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
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.
iffer's review against another edition
2.0
Ehhh, so I picked this book up as my "Judge a book by it's cover" category for a reading challenge. I thought that it looked like some ridiculous B-movie-esque fun. Unfortunately, despite being an adrenaline-filled action romp, it somehow didn't manage to entertain me that much. I think that it probably *would* make a better B-movie.
As an intentionally campy cyberpunk novel, it's not going to win any PC awards. Although it didn't make me that angry, it's obvious that this book was also an excuse to have hot chicks shoot and blow stuff up. The not-that-great portrayal might not have even bugged me at all (probably because I love sci-fi, action, comics, etc and have a high threshold for crappy portrayals of women) except for the big "secret" that the woman who put out a hit on Koko is trying to hide
As an intentionally campy cyberpunk novel, it's not going to win any PC awards. Although it didn't make me that angry, it's obvious that this book was also an excuse to have hot chicks shoot and blow stuff up. The not-that-great portrayal might not have even bugged me at all (probably because I love sci-fi, action, comics, etc and have a high threshold for crappy portrayals of women) except for the big "secret" that the woman who put out a hit on Koko is trying to hide
Spoiler
she strangled a baby she just gave birth do? WTF?!krazykentreader's review against another edition
4.0
It's got some good action although it felt like there were some important stuff missing as if the author wanted the book done as quickly as possible but otherwise very entertaining and cannot wait to read the sequels.
morganaaah's review
adventurous
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
fun.
stacialithub's review against another edition
3.0
Fast-paced & exciting sci-fi/cyperpunk action book -- no brain cells required, but fun for beach/pool reading. It's like watching a blockbuster, summer action movie with words instead of pictures. Grab some popcorn & enjoy!
leelah's review
4.0
4 stars
This book is cray cray.
Koko is ex-mercanary who went of the grid and she's hiding on The Sixty Island resort....- think something like pleasure island/Fhloston planet from Fifth Element -where she's running a brothel. Suddenly, everyone wants to kill her and the person who put a hit on Koko is her ex-colleague and friend who helped her hide in the first place. Koko teams up with cop who is diagnosed with Depressus, mental condition that force a person to join mass suicide event and they are truying to figure out what's going on and stay alive in the process.
You can pretty much guess, but there is a lot of mind control and mental manipulation experiments; world building is fantastic, but few times it jumped awkwardly from scene to scene which can be distracting if narrator is also changed. :\ And that is tied to another thing- characters' voice is very distinctive with sly undertones and humor can be a bit too dry and cynical in few situations, so if you are not a fan- it can be trouble. :)
Superfast paced, action filled cyberpunk romp I enjoyed great deal.
And that cover...brilliant! :)