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A review by the_novel_approach
Addict by Matt Doyle
3.0
~ 3.5 Stars ~
This story is a blend of my two favorite genres, scifi and crime fiction, but it reads as if those elements were two separate stories: the urban science fiction thriller and the who-done-it. Consequently, the worldbuilding was pretty intense. Cyperpunky while also having a teensy bit of a noir feel, it didn’t quite strike me as Blade Runner—it was more urban—but it was close.
In the future, people trade drugs for virtual reality time (which also basically requires drugs to experience full immersion). There’s the usual mob mentality, and impoverished people committing petty crime in our setting, consistent with noir, and also some sweet techy gear.
People wear suits of armor, which can turn them into mechanical animals—it brings the idea of being a furry to a whole other level—and Cassie, our protagonist and private detective, has a pet robo-bird named Bert, a mechanical gargoyle that protects her and the house. Bert’s tech is really quite fascinating because he seems sentient, and he consequently provides much comedic relief. I wish I had known a bit more how he worked, but the surprises were worth it.
We get to the meat of our story when Cassie has a visitor from the damsel-in-distress, Lori Redwood, whose brother is found dead, needle in hand, but Lori claims he didn’t commit suicide. The plot elements around the murder of Lori’s brother were fairly simple and, honestly, not the story’s most winning aspects, but they were palatable.
By far, exploring the world was the most entertaining for me. That being said, there was a lot of backstory and info dump, and I was a bit bogged down by the pacing. My favorite parts were the crystalline moments when the action, science fiction, and mystery elements locked into a vivid mental picture. I also appreciated Cassie’s hard edges. She was a bad-ass protagonist, and I wouldn’t mind reading more stories with her in them.
Our love story with the damsel-in-distress was lacking, but I didn’t really need it to get me through. However, because the romance wasn’t my main focus, the end dragged during the wrap-up of that part of the plot. All in all, the mecha-furries were cool, Bert the robo-bird was cool, and I would give this protagonist another chance. I liked Addict, but it was kinda slow.
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach
This story is a blend of my two favorite genres, scifi and crime fiction, but it reads as if those elements were two separate stories: the urban science fiction thriller and the who-done-it. Consequently, the worldbuilding was pretty intense. Cyperpunky while also having a teensy bit of a noir feel, it didn’t quite strike me as Blade Runner—it was more urban—but it was close.
In the future, people trade drugs for virtual reality time (which also basically requires drugs to experience full immersion). There’s the usual mob mentality, and impoverished people committing petty crime in our setting, consistent with noir, and also some sweet techy gear.
People wear suits of armor, which can turn them into mechanical animals—it brings the idea of being a furry to a whole other level—and Cassie, our protagonist and private detective, has a pet robo-bird named Bert, a mechanical gargoyle that protects her and the house. Bert’s tech is really quite fascinating because he seems sentient, and he consequently provides much comedic relief. I wish I had known a bit more how he worked, but the surprises were worth it.
We get to the meat of our story when Cassie has a visitor from the damsel-in-distress, Lori Redwood, whose brother is found dead, needle in hand, but Lori claims he didn’t commit suicide. The plot elements around the murder of Lori’s brother were fairly simple and, honestly, not the story’s most winning aspects, but they were palatable.
By far, exploring the world was the most entertaining for me. That being said, there was a lot of backstory and info dump, and I was a bit bogged down by the pacing. My favorite parts were the crystalline moments when the action, science fiction, and mystery elements locked into a vivid mental picture. I also appreciated Cassie’s hard edges. She was a bad-ass protagonist, and I wouldn’t mind reading more stories with her in them.
Our love story with the damsel-in-distress was lacking, but I didn’t really need it to get me through. However, because the romance wasn’t my main focus, the end dragged during the wrap-up of that part of the plot. All in all, the mecha-furries were cool, Bert the robo-bird was cool, and I would give this protagonist another chance. I liked Addict, but it was kinda slow.
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach