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ANGELA ARCHER

Horror & Sci-fi Author

Into Neon – Book Review

Into Neon: A Cyberpunk Saga

“Star Wars Meets Blade Runner In An Awesome Adventure!” -Amazon Review (5 Stars)

Moss’ life is going nowhere until a mysterious woman knocks on his door and leaves him with the key to take down one of the world’s largest corporations. When he discovers a familial connection to the stranger, Moss leaves the comfort of his home with his best friend for the sprawling megacity.

There, he joins a group of ruffians dedicated to freeing people from the yoke of the evil companies. Police-for-hire, motorcycle gangs and betrayal threaten them at every turn.

Can Moss help this small group of rebels fight the power before it’s too late? Find out in Into Neon: A Cyberpunk Saga.

Quantum Entanglement Rating
70%

Review

I was pretty impressed by this cool cover by Covers by Christian. I think cover designers get a little forgotten about once you’ve read the book, so here’s a shout out to Christian for a cracking job!
 
The story starts in a Orwellian – 1984 – kinda way. Every move a worker makes is monitored and recorded. On the surface it seems idyllic to Moss, every need is met, they don’t even have to dress themselves but all that surveillance is shudder-worthy.
 
Moss ends up getting semi-dragged into a situation where he has to leave his safe little world. This situation seems a little flimsy but I think the author was trying to create an air of mystery to save the big reveals for later. I think the breadcrumbs were just enough to keep me reading.
 
Moss and his friends are believable and enjoyable, I particularly enjoyed one of the side characters, Burn, if ever a side character should get their own story, he’s an ideal candidate. On the flip side there were times I didn’t understand the thoughts behind the characters actions. This was really frustrating as I really wanted to get to know the characters a little more. 
 
There’s a sub-plot about a motor cycle gang chasing after them but this sort of just fizzles out. I expected the gang to become relevant – or at least more relevant than it was but they just sort of disappeared. 
 
I almost DNF this book (a rarity for me) because the author used the word ‘which’ far too many times. It was in the exposition and in the dialogue. Potentially the author was using it correctly but there were often times when I expected to read a ‘that’ instead.
 
I did a quick Kindle search and the author uses the word ‘which’ 157 times in the book. Here’s an example:
 
Rings of condensation formed around the hands which Moss had pressed against the window as he looked.
 
All authors have these crutch words or phrases. Lee Child had one in his first Jack Reacher novel – Killing Floor. If you’ve read it you’ll know that the car he drove ‘nosed into the driveway’ or maybe it ‘nosed out of the carpark’ quite frequently. They can be quite annoying and did pull me out of the story. 
 
Don’t get me wrong, overall it is a good story well told, the tech was believable and characters were likeable. I wouldn’t be put off reading something else by Goodwin.
 
I set the Quantum Entanglement Rating (QER) to 70% enjoyment. The percentage reduction was solely due to the excessive amount of ‘whiching’.
 
Have you read it? Let me know what you think in the comments below…

Up Next

Cyber Seed Quadrilogy: The Complete Box Set (Books 1-4 of the Near-Future Sci-Fi Technothriller Series)

Some inventions change the world. Others send it straight to hell…

Grab all four books in the thrilling CYBER SEED QUADRILOGY for one low price, in this great value 1200-page sci-fi box set!


When Kurt Jacobs imagines the ultimate gadget — one capable of replacing phones, credit cards, keys and TVs — the idea consumes his every waking moment. When the Sycamore corporation buys into Kurt’s creation and The Seed becomes a reality, his every dream comes true.

Power like this has never existed.

The launch of The Seed, a powerful microchip implant that turns each user’s palm into a fully functioning trackpad and effectively turns them into walking computers, breaks all sales records. Alongside the augmented reality UltraLenses which act as the system’s display, it immediately renders all handheld devices obsolete.

But amid all of the awe and optimism, there is far more going on behind the curtain than Kurt or anyone else could ever have predicted…

Got any recommendations?

Drop me a message or leave a comment below and I’ll check it out!

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