What do you think?
Rate this book
You thought Big Brother and Survivor were tough?
WELCOME, SENSATION SEEKERS, TO KNIFE EDGE - the reality TV show where wannabe knife fighters are the celebrities in a nation going to hell. In a Britain on the edge of collapse, The ultimate response to knife crime has been instituted by a bankrupt duelling with knives has now been legalized.
On Saturday nights, the nation sits down to watch the country's best amateur fighters slash it out on prime time. The streets are red with blood. The skies are black with polluted horror. High walls have been built around Britain and endless winter is coming.
When a young boy with hoplophobia (the fear of weaponry) runs away from home, his father hires ex-Special Forces agent Josh Cumberland to find him. With the help of the boy's psychiatrist, Cumberland delves into the dark underbelly of the knife culture that has infected his country, but what he finds will shock him to his soul.
File Science Fiction [ Devastated Britain | Legalised Duelling | Corporate Atrocity | Save the Children ]
WELCOME, SENSATION SEEKERS, TO KNIFE EDGE - the reality TV show where wannabe knife fighters are the celebrities in a nation going to hell. In a Britain on the edge of collapse, The ultimate response to knife crime has been instituted by a bankrupt duelling with knives has now been legalized.
On Saturday nights, the nation sits down to watch the country's best amateur fighters slash it out on prime time. The streets are red with blood. The skies are black with polluted horror. High walls have been built around Britain and endless winter is coming.
When a young boy with hoplophobia (the fear of weaponry) runs away from home, his father hires ex-Special Forces agent Josh Cumberland to find him. With the help of the boy's psychiatrist, Cumberland delves into the dark underbelly of the knife culture that has infected his country, but what he finds will shock him to his soul.
File Science Fiction [ Devastated Britain | Legalised Duelling | Corporate Atrocity | Save the Children ]
398 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
12 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Blackthorne
2 books6 followersThomas Blackthorne is a pseudonym of John Meaney.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 15, 2011
This disappointed. I've heard others' excitement about this publisher (Angry Robot) and the blurb for this sounded fantastic, a blurb that caused me to lay down a Don LaFontaine voice as I read it with certain words and phrases punching out - knives!, duel!, blood!, hell!, legalised (because we're in Britain) knife fights!, blood!, black!, endless winter!, two people!, save!, this is their story!...cue the swelling strings and tourniquet off your limbs! Doesn't that all imply that knives will be a huge part of the story? That knife fighting will be central? It deceived me. Deceived me!
!!!
It begins with a terrific but confusing (which should've been a clue) action scene where the man who turns out to be the main character is presented - and I don't want to describe the scene because it's pretty cool they way it reveals what knives are supposed to mean to this society - with anger problems and domestic troubles. It loses hold of that direction right away. Sigh. This book was so much better in my head! We're then introduced to a lady therapist who seems to use very effective and swift forms of hypnosis. Later, one of her patients is a young boy who plays a central role in blowing open a conspiracy/evil plot...yes, I'm afraid it turned into a standard action novel. It all about political upheaval and world events in broad strokes with the telescope (yes, telescope, not microscope) on one person. The description of the political state of the US was kinda funny, in a horrible way.
The hero, who is a cardboard cutout of the usual action hero, seems to have his full name used more often than necessary. Jason Bourne, I mean Josh Cumberland, is the baddest a-kicking mofo. Driven by memories of his family, Miles Haverford, I mean Josh Cumberland, will stop at nothing to defeat his enemies! Who are these fools who would go against this unstoppable force known as Jack McClure, I mean Josh Cumberland? You barely figure it out! Because it's confusing!
Gripes: Where did the knives go??? The female therapist is barely described until late in the book where her tragic past is abruptly revealed. Every good character is an expert at something, annoyingly expert. The freakin' endless winter
That last climactic scene...remember the movie Gamer?
It's okay, for what it is. I was expecting more. 5 stars to Angry Robot for being intriguing (although sucky for not getting the real feel of the book across).
!!!
It begins with a terrific but confusing (which should've been a clue) action scene where the man who turns out to be the main character is presented - and I don't want to describe the scene because it's pretty cool they way it reveals what knives are supposed to mean to this society - with anger problems and domestic troubles. It loses hold of that direction right away. Sigh. This book was so much better in my head! We're then introduced to a lady therapist who seems to use very effective and swift forms of hypnosis. Later, one of her patients is a young boy who plays a central role in blowing open a conspiracy/evil plot...yes, I'm afraid it turned into a standard action novel. It all about political upheaval and world events in broad strokes with the telescope (yes, telescope, not microscope) on one person. The description of the political state of the US was kinda funny, in a horrible way.
The hero, who is a cardboard cutout of the usual action hero, seems to have his full name used more often than necessary. Jason Bourne, I mean Josh Cumberland, is the baddest a-kicking mofo. Driven by memories of his family, Miles Haverford, I mean Josh Cumberland, will stop at nothing to defeat his enemies! Who are these fools who would go against this unstoppable force known as Jack McClure, I mean Josh Cumberland? You barely figure it out! Because it's confusing!
Gripes: Where did the knives go??? The female therapist is barely described until late in the book where her tragic past is abruptly revealed. Every good character is an expert at something, annoyingly expert. The freakin' endless winter
That last climactic scene...remember the movie Gamer?
It's okay, for what it is. I was expecting more. 5 stars to Angry Robot for being intriguing (although sucky for not getting the real feel of the book across).
February 21, 2011
The cover of this book is a lot cooler than the book itself.
I was kind of hoping for a Battle Royale / Hunger Games sort of thing. But with knives. There is some fighting with knives and there is a reality tv show that has knife fights in it, that seems an awful lot like the UFC reality TV show and England in this dreary future has professional knife-fighters who go at it in a cage, but that is all pretty much in the background.
Instead this is a sort of a run of the mill action novel starring an ex-special forces guy who has some anger and guilt issues. The guy is a martial arts whiz. He can hack computer systems with the greatest of ease, and women all want to flirt and sleep with him, even lesbians. Co-starring with him is a psychiatrist who is a whiz at putting people in to trances with a sort of NLP technique. She can do this like that (picture me snapping my fingers) to just about anyone. I'm very skeptical about the way she can do this, and how real her skills are, they seriously sound like Luke Skywalker passing his hand in front of someone's face and getting them to do whatever he wants them to do. Jedi tricks. But to be fair I don't really believe in the main characters fighting skills either. He does an awful lot of one hit knockouts on people who are also trained fighters. I don't know a whole lot about fighting from the actual doing it side, but I've watched way too many MMA fights to know that trained fighters usually don't just overpower another trained fighter with one quick blow, yeah it happens every now and then (see some of Mirko Cro Cop's fights when he was in his prime, here is one video, you can skip to the 1:30 mark to see the actual fight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il66HY..., there is a UFC match that he just walked right up and knocked his opponent out with a head kick in the first few seconds, unfortunately the UFC are greedy people who have their fights pulled off of youtube when they are posted... If you want to see a pretty cool head kick though you should watch the youtube clip above), but over and over again against groups of opponents is kind of silly.
I've read a lot worse written books in this type of genre. The story was interesting enough to hold my attention. The dialog was borderline awful at times, especially when the characters got jokey and started having the one-liners fly. And there is a sentence that gets repeated on page 371, which is one of the bigger copy-editing mistakes I've ever seen in a non-self-published book.
I'll probably end up reading the sequel, which is about group suicide with knives, and I'll probably be disappointed that there isn't more knife induced self-destruction in the novel, and I'll probably have all the same complaints I have here but I expect it will be at least mildly entertaining.
I was kind of hoping for a Battle Royale / Hunger Games sort of thing. But with knives. There is some fighting with knives and there is a reality tv show that has knife fights in it, that seems an awful lot like the UFC reality TV show and England in this dreary future has professional knife-fighters who go at it in a cage, but that is all pretty much in the background.
Instead this is a sort of a run of the mill action novel starring an ex-special forces guy who has some anger and guilt issues. The guy is a martial arts whiz. He can hack computer systems with the greatest of ease, and women all want to flirt and sleep with him, even lesbians. Co-starring with him is a psychiatrist who is a whiz at putting people in to trances with a sort of NLP technique. She can do this like that (picture me snapping my fingers) to just about anyone. I'm very skeptical about the way she can do this, and how real her skills are, they seriously sound like Luke Skywalker passing his hand in front of someone's face and getting them to do whatever he wants them to do. Jedi tricks. But to be fair I don't really believe in the main characters fighting skills either. He does an awful lot of one hit knockouts on people who are also trained fighters. I don't know a whole lot about fighting from the actual doing it side, but I've watched way too many MMA fights to know that trained fighters usually don't just overpower another trained fighter with one quick blow, yeah it happens every now and then (see some of Mirko Cro Cop's fights when he was in his prime, here is one video, you can skip to the 1:30 mark to see the actual fight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il66HY..., there is a UFC match that he just walked right up and knocked his opponent out with a head kick in the first few seconds, unfortunately the UFC are greedy people who have their fights pulled off of youtube when they are posted... If you want to see a pretty cool head kick though you should watch the youtube clip above), but over and over again against groups of opponents is kind of silly.
I've read a lot worse written books in this type of genre. The story was interesting enough to hold my attention. The dialog was borderline awful at times, especially when the characters got jokey and started having the one-liners fly. And there is a sentence that gets repeated on page 371, which is one of the bigger copy-editing mistakes I've ever seen in a non-self-published book.
I'll probably end up reading the sequel, which is about group suicide with knives, and I'll probably be disappointed that there isn't more knife induced self-destruction in the novel, and I'll probably have all the same complaints I have here but I expect it will be at least mildly entertaining.
January 22, 2016
In a word: stupid. The book. And myself. Let me tell you how insipid I am. I got sucked in by the cool book cover. As did a ton of other people, apparently. As Eh?Eh! said in their Goodreads review of 2/14/11, “knives!, duel!, blood!, hell!, legalised (because we're in Britain) knife fights!, blood!, black!, endless winter!, two people!, save!, this is their story!” Yep, that’s pretty good. Someone named “Megan” wrote in her Goodreads review of 10/16/11, “I’m not going to lie, I bought this book for the cover. I didn’t read the blurb, I didn’t read the first page, all of the little steps that bridge the gap between a book and my bookshelves flew out the window in the face of that cover. Knife fights! Blood! Duels! Sounds most excellent to me. When the book arrived I dared to think I had been rewarded for my rash purchase. The back blurb promised a dystopic future Britain where knife fighting had been legalised and where a giant wall had been erected around the city. Sounds very awesome, yes? At the very least it sounds finishable, and yet I barely made it half way through.”
And yet, to continue quoting Megan, “Let’s start with the book’s main conceit: Knife fighting: it’s legal! Why? Pfft, we don’t need to know a silly little thing like that, do we? And honestly, I would have been happy with minimal explanation of why knife fighting (to the death, mind you) was legal, if we actually got to see some, you know, knife fighting. As I said, I made it to the midway point, and not once had anyone actually had a fight involving knives. There was a lot of posturing and ‘why sir, you have offended me! I demand satisfaction!’ going on, but actual knife fighting? Not so much. I’m not saying that nothing happened, but it did feel like Blackthorne (I vaguely recall that this is a well known author's alias, but can't for the life of me remember who...) completely wasted the potential of his world. Here’s this big brotherish dystopic future London, but not one of the events of the first half of the book couldn’t have taken place in a book set in current day London. What’s the point of cool futuristic setting if you don’t make the most of it? Or at least something of it?”
So, this book is supposed to be a sci fi book, I guess of a dystopian near-future Britain where knife fighting/dueling to the death has been legalized, although I have no idea why. Apparently, there is a giant wall surrounding either the entire island of Britain or London, it’s hard to tell. There’s really no mention of it in the book either than on the back cover. And one of the key characters is some type of therapist we meet early on, Suzanne, I believe. She has a unique ability to hypnotize anyone within seconds and cure them of practically anything and even improve them through this process. The author does this thing where she talks to her patients and somehow her words simply fix whatever is wrong with them, or make them think in a whole new way, seemingly like magic. She'll say something like “you are no longer shy, etc.” and suddenly, no more shyness for that character. It’s completely unbelievable. Since Blackthorne has taken great pains to set this book in the “real” world, given the dystopian unreality of things, this strikes me as odd and hard to believe. Superhuman traits. Doesn’t make sense.
But then there’s the superhuman ex-soldier, Josh Cumberland, who is hired by a rich dolt to track down his missing son, Richard. Richard is “hoplophobic,” meaning he's afraid of knives, which isn’t very helpful if you're living in a society where people can challenge you to a knife duel at any moment. He goes missing after his first therapy session with Suzanne, who was hired by Richard's father to rid him of his phobia. Suzanne and Josh team up to find Richard and things progress from there just like any romance/action movie.
A lot of people complain that Josh is simply a Jason Bourne clone. I don’t know. I don’t know because I gave up before I got far enough in the book to find out. I just thought the book was too stupid to continue. There weren’t any knife fights. Suzanne’s powers were too Justice League. Josh was an action figure. Britain was 1984. What was the point? I didn’t derive any satisfaction out of reading any of this. I thought the author was somewhat clumsy at writing this, as though his scenes were written hastily, going for shock value in lieu of something more solid. It’s hard to describe, but it felt a little amateurish to me. The cover looked so cool and the blurbs on the front and back made it sound so cool and I got sucked in by them and I feel like an idiot, because that’s not usually what happens to me. Oh well. Live and learn. I won’t be buying anything by this author again. Stupid premise, stupid book. Not recommended.
And yet, to continue quoting Megan, “Let’s start with the book’s main conceit: Knife fighting: it’s legal! Why? Pfft, we don’t need to know a silly little thing like that, do we? And honestly, I would have been happy with minimal explanation of why knife fighting (to the death, mind you) was legal, if we actually got to see some, you know, knife fighting. As I said, I made it to the midway point, and not once had anyone actually had a fight involving knives. There was a lot of posturing and ‘why sir, you have offended me! I demand satisfaction!’ going on, but actual knife fighting? Not so much. I’m not saying that nothing happened, but it did feel like Blackthorne (I vaguely recall that this is a well known author's alias, but can't for the life of me remember who...) completely wasted the potential of his world. Here’s this big brotherish dystopic future London, but not one of the events of the first half of the book couldn’t have taken place in a book set in current day London. What’s the point of cool futuristic setting if you don’t make the most of it? Or at least something of it?”
So, this book is supposed to be a sci fi book, I guess of a dystopian near-future Britain where knife fighting/dueling to the death has been legalized, although I have no idea why. Apparently, there is a giant wall surrounding either the entire island of Britain or London, it’s hard to tell. There’s really no mention of it in the book either than on the back cover. And one of the key characters is some type of therapist we meet early on, Suzanne, I believe. She has a unique ability to hypnotize anyone within seconds and cure them of practically anything and even improve them through this process. The author does this thing where she talks to her patients and somehow her words simply fix whatever is wrong with them, or make them think in a whole new way, seemingly like magic. She'll say something like “you are no longer shy, etc.” and suddenly, no more shyness for that character. It’s completely unbelievable. Since Blackthorne has taken great pains to set this book in the “real” world, given the dystopian unreality of things, this strikes me as odd and hard to believe. Superhuman traits. Doesn’t make sense.
But then there’s the superhuman ex-soldier, Josh Cumberland, who is hired by a rich dolt to track down his missing son, Richard. Richard is “hoplophobic,” meaning he's afraid of knives, which isn’t very helpful if you're living in a society where people can challenge you to a knife duel at any moment. He goes missing after his first therapy session with Suzanne, who was hired by Richard's father to rid him of his phobia. Suzanne and Josh team up to find Richard and things progress from there just like any romance/action movie.
A lot of people complain that Josh is simply a Jason Bourne clone. I don’t know. I don’t know because I gave up before I got far enough in the book to find out. I just thought the book was too stupid to continue. There weren’t any knife fights. Suzanne’s powers were too Justice League. Josh was an action figure. Britain was 1984. What was the point? I didn’t derive any satisfaction out of reading any of this. I thought the author was somewhat clumsy at writing this, as though his scenes were written hastily, going for shock value in lieu of something more solid. It’s hard to describe, but it felt a little amateurish to me. The cover looked so cool and the blurbs on the front and back made it sound so cool and I got sucked in by them and I feel like an idiot, because that’s not usually what happens to me. Oh well. Live and learn. I won’t be buying anything by this author again. Stupid premise, stupid book. Not recommended.
December 28, 2015
I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. A futuristic dystopian society where knife fighting is legal?Count me in! I was expecting it to be a kind of Hunger Games style book, where the dystopian world was explored through the POV of a professional knife-fighter who has to kill people on live TV.
That is not what I got.
This book is about an ex-soldier, Josh Cumberland, who is hired by a rich guy to track down his missing kid, Richard. Richard is 'hoplophobic' which means he's afraid of knives, which is not very helpful if you're living in a society where people can challenge you to a duel at any given moment. He goes missing after his first therapy session with Suzanne, who was hired by Richard's father to rid him of his phobia. Suzanne and Josh team up to find Richard, end up falling in love and then decide to take down the government because they find out that the government is doing illegal, corrupt things.
So the book wasn't what I was expecting it to be but it was still a pretty interesting read. I thought that the dystopian society was chilling and incredibly believable. In this society, people are monitored 24/7, lightning storms and floods are frequent due to global warming, and people are allowed to kill each other. So it's pretty scary and not at all far-fetched. What I liked was how the author snuck in little details that told you more about the society as a whole. For example, it's mentioned a couple of times that there are food stalls selling bugs to eat, along with regular food. This tells me that insects have become an accepted source of food in this world, most likely due to climate change. There are nutritionists today that say eating insects as an alternative source of protein is looking more and more likely in the near future. Thomas Blackthorne does a really great job of building a realistic future world based on our current society.
While I loved the world-building, the plot itself left something to be desired. I kind of felt like it was all over the place and didn't have a specific focus. The climax really isn't climactic because it doesn't feel like the book has been building towards it. I think the story might have been more successful if the author had explored just one aspect of his dystopian society in depth, instead of trying to encompass all of it.
Despite a few quibbles, Edge is an interesting take on the dystopian novel and I am interested enough to check out the sequel.
That is not what I got.
This book is about an ex-soldier, Josh Cumberland, who is hired by a rich guy to track down his missing kid, Richard. Richard is 'hoplophobic' which means he's afraid of knives, which is not very helpful if you're living in a society where people can challenge you to a duel at any given moment. He goes missing after his first therapy session with Suzanne, who was hired by Richard's father to rid him of his phobia. Suzanne and Josh team up to find Richard, end up falling in love and then decide to take down the government because they find out that the government is doing illegal, corrupt things.
So the book wasn't what I was expecting it to be but it was still a pretty interesting read. I thought that the dystopian society was chilling and incredibly believable. In this society, people are monitored 24/7, lightning storms and floods are frequent due to global warming, and people are allowed to kill each other. So it's pretty scary and not at all far-fetched. What I liked was how the author snuck in little details that told you more about the society as a whole. For example, it's mentioned a couple of times that there are food stalls selling bugs to eat, along with regular food. This tells me that insects have become an accepted source of food in this world, most likely due to climate change. There are nutritionists today that say eating insects as an alternative source of protein is looking more and more likely in the near future. Thomas Blackthorne does a really great job of building a realistic future world based on our current society.
While I loved the world-building, the plot itself left something to be desired. I kind of felt like it was all over the place and didn't have a specific focus. The climax really isn't climactic because it doesn't feel like the book has been building towards it. I think the story might have been more successful if the author had explored just one aspect of his dystopian society in depth, instead of trying to encompass all of it.
Despite a few quibbles, Edge is an interesting take on the dystopian novel and I am interested enough to check out the sequel.
November 5, 2010
I thought this was a great book and hard to put down. The depiction of the near future felt right on. Any book that has a Firefly reference can't be all that bad, can it? :)
December 28, 2011
Due to school and other responsibilities, this review has been longer in the makes than I would have liked. That said, I’ve wanted to write a review about Edge since I started reading it. It was recommended to me by an editor at Electric Velocipede (send them well-wishes! Bring the Velocipede back!), and I’m glad for her recommendation. Though I had to put Edge aside a few times to read other stuff for school, I was always eager to come back.
I’ll start by saying this: Edge is much more than the blurb on the back of the book would suggest. It is a cyber-punk novel that celebrates the best hacker movies you can remember, as well as being an intelligent (if not over-enthusiastic) examination of our technocracy’s infatuation with smart phones, and it is even a commentary on the absurdity of modern politics. With so much combined into a comparatively short novel, it isn’t any surprise that Edge is a break-neck adventure romp across the crumbling nigh-dystopian remnants of a London.
Thomas Blackthorne, who I have never heard of before picking up Edge, is a writer with a crazy sense of pace. His writing moves along at the speed of a bullet, with quiet, contemplative scenes placed right where they need to be, and always with a good sense of what the reader needs. His actions scenes remind of me of the fights in The Bourne Identity, the first one, the one before the shaky-cam got annoying. They’re fresh, clipped well, and use solid dramatic description.
Speaking of drama, there is a distinct romance here. If you’re looking for an ass-grabbing race, this might not be the book you want. As much as I laud the pacing, it isn’t necessarily break-neck all the time. These are the contemplative breaks I was talking about. The main character (arguably) Josh, and another major focal character, Suzanne, are right up to the hips with mutual infatuation, despite Josh’s impending divorce in the wake of his daughter’s persistent vegetative state. The scenes between Josh and Suzanne are filled with adolescent, puppyish-love (and I know adolescent, damn it, I just left that party… fresh memories and what not). By no means do I imply that they are poorly written or are awkwardly jammed into the narrative; on the contrary, they work perfectly fine. I’m just warning you. There is some adult language here and there. Also, is a top-level military specialist even capable of romantic fancy? I thought those kinds of guys (who are honed killing/espionage machines and little else, like Josh appears to be) just come home and stare at the wall when they’re not deployed. Guys who live to answer the phone call from the government. Spooks. Yeah.
Josh, the arguable main focal character in Edge, is a high-echelon espionage agent from a team called “Ghost Force” that operates somewhere outside and in tandem with MI-5 and MI-6, the British intelligence agencies that make their home in what I can only call a spectacular building. See to the right. Suzanne, the other adult focal character in the novel, is a hypnotist with a psychologist’s training. Or is it the other way around? She employs a very sci-fi’ish version of psychology that allows her to drop patients (and non-patients, it seems) into suggestive trances. This makes her appear to have telepathic powers, inducing in Josh an array of emotions, and leaving the reader often wondering if she isn’t manipulating far deeper than she seems to be. But that’s for you to decide.
A third focal character, and a foil for the adult viewpoints, is Richie Broomhall, a runaway rich-kid who explores London’s garbage-strewn slums and gekrunning underground. Where the other two characters seem to be balanced between intelligent, professional, and human, Richie lacks the keen focus that Josh and Suzanne have. Perhaps that is because Richie doesn’t have an operative vocabulary like the others, but reading him was less interesting and less pleasurable than reading the other two. Another factor that added to that perception was the fact that every time a knife or blade is mentioned (or shown, or implied), Richie goes catatonic and throws up due to his deep fear of scalpels and blades. This is of course explained in the book’s new age psychological pseudoscience, but it never really seems to come together properly.
That’s a problem, because most of this book comes together quite nicely. The plot is understandable, doesn’t waste words, and the other two major characters are for the most part, intriguing enough on their own that I didn’t roll my eyes when I thumbed into their chapters (though there was some eye-rolling with some of the adolescence on Josh’s behalf). Richie’s unbalancing factors may throw readers for a loop.
Another thing that may throw some readers for a loop is the suspension of disbelief required in order to accept that Josh’s hacking skills are as pro as Blackthorne pens them. Josh sidesteps private, local and government-grade security measures as if he were side-stepping a block castle made by a two year old. The author does go into some detail, which gives a better sense of verisimilitude (read: believability) to the whole thing, but I was occasionally kind of thrown off by the character’s depthless technical prowess… all from what I can only assume is the iPod’s Thor-powered cousin.
Anyway. I consider myself a relatively discerning reader, and I found a few formatting flaws here and there. I submit that it may have been my Amazon Kindle displaying the lines improperly, but for the most part it was paragraphs cut or broken up oddly. I could discern where they were supposed to go, and it never caused anything more than a momentary, “Kindle, Y U no display properly?” but it wasn’t a big deal. There are very few spelling and/or grammar errors, which is good. Many e-books tend to be fudged in translation somehow, but it appears this book was converted directly from a digital file.
The cover is also a clever way of advertising Angry Robot Books. Kudos for that clever bit of marketing, whoever thought that one up.
Summary Comments:
Edge is an action thriller with a great sense of self and purpose. The characters are suitably rounded out, and their relationships are believable, if not a tad juvenile. The book’s setting—garbage-strewn London in the middle of a massive recession and teamster strike—is well-recognized and intriguing, though some more detail as to the development of current events would have been appreciated it. The book has such a focus on smart phone integration that I’m not entirely certain if Blackthorne is celebrating or criticizing the current smart phone bloom, but it is definitely an interesting exercise in a What If? Angry Robot Books has the book fairly priced, especially for e-readers. If you like action novels, crime novels, or near-future SF, I recommend it. If you’re terrified of the idea of privacy invasion by surveillance, you might want to stay away.
I’ll start by saying this: Edge is much more than the blurb on the back of the book would suggest. It is a cyber-punk novel that celebrates the best hacker movies you can remember, as well as being an intelligent (if not over-enthusiastic) examination of our technocracy’s infatuation with smart phones, and it is even a commentary on the absurdity of modern politics. With so much combined into a comparatively short novel, it isn’t any surprise that Edge is a break-neck adventure romp across the crumbling nigh-dystopian remnants of a London.
Thomas Blackthorne, who I have never heard of before picking up Edge, is a writer with a crazy sense of pace. His writing moves along at the speed of a bullet, with quiet, contemplative scenes placed right where they need to be, and always with a good sense of what the reader needs. His actions scenes remind of me of the fights in The Bourne Identity, the first one, the one before the shaky-cam got annoying. They’re fresh, clipped well, and use solid dramatic description.
Speaking of drama, there is a distinct romance here. If you’re looking for an ass-grabbing race, this might not be the book you want. As much as I laud the pacing, it isn’t necessarily break-neck all the time. These are the contemplative breaks I was talking about. The main character (arguably) Josh, and another major focal character, Suzanne, are right up to the hips with mutual infatuation, despite Josh’s impending divorce in the wake of his daughter’s persistent vegetative state. The scenes between Josh and Suzanne are filled with adolescent, puppyish-love (and I know adolescent, damn it, I just left that party… fresh memories and what not). By no means do I imply that they are poorly written or are awkwardly jammed into the narrative; on the contrary, they work perfectly fine. I’m just warning you. There is some adult language here and there. Also, is a top-level military specialist even capable of romantic fancy? I thought those kinds of guys (who are honed killing/espionage machines and little else, like Josh appears to be) just come home and stare at the wall when they’re not deployed. Guys who live to answer the phone call from the government. Spooks. Yeah.
Josh, the arguable main focal character in Edge, is a high-echelon espionage agent from a team called “Ghost Force” that operates somewhere outside and in tandem with MI-5 and MI-6, the British intelligence agencies that make their home in what I can only call a spectacular building. See to the right. Suzanne, the other adult focal character in the novel, is a hypnotist with a psychologist’s training. Or is it the other way around? She employs a very sci-fi’ish version of psychology that allows her to drop patients (and non-patients, it seems) into suggestive trances. This makes her appear to have telepathic powers, inducing in Josh an array of emotions, and leaving the reader often wondering if she isn’t manipulating far deeper than she seems to be. But that’s for you to decide.
A third focal character, and a foil for the adult viewpoints, is Richie Broomhall, a runaway rich-kid who explores London’s garbage-strewn slums and gekrunning underground. Where the other two characters seem to be balanced between intelligent, professional, and human, Richie lacks the keen focus that Josh and Suzanne have. Perhaps that is because Richie doesn’t have an operative vocabulary like the others, but reading him was less interesting and less pleasurable than reading the other two. Another factor that added to that perception was the fact that every time a knife or blade is mentioned (or shown, or implied), Richie goes catatonic and throws up due to his deep fear of scalpels and blades. This is of course explained in the book’s new age psychological pseudoscience, but it never really seems to come together properly.
That’s a problem, because most of this book comes together quite nicely. The plot is understandable, doesn’t waste words, and the other two major characters are for the most part, intriguing enough on their own that I didn’t roll my eyes when I thumbed into their chapters (though there was some eye-rolling with some of the adolescence on Josh’s behalf). Richie’s unbalancing factors may throw readers for a loop.
Another thing that may throw some readers for a loop is the suspension of disbelief required in order to accept that Josh’s hacking skills are as pro as Blackthorne pens them. Josh sidesteps private, local and government-grade security measures as if he were side-stepping a block castle made by a two year old. The author does go into some detail, which gives a better sense of verisimilitude (read: believability) to the whole thing, but I was occasionally kind of thrown off by the character’s depthless technical prowess… all from what I can only assume is the iPod’s Thor-powered cousin.
Anyway. I consider myself a relatively discerning reader, and I found a few formatting flaws here and there. I submit that it may have been my Amazon Kindle displaying the lines improperly, but for the most part it was paragraphs cut or broken up oddly. I could discern where they were supposed to go, and it never caused anything more than a momentary, “Kindle, Y U no display properly?” but it wasn’t a big deal. There are very few spelling and/or grammar errors, which is good. Many e-books tend to be fudged in translation somehow, but it appears this book was converted directly from a digital file.
The cover is also a clever way of advertising Angry Robot Books. Kudos for that clever bit of marketing, whoever thought that one up.
Summary Comments:
Edge is an action thriller with a great sense of self and purpose. The characters are suitably rounded out, and their relationships are believable, if not a tad juvenile. The book’s setting—garbage-strewn London in the middle of a massive recession and teamster strike—is well-recognized and intriguing, though some more detail as to the development of current events would have been appreciated it. The book has such a focus on smart phone integration that I’m not entirely certain if Blackthorne is celebrating or criticizing the current smart phone bloom, but it is definitely an interesting exercise in a What If? Angry Robot Books has the book fairly priced, especially for e-readers. If you like action novels, crime novels, or near-future SF, I recommend it. If you’re terrified of the idea of privacy invasion by surveillance, you might want to stay away.
October 30, 2019
2.5 stars.
Probably would have gotten a higher rating, if it wasn't for the ending. It was just dragging and I was not involved in the second intrigue.
I bought this book years ago at a charity shop, and I didn't expect much; but I gotta say, as soon as I started it, I enjoyed the story straight away.
The main intrigue was quite interesting, Cumberland trying to find this kid, Richard. Him crossing path with this therapist, and so on.
But after this was solved, a new problem surfaced kind of out of nowhere, and I didn't care much how it was gonna end.
Now, I didn't know there was a second book, but I don't think I will ever read it. It wasn't a bad book, just an easily forgettable one.
Probably would have gotten a higher rating, if it wasn't for the ending. It was just dragging and I was not involved in the second intrigue.
I bought this book years ago at a charity shop, and I didn't expect much; but I gotta say, as soon as I started it, I enjoyed the story straight away.
The main intrigue was quite interesting, Cumberland trying to find this kid, Richard. Him crossing path with this therapist, and so on.
But after this was solved, a new problem surfaced kind of out of nowhere, and I didn't care much how it was gonna end.
Now, I didn't know there was a second book, but I don't think I will ever read it. It wasn't a bad book, just an easily forgettable one.
November 4, 2017
I didn't expect much from this, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a high octane thrill ride, especially the ending, with enough pull to keep you going from the first pages.
Ignore the blurb, it's a terrible description of what the book is really about, which actually focuses on themes of loss, fear and control. It's brilliantly characterised and a joy to read.
Ignore the blurb, it's a terrible description of what the book is really about, which actually focuses on themes of loss, fear and control. It's brilliantly characterised and a joy to read.
August 3, 2018
Solid thriller set in a pretty convincing near future. Maybe more believable now than when the book came out. The fighting scenes were especially good. Some very likeable characters. Will undoubtedly read more in the series. Good fast paced action.
June 21, 2017
(Re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com)
I’m not going to lie, I bought this book for the cover. I didn’t read the blurb, I didn’t read the first page, all of the little steps that bridge the gap between a book and my bookshelves flew out the window in the face of that cover. Knife fights! Blood! Duels! Sounds most excellent to me.
When the book arrived I dared to think I had been rewarded for my rash purchase. The back blurb promised a dystopic future Britain where knife fighting had been legalised and where a giant wall had been erected around the city. Sounds very awesome, yes? At the very least it sounds finishable, and yet I barely made it half way through.
Let start with the book’s main conceit: Knife fighting: it’s legal! Why? Pfft, we don’t need to know a silly little thing like that, do we? And honestly, I would have been happy with minimal explanation of why knife fighting (to the death, mind you) was legal, if we actually got to see some, you know, knife fighting. As I said, I made it to the midway point, and not once had anyone actually had a fight involving knives. There was a lot of posturing and ‘why sir, you have offended me! I demand satisfaction!’ going on, but actual knife fighting? Not so much. I’m not saying that nothing happened, but it did feel like Blackthorne (I vaguely recall that this is a well known author's alias, but can't for the life of me remember who...) completely wasted the potential of his world. Here’s this big brotherish dystopic future London, but not one of the events of the first half of the book couldn’t have taken place in a book set in current day London. What’s the point of cool futuristic setting if you don’t make the most of it? Or at least something of it?
And the giant wall surrounding Britain? Maybe the back cover was referring to a metaphorical giant wall, because no mention of such was made in the book, or at least no mention that I noticed. Admittedly, I could have missed it. Blackthorne's brand of worldbuilding seems to be offhand sentences like, “oh, yes, America has three presidents now” with no explanation or follow up or, worse of all, no real evidence that it effects the characters lives in any way. Or at another point he mentions that because knife fighting is legal hardly anyone owns or uses guns any more. Um, ok? More confusingly is the therapist character (always a sign of memorable characters when they have to be referred to by their profession...), who can possibly read minds or something. Maybe? She does this thing where she talks to her patients and somehow her words just fix whatever is wrong with them, or make them think in a whole new way, like magic. She'll say something like 'you are no longer shy' and bam! no more shyness. But for all intents and purposes Blackthorne has set his book in the “real” world and there are no other hints of supernatural happenings. It’s very strange.
I can accept magic therapy powers, but what I can’t accept is magic therapy powers that the author wants me to believe aren’t magic. Trying to figure it out kept pulling me out of the book. What also kept yanking me out was trying to get a handle on the moods of the characters. Scenes like this took place pretty much every time any of the character’s spoke:
Josh (or John. Possibly Jake) clenched his fists, a scowl crossing his lips, “um, yeah, ok I guess,” he said.
Do you see? His body language suggests angry alpha male, his words suggest meek submissive dude. The dialogue in this book was consistently like this, completely at odds with the context of the scene. It’s pretty much impossible to lose yourself in a book when your jarred out the story every couple of pages, you know?
Having not finished the book, I can not say if these faults are with it the whole way through. There’s a chance the last half is one long knife fighting blood bath, but even the possibility of that wasn’t enough to let me ignore its flaws and keep forcing myself through it.
I’m not going to lie, I bought this book for the cover. I didn’t read the blurb, I didn’t read the first page, all of the little steps that bridge the gap between a book and my bookshelves flew out the window in the face of that cover. Knife fights! Blood! Duels! Sounds most excellent to me.
When the book arrived I dared to think I had been rewarded for my rash purchase. The back blurb promised a dystopic future Britain where knife fighting had been legalised and where a giant wall had been erected around the city. Sounds very awesome, yes? At the very least it sounds finishable, and yet I barely made it half way through.
Let start with the book’s main conceit: Knife fighting: it’s legal! Why? Pfft, we don’t need to know a silly little thing like that, do we? And honestly, I would have been happy with minimal explanation of why knife fighting (to the death, mind you) was legal, if we actually got to see some, you know, knife fighting. As I said, I made it to the midway point, and not once had anyone actually had a fight involving knives. There was a lot of posturing and ‘why sir, you have offended me! I demand satisfaction!’ going on, but actual knife fighting? Not so much. I’m not saying that nothing happened, but it did feel like Blackthorne (I vaguely recall that this is a well known author's alias, but can't for the life of me remember who...) completely wasted the potential of his world. Here’s this big brotherish dystopic future London, but not one of the events of the first half of the book couldn’t have taken place in a book set in current day London. What’s the point of cool futuristic setting if you don’t make the most of it? Or at least something of it?
And the giant wall surrounding Britain? Maybe the back cover was referring to a metaphorical giant wall, because no mention of such was made in the book, or at least no mention that I noticed. Admittedly, I could have missed it. Blackthorne's brand of worldbuilding seems to be offhand sentences like, “oh, yes, America has three presidents now” with no explanation or follow up or, worse of all, no real evidence that it effects the characters lives in any way. Or at another point he mentions that because knife fighting is legal hardly anyone owns or uses guns any more. Um, ok? More confusingly is the therapist character (always a sign of memorable characters when they have to be referred to by their profession...), who can possibly read minds or something. Maybe? She does this thing where she talks to her patients and somehow her words just fix whatever is wrong with them, or make them think in a whole new way, like magic. She'll say something like 'you are no longer shy' and bam! no more shyness. But for all intents and purposes Blackthorne has set his book in the “real” world and there are no other hints of supernatural happenings. It’s very strange.
I can accept magic therapy powers, but what I can’t accept is magic therapy powers that the author wants me to believe aren’t magic. Trying to figure it out kept pulling me out of the book. What also kept yanking me out was trying to get a handle on the moods of the characters. Scenes like this took place pretty much every time any of the character’s spoke:
Josh (or John. Possibly Jake) clenched his fists, a scowl crossing his lips, “um, yeah, ok I guess,” he said.
Do you see? His body language suggests angry alpha male, his words suggest meek submissive dude. The dialogue in this book was consistently like this, completely at odds with the context of the scene. It’s pretty much impossible to lose yourself in a book when your jarred out the story every couple of pages, you know?
Having not finished the book, I can not say if these faults are with it the whole way through. There’s a chance the last half is one long knife fighting blood bath, but even the possibility of that wasn’t enough to let me ignore its flaws and keep forcing myself through it.
August 5, 2012
First off, I looked at this guy's name and said, that has to be a pen name. I mean, come on - "Thomas Blackthorne"? Conjures up images of some suave, highly competent, rugged individualist, doesn't it? (I was right, BTW.)
For those reviewers who complain that the cover led them to believe the book was going to be something else entirely, I can only say I hope they weren't really anticipating that the whole story was going to be about the knife-fighting competition that features here, and which is alluded to on the cover. I can't imagine being disappointed about insufficient gore.
The basic story: Josh Cumberland is ex-military, from a seriously undercover/black ops unit that practices all sorts of mayhem, both physical and electronic, mostly in other countries, and has access to some really cool gadgets and sneaky software. He still works closely with some of his former teammates, albeit in the world of corporate training, and knows he can call on them if he needs assistance/backup of either the technological or physical sort. Through those contacts, he is hired by a wealthy businessman to locate his missing teenaged son, Richard, who has run away after his first session with a therapist who practices something that seems to meld hypnosis and neuro-linguistic programming. (The author's postscript notes that the techniques described are genuine, although he has omitted some of the details - presumably to avoid having people actually try them themselves.)
The therapist is female, beautiful, and has an instant connection with Josh (of course.) The teenager's dad is convinced that something she did caused his son to bolt, and with the threat of losing her license hanging over her, she joins Josh in his hunt for Richie, getting quite the education on sneaky business in the process, and likewise blowing his mind with her "voodoo" techniques.
All of this is set in the not-too-distant future, in the UK, where the newest version of bread & circuses is a reality TV show called Knife Fight, which pits two teams against each other in a sort of gladiatorial battle involving knives (sometimes, but not always, to the death.) While personal possession of guns is still taboo, knives in this future society have been elevated to a sort of symbol of legitimacy, with every adult citizen expected to carry one on their person, and challenges are issued routinely for the most minor of offending behaviors. Makes for some interesting moments in traffic, in bars, etc.
The most interesting part of the book, to me, was the future tech/trends he describes: for instance, gekrunners, who perform death-defying physical feats a la parkour, except with the enhancement of equipment that allows the wearer to duplicate the ability of gekkos to cling to virtually any surface. Clothing incorporates light-emitting features that can display animated advertising, slogans, or any image that can be programmed into it. Smart phones are still in evidence, although they now also serve the state as part of its anti-terrorism efforts: every phone and its owner's identifying details are registered and can be tracked at a moment's notice through the massive data network. All of that connectivity also means that saying the wrong thing over the phone can mean a knock at your door and some hard questions from the police; but an over-reliance on technological solutions can leave lots of blind spots to be exploited by someone with better tech, i.e., Josh Cumberland. And he does, as he discovers that the phobias that sent Richie to therapy in the first place, and led to his running away, connect to some of the most powerful people in the country, and they definitely don't have Richie's best interests at heart.
"Blackthorne" (AKA John Meaney) has published a sequel, but I don't really feel compelled to find a copy.
For those reviewers who complain that the cover led them to believe the book was going to be something else entirely, I can only say I hope they weren't really anticipating that the whole story was going to be about the knife-fighting competition that features here, and which is alluded to on the cover. I can't imagine being disappointed about insufficient gore.
The basic story: Josh Cumberland is ex-military, from a seriously undercover/black ops unit that practices all sorts of mayhem, both physical and electronic, mostly in other countries, and has access to some really cool gadgets and sneaky software. He still works closely with some of his former teammates, albeit in the world of corporate training, and knows he can call on them if he needs assistance/backup of either the technological or physical sort. Through those contacts, he is hired by a wealthy businessman to locate his missing teenaged son, Richard, who has run away after his first session with a therapist who practices something that seems to meld hypnosis and neuro-linguistic programming. (The author's postscript notes that the techniques described are genuine, although he has omitted some of the details - presumably to avoid having people actually try them themselves.)
The therapist is female, beautiful, and has an instant connection with Josh (of course.) The teenager's dad is convinced that something she did caused his son to bolt, and with the threat of losing her license hanging over her, she joins Josh in his hunt for Richie, getting quite the education on sneaky business in the process, and likewise blowing his mind with her "voodoo" techniques.
All of this is set in the not-too-distant future, in the UK, where the newest version of bread & circuses is a reality TV show called Knife Fight, which pits two teams against each other in a sort of gladiatorial battle involving knives (sometimes, but not always, to the death.) While personal possession of guns is still taboo, knives in this future society have been elevated to a sort of symbol of legitimacy, with every adult citizen expected to carry one on their person, and challenges are issued routinely for the most minor of offending behaviors. Makes for some interesting moments in traffic, in bars, etc.
The most interesting part of the book, to me, was the future tech/trends he describes: for instance, gekrunners, who perform death-defying physical feats a la parkour, except with the enhancement of equipment that allows the wearer to duplicate the ability of gekkos to cling to virtually any surface. Clothing incorporates light-emitting features that can display animated advertising, slogans, or any image that can be programmed into it. Smart phones are still in evidence, although they now also serve the state as part of its anti-terrorism efforts: every phone and its owner's identifying details are registered and can be tracked at a moment's notice through the massive data network. All of that connectivity also means that saying the wrong thing over the phone can mean a knock at your door and some hard questions from the police; but an over-reliance on technological solutions can leave lots of blind spots to be exploited by someone with better tech, i.e., Josh Cumberland. And he does, as he discovers that the phobias that sent Richie to therapy in the first place, and led to his running away, connect to some of the most powerful people in the country, and they definitely don't have Richie's best interests at heart.
"Blackthorne" (AKA John Meaney) has published a sequel, but I don't really feel compelled to find a copy.
January 11, 2013
I liked the idea, but this book could've been rated higher had it fixed a few issues.
First, while I liked most of the tech described in the story, there is one instance in which the novel places itself historically with great specificity (e.g., 40 years after Thatcher). That puts us at 2030, and the sheer scale of technology is unbelievable. A windfarm along the bank of the Thames and solar barges? Cargo airships? Nano-everything (clothing, shoes, etc.)? It's just too much to believe could happen in ~15yrs (look at all the bureaucratic sluggishness over *offshore* wind and other renewables). The phones and screens? Yes. The added surveillance? Sure. But nanotech being as commonplace and, apparently, as cheap as it is? Nowhere close. Maybe in 50 years, yes, but not 15. So that's one aspect.
There are technical flaws as well:
- in the editing (a repeated sentence near the end of the novel),
- in the difficult-to-believe scenario where someone "cut to ribbons" by knives could've chilled out in a pool for 20 minutes without feeling the effects of his injuries,
- in the dialogue and character development, the latter of which was more pronounced as the novel progressed (it felt rushed in every sense of the word by the end). Specifically, Richard/Richie's ability to survive on the streets given his sheltered upbringing is hard to comprehend. His father is first a caricature, but is later humanized, yet essentially "goes missing" for the bulk of the novel - if he's really not so bad, why? The protagonists's wife is also just a foil - we're never given much reason, other than being told, for the protagonist's stated love for her (her ability to know his thoughts). Now, you could argue that the protagonist is unreliable, but since it's action/sci-fi, and since the writing is more tell than show, that's a difficult thing to support. Not least because the "flawed" hero gets nearly everyone around him to do his bidding without question, including former members of an elite special ops force when he (the protagonist) himself says that his stated goal amounts to treason. For one person to "go rogue" like that is fine, two, sure; but to convince a troupe of your former colleagues, no matter how warmly you regard one another, that they're not, um, breaking the very oath they swore to uphold to the death requires *some* convincing is also stretching believability.
Maybe I'm just expecting too much. As an action-packed sci-fi romp with some admittedly cool ideas about near-future technology and politics, it's a good read. It's an easy read. But if you're expecting a more literary read, the book fails to deliver.
What also disappointed me was the little snippet of the next book, "Point," that was included seemed to include even worse dialogue and "tell-rather-than-show" exposition.
First, while I liked most of the tech described in the story, there is one instance in which the novel places itself historically with great specificity (e.g., 40 years after Thatcher). That puts us at 2030, and the sheer scale of technology is unbelievable. A windfarm along the bank of the Thames and solar barges? Cargo airships? Nano-everything (clothing, shoes, etc.)? It's just too much to believe could happen in ~15yrs (look at all the bureaucratic sluggishness over *offshore* wind and other renewables). The phones and screens? Yes. The added surveillance? Sure. But nanotech being as commonplace and, apparently, as cheap as it is? Nowhere close. Maybe in 50 years, yes, but not 15. So that's one aspect.
There are technical flaws as well:
- in the editing (a repeated sentence near the end of the novel),
- in the difficult-to-believe scenario where someone "cut to ribbons" by knives could've chilled out in a pool for 20 minutes without feeling the effects of his injuries,
- in the dialogue and character development, the latter of which was more pronounced as the novel progressed (it felt rushed in every sense of the word by the end). Specifically, Richard/Richie's ability to survive on the streets given his sheltered upbringing is hard to comprehend. His father is first a caricature, but is later humanized, yet essentially "goes missing" for the bulk of the novel - if he's really not so bad, why? The protagonists's wife is also just a foil - we're never given much reason, other than being told, for the protagonist's stated love for her (her ability to know his thoughts). Now, you could argue that the protagonist is unreliable, but since it's action/sci-fi, and since the writing is more tell than show, that's a difficult thing to support. Not least because the "flawed" hero gets nearly everyone around him to do his bidding without question, including former members of an elite special ops force when he (the protagonist) himself says that his stated goal amounts to treason. For one person to "go rogue" like that is fine, two, sure; but to convince a troupe of your former colleagues, no matter how warmly you regard one another, that they're not, um, breaking the very oath they swore to uphold to the death requires *some* convincing is also stretching believability.
Maybe I'm just expecting too much. As an action-packed sci-fi romp with some admittedly cool ideas about near-future technology and politics, it's a good read. It's an easy read. But if you're expecting a more literary read, the book fails to deliver.
What also disappointed me was the little snippet of the next book, "Point," that was included seemed to include even worse dialogue and "tell-rather-than-show" exposition.
Read
December 12, 2010Roy Wagner 709
Ms51 Readin Response:ELA
After I read this book I was thinking about what the writer REALLY wanted me to take out of it. I think that the main point of this whole book is that one tiny fear, or disability can ruin your life sometimes. The whole chain of disasters that happened to Richard was somehow linked to his hoplophobia (the fear of weaponry). Saying that if you are afraid of one thing, even just a small thing it can limit your life and choices.
Richards’s hoplophobia has dimmed his life and made it miserable at times. If you think back to the book, the whole plot is that Richard is running away from a knife battle. All of the bad things that have happened in the book are linked back to Richards’s fear of weaponry when you think about it. In the beginning Richard found out that he had a fear of weaponry, but soon after he challenged a man way more experienced and strong to a knife battle because of his arrogance. Richard noticed after that he couldn’t win the battle so he ran away, but then his father hired a special force agent to hunt him down, but Richard can’t live alone so he lives on the street and Josh cannot find him. Richard then makes Josh’s job a lot harder by associating with a group of people, he becomes a hacker for them. I don’t think that Richard wants to be a hacker just he needs to do it to stay off the street.
I think that this realtaes to the world because some people dont have the same physical, mental, or economic support as other people. This book kind of says that its ok to have a fear or be differnt, Richard is afraid of knives and it changes his life so much! But that doesn't have to happen to dissabled people, dylexic, or poor people they can make their own dessicions and rule there life, unlike Richards in this book.
I conclude that Richards fear really affected his life but it doesnt need to be that way with everyone. Even if the one tiny fear can change your life, it doesn't need to be in a bad way.
Ms51 Readin Response:ELA
After I read this book I was thinking about what the writer REALLY wanted me to take out of it. I think that the main point of this whole book is that one tiny fear, or disability can ruin your life sometimes. The whole chain of disasters that happened to Richard was somehow linked to his hoplophobia (the fear of weaponry). Saying that if you are afraid of one thing, even just a small thing it can limit your life and choices.
Richards’s hoplophobia has dimmed his life and made it miserable at times. If you think back to the book, the whole plot is that Richard is running away from a knife battle. All of the bad things that have happened in the book are linked back to Richards’s fear of weaponry when you think about it. In the beginning Richard found out that he had a fear of weaponry, but soon after he challenged a man way more experienced and strong to a knife battle because of his arrogance. Richard noticed after that he couldn’t win the battle so he ran away, but then his father hired a special force agent to hunt him down, but Richard can’t live alone so he lives on the street and Josh cannot find him. Richard then makes Josh’s job a lot harder by associating with a group of people, he becomes a hacker for them. I don’t think that Richard wants to be a hacker just he needs to do it to stay off the street.
I think that this realtaes to the world because some people dont have the same physical, mental, or economic support as other people. This book kind of says that its ok to have a fear or be differnt, Richard is afraid of knives and it changes his life so much! But that doesn't have to happen to dissabled people, dylexic, or poor people they can make their own dessicions and rule there life, unlike Richards in this book.
I conclude that Richards fear really affected his life but it doesnt need to be that way with everyone. Even if the one tiny fear can change your life, it doesn't need to be in a bad way.
February 6, 2011
3 1/2 stars.
This novel started out so strongly, then degraded a bit into your run of the mill spy novel, which was disappointing to me. I was promised a sci-fi novel extraordinaire. Don't get me wrong, it's an enjoyable read; the characters are fun and snarky, the setting is brilliant (though like I said above, I wanted MORE of it instead of it just being a backdrop that was explored briefly and then assumed to be present through the rest of the story), and it moves at a quick, readable pace. But innovative? No. There were some inventions I found fantastic, and it is by far one of the most believable and realistic imaginings of our world 50-100 years in the future. I just felt that there could've been so much more done with this particular landscape. The overall format, as well, was a tad irritating to me; sections within chapters ending with little snippets of "insight" into what a character was feeling. I was far more interested in the street life that Richard was experiencing with the gekrunners, which received far too little attention while so much time was spent explaining the minutiae of what it takes to be a covert agent in a surveillance saturated world. It was choppy and incredibly formulaic, two things that I detest in a "sci-fi" novel... I can't help but comparing it to a Dan Brown novel. There is hope in that there is a sequel. Maybe now that all of the characters are set up and a rhythm has been established, more of the awesome world Blackthorne has created can be explored.
This novel started out so strongly, then degraded a bit into your run of the mill spy novel, which was disappointing to me. I was promised a sci-fi novel extraordinaire. Don't get me wrong, it's an enjoyable read; the characters are fun and snarky, the setting is brilliant (though like I said above, I wanted MORE of it instead of it just being a backdrop that was explored briefly and then assumed to be present through the rest of the story), and it moves at a quick, readable pace. But innovative? No. There were some inventions I found fantastic, and it is by far one of the most believable and realistic imaginings of our world 50-100 years in the future. I just felt that there could've been so much more done with this particular landscape. The overall format, as well, was a tad irritating to me; sections within chapters ending with little snippets of "insight" into what a character was feeling. I was far more interested in the street life that Richard was experiencing with the gekrunners, which received far too little attention while so much time was spent explaining the minutiae of what it takes to be a covert agent in a surveillance saturated world. It was choppy and incredibly formulaic, two things that I detest in a "sci-fi" novel... I can't help but comparing it to a Dan Brown novel. There is hope in that there is a sequel. Maybe now that all of the characters are set up and a rhythm has been established, more of the awesome world Blackthorne has created can be explored.
March 11, 2011
What sold me on this book was the back flap and cover description. Unfortunately, they did for this book what the trailers do to M Night Shymalan movies. They painted a very different picture of what's actually coming, so that what you get is most certainly not what you thought you were getting.
I don't blame the author for this. He probably thought it would be properly marketed as a sci fi near future thriller, but ended up watching his book being sold as a duel-centric, gritty, dancing-with-death dystopia. Such is life.
I DO blame the author (whose real name I can't remember, but it certainly isn't Thomas Blackthorne, a pseudonym) for the cardboard characters, odd dialog, and sheer lack of originality in character development. The main character, Josh, is Jason Bourne. We've seen it before. He's ex-military, a genius with technology, and disassociated with society. This character is so blisteringly boring to read about, because he's too perfect. He's got a bit of a temper, which is good, but he's superman. He takes out several men at once, is able to completely avoid detection from all of the government's tech because he's such a tech God, he's in ridiculously good shape and every female character is attracted to him. There is absolutely nothing that makes this character endearing except that he has a daughter in a coma, but that's so poorly drawn and withheld that I couldn't muster the emotional investment. Characters that are pure of heart and can go anywhere and do anything in a way that is so obviously meant to appear cool are boring as hell.
I don't blame the author for this. He probably thought it would be properly marketed as a sci fi near future thriller, but ended up watching his book being sold as a duel-centric, gritty, dancing-with-death dystopia. Such is life.
I DO blame the author (whose real name I can't remember, but it certainly isn't Thomas Blackthorne, a pseudonym) for the cardboard characters, odd dialog, and sheer lack of originality in character development. The main character, Josh, is Jason Bourne. We've seen it before. He's ex-military, a genius with technology, and disassociated with society. This character is so blisteringly boring to read about, because he's too perfect. He's got a bit of a temper, which is good, but he's superman. He takes out several men at once, is able to completely avoid detection from all of the government's tech because he's such a tech God, he's in ridiculously good shape and every female character is attracted to him. There is absolutely nothing that makes this character endearing except that he has a daughter in a coma, but that's so poorly drawn and withheld that I couldn't muster the emotional investment. Characters that are pure of heart and can go anywhere and do anything in a way that is so obviously meant to appear cool are boring as hell.
September 6, 2011
Weird book. I read another Goodreads review that mentioned buying it just because the cover design was so slick, and this did play a factor. Also, I'd just finished reading Lauren Beukes' two books and was feeling generally warm and fuzzy about the Angry Robot imprint.
I feel like there are many other versions of this book where the story is about a near-future dystopic UK and there are three separate narratives about a biofeedback trauma psychologist, an ex-Special Forces soldier with PTSD and a runaway kid who discovers a pharmaceutical scandal. These narratives could intersect briefly at a few different points but would remain on mostly separate-but-parallel tracks. I feel like this author was trying to challenge himself to not write that book. Unfortunately, by writing a book where these characters are all up in each others' narrative arcs, we don't get a more complete narrative, we get 1/3 of three different books.
I kept thinking I must have skipped a chapter or a prequel I didn't know about or something. Possibly there is another book out there that never got written that was entirely about reality TV knife fights, but I didn't read that book, so it somewhat negatively impacted my enjoyment of this one.
I feel like there are many other versions of this book where the story is about a near-future dystopic UK and there are three separate narratives about a biofeedback trauma psychologist, an ex-Special Forces soldier with PTSD and a runaway kid who discovers a pharmaceutical scandal. These narratives could intersect briefly at a few different points but would remain on mostly separate-but-parallel tracks. I feel like this author was trying to challenge himself to not write that book. Unfortunately, by writing a book where these characters are all up in each others' narrative arcs, we don't get a more complete narrative, we get 1/3 of three different books.
I kept thinking I must have skipped a chapter or a prequel I didn't know about or something. Possibly there is another book out there that never got written that was entirely about reality TV knife fights, but I didn't read that book, so it somewhat negatively impacted my enjoyment of this one.
January 25, 2013
I see lots of people didn't really like this. I thought it was great. I like John Meaney's Tristopolis books.
This is set in the near future in the UK. The US has split into 3 aligned countries, and the president is a believer that the Apocalypse is almost here, and is pretty much destroying the US. The prime minister of UK is just a "nice" guy in the pocket of the corporations (not that the public knows) and the county is also falling apart, although behind the US in that.
Our hero is a former special forces operative who has a daughter in a coma, brain dead. He starts working with a therapist, who has some amazing abilities. According to Meaney, most of the skills, both martial arts and therapeutic, currently exist.
Although the book is bloody and filled with death, it is also somewhat of a political satire, and I'm guessing, a warning of what might come.
As usual in a sci fi book, one must suspend disbelief and not think that X isn't possible or Y can't be done, or Q is ridiculous. If you read some of the sci fi greats, who set their books in the far future (70s, 80s, 90s, and books like 1984 or 2001: a space odyssey), you wouldn't even read them because they are dated. But they are not written as prophecies.
If you like slash and burn adventure, read this. If you like all of John Meaney (not just the hard sci fi), read this one too.,
This is set in the near future in the UK. The US has split into 3 aligned countries, and the president is a believer that the Apocalypse is almost here, and is pretty much destroying the US. The prime minister of UK is just a "nice" guy in the pocket of the corporations (not that the public knows) and the county is also falling apart, although behind the US in that.
Our hero is a former special forces operative who has a daughter in a coma, brain dead. He starts working with a therapist, who has some amazing abilities. According to Meaney, most of the skills, both martial arts and therapeutic, currently exist.
Although the book is bloody and filled with death, it is also somewhat of a political satire, and I'm guessing, a warning of what might come.
As usual in a sci fi book, one must suspend disbelief and not think that X isn't possible or Y can't be done, or Q is ridiculous. If you read some of the sci fi greats, who set their books in the far future (70s, 80s, 90s, and books like 1984 or 2001: a space odyssey), you wouldn't even read them because they are dated. But they are not written as prophecies.
If you like slash and burn adventure, read this. If you like all of John Meaney (not just the hard sci fi), read this one too.,
March 31, 2013
Part "Taken" part "V for Vendetta", a fast paced, urban science-fiction set apart by the quality of writing and depth of its characters. A great read.
A near future, post, well, not really apocalyptic, more economic downfall, book, "Edge" takes place in Britain and follows the disheartened and disenfranchised Josh Cumberland; an ex-special operative now searching for hope in a world where it is hard to find. And as cheesy as that may sound, this is exactly what makes this book work. Set against a backdrop of a society where violence has become a commodity and human rights set aside for utility, the characters in "Edge" are searching for what makes life worth living. It is this undercurrent of humanity that elevates this book beyond just a genre action novel into something with a lasting appeal. Not as overtly political as "V for Vendetta", for which there are still a lot of parallels, this is still a book that forces us to examine where our society is really going and what prices we are willing to pay for the illusions of safety and control. While the shift at the end toward government toppling revolution may not be as well fleshed out as I would have liked, this is still a great book and one that I would recommend for anyone looking for a new author to read.
Other books to check out:
Dan Simmons "Flashback", Lauren Beukes "Moxyland"
A near future, post, well, not really apocalyptic, more economic downfall, book, "Edge" takes place in Britain and follows the disheartened and disenfranchised Josh Cumberland; an ex-special operative now searching for hope in a world where it is hard to find. And as cheesy as that may sound, this is exactly what makes this book work. Set against a backdrop of a society where violence has become a commodity and human rights set aside for utility, the characters in "Edge" are searching for what makes life worth living. It is this undercurrent of humanity that elevates this book beyond just a genre action novel into something with a lasting appeal. Not as overtly political as "V for Vendetta", for which there are still a lot of parallels, this is still a book that forces us to examine where our society is really going and what prices we are willing to pay for the illusions of safety and control. While the shift at the end toward government toppling revolution may not be as well fleshed out as I would have liked, this is still a great book and one that I would recommend for anyone looking for a new author to read.
Other books to check out:
Dan Simmons "Flashback", Lauren Beukes "Moxyland"
May 7, 2011
Josh Cumberland's life is falling apart - his wife is about to leave him and his daughter is in a persistent vegetative state with little hope of recovery. Josh is also ex-special forces cyber division and personal trainer, so he has some unique skills to offer when the son of a prominent businessman goes missing in London. Against a background of knife culture, of hypnotherapy, political corruption and big business, this is very much contemporary cyber punk writing, shifting the ideas to a closer near future, perhaps rawer, bleaker, on the cusp of a tipping point into chaos.
Edge is the first novel by Blackthorne, its follow up Point also already out in paperback. Blackthorne is a pseudonym for established science fiction writer John Meaney, with these novels being something of a departure from his previous work to date. These novels are published by Angry Robot, Edge being a complimentary read to fellow Angry Robot author Lauren Beukes' Moxyland - the sense of political control, of police action, of the role mobile phones take in identity and cash culture. There is also, for me, an increasing sense that this could be the groundwork for a series like Brian Wood's post-civil-war DMZ books.
Edge is the first novel by Blackthorne, its follow up Point also already out in paperback. Blackthorne is a pseudonym for established science fiction writer John Meaney, with these novels being something of a departure from his previous work to date. These novels are published by Angry Robot, Edge being a complimentary read to fellow Angry Robot author Lauren Beukes' Moxyland - the sense of political control, of police action, of the role mobile phones take in identity and cash culture. There is also, for me, an increasing sense that this could be the groundwork for a series like Brian Wood's post-civil-war DMZ books.
September 17, 2014
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It actually deserved 4.5 stars because, while not a perfect book, it was certainly above a 4-star book. Thomas Blackthorne is a wonderful new writer who researches his material thoroughly and supports it with great writing that respect's the reader's intelligence. The world he paints, despite being quite a stretch of the imagination, is supported by enough fact and science that even the most skeptical reader like myself is compelled to go along with his vision. He writes about his characters so well that it makes you wonder if he is drawing from personal experience and expertise. My only criticism is that the book was too short and felt like Act I of a 3-act play.
February 13, 2011
I really enjoyed this. It's set in a near-future that has a fantastically imagined world. There is a fair bit of world-building throughout the book but it is well-done and really fascinating. I had a bit of an issue with the shift the book took about halfway though, but it was entertaining in the end and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Basically the first half is "realistic story that gets you familiar with the world" but then it pretty abruptly shifts to "unrealistic epic action" but starring the same two main characters from the first half.
For $4.69 on Amazon Kindle, you can't really go wrong with this, though.
For $4.69 on Amazon Kindle, you can't really go wrong with this, though.
July 26, 2011
The ideas of this book were potentially excellent. However I felt that there was alot of aspects to the plot that could have been developed so much more.
How the society had become what it was, the government, and the background TV show were all begging to be enhanced.
The writing was very casual, giving me the feeling that interesting plotlines were just developed on hindsight.
The story is pacy, frustrating at times, making me want to dislike it, however it didnt and I ended up liking it!
Therefore I have conflicting opinions, and curiousity will make me read the next installment. Would recommend, but don't expect to be blown away.
How the society had become what it was, the government, and the background TV show were all begging to be enhanced.
The writing was very casual, giving me the feeling that interesting plotlines were just developed on hindsight.
The story is pacy, frustrating at times, making me want to dislike it, however it didnt and I ended up liking it!
Therefore I have conflicting opinions, and curiousity will make me read the next installment. Would recommend, but don't expect to be blown away.
October 8, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. The author captured a relatively near future that feels like it is possible if a little scary to think about. The characters are interesting and I care about what happens to them. I commented to another person that read it that sometimes I felt like the main male character was too capable. However as we were talking I realized that if I spent most of my time focused on two activities I too could probably be really good at those two things. I just have too many interests.
January 19, 2012
Like most of the Angry Robot books I've read so far, they're interesting concepts lacking writing style. The idea of this book - a somewhat dystopian future where England doesn't allow guns but requires knives with formalized dueling rules - it's interesting. The Special Ops main character is of the magical Jason Bourne type, essentially a super man. There's a cheesy love story, of course, and a touching father-son moment or two mixed in with brutal 'MMA with knives' fight scenes.
I'd imagine this book has more appeal to other readers, and I didn't think it was terrible.
I'd imagine this book has more appeal to other readers, and I didn't think it was terrible.
November 23, 2010
I think that Richards' fear of knives is really destroying him inside and outside of his body. When the guy at the bar pulled a knife on him, Richard was totally scared enough to run home to momma! He even fainted, in that situation he could have been seriously injured! It also limits him going to places like "The Golden Switch BLADE. It is just messing up his life in a lot of ways. If i was him i would be sad and commit SUICIDE!
October 6, 2014
I struggled to finish this book--and ended up skimming about a third of it. The premise was interesting and there were some intriguing world building elements, but ultimately I didn't connect with the book. It could have been my mood or maybe this wasn't a good match from the start. I keep trying to figure out why it didn't land right for me. I think it had something to do with the characters and pacing. Or expectations I'd built up from the cover copy. I'm still not sure.
Read
November 22, 2010i think this book has a good plot but i think this author could have gone much deeper. i feel like this could be his draft. i also think there was a bit much violence. i love violence wich is what drew me to this book, but this is not right. i also think the violence is in all the wrong places. i think the autor should have done more. im kind of dissapointed
May 20, 2012
Not an easy book to read this is both thought provoking and slightly baffling (the unexplained techno elements) but worth a read. Although based in a world a few steps away from our own, the central theme is about redemption - a theme that translates well into today's world.
May 10, 2012
Great, weird near future dystopian book. It is definitely a love it or hate it book. I loved it. Lots of geeky technical talk and psychology talk that I found enjoyable. Will be picking up the sequel to read someday for sure.
September 21, 2010
My rating: 4.5
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews