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Inscape #3
Downfall
Tanta and Cole may have stopped the mass murder of InTech's residents, but the cost was severe. Despite their efforts, Harlow 2.0 - the update to InTech's mind-based operating system - fed out. Now its citizens are compliant zombies, and Tanta and her crew are trapped underground.
All except for Fliss, who has no system to update. She alone can go outside, and it's Fliss the crew are relying on to help get them out.
For only then can they dismantle the damage Harlow 2.0 has done. If Tanta, Cole and InTech's residents are to truly be free, it needs to be destroyed. But Tanta knows that task will put her on a collision course with the corporation that raised her, her oldest friends, and the woman who was once her soulmate.
And this last mission might ask more of her than she's able to give.
All except for Fliss, who has no system to update. She alone can go outside, and it's Fliss the crew are relying on to help get them out.
For only then can they dismantle the damage Harlow 2.0 has done. If Tanta, Cole and InTech's residents are to truly be free, it needs to be destroyed. But Tanta knows that task will put her on a collision course with the corporation that raised her, her oldest friends, and the woman who was once her soulmate.
And this last mission might ask more of her than she's able to give.
- GenresScience Fiction
392 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 12, 2023
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 9, 2023
Downfall brings the Inscape Trilogy to its thrilling and climactic conclusion, decisively pitting our two heroes Tanta and Cole against the mind enslaving Intech Corporation.
Yes folks! Gather round for the epic David and Goliath antics that abound in Downfall.
At the end of Outcast, the die was surely rolled, and we knew that Tanta and Cole are definitely on the outside of the Intech dysfunctional family and the lines were definitely drawn as Intech won the battle for the hearts and minds of the Intech population by releasing the dreaded update of Harlow 2.0.
In Downfall, we see the effects of that update as it has turned the residents of Intech into enslaved automatons, slavishly and fiercely under the command of Intech. Now Tanta and Cole have to launch an assault on the very core of the corporation. However, this is not as easy as it seems.
Firstly, they are only a small crew. Yes, their numbers have literally doubled in size with the addition of Fliss and Yas to their ranks, but that makes them only four against a massive conglomerate and all its armies.
Not only that, Tanta, Cole and Yas cannot leave the Brokerage where they have set up camp following the events of the last book as they are all fitted with Inscape technology. And with the threat of the technology embedded in their brains being updated with the latest iteration of the Harlow program they cannot leave the confines of the brokerage.
So, with the odds stacked against them, Tanta and the crew draw up a plan to strike and reverse the update that threatens them all.
However, not all is rosy on the Intech side either! With the continued hostilities with the rival Corporation Thoughfront threatening to cause major damage to the mighty Intech, they are battling on two fronts, both the incursion of Thoughtfront into Intech territories and insurrection on the inside.
Downfall begins immediately where we left off in Outcast with Tanta’s estranged partner Reet continuing her stratospheric rise in the Intech ranks, and throughout the book we see how the action plays out from both Tanta and Cole’s perspective and also on the other side of the fence from Reet’s perspective, as she is now pitted against her former lover.
Now it’s no secret that this little reviewer absolutely loves this series. From the beginning I have been gripped by Louise Carey’s cyber thriller and it has kept me engrossed throughout the whole of the trilogy. From the moment I met Tanta and her unflinching loyalty to the corporation to where she is now, I have been waiting impatiently for the next in the series.
Downfall is chock full of action as it rockets towards its inevitable conclusion. However, in the midst of setting up the apocalyptic ending we get to see more of the world that Tanta and Cole inhabit and as we visit the free town of Gatwick. Not only that we get to see lots of character development, particularly with Fliss and Cole.
I cannot tell you how much this book had me gripped! When I was not reading it, I was thinking about it, and when I was reading it, I didn’t want to put it down. Curse you everyday life for interfering in my reading and making me do things like eat, sleep and actually go to work. Can someone please build me a switch to turn reality off whilst I am reading!
Downfall is unquestionably a fine end to the series. It is satisfying, gripping and engrossing. At no point did I know how the heck Tanta and Cole were going to pull off their plans and I would be frantically devouring the pages to see how they obtain their goal. Again, Louise Carey had me gripped with the story and again I fell head over heels with the characters as this is one of my favourites series in recent years.
So, if you find yourself at a loose end dear reader, and don’t know what to read next, can I heartily recommend this series.
Right! Unashamed gush over! Go back to what you were reading!
Yes folks! Gather round for the epic David and Goliath antics that abound in Downfall.
At the end of Outcast, the die was surely rolled, and we knew that Tanta and Cole are definitely on the outside of the Intech dysfunctional family and the lines were definitely drawn as Intech won the battle for the hearts and minds of the Intech population by releasing the dreaded update of Harlow 2.0.
In Downfall, we see the effects of that update as it has turned the residents of Intech into enslaved automatons, slavishly and fiercely under the command of Intech. Now Tanta and Cole have to launch an assault on the very core of the corporation. However, this is not as easy as it seems.
Firstly, they are only a small crew. Yes, their numbers have literally doubled in size with the addition of Fliss and Yas to their ranks, but that makes them only four against a massive conglomerate and all its armies.
Not only that, Tanta, Cole and Yas cannot leave the Brokerage where they have set up camp following the events of the last book as they are all fitted with Inscape technology. And with the threat of the technology embedded in their brains being updated with the latest iteration of the Harlow program they cannot leave the confines of the brokerage.
So, with the odds stacked against them, Tanta and the crew draw up a plan to strike and reverse the update that threatens them all.
However, not all is rosy on the Intech side either! With the continued hostilities with the rival Corporation Thoughfront threatening to cause major damage to the mighty Intech, they are battling on two fronts, both the incursion of Thoughtfront into Intech territories and insurrection on the inside.
Downfall begins immediately where we left off in Outcast with Tanta’s estranged partner Reet continuing her stratospheric rise in the Intech ranks, and throughout the book we see how the action plays out from both Tanta and Cole’s perspective and also on the other side of the fence from Reet’s perspective, as she is now pitted against her former lover.
Now it’s no secret that this little reviewer absolutely loves this series. From the beginning I have been gripped by Louise Carey’s cyber thriller and it has kept me engrossed throughout the whole of the trilogy. From the moment I met Tanta and her unflinching loyalty to the corporation to where she is now, I have been waiting impatiently for the next in the series.
Downfall is chock full of action as it rockets towards its inevitable conclusion. However, in the midst of setting up the apocalyptic ending we get to see more of the world that Tanta and Cole inhabit and as we visit the free town of Gatwick. Not only that we get to see lots of character development, particularly with Fliss and Cole.
I cannot tell you how much this book had me gripped! When I was not reading it, I was thinking about it, and when I was reading it, I didn’t want to put it down. Curse you everyday life for interfering in my reading and making me do things like eat, sleep and actually go to work. Can someone please build me a switch to turn reality off whilst I am reading!
Downfall is unquestionably a fine end to the series. It is satisfying, gripping and engrossing. At no point did I know how the heck Tanta and Cole were going to pull off their plans and I would be frantically devouring the pages to see how they obtain their goal. Again, Louise Carey had me gripped with the story and again I fell head over heels with the characters as this is one of my favourites series in recent years.
So, if you find yourself at a loose end dear reader, and don’t know what to read next, can I heartily recommend this series.
Right! Unashamed gush over! Go back to what you were reading!
March 14, 2023
The action picks up not long after the events at the end of Outcast. Tanta has been literally forced underground to survive, while Reet finds herself rising swiftly through the corporate ranks.
The chapters alternate between Tanta and Reet’s perspective. I was struck by how Reet’s interpretation of the world mirrors that of Tanta back in book one. As far as Reet is concerned, InTech can’t be anything other a benevolent force in people’s lives. Every action InTech take has to be for the greater good of society. Meanwhile, Tanta is determined to open people’s eyes. She needs people, particularly Reet, to see the indoctrination they have been forced to endure.
The novel ends on a suitably breathtaking high note. You can’t beat a bit of corporate espionage with a dash of revolution thrown in for good measure. There is also a suggestion that two of my favourite supporting characters, Yas and Fliss, have a bright future together. I would happily read about their further adventures. Carey’s dystopian vision of life focuses in and around what was once London. What of the rest of the country? I’m rabidly curious to find out more. Who knows? Perhaps if I’m really lucky the book gods will smile upon me and other novels will follow. I certainly hope so.
Louise Carey’s exciting tale has achieved something I thought impossible a couple of weeks ago, her writing has reminded me why I fell in love with the escapism of reading in the first place. I’ll most definitely be looking out for whatever she does next.
The chapters alternate between Tanta and Reet’s perspective. I was struck by how Reet’s interpretation of the world mirrors that of Tanta back in book one. As far as Reet is concerned, InTech can’t be anything other a benevolent force in people’s lives. Every action InTech take has to be for the greater good of society. Meanwhile, Tanta is determined to open people’s eyes. She needs people, particularly Reet, to see the indoctrination they have been forced to endure.
The novel ends on a suitably breathtaking high note. You can’t beat a bit of corporate espionage with a dash of revolution thrown in for good measure. There is also a suggestion that two of my favourite supporting characters, Yas and Fliss, have a bright future together. I would happily read about their further adventures. Carey’s dystopian vision of life focuses in and around what was once London. What of the rest of the country? I’m rabidly curious to find out more. Who knows? Perhaps if I’m really lucky the book gods will smile upon me and other novels will follow. I certainly hope so.
Louise Carey’s exciting tale has achieved something I thought impossible a couple of weeks ago, her writing has reminded me why I fell in love with the escapism of reading in the first place. I’ll most definitely be looking out for whatever she does next.
January 10, 2023
A very fine action packed conclusion to this cyber thriller series which shows great character development alongside explosive set pieces. A highly enjoyable SF series I definitely recommend
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
March 27, 2024
One of the best trilogies I've ever read, consistently superb all the way through - if you're into cyberpunk, you need to read these!
February 4, 2023
Brilliant, but no matter how I come at it, I have to face the fact that this type of dystopia doesn't work for me. It is hard to keep track of who's who, however, characters are well done and every scene is beautifully realised. There is an odd normality to this story which makes the plot accessible although I think complete immersion is the way to go and I couldn't quite get into it. "It feels unutterably strange to Tanta to be back in the city. In reality, she's only been gone a little over four months, but the absence has felt far longer to live through, stretched out in her mind to cover aeons of experience and change. She was a different person the last time she walked these streets..." and justifiably so. The narrative goes on to say her new status as fugitive and turncoat makes it fitting that Tanta returns to the city in the dark, all good stuff for the sci-fi buff.
February 1, 2023
Downfall concludes Carey’s excellent Inscape trilogy set in post-apocalyptic London that’s been divided between two corporations, InTech and Thoughtfront, that are at constant war over resources and technology. Tanta used to be an InTech posterchild, until she learned the extent with which the corporation controls the minds of its residents with technology, and rose to oppose it with Cole who is the architect of the mind control system.
The previous book ended with InTech uploading an improved version of the programme, which completely wipes out everyone’s personality. Tanta and Cole barely escaped in time, and they are now fugitives hunted by InTech. They must try to remove the improved programme, which is a threat to them too if they return to InTech, and end the mind control system for good.
I had small trouble getting into the book, as it opened with a POV of a side character I didn’t remember, but the story soon gained speed. The book broadened the world a little, showing that there are settlements outside the corporations where people are surviving and even thriving. Their residents are willing to help Tanta and Cole, but in the end, it’s up to the two of them to not only to save the residents of InTech from the corporation, but to save InTech from Thoughtfront too.
Tanta’s and Cole’s friendship continued to be the core of the story, despite Tanta constantly pining after her former girlfriend Reet, who’s now the enemy. I liked the odd dynamic where they are in turn the teacher and the pupil, parent and the protegee. I especially liked how it didn’t turn into a romance. I wasn’t as interested in the other characters in their team. They had their uses, but I was never so attached to them that I would’ve mourned if they had died. Reet was never my favourite to begin with.
The ending was great and not the solution I saw coming. It’s conclusive enough that the trilogy can comfortably and satisfyingly end here, but open enough that if the author wishes to return to her world, there’s room for it. I wouldn’t mind reading more.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The previous book ended with InTech uploading an improved version of the programme, which completely wipes out everyone’s personality. Tanta and Cole barely escaped in time, and they are now fugitives hunted by InTech. They must try to remove the improved programme, which is a threat to them too if they return to InTech, and end the mind control system for good.
I had small trouble getting into the book, as it opened with a POV of a side character I didn’t remember, but the story soon gained speed. The book broadened the world a little, showing that there are settlements outside the corporations where people are surviving and even thriving. Their residents are willing to help Tanta and Cole, but in the end, it’s up to the two of them to not only to save the residents of InTech from the corporation, but to save InTech from Thoughtfront too.
Tanta’s and Cole’s friendship continued to be the core of the story, despite Tanta constantly pining after her former girlfriend Reet, who’s now the enemy. I liked the odd dynamic where they are in turn the teacher and the pupil, parent and the protegee. I especially liked how it didn’t turn into a romance. I wasn’t as interested in the other characters in their team. They had their uses, but I was never so attached to them that I would’ve mourned if they had died. Reet was never my favourite to begin with.
The ending was great and not the solution I saw coming. It’s conclusive enough that the trilogy can comfortably and satisfyingly end here, but open enough that if the author wishes to return to her world, there’s room for it. I wouldn’t mind reading more.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 18, 2023
The final installment in the Inscape trilogy is an extremely well written exploration of what happens next to all the characters from the first two books. Tanta and her crew have objectives old and new to achieve in this dystopian southeast England. There is a lot more character development and new detours to explore.
Carey's writing is fantastic and easy to read whilst her world building is strong, without falling prey to too much description. The pacing of the book in three sections also works well.
However the final denouement is a thrilling ride, true to the adventurous thrill of the first two books.
Carey's writing is fantastic and easy to read whilst her world building is strong, without falling prey to too much description. The pacing of the book in three sections also works well.
However the final denouement is a thrilling ride, true to the adventurous thrill of the first two books.
April 10, 2025
very exciting. If you like that sort of thing
December 30, 2022
This is book three of this trilogy and, as such, you need to have read books one and two first. There is a bit of catch-up to be found herein but it's really meant as a memory jogger rather than a fill-in.
So, having stopped the mass murder, Tanta and Cole have fled. They are now hiding underground as they failed in the second part of their mission and the mind-based control system upgrade was released. Underground they are safe from the technology that would automatically upgrade them too. Instead they have to rely on Fliss who is safe. So... new mission. To reverse the upgrade. It will be the most brutal and most dangerous mission of their lives, and, as you have already read the first two books, you'll know what they have already gone through...
As with the previous books, I simply whizzed through this one. As well as the main characters, there are a whole host of newbies and also a few old friends pop up too. As well as being a cracking sci-fi book, containing a plethora of mostly easy to follow technology, it is also quite character driven. Which helps me, being still a novice in this genre.
The story told within this final part completes the overall trilogy wholly and satisfactorily. There are perils and pitfalls along the way and I did read certain parts with my heart in my mouth - reading behind a cushion so to speak! I have grown quite fond of certain characters along the way and as well as being intelligent and swashbuckling, I also find their human side fascinating. So much so that, as the end approached, I was already starting to miss them...
All in all, a cracking finale to a trilogy I will probably re-read in time (and I do not say that often). I do wonder, now this is done, what the author will turn her hand to next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
So, having stopped the mass murder, Tanta and Cole have fled. They are now hiding underground as they failed in the second part of their mission and the mind-based control system upgrade was released. Underground they are safe from the technology that would automatically upgrade them too. Instead they have to rely on Fliss who is safe. So... new mission. To reverse the upgrade. It will be the most brutal and most dangerous mission of their lives, and, as you have already read the first two books, you'll know what they have already gone through...
As with the previous books, I simply whizzed through this one. As well as the main characters, there are a whole host of newbies and also a few old friends pop up too. As well as being a cracking sci-fi book, containing a plethora of mostly easy to follow technology, it is also quite character driven. Which helps me, being still a novice in this genre.
The story told within this final part completes the overall trilogy wholly and satisfactorily. There are perils and pitfalls along the way and I did read certain parts with my heart in my mouth - reading behind a cushion so to speak! I have grown quite fond of certain characters along the way and as well as being intelligent and swashbuckling, I also find their human side fascinating. So much so that, as the end approached, I was already starting to miss them...
All in all, a cracking finale to a trilogy I will probably re-read in time (and I do not say that often). I do wonder, now this is done, what the author will turn her hand to next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
May 15, 2023
why did this series have to end???
Loved this one too!
Loved this one too!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews