Shadowrun: Karmesin

Shadowrun Novels #51

by Kevin R. Czarnecki

Thanksgiving, 2075. Der Vampir-Magier Rick „Red“ Lang hat die Jagd nach gefährlichen Insektengeistern und irren Magiern zu seinem Lebensinhalt erklärt. Doch nach einem unfreiwilligen Dornröschenschlaf von zwölf Jahren, muss er in einer fremden Welt langsam herausfinden, was in der Zeit geschah, die ihm fehlt. In den von Neonlicht gefluteten Ruinen von Chicago gerät er dabei an mystische Kräfte, die in die Realität einzudringen versuchen. Zusammen mit seinen einzigen Verbündeten – Pretty, einem schönen Ghul, und Slim, einem außergewöhnlichen Hacker – muss er sich Mächten stellen, die in einem tödlichen Konflikt den unruhigen Frieden in der zerstörten Stadt ins Chaos zu stürzen drohen.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Cyberpunk

319 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this work and would take the time to read it again. Great job on this one!

[Matthew Gilliland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book especially if you want to understand Chicago and the Ghoul Population or if you just want to see what life as a Ghoul is like in the 6th World.

Word is that Kevin has written a sequel.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you love Shadowrun, and have a deep understanding of the lore?

If so - skip this. We have a hipster vampire mage protagonist who just ....

Nevermind, if you got past 'hipster vampire mage' and still want to read this, that is what you will get.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little too rambling at the start.

The story tightened up in the last third of the book. I liked the ending, and would read about this character again.

[Robert Woford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable exposure to ghoul rights. Not all "monsters" are the monsters

[Christoph Weber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish. Das wars nicht. Bei der Hälfte war mir immer noch nicht klar, was eigentlich die Handlung sein soll.

[Seth Kenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable Shadowrun novel about a vampire shadowrunner who gets caught up helping out with some local ghoul homesteaders. As a story, it's probably not for total newcomers to the Shadowrun universe, because it does touch on some jargon and lore without ever explaining any of it. I can imagine a reader being very lost at several points.

I'm not a huge fan of vampires as a literary device; I don't find their plight (too much immortality..?) interesting, I don't love their superpowers, but I actually really enjoyed the vampire lead in this book. He's a down-to-Earth guy who just happens to regenerate his wounds away; it really works well in this setting. The ghouls he befriends are interesting and likable, and their daily struggles are VERY easy to relate to.

The plot meanders a lot, but it's entertaining and eventually does find a clear path. I had no idea if it would ever find a point, but it does, and I really liked the way it developed. I do wish that had a better resolution for Pretty, Slim, and Needles, but you have to admit that sometimes life doesn't work that way.

If you like Shadowrun, and you want to explore the fringes of the lower classes, this might be a book to check out.

[Knightwork · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Shadowrun novel. The author posted a short Valentines Day story - the day the book was to be released - which whetted my interest in the book. Unfortunately, the release date was pushed back, and I didn't stumble upon it until the other night. Immediately bought and downloaded it, then proceeded to read it in one go. It is that good. But do yourself a favor, and pace yourself - once you hit the last page, there is no more (yet - fingers crossed that the author is writing more about Red). Nice to know new Shadowrun novels are being produced - I read the older ones years ago, and I blame the long drought on drinking this one down so quickly!

[Stephen Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caricature made "real"

Light and enjoyable read, probably only for those already invested in the mythology. The main character is a "pink-mohawk" shadowrun caricature who is thrust forward into a modern shadowrun world where he is confronted with a grittier realty for the infected. The underlying story is about a pack of ghouls living in a Chicago that is being rebuilt, and how that effects their survival as their territory is steadily squeezed by encroachment from the human predator. Sadly the climax of the ghouls story reverted back to pink-mohawk territory.
Pink-mohawk refers to an over the top, high octane, Michael Bay-esque version of the shadowrun game world.

[Daniel Cloutier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cleverer Blick in die Chicagoer Untergrundgesellschaft der 2070er. Ordentliche Charakterzeichnung und gut geschrieben. Allerdings kein wirklicher Bogen über den kompletten Roman, eher die Auswahl eines bestimmten Zeitabschnitts des Protagonisten. Intelligentes Erschaffen von Tiefe durch die ständige Referenz auf die Vergangenheit, so als wenn dies der zweite Teil einer Trilogie sei.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent story that focused on the Infected in Chicago.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, extremely easy read. Who would think that ghouls and a vampire in Shadowrun would be so fun. The ending was very open ended and I look forward to more adventures with "Red" :)