Ghost of the Neon God - Review
Link to the author's (T. R. Napper) personal website
Genre: Sci-Fi
Publication Type: Book
Tags:
- Average Age of Main Characters (25)
- Length (2 / 10)
Link to Goodreads
Blurb: Jackson Nguyen is a petty crook living slim on the mean streets of Melbourne. When he crosses paths with a desperate, but wealthy, Chinese dissident, begging for his help, Jack responds in the only natural he steals her shoes.
And yet, despite every effort to mind his own damn business, a wild spiral into the worst kind of trouble begins – Murder, mayhem, fast cars, fast-talking, bent cops, and long straight highways into the terrible beauty of the vast Australian Outback.
In Jack’s world, taking a stand against the ruling class is the shortest path to a shallow grave. But when an Earth-shattering technology falls into his hands, he must do everything he can to stop the wrong people taking it. In a world of pervasive government surveillance and oppressive corporate control, it’s up to a small-time criminal to keep the spark of human rebellion alive.
Review: The first part of this book had me questioning my sanity, and it took me a solid 20 minutes to recognise that's because I'd read the first part in Neon Leviathan! This short novel is essentially an extension of that shorter unfinished story, where it now adds a middle and an end. Naturally, given how much I liked the first act already, I loved the story. The dialogue is natural and often hilarious, and it manages this in a beautifully built (terrifying) cyberpunk-future, where violent scenes happens frequently. I think what I appreciate most about works from the author, aside from the setting and fantastic portrayal of Australia, is that there are so many directions the story can go in. That is, I am not carrying an expectation that by the end some hero will figure out a humane compromise where the smaller nations, global super powers, and rogue AIs all live in harmony. What expectation do I carry? That one should read this book if remotely intrigued by the premise. Strong recommend!