A review by scifimagpie
Koko Takes a Holiday by Kieran Shea
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.