ARMAGARDEN

A tech-company intern and her boyfriend must defeat a dangerous artificial-intelligence surveillance network in this third SF novel in a series.

As described in Neurogarden(2020) and Necrogarden (2021), Brenna Patrick, the brilliant CEO and founder of NeuralTech, developed a vast surveillance system called The Garden to catch criminals. It’s powered by artificial intelligence and a computing network of live human beings in coffinlike, fluid-filled pods. After a coup attempt by Brenna’s digital assistant, Hal, she and her intern, Jenny Mercado, were trapped in The Garden; they escaped, but Jenny and her boyfriend, ex-soldier Leo Marino, are now on the run from vicious government operatives who want The Garden for themselves. Col. Gupta, the head of a covert government project to reverse-engineer stolen NeuralTech equipment, sends assassins after Jenny and Leo, even targeting her family home. Leo works to track down the assassins while Jenny and her younger brother, Mateo, find refuge with Brenna—which is a bit dicey, as the women have a relationship that’s both erotic and contentious. There’s also a sadistic secret agent who’s after both women. The key to survival, however, could involve tapping into the unique connection that Jenny and her brother have with The Garden. In this final installment of Vaughn’s trilogy, he successfully manages to make the digital world of The Garden feel tactile and exciting, as when he compares data to “a lump of coal” and then “a newly formed diamond sucking input from every angle and processing it at tachyonic speed.” The author also effectively counterpoints the story’s tension, violence, and danger with moments of humor and affection, as when Brenna—whom Jenny accuses of being a “sociopathic ice bitch”—finds herself unwillingly charmed by the young Mateo. Overall, it’s a taut and entertaining final installment to this cyberthriller tale.

A finale that balances intriguing tech with a humane sensibility.