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ismelllikebooks's review against another edition
2.0
A fun, dirty space adventure. Lots of violence and an interesting universe. Will check out the sequel.
Offspring of The Fifth Element and Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits.
Offspring of The Fifth Element and Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits.
timinbc's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Good start, good basic idea. Didn't take long to realize that Koko was going to escape even an army. Ho-hum, another hyper-competent female warrior. Ammosexual fantasies follow. Adequate plot develops for a while.
Now former partner is out to get Koko. Why? Hmmm .. oh, THAT! We aren't told what THAT is, and FP conveniently had that edited out. So even she doesn't know why she's after Koko. Which makes her monomaniacal pursuit at the end so implausible.
The violence, managed OK so far, now ramps up and we get the scenes the pimply teens will enjoy. Severed this, dripping that.
Then Flynn's problem is introduced, and it just isn't plausible. Could have been in the right hands, isn't here. Ho-hum, the old chase scene through a series of hatches to the outside of something.
And then we find out what THAT was. Oh, please. Over-the-top melodrama, anyone? And implausible too?
Bang, bang, shoot-em-up to the finish. We've known for 100 pages now what would happen to Flynn, and we've known all along that Mary Sue Koko is going to be jes' fine, even if they send a Dalek-Borg army led by a telepathic clone of Stalin.
Barely makes it as summer beach reading.
Now former partner is out to get Koko. Why? Hmmm .. oh, THAT! We aren't told what THAT is, and FP conveniently had that edited out. So even she doesn't know why she's after Koko. Which makes her monomaniacal pursuit at the end so implausible.
The violence, managed OK so far, now ramps up and we get the scenes the pimply teens will enjoy. Severed this, dripping that.
Then Flynn's problem is introduced, and it just isn't plausible. Could have been in the right hands, isn't here. Ho-hum, the old chase scene through a series of hatches to the outside of something.
And then we find out what THAT was. Oh, please. Over-the-top melodrama, anyone? And implausible too?
Bang, bang, shoot-em-up to the finish. We've known for 100 pages now what would happen to Flynn, and we've known all along that Mary Sue Koko is going to be jes' fine, even if they send a Dalek-Borg army led by a telepathic clone of Stalin.
Barely makes it as summer beach reading.
greaydean's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun read. No, it is not perfectly executed, but it is a good fun ride.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
The book takes place 500 years in the future. The world is pretty messed up by now. And one place is sure in the front running. Sixty islands; the place where you can watch a massacre and then take part in an orgy. Brothels and killings. Aww what a wonderful resort!
Our ex mercenary heroine Koko owns a brothel. Life is good. But then BOOM! Her former wants her dead. But Koko can kick ass and taking her down wont be easy. She was cool. No nonsense from her.
The book is actionfilled, since people are trying to kill her after all. I liked the glimpses of this futuristic society. The action parts were good. And the light humour hidden there.
Ohh, when I think of it, then this would make a great action movie. Oh that would be so kick-ass! Well they might skip that one scene that was all ewww, no way! When you are killing you can't be delicate ;)
I enjoyed the fast ride.
Our ex mercenary heroine Koko owns a brothel. Life is good. But then BOOM! Her former wants her dead. But Koko can kick ass and taking her down wont be easy. She was cool. No nonsense from her.
The book is actionfilled, since people are trying to kill her after all. I liked the glimpses of this futuristic society. The action parts were good. And the light humour hidden there.
Ohh, when I think of it, then this would make a great action movie. Oh that would be so kick-ass! Well they might skip that one scene that was all ewww, no way! When you are killing you can't be delicate ;)
I enjoyed the fast ride.
julicke95's review against another edition
4.0
Picked up this book at random and was not disappointed. From the very first page it drops right into the action with guns blazing and it never slows down. Simply good fun.
blatanville's review against another edition
3.0
totally cinematic, action-driven, kick-ass, old school cyberpunk novel.
easy read, no extra calories.
easy read, no extra calories.
mellomellomello's review against another edition
4.0
As a big fan of cyberpunk, violence, sex, and drama I really loved this book despite its vaguely racist, misogynistic themes.
dawnoftheread's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty violent, but if you are looking for fast paced sci-fi with a badass mature woman protagonist, you probably will enjoy this.
cdoors's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A fun dumb romp, and I mean that as a compliment. Nothing to overthink. It starts and just goes.
scifimagpie's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, so first off, I did like this one, but with a couple of caveats. First of all, it's not as dumb as it seems - the worldbuilding is alluded to in quick, breathless asides, very casually - and second, I have to say that just having some fun and changing careers isn't a cure for depression.
So, the good stuff - Koko is endearingly ruthless. She's pretty standard for the model of fast-talking, reckless yet calculated characters. A few other reviewers give her flak for not being complex enough or something, but I doubt they'd ask the same of a male character, so whatever. She still has feelings and a philosophy in life, and frankly, that's enough complexity to count.
The third-person present-tense narration works better than expected, and although pulpy, there is definite finesse in the detailed world construction. Expect gory shoot-'em-up scenes, garish neon, and little moments of depth to balance it all out - even the quick moments with civilians portray humanity, not just loser shmucks working in normal industries.
I do have to criticize the portrayal of a version of "ultra depression" in the book - sorry, but just changing everything in your life won't fix depression alone. I mean, it can help a lot, but meds aren't a conspiracy to sedate people. Again, people have their own experiences with this, but I had to roll my eyes when I saw Koko spit that bon mot. The only other problem I have is the kind of racial coding with the re-civ and de-civ thing - they mention Maori and Kongerkats - the latter being specifically some kind of Asian-descent people - and the weird slang patois feels like a weird movie-Thai-sex worker/Jamaican hybrid language. Koko and everyone else has a very 2000s edge-lord "screw you and your beliefs" vibe, which didn't bother me at all with the Roman Catholic stuff, but did annoy me with the Hindu character (he's only on stage for like, a few minutes later on).
That being said, don't discount the book based on a few lines - it's dense, packed with fun and thought, and will offer a pulpy good time. It has some regressive elements, but they're not totally overwhelming. The writing style includes epistolary media elements that are accomplished creatively and well. Over all, if you need inspiration for a cyberpunk roleplay game or you just want a beach book that feels like an actually original summer blockbuster, I'd pick this up.
So, the good stuff - Koko is endearingly ruthless. She's pretty standard for the model of fast-talking, reckless yet calculated characters. A few other reviewers give her flak for not being complex enough or something, but I doubt they'd ask the same of a male character, so whatever. She still has feelings and a philosophy in life, and frankly, that's enough complexity to count.
The third-person present-tense narration works better than expected, and although pulpy, there is definite finesse in the detailed world construction. Expect gory shoot-'em-up scenes, garish neon, and little moments of depth to balance it all out - even the quick moments with civilians portray humanity, not just loser shmucks working in normal industries.
I do have to criticize the portrayal of a version of "ultra depression" in the book - sorry, but just changing everything in your life won't fix depression alone. I mean, it can help a lot, but meds aren't a conspiracy to sedate people. Again, people have their own experiences with this, but I had to roll my eyes when I saw Koko spit that bon mot. The only other problem I have is the kind of racial coding with the re-civ and de-civ thing - they mention Maori and Kongerkats - the latter being specifically some kind of Asian-descent people - and the weird slang patois feels like a weird movie-Thai-sex worker/Jamaican hybrid language. Koko and everyone else has a very 2000s edge-lord "screw you and your beliefs" vibe, which didn't bother me at all with the Roman Catholic stuff, but did annoy me with the Hindu character (he's only on stage for like, a few minutes later on).
That being said, don't discount the book based on a few lines - it's dense, packed with fun and thought, and will offer a pulpy good time. It has some regressive elements, but they're not totally overwhelming. The writing style includes epistolary media elements that are accomplished creatively and well. Over all, if you need inspiration for a cyberpunk roleplay game or you just want a beach book that feels like an actually original summer blockbuster, I'd pick this up.