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Bodyguard
In a futuristic world of fast-growing technology, corporate expansion in outer space, and plenty of violence, a carefully trained bodyguard whose human memories have been blocked by a metal plate offers perfect protection for a high price. Original.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
231 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
20 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
William C. Dietz
125 books454 followersNew York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz has published more than fifty novels, some of which have been translated into German, Russian, and Japanese. He grew up in the Seattle area, served as a medic with the Navy and Marine Corps, graduated from the University of Washington, and has been employed as a surgical technician, college instructor, and television news writer, director and producer. Before becoming a full-time writer Dietz was director of public relations and marketing for an international telephone company. He and his wife live near Gig Harbor, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 4, 2019
I'm guilty of underestimating Dietz - I went into this assuming that his work might be 3rd rate at best. It's true he puts a premium on action and thus his novels are escapist fare. But that doesn't mean that they're not good and it doesn't mean that they're not enjoyable. This is my 2nd time reading Dietz, and I will definitely be back for more of his work, but I also won't be underestimating him again.
So what Dietz has delivered is a taut, engaging, often humorous yet still gritty thriller, reminiscint of the dystopic sprawl of the movie Blade Runner. The novel sends the reader on a fast-paced tour through the solar system. The action starts on Earth (an over-populated earth in which humanity has built upwards in urbplex structures 50 levels high); moves to a habitat in Earth orbit; then off to Mars (including a surface jaunt at the base of Olympus Mons); moving next to the asteroid belt; and finally ending up on one of Jupiter's moons, Europa. Dietz does well in his descriptions of these locales - he's not focussed on the hard science but it's there in the background and resonates plausibly for a discriminating reader.
The book truly immerses the reader in this nightmaristic gritty future. The first chapter includes a mercenary ambush on scrappers who face the assault with children strapped to their waists. This also gives us an introduction to our protagonist, Max Maxon, who refuses to fire at the quarry for fear of hitting any children. The central plot of the novel doesn't begin until chapter 2, but Dietz ensures that first impressions are made by hitting the ground running.
Max Maxon is quite an entertaining fellow - brain-damaged and sporting a metal plate in his head, he's a likeable guy with a military background that he can't remember. He often spouts (in a manner similar to Tourette's) random words, nonsense, and numbers (due to his head trauma) and adds a bit of humor to the novel.
But back to the novel's milieu: here's a glossary of some of the types of people in the novel.
Android - see robot
Banger - a gang member
Corpie - an official working for a corporation (also: the security personnel for the officials)
Freelancer - a worker only employed (and paid) when needed
Greenies - members of a movement against further development of technology (militant Luddites)
Lifer - a worker with lifetime employment (often making use of life-extending technology such as organ transplants)
Popper - an assassin (bounty-collector)
Robot - a mechanical being (wherein form follows function)
Scrapper - member of a team that capture robots and strip their parts for resale on the black market
Shooter - a bodyguard or popper with a valid weapons permit
Snatcher - a kidnapper
Zeeb - (short for Zebra) law enforcer
Zombie - a brain-wiped person (with brain now used for storage of new data recorded over the former personality, intelligence, etc. Able to walk and move but not much else)
Zonie - injection drug user
And that's truly the strength of this book: Dietz's detailed vision of this stark future. Don't expect any grand overarching theme, don't expect any experimental prose, but DON'T expect a substandard read. This is good science fiction action, and it's a fun, gripping read. Enjoyable escapism, and what's wrong with that?
So what Dietz has delivered is a taut, engaging, often humorous yet still gritty thriller, reminiscint of the dystopic sprawl of the movie Blade Runner. The novel sends the reader on a fast-paced tour through the solar system. The action starts on Earth (an over-populated earth in which humanity has built upwards in urbplex structures 50 levels high); moves to a habitat in Earth orbit; then off to Mars (including a surface jaunt at the base of Olympus Mons); moving next to the asteroid belt; and finally ending up on one of Jupiter's moons, Europa. Dietz does well in his descriptions of these locales - he's not focussed on the hard science but it's there in the background and resonates plausibly for a discriminating reader.
The book truly immerses the reader in this nightmaristic gritty future. The first chapter includes a mercenary ambush on scrappers who face the assault with children strapped to their waists. This also gives us an introduction to our protagonist, Max Maxon, who refuses to fire at the quarry for fear of hitting any children. The central plot of the novel doesn't begin until chapter 2, but Dietz ensures that first impressions are made by hitting the ground running.
Max Maxon is quite an entertaining fellow - brain-damaged and sporting a metal plate in his head, he's a likeable guy with a military background that he can't remember. He often spouts (in a manner similar to Tourette's) random words, nonsense, and numbers (due to his head trauma) and adds a bit of humor to the novel.
But back to the novel's milieu: here's a glossary of some of the types of people in the novel.
Android - see robot
Banger - a gang member
Corpie - an official working for a corporation (also: the security personnel for the officials)
Freelancer - a worker only employed (and paid) when needed
Greenies - members of a movement against further development of technology (militant Luddites)
Lifer - a worker with lifetime employment (often making use of life-extending technology such as organ transplants)
Popper - an assassin (bounty-collector)
Robot - a mechanical being (wherein form follows function)
Scrapper - member of a team that capture robots and strip their parts for resale on the black market
Shooter - a bodyguard or popper with a valid weapons permit
Snatcher - a kidnapper
Zeeb - (short for Zebra) law enforcer
Zombie - a brain-wiped person (with brain now used for storage of new data recorded over the former personality, intelligence, etc. Able to walk and move but not much else)
Zonie - injection drug user
And that's truly the strength of this book: Dietz's detailed vision of this stark future. Don't expect any grand overarching theme, don't expect any experimental prose, but DON'T expect a substandard read. This is good science fiction action, and it's a fun, gripping read. Enjoyable escapism, and what's wrong with that?
August 14, 2023
Наш герой - сильно конуженный ветеран одной из ЧВК далекого будущего, который в настоящее время вынужден перебиваться случайными заказами. И вот ему внезапно подфортило в жизни, и на него свалился заказ на кругленькую сумму. Вместе с заказом на него спихнули молодую девчонку, которую следует охранять. Все бы ничего, но через 15 минут после получения заказа, девчонку похищают прямо из его квартиры. С этого места начинается путешествие по солнечной системы нашего незадачливого героя, со стрельбой, взрывами, и прочими приключениями. Во время этого путешествия, нашего героя ждет встреча со своим прошлым, и он узнает много чего интересного о себе. Попутно он пытается разобраться со своими чувствами к юной особе с которой часто делит одну каюту и которая все время вертится у него под носом. Дело осложняют его личные комплексы относительно своих когнитивных способностей.
January 5, 2018
This was a fun action-adventure sci-fi, written in first person, which I dig the most. I expected to give it a 4 star rating but the ending is so awesome, that it earned that fifth star.
January 5, 2018
Not my favorite William Dietz novel but still very good.
January 5, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
An action/adventure novel set in a bleak future for humanity. There is very little hope for ordinary people and virtually no jobs as androids do most of the work that people used to do. Powerful corporations have a few, privileged, lifetime employees. Everyone else fights for enough piece work to live. Or turn to crime, to security/military work or to horrible conditions off planet. Even in these dangerous, short life expectancy jobs, the competition is fierce. Into this almost no-hope future, Mr. Dietz places his protagonist, Max. A man with a talent for violence who works as a shooter, provider of security and bodyguard when he can get work. In addition to the appalling state of society, Max is burdened with a sub-normal IQ, apparently caused by a head injury in combat as a corporate marine officer. Max is not completely sure as he has no memory of events before he awoke in hospital with a large metal plate replacing part of his skull. Unexpectedly, Max is offered a high pay contract to guard a girl and escort her home. As he often laments in his account of events, he isn't smart enough to be suspicious. I will avoid spoilers and just say that he should have been very suspicious. Even though he postulates a bleak future, Mr. Dietz is, as usual, an entertaining and interesting story teller.
January 5, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
An action/adventure novel set in a bleak future for humanity. There is very little hope for ordinary people and virtually no jobs as androids do most of the work that people used to do. Powerful corporations have a few, privileged, lifetime employees. Everyone else fights for enough piece work to live. Or turn to crime, to security/military work or to horrible conditions off planet. Even in these dangerous, short life expectancy jobs, the competition is fierce. Into this almost no-hope future, Mr. Dietz places his protagonist, Max. A man with a talent for violence who works as a shooter, provider of security and bodyguard when he can get work. In addition to the appalling state of society, Max is burdened with a sub-normal IQ, apparently caused by a head injury in combat as a corporate marine officer. Max is not completely sure as he has no memory of events before he awoke in hospital with a large metal plate replacing part of his skull. Unexpectedly, Max is offered a high pay contract to guard a girl and escort her home. As he often laments in his account of events, he isn't smart enough to be suspicious. I will avoid spoilers and just say that he should have been very suspicious. Even though he postulates a bleak future, Mr. Dietz is, as usual, an entertaining and interesting story teller.
March 22, 2009
A pretty good book.
It should be said that this was the first book I ever read for pleasure. I have read it about 10 times over the years and honestly, I still think it is good. It has a very Blade Runner feel to it, if only that the universe feels very bleak and lasting. I would love to hear the opinion of someone who is new to the book.
It should be said that this was the first book I ever read for pleasure. I have read it about 10 times over the years and honestly, I still think it is good. It has a very Blade Runner feel to it, if only that the universe feels very bleak and lasting. I would love to hear the opinion of someone who is new to the book.
September 2, 2008
Classic space opera with hints of Hard Boiled action. I'd read another by Mr. Dietz. His detailed vision of the future was worth the price of admission.
August 5, 2011
This was my favorite Dietz book. I'd really love to see it made into a movie.
August 4, 2011
Lot of fun.
October 10, 2018
A look ahead ?
We can not be sure of that, but science-fiction does offer food for thought in that respect. I have read sci-fi since reading Jules Verne at a much younger age. Why stop now? This story moved well and keeps your interest. I may follow this author and see where it leads out beyond our corner of the cosmos. Start the countdown.....
We can not be sure of that, but science-fiction does offer food for thought in that respect. I have read sci-fi since reading Jules Verne at a much younger age. Why stop now? This story moved well and keeps your interest. I may follow this author and see where it leads out beyond our corner of the cosmos. Start the countdown.....
April 8, 2025
I really enjoyed Bodyguard and it sits on the shelf with the rest of my favorite Cyberpunk genre books, right next to Neuromancer, Snowcrash, Hardwired, and When Gravity Falls. As a native Washingtonian and frequent denizen of Seattle, seeing my home territory and city in a futuristic novel made it extra enjoyable. I only wish he had written more in this universe.
October 14, 2018
I really fun, quick read. Awesome dystopic Earth. Perhaps my favorite book of Dietz.
January 6, 2019
I like Dietz style of writing, and this has a good story. I forgot where the book was for a while and decided to finish it since I was so far along.
July 1, 2019
My first Dietz novel. Interesting and fun. A memorable and unique narrator whom I enjoyed accompanying on his journey.
December 20, 2019
Not bad. Wish I could give it 3.5. Dietz is great at painting a futuristic and imaginative sci fi landscape
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March 2, 20201 March 2020: $1.99 on Kindle
May 23, 2025
Well, this was a weird one. Felt surprisingly contemporary compared for a book written in the early 90's.
December 29, 2025
Book starts off pretty good, but never really got interesting to me. Kind of rambling along.
February 20, 2024
I like a lot of what Dietz is trying to do with this novel - the world is flavorful and rich, the premise is intriguing - but something about the novel just feels rushed. One of the big problems is our main character, Max. I think Dietz envisioned Max a tough, hard-boiled muscle man without a lot of brains and a deliciously mysterious past. I would love to follow this character. Unfortunately, I think we get a version of Max that acts and thinks like an emotional, street-dumb, generic fantasy hero type. I really don’t see how he fits in this world.
Ultimately I enjoyed my time in the world of Bodyguard, but I don't think I really responded to Dietz if that makes sense.
Ultimately I enjoyed my time in the world of Bodyguard, but I don't think I really responded to Dietz if that makes sense.
May 3, 2014
A pretty decent book. Max Maxon is a bodyguard. Former military, but his brain was scrambled in an operation gone bad. He was resurrected from the virtual dead and now wears a big metal plate in his head. He's 7'2" and looks menacing. He gets a job to accompany a young woman named Sasha to another planet for megabucks, so he eagerly takes it, only to have her kidnapped away from him virtually immediately. So much for being a bodyguard. He eventually recovers her, but things keep happening to her and it calls into question his bodyguard skills repeatedly throughout the book. One thing that bugged me was the author kept drawing attention to his deadened brain and low IQ. However, there's a reason for this that we find out late in the book, so I guess it makes sense. During their travels, they pick up a miniature android, Sasha sells an eye of hers for transportation money, and Max discovers that her mother is essentially all powerful and Sasha works for her. There's quite a bit of action in this book, so it keeps its pace rather well. We get to know the characters and that pleased me. I don't think it's a five star book, but most likely a solid four star, so that's what I'm giving it while I recommend it to sci fi fans.
November 25, 2016
i have read other Dietz work, mostly based on video games. Wanted to try something not related so i wouldn't have any preconceived notions.
It is not a bad book, but i dont consider it great either. A couple of interesting main characters with enough minor charaters to hold it together.
Some interesting twists and turns along the way but ultimately the obvious ending.
Not enough bad here to turn me off Dietz but i dont think he will be jumping the pile either.
It is not a bad book, but i dont consider it great either. A couple of interesting main characters with enough minor charaters to hold it together.
Some interesting twists and turns along the way but ultimately the obvious ending.
Not enough bad here to turn me off Dietz but i dont think he will be jumping the pile either.
April 14, 2015
A very enjoyable read ! Fast paced and entertaining ! A good break from some of those slow. plodding, 600,700, 800 page books I have been reading ! Some other authors go into way too much detail and overboard with it ! Dietz keeps it simple, clean and keeps the story moving forward at a quick pace !
September 27, 2024
A pretty good Cyberpunk novel. It gets a little pulpy at certain points but for the most part this is a well told sci-fi adventure. The main character in particular was fun to follow, along with his motley crew. The main plot is solid if not exactly unique and the action is very well done. I'll be reading more of Dietz's novels if I come across them.
December 10, 2014
A real surprise
As Max and Sasha head for Europa, competing forces try to capture them - but who is the true target and why?
I was frustrated with the tempo of the book but couldn't put it down!
As Max and Sasha head for Europa, competing forces try to capture them - but who is the true target and why?
I was frustrated with the tempo of the book but couldn't put it down!
November 19, 2007
Dietz is an amazing author. I'm sad that I wasn't introduced to him sooner. Bodyguard was a great read.
August 4, 2011
Lots of fun one of Dietz's best. Probably the best sense of humor of all of his books.
September 18, 2012
Oh, yeah!
November 24, 2012
Great read. I enjoyed the humor and well described action.
November 7, 2014
Very good read....enjoyed beginning to end.....
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews