Dead Formats: A Rand Hoté Sci-Fi Detective Mystery

by Esa Ortega

Tegan’s been resurrected as a hologram, but has no memory of the last two weeks of her life – and by 2064, being an immortal light-being is not what it used to be. Other afterlives are available, the company that generates the holos is acting suspiciously… and the holos of Light City are protesting every night. With his repurposed sex-doll assistant and his toy-dinosaur accountant, Rand protects the holos’ rights in the courts of Light City. But when the team takes Tegan’s case on, they uncover the strands of a dark conspiracy – one that means the holos may not get to live happily ever after, after all… Dead Formats is a twisty near-future mystery set in a gritty cyberpunk world, with snappy dialogue and inventive characters – for fans of sci-fi, detective stories and Black Mirror-style dystopias

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery

238 pages, Paperback

Published November 29, 2021

About the author

Esa Ortega is a UK-based writer of science fiction. He was brought up in the 80s surrounded by dog-eared paperbacks, games that may or may not load and pirated Betamax copies of sci-fi classics. During this time, his mind was exposed to such powerful phenomena as Elite, Blade Runner, Alien, Hitch-Hiker's Guide... and Battlestar Galactica. He has stayed immersed in the sci-fi realm ever since, only reluctantly re-materialising in this dimension to walk among you and undertake a variety of menial tasks.

The Kassini Division is his debut novel. It offers military sci-fi with character, space opera with a dose of realism and futuristic espionage with a heart, and is a non-stop thrill ride that lovingly references the best retro science fiction.

Its sequel, Rise Of The Exiles, was released in January 2023.

Conversations With Droids is a collection of 12 short stories set in the same universe: sign up to the mailing list at www.esaortega.com for a free eBook copy.

My Time As A Shadow is a post-apocalyptic zombie survival thriller set in the UK.

Dead Formats is a near-future tech-noir sci-fi detective mystery.

Fleet Rats is the first in the Dropzone mil-SF series, also set in the same universe as the Kassini books.

All books are available at Amazon.

Sign up to the mailing list at www.esaortega.com.

Reviews

[Shatterlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the tech and the characters in this, especially the assistants, the story is standard gum shoe stuff but it’s very readable.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. Really intriguing story, great characters - loved the ass-kicking Ms Merriwell and Tex the anxious toy dinosaur - they form a great team of unlikely crime-fighters.

The story's set about 50 years in the future and the author does a great job of visualising the world of light city, very Blade Runneresque and claustrophobic. There are thought-provoking themes around digital immortality and identity and it's ultimately a blend of a cyberpunk setting and a detective story. Give it a go if you like fun, easy-reading sci-fi.

[Julian Killingley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raymond Chandler meets Philip K Dick

Great read full of twists and turns set in a richly imagined globally warmed world. I hope we see a lot more of Rand and his office crew in the future.

[Millennial Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Formats surprised me. It was a book I didn’t expect to impress me, but it did. The author did a fantastic job of melding two very different types of stories and telling a compelling tale while doing so. The writing is pretty good overall, but some areas needed improvement. The cyberpunk aesthetic was committed to and the mystery kept me guessing. It’s a book with a premise that might not be for everyone, but I’d say if the blurb interests you, you should give it a try.

My full review can be found here

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, that was a much needed mystery book with a big old heap of sci-fi thrown in. Good worldbuilding, full of interesting ideas about what the afterlife could look like in the future and characters that are easy to get on with and leave you looking forward to hopefully more in the future.

So, if you're a fan of Altered Carbon, Blade Runner or other similar concepts, this could well be for you. May also be good for that Agatha Christie fan who fancies a foray in the realm of science fiction!

Disclaimer - I know the author, but this review is a genuine opinion and not influenced by that relationship.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this future fiction book. The book was very visually descriptive, reading it felt like watching Sin City or a Dick Tracy movie with exaggerated lighting, bold colors, and extreme visual angles. I’m not big on the down and out private detective genre, but this book wasn’t too over-the-top and I would recommend it to anyone that won’t find the future tech components distracting or confusing.