A review by biblio_creep
Counterweight by Djuna

3.0

Read if you’re looking for: 

• A noir, sci-fi mystery with corporate espionage
• A fictional island nation grappling with colonization
• Tons of film and literature references
• Written by a mysterious, anonymous, queer author
• Author originally intended it to be a low-budget sci-fi movie
• Translated Korean fiction

In this story our main character, Mac, works in the espionage division of a Korean mega-corporation / conglomerate, LK. He was close with the former CEO, who has recently passed away, and now in the power vacuum there are various faction vying for the top position. Mac is part of the old guard, and his position is now tenuous. Meanwhile, LK is currently building the world’s first space elevator on the fictional island of Patusan, a country who had a failing economy before LK bought the land and started building. However, the Patusan Liberation Front isn’t happy with this corporate take over, and continues to fight for Patusan’s sovereignty. There are also brain-implants used by most people that record memories, and the memories of the old CEO are hidden somewhere in the construction of the space elevator, and could be critical to humanity’s future. Mac is running against the clock, and all of these other corporate factions, in order to find this crucial data first.

I find it really interesting that the author originally envisioned this as a low-budget sci-fi movie, and that feel really comes through when you’re reading it. It also gives some gritty, noir Blade Runner vibes. I also was intrigued by the author, Djuna, who writes under a nom de plume and seemingly keeps their identity a secret because they are queer, wearing masks during the few interviews they have given.

Unfortunately, all these facts surrounding the book were more interesting to me than the book itself. I was engaged enough with the book while I was reading it to finish it, so I wasn’t bored. But it’s one of those books that didn’t really stick with me after I finished it. I did enjoy the style of the writing; as I mentioned before, it evoked a gritty, sci-fi feel. However, I found the plot to be a little bit disjointed and difficult to follow at times because the characters’ motivations didn’t always seem to make sense to me. However, this could be due to some things that were lost in translation, and it’s possible that I wasn’t catching all of the references and allusions. This book is very unique and gives great vibes, also reminding me of old spy novels, so I would still recommend you give it a try if you enjoy hard-boiled detective stories in a sci-fi setting.

CW: Death, Blood, Violence, Murder, Colonization, Gore, Rape, Suicide, Chronic illness