An extraordinary protagonist leads a solid, exhilarating futuristic tale.
In this sci-fi thriller, an assassin embarks on a mission that could prevent an intergalactic war in the late 25th century.
Eight years ago, Lucy Okuda had been a prisoner in Synapse Biotech’s space lab. This was also her birthplace—doctors cloned her from the remains of Okuda Yoshiko, a female samurai warrior who died 13 centuries earlier. The Synapse-sanctioned organization, the Obsidian Order, had trained and forced Lucy, from a young age, to be an assassin. After escaping Synapse, she became a hired killer and currently handles jobs for the covert firm M-Prov Carnival Supply. But Lucy contemplates revenge against Synapse, particularly CEO Takeshi Yamata, upon learning that the company’s lab has her family sword and Yoshiko’s mummy (seemingly indicating another planned clone). Meanwhile, her latest M-Prov assassination assignment targets Jillian Caldwell, CEO of Lin Corp, one of the “big three” corporations among the universe’s various solar systems. This operation ultimately leads to another, perhaps more crucial one that involves an unusual theft. Joining Lucy are M-Prov administrator, Thomas Jalil, and his personal assistant, Bearcham McLeish, along with a client-provided combat robot. If they don’t complete their task within 60 days, there’s a strong possibility of war between the powerful corporations. This fourth installment of Hunt’s (A Step Too Far, 2016, etc.) series is essentially a stand-alone with some returning characters (for example, Jillian, from the author’s preceding novel). But there is a dense backstory that Hunt skillfully weaves into a consistently stirring plot of espionage and clashes. Lucy is an intriguing, complicated protagonist who intermittently experiences vivid “cellular memories” of Yoshiko. She’s likewise a formidable assassin with a katana as her preferred weapon. The author delivers searing action sequences that concentrate more on Lucy’s efficiency than the inexorable violence. Furthermore, the story delivers suspense (an assassination target gives a speech in public as readers anticipate when, or if, Lucy will strike) and a few genuine surprises throughout. The ending, while largely resolved, offers hints about the next volume in the series.
An extraordinary protagonist leads a solid, exhilarating futuristic tale.Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5320-5576-8
Page Count: 396
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling and satisfying sequel to the 1969 classic.
Over 50 years after an extraterrestrial microbe wiped out a small Arizona town, something very strange has appeared in the Amazon jungle in Wilson’s follow-up to Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain.
The microparticle's introduction to Earth in 1967 was the disastrous result of an American weapons research program. Before it could be contained, Andromeda killed all but two people in tiny Piedmont, Arizona; during testing after the disaster, AS-1 evolved and escaped into the atmosphere. Project Eternal Vigilance was quickly set up to scan for any possible new outbreaks of Andromeda. Now, an anomaly with “signature peaks” closely resembling the original Andromeda Strain has been spotted in the heart of the Amazon, and a Wildfire Alert is issued. A diverse team is assembled: Nidhi Vedala, an MIT nanotechnology expert born in a Mumbai slum; Harold Odhiambo, a Kenyan xenogeologist; Peng Wu, a Chinese doctor and taikonaut; Sophie Kline, a paraplegic astronaut and nanorobotics expert based on the International Space Station; and, a last-minute addition, roboticist James Stone, son of Dr. Jeremy Stone from The Andromeda Strain. They must journey into the deepest part of the jungle to study and hopefully contain the dire threat that the anomaly seemingly poses to humanity. But the jungle has its own dangers, and it’s not long before distrust and suspicion grip the team. They’ll need to come together to take on what waits for them inside a mysterious structure that may not be of this world. Setting the story over the course of five days, Wilson (Robopocalypse, 2011, etc.) combines the best elements of hard SF novels and techno-thrillers, using recovered video, audio, and interview transcripts to shape the narrative, with his own robotics expertise adding flavor and heft. Despite a bit of acronym overload, this is an atmospheric and often terrifying roller-coaster ride with (literally) sky-high stakes that pays plenty of homage to The Andromeda Strain while also echoing the spirit and mood of Crichton’s other works, such as Jurassic Park and Congo. Add more than a few twists and exciting set pieces (especially in the finale) to the mix, and you’ve got a winner.
A thrilling and satisfying sequel to the 1969 classic.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-247327-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An exciting, thought-provoking mind-bender.
In Crouch’s sci-fi–driven thriller, a machine designed to help people relive their memories creates apocalyptic consequences.
In 2018, NYPD Detective Barry Sutton unsuccessfully tries to talk Ann Voss Peters off the edge of the Poe Building. She claims to have False Memory Syndrome, a bewildering condition that seems to be spreading. People like Ann have detailed false memories of other lives lived, including marriages and children, but in “shades of gray, like film noir stills.” For some, like Ann, an overwhelming sense of loss leads to suicide. Barry knows loss: Eleven years ago, his 15-year-old daughter, Meghan, was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Details from Ann’s story lead him to dig deeper, and his investigation leads him to a mysterious place called Hotel Memory, where he makes a life-altering discovery. In 2007, a ridiculously wealthy philanthropist and inventor named Marcus Slade offers neuroscientist Helena Smith the chance of a lifetime and an unlimited budget to build a machine that allows people to relive their memories. He says he wants to “change the world.” Helena hopes that her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, will benefit from her passion project. The opportunity for unfettered research is too tempting to turn down. However, when Slade takes the research in a controversial direction, Helena may have to destroy her dream to save the world. Returning to a few of the themes he explored in Dark Matter (2016), Crouch delivers a bullet-fast narrative and raises the stakes to a fever pitch. A poignant love story is woven in with much food for thought on grief and the nature of memories and how they shape us, rounding out this twisty and terrifying thrill ride.
An exciting, thought-provoking mind-bender.Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-5978-0
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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