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moobys157's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
angelicide's review
5.0
This book was amazing. Easily one of the best gritty cyberpunk novels I've read. The funny thing is, I don't remember being that impressed with the first two books in the series. Either the author really stepped it up for the finale or I must not have been in the right frame of mind to appreciate the earlier titles. Makes me want to go back and re-read them now.
Avery Cates, the anti-hero, is the perfect balance of aging bad-ass, smart-ass, jack-ass, and secret goody-two-shoes. The supporting characters are all well-rendered and memorable. The dystopian setting, while nothing new, feels very real--at times, even uncomfortably so.
All things considered, the writing is really the star. The dialogue was near-perfect, each voice distinct and believable. The description was never overdone or too vague, with just enough focus on the right kind of detail to set the tone. It was smart, funny, disturbing, and action-packed--just the way I like them. Bravo, Mr. Somers!
Avery Cates, the anti-hero, is the perfect balance of aging bad-ass, smart-ass, jack-ass, and secret goody-two-shoes. The supporting characters are all well-rendered and memorable. The dystopian setting, while nothing new, feels very real--at times, even uncomfortably so.
All things considered, the writing is really the star. The dialogue was near-perfect, each voice distinct and believable. The description was never overdone or too vague, with just enough focus on the right kind of detail to set the tone. It was smart, funny, disturbing, and action-packed--just the way I like them. Bravo, Mr. Somers!
kilcannon's review
3.0
I'm not sure why I keep reading and increasingly liking these books. They're pretty dumb, painfully affected, and are only as stylish as joyless repetition of "fuck" can make them.
But they truck along nice and violent-like at such a good pace, with enough spectacle and action to apparently make me a committed fan of the series.
But they truck along nice and violent-like at such a good pace, with enough spectacle and action to apparently make me a committed fan of the series.
koseto_tliterature's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
socr8sjohnson's review
4.0
Despite having problems with Printing errors and having to reorder the book this book was really good. Somers keeps getting better and better as this series goes on. He has a style that pulls all the best from Cyberpunk genre and the noir detective. It makes for great action and a story that demands that you keep turning pages.
tdeshler's review
3.0
This one wasn't quite as good as the first two, perhaps because it was never really clear where it was headed - depressing at the beginning, depressing in the middle, but maybe a tinge of less depressing hope at the end. I haven't decided yet whether I'll finish the series.
albatrossonhalfpointe's review
4.0
If you'd told me before I started reading this series that I would actually come to love it a little bit, I don't think I would have believed you. Cyberpunk is so not my thing. And yet, what can I say? I kind of love Avery Cates, and I kind of love Jeff Somers.
The gun battles, of course, remain one of Somers' huge strengths, but I also love his insanely convoluted plotlines that somehow all come together in the end. Sort of. His characters are almost all self-serving, snarky assholes that you somehow develop a certain affection for despite their lack of pretty much any redeeming qualities. And I love that when he bounces you back and forth between times and locations from one chapter to the next, he doesn't pander to those not paying attention by adding little bylines to tell you where you are now. He just works something into the first paragraph or so that, provided that you are in fact paying attention, clues you in to where you are. (He is also considerate enough to consistently alternate between only two such settings so that even without the clues, one should be bright enough to pick up on the pattern after a few chapters, but anyway.)
The upshot is that these books are not deep, and I have nothing insightful to say about them, but as long as he continues to write them, I expect that I will continue to read and thoroughly enjoy them.
The gun battles, of course, remain one of Somers' huge strengths, but I also love his insanely convoluted plotlines that somehow all come together in the end. Sort of. His characters are almost all self-serving, snarky assholes that you somehow develop a certain affection for despite their lack of pretty much any redeeming qualities. And I love that when he bounces you back and forth between times and locations from one chapter to the next, he doesn't pander to those not paying attention by adding little bylines to tell you where you are now. He just works something into the first paragraph or so that, provided that you are in fact paying attention, clues you in to where you are. (He is also considerate enough to consistently alternate between only two such settings so that even without the clues, one should be bright enough to pick up on the pattern after a few chapters, but anyway.)
The upshot is that these books are not deep, and I have nothing insightful to say about them, but as long as he continues to write them, I expect that I will continue to read and thoroughly enjoy them.
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