cyberpunk
Review of ‘Visceral’
Mathias Trent is an enforcer for the Corporate Council. He’s been sent to investigate a young nightstalker who has inadvertently created a fiend who poses a threat to corporate control of the world. When the two of them get together, though, and discover that there are efforts to control the ‘ether,’ and not necessarily for the common good, sparks fly.
Visceral by Adam Thielen is a cyberpunk sci-fi story that explores a world where corporate interests exercise almost complete control over everyone—and woe be unto those outside corporate control, for they have large targets on their backs. The author combines elements of sci-fi and social commentary in a thrilling ride through a future that has hints of truth in it. Given the similarity to some real events of the present day, suspending disbelief is an easy task when reading this.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. I give it four stars.
Review of ‘The Zero Patient Trilogy – Book Two’
The Zero Patient Trilogy (Book Two) by Harmon Cooper picks up where Book One left off. Sterling tries unsuccessfully to save Bolt, but the goddess Halo appears, wanting him to go to Off Limits. Sterling’s sister, Beige, is skeptical, and serves as a kind of sounding board in an effort to make him question Halo.
This second book in a dystopian, far-future piece of sci-fi, once again plunges the reader into a world where only a small remnant of humanity survives, divided by religion and political beliefs and forever in conflict. One man finds himself caught between the contending parties, unsure of his mission or place in the world.
A great cyberpunk story that calls into question a lot of the beliefs people of the present cling to, and one that you’ll be sucked into with a vengeance. Like Book One, this one still leaves questions to be answered, and puzzles to be solved. Lots of action, mental and physical, to satisfy those who love a fast-paced story, but with enough profound thought to appeal to readers who like a more cerebral form of sci-fi.
I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. I give it five stars.
Review of ‘The Zero Patient Trilogy’
The Zero Patient Trilogy by Harmon Cooper is, in my humble opinion, misnamed. But, then, I suppose the genesis of the title will become clear in either book two or three. In this sci-fi, dystopian, cyberpunk apocalyptic-future story, we meet Sterling, a gambler who lost a bet and now must kidnap a goddess from the society with which his society is at war or his wife and family will be killed; Halo, the goddess he must kidnap—she has a secret that can only be protected by allowing him to take her; and Hunter, a scrambled-brain assassin.
If that little intro sounds a bit scattered, that was deliberate, because I’m trying to give you an idea of this story. It is all over the place, like dandelion spores in a whirlwind. Cooper writes like a mad man. If you don’t believe me, check out the chapter when he introduces Hunter, and does it in the first person from Hunter’s point of view. Oh, you’ll have to get the book to do that, right? Hey, you’re quick on your feet. I’m recommending that you buy the book. I’m recommending you read it.
If you’re not into out-there, experimental fiction, this might not be your cup of LSD-spiked tea. But, if you like to get inside the characters and see what they’re made of, you’ll like the book.
I received an advance review copy of the book in exchange for my unbiased review. I give it four stars.
Review of ‘Life is a Beautiful Thing’
Meme is a human therapist for androids. He’s also a pollution addict. These two things come together when he meets a beautiful android and falls for her, and then finds himself in the crosshairs of a corporate executive who wants him dead.
Harmon Cooper’s Life is a Beautiful Thing is cyberpunk fiction at its grungy best. Part dystopian fiction, part science fiction, and part rant, it will keep you reading and scratching your head. Be warned, though, this book contains strong language and graphic gender groping. If you’re not the overly sensitive type, it will definitely help you get your grove on.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. I give it an unbiased four stars.
Charles Ray's Ramblings 