of Rhodes.
Nagash Jensen, former private investigator, is a man on the run from corporate assassins.
Sage Menotti, rogue Interpol agent, tracks a murderer with ties to an ancient organization derived from the Knights Hospitaller.
They don’t know it yet, but each of them orbits a war between clandestine societies over a thousand-year-old secret. Thrown together by fate on the Isle of Rhodes, the three will struggle to survive a corporate hit squad, a mechanized mercenary, two armies of religious fanatics, and each other; all as they march towards a showdown that will transform the world.
PRAISE FOR
"Featuring parallel perspectives and storylines through various character viewpoints, the plot connects different pasts and presents together neatly. The story presents rich worldbuilding details without meandering and is consistently suspenseful. The focus on deliberately inclusive characterizations in the predominantly cis, White, male SF genre is masterful and commendable. Leunig seamlessly creates the voices of a gender-androgynous person (Sage) and a young woman of color (Selina), addressing issues of racism and heteronormativity without preaching or reducing the players to identity politics. An engaging, SF–enriched tale with striking fantasy elements and diverse characters."
-- Kirkus Reviews
"Greg Leunig opens new worlds for readers in this page-turning novel. History and myth and sci-fi come together in a cavalcade of awesomeness--and delivered so smoothly that you won't want to put the book down. A promising new voice on the ever-changing speculative-lit scene."
— Teague von Bohlen, author of Flatland and The Pull of the Earth, and fiction editor of The Copper Nickel .
"From the gritty streets of future Floridian cyber-sprawl to the magical ruins of far-off Rhodes, Greg Leunig's cyberpunk adventure debut grabs hold of genre tropes and wrenches them into new, otherworldly shapes. Part Neuromancer, part National Treasure, Colossus is one hell of a ride."
— Brandon Getz, author of Lars Breaxface, Werewolf in Space and Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before .
"A pulpy thriller with a classical twist, COLOSSUS shines with its cast of ragtag characters racing against secret societies in an all-too-plausible corporate-controlled future."
— Erica L. Satifka, author of How to Get to Apocalypse and Other Disasters
Nagash Jensen, former private investigator, is a man on the run from corporate assassins.
Sage Menotti, rogue Interpol agent, tracks a murderer with ties to an ancient organization derived from the Knights Hospitaller.
They don’t know it yet, but each of them orbits a war between clandestine societies over a thousand-year-old secret. Thrown together by fate on the Isle of Rhodes, the three will struggle to survive a corporate hit squad, a mechanized mercenary, two armies of religious fanatics, and each other; all as they march towards a showdown that will transform the world.
PRAISE FOR
"Featuring parallel perspectives and storylines through various character viewpoints, the plot connects different pasts and presents together neatly. The story presents rich worldbuilding details without meandering and is consistently suspenseful. The focus on deliberately inclusive characterizations in the predominantly cis, White, male SF genre is masterful and commendable. Leunig seamlessly creates the voices of a gender-androgynous person (Sage) and a young woman of color (Selina), addressing issues of racism and heteronormativity without preaching or reducing the players to identity politics. An engaging, SF–enriched tale with striking fantasy elements and diverse characters."
-- Kirkus Reviews
"Greg Leunig opens new worlds for readers in this page-turning novel. History and myth and sci-fi come together in a cavalcade of awesomeness--and delivered so smoothly that you won't want to put the book down. A promising new voice on the ever-changing speculative-lit scene."
— Teague von Bohlen, author of Flatland and The Pull of the Earth, and fiction editor of The Copper Nickel .
"From the gritty streets of future Floridian cyber-sprawl to the magical ruins of far-off Rhodes, Greg Leunig's cyberpunk adventure debut grabs hold of genre tropes and wrenches them into new, otherworldly shapes. Part Neuromancer, part National Treasure, Colossus is one hell of a ride."
— Brandon Getz, author of Lars Breaxface, Werewolf in Space and Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before .
"A pulpy thriller with a classical twist, COLOSSUS shines with its cast of ragtag characters racing against secret societies in an all-too-plausible corporate-controlled future."
— Erica L. Satifka, author of How to Get to Apocalypse and Other Disasters
213 pages, Paperback
Published August 30, 2022
2 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Greg Leunig
7 books5 followersGreg Leunig lives in Kansas City, Missouri with his wife and two dogs. His day job involves chipping away at the megalithic US coal and oil industry AKA he works in the solar industry.
He has a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing, despite which he prefers to write about magic and robots and explosions.
Greg’s fiction and poetry have variously appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, Strange Horizons, and others. His first novel, Multipocalypse, appeared serially on the now-defunct Jukepop Serials.
His second novel, Colossus, was published in September 2022 by Spaceboy Books.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 2, 2024
Colossus, is an adult sci-fi thriller with much futuristic tech built into a vivid environment, with many talks or references to the past. It captures a dark gritty image of a future. Citizens still with hope & those living darker paths due to the massive amounts of corporate corruption.
Found myself enjoying the jabs at big corporations.
The attention to detail, not only in the description of the environment of slimy rundown buildings, old weapons of our modern era, climate crisis effects, corporate greed overdictating law, & the cold blooded brutality of the streets explored before the destination at hand but the plot details such as subtle looks characters gives or words they say that don't add up but can't quite be distinguished.
It's sci-fi, yes. But with multi-layered bites of other genres and a dynamic cast of characters that will sure to have you fascinated.
There's much grit, action, & adventure to be had within it's pages.
I for one stayed up late many nights to keep reading it dubbing myself a 3am binge read tyrant.
Of course, I want more.
Gotta find out what happens to these characters next.
Especially after such an unexpected ending.
Found myself enjoying the jabs at big corporations.
The attention to detail, not only in the description of the environment of slimy rundown buildings, old weapons of our modern era, climate crisis effects, corporate greed overdictating law, & the cold blooded brutality of the streets explored before the destination at hand but the plot details such as subtle looks characters gives or words they say that don't add up but can't quite be distinguished.
It's sci-fi, yes. But with multi-layered bites of other genres and a dynamic cast of characters that will sure to have you fascinated.
There's much grit, action, & adventure to be had within it's pages.
I for one stayed up late many nights to keep reading it dubbing myself a 3am binge read tyrant.
Of course, I want more.
Gotta find out what happens to these characters next.
Especially after such an unexpected ending.
October 26, 2022
I just finished Colossus and I'm ready for the next book by this author. This book fills the reader's mind with vivid imagery, narrow escapes, and why a Jacksonville megalopolis? Did something happen to the rest of Florida? Is it underwater? What about the rest of the coastal cities? Sometimes it is good to have one's own questions whose answers are only hinted at. The characters are an interesting bunch of misfits, each with their own agenda and colorful past. Another unofficial character of the book is the prose. Leunig's writing style flavors the reader's experience as much as any story line or character. It's pulpy, and at times highly stylized which, in my opinion enhances the mood of the book's setting. If you like sci-fi, or if you are interested in emerging authors, this is a must read.
September 5, 2022
Colossus takes the reader on gripping adventure across the globe in the not-to-distant future in order to uncover secrets hidden by centuries of intrigue and conspiracy. The setting provides a backdrop that could be well within our own timeline but still engages those fantasy elements the spark the imagination. Leunig's story places the reader in the perspectives of a diverse cast as they navigate the unforgiving world around them and try to survive the perils of investigating the forbidden. It's a remarkable story and refreshing to read when so much sci-fi takes place beyond our time and place in this universe. I'd keep this author on my radar for future good reads and recommend Colossus to anyone looking for an easy novel to lose themselves in.
June 25, 2023
Intriguing Concoction of Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Greg Leunig’s Colossus offers a tale of 3 main characters whose paths are destined to cross. While you can see part of where this story leads, Greg wraps the story in an expert weave of all 3 characters that is NOT so obvious. There are a handful of minor things that causes the story to drag a bit, but with tight prose and an explosive climax, those things are fairly easy to overlook. If you enjoy cyberpunk and sci-fi with a hint of fantasy, Colossus is worth adding to your library.
Greg Leunig’s Colossus offers a tale of 3 main characters whose paths are destined to cross. While you can see part of where this story leads, Greg wraps the story in an expert weave of all 3 characters that is NOT so obvious. There are a handful of minor things that causes the story to drag a bit, but with tight prose and an explosive climax, those things are fairly easy to overlook. If you enjoy cyberpunk and sci-fi with a hint of fantasy, Colossus is worth adding to your library.
September 5, 2022
I had the privilege of being able to read this book early, and its incredible! The author has a way of sucking you into the storyline, and keeping things interesting and moving along without seeming chaotic. Each character has such a unique way of thinking and he is able to convey this very well through the pages. They do an amazing job of blending old school scifi with a cyperpunk feel, without it feeling forced at all. I absolutely cannot wait to read more from them!!!
December 10, 2024
Greg Leunig's cyberpunk adventure debut grabs hold of genre tropes and wrenches them into new, otherworldly shapes. Excellent prose and surprising twists. Part Neuromancer, part National Treasure, Colossus is one hell of a ride.
September 5, 2022
The imagery is spectacular! I usually read with a mental narrator, but I could see this clearly in my head. The author knows how to set an environment real enough to touch.
May 1, 2024
I gave this a 4/5 star as I like the style, writing and characters portrayed in this story, but also had issues with some of the pacing later in the book and the switch from more of a city cyberpunk-y esc scene to that of a magic focused adventure/fantasy kind of environment. I honestly love both kinds of stories, but the two together was not what I was expecting from this title. As such, by the end of the book I had mixed feelings... where as the first half had me ready to recommend it to all. In the end, still good, just expect a mixture of genres.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews