frogggirl2's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is in the oeuvre of Murder Bot series by Martha Wells - there are a lot of similarities in theme, in story, in how the main character behaves and how he interacts with other people. If you like Murder Bot, I think you'll probably like this too.
This was written in 2020 and if I had read it at that point I think I would have thought it was an unrealistic dystopian, but, in 2023 this seems increasingly prophetic.
This was written in 2020 and if I had read it at that point I think I would have thought it was an unrealistic dystopian, but, in 2023 this seems increasingly prophetic.
tiranamisu's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
eric_robert_campbell's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
kmpuzzled's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
growmealibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
towerlocked's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ladylaurenexplorer's review against another edition
5.0
OMG this book is crazy good! I loved every bloody, gun shooting, drone chasing scene. The romance although quick to see, made so much more sense with the over all arch of the story. It made it so believable with the storyline and all the drama going on. I can’t tell you much I was rooting for Mat and all his body-hacker glory. I even liked Donnie’s character, I know; why? Because he made the action so much more intense. Silva is my girl and I love how her relationship with Mat escalated the way it did. It felt so right and fit with the action. I really wish there was more!
trish204's review against another edition
5.0
This is my second book by this author. Well, technically, this is the first one of his I've finished. Which is not to say that the other isn't good, I'm just in a weird place these days (figuratively and literally) and my reading is ... irregular. In fact, I liked the unfinished first so much that I was immediately on board for this latest novel.
Matt is the male MC here. He's a fighter, a veteran even. At one point, he lost his left arm in the war and replaced it (overcompensating) with a machine gun. Since he quickly found out how much more tech could accomplished compared to human limbs made of flesh, he soon replaced both legs and the other arm as well. At the beginning of this book, he is a weapon for hire. But his latest job goes sideways and he discovers that the transport he is supposed to protect has a woman (Silvia, the female MC) on board - a woman that has been turned into a top-notch assassin without having been asked. He helps her and they run.
What makes this story so intriguing is the humour, the quirkiness of this future (which is still utterly realistic what with the news getting tailored to the consumer's preferences and manipulated by influential corporations) and - most of all - the fact that Matt has PTSD and Silvia has severe anxiety. Yet their mental health issues fit so damned well with their technological upgrades. It's a unique and wonderful way to address mental health problems and I was delighted to see that this author apparently has done his research on both mental illnesses so they are portrayed in a very real way.
The action is fast-paced; the examination of genetic engineering, a digital future, drone strikes and more topics was humane and yet not preachy; the characters were partly comical and partly so real it moved me deeply.
Yes, the set-up is weird: a tech story full of explosions and violence that turns into a romance that gets entangled in the mental issues in turn. But the author managed to pull it off brilliantly.
Matt is the male MC here. He's a fighter, a veteran even. At one point, he lost his left arm in the war and replaced it (overcompensating) with a machine gun. Since he quickly found out how much more tech could accomplished compared to human limbs made of flesh, he soon replaced both legs and the other arm as well. At the beginning of this book, he is a weapon for hire. But his latest job goes sideways and he discovers that the transport he is supposed to protect has a woman (Silvia, the female MC) on board - a woman that has been turned into a top-notch assassin without having been asked. He helps her and they run.
What makes this story so intriguing is the humour, the quirkiness of this future (which is still utterly realistic what with the news getting tailored to the consumer's preferences and manipulated by influential corporations) and - most of all - the fact that Matt has PTSD and Silvia has severe anxiety. Yet their mental health issues fit so damned well with their technological upgrades. It's a unique and wonderful way to address mental health problems and I was delighted to see that this author apparently has done his research on both mental illnesses so they are portrayed in a very real way.
The action is fast-paced; the examination of genetic engineering, a digital future, drone strikes and more topics was humane and yet not preachy; the characters were partly comical and partly so real it moved me deeply.
Yes, the set-up is weird: a tech story full of explosions and violence that turns into a romance that gets entangled in the mental issues in turn. But the author managed to pull it off brilliantly.