WELCOME TO THE BLAST

In Parrot’s SF novel, a man relies on the kindness of strangers to survive after being betrayed by his friends.

In 22nd-century New Manhattan, bionic corporate operator Tony Santoro’s friends betray him, stripping him of most of his tech and abandoning him in the low-income, gang-run Blast, “the dirtiest district in the entire metro area.” Tony is immediately accosted by the Helldogs, one of the local gangs. The gang members, known colloquially as “bangers,” conscript Tony into making them money in exchange for his life. Bert, a friendly pawn shop owner, offers Tony a job and a new cybernetic arm in return for protecting his journalist daughter, Adelaide. Adelaide has a remarkable connection with her grandmother’s drone, which she flies using her personal artificial intelligence. As Tony takes on various jobs to make his way in the Blast, Adelaide attempts to make it big in journalism, but something strange is happening to her body. The two team up, and when a video of Tony fighting goes viral, they each see new opportunities for their partnership. Parrot effectively builds the dense world of the novel without relying on extensive lore dumps. The reader is often left to fill in the gaps, but most things become clear as the narrative develops. Dust is a central element—it powers most of the tech in this futuristic setting, and it’s somehow connected to the disaster that’s led to the Blast’s current status quo. Tony and Adelaide each are point-of-view characters; transitions between their perspectives are not always telegraphed with page breaks or other indicators, and the lack of signposts can be jarring, but it is usually clear whose viewpoint the narration is conveying. The reading experience resembles, in an exciting, engaging way, playing a tabletop role-playing game or video game. (As in most RPGs, the main character starts with very little and must work side quests and missions to obtain upgrades.) Parrot’s series-starter will hook gamers and SF afficionados alike with its dynamic characters, unique worldbuilding, and well-written action.

A gaming-inspired cyberpunk adventure with lovable characters in a compelling dystopic setting.