This review took an exceptionally long time to write, even though it's not as detailed as some of my other recent reviews. There are several reasons for this. First, work has been insane, and I've hardly had time to just sit back and relax. I'm either working, single parenting, or sleeping. Second, I had to give this one a little more thought after finishing it as I didn't really have an initial clear-cut impression of it. And, in some ways, I still don't. Third, I liked the book enough that I d

This review took an exceptionally long time to write, even though it's not as detailed as some of my other recent reviews. There are several reasons for this. First, work has been insane, and I've hardly had time to just sit back and relax. I'm either working, single parenting, or sleeping. Second, I had to give this one a little more thought after finishing it as I didn't really have an initial clear-cut impression of it. And, in some ways, I still don't. Third, I liked the book enough that I didn't want to half-ass the review. This book deserves more than that.



At a macro-level, this is a solid read. There's some clever science-fiction elements in play here, and the idea of a functioning town existing on what is essentially an isolated oil rig makes for a unique and fun setting. We have decent action set pieces, some well realized struggles between social classes, and there's even a bit of romance thrown in. I was generally well engaged, even if I was left confused sometimes. Overall, I felt it was a mix between the cyberpunk musings of William Gibson and the eco-techno-future of Paolo Bacigalupi. Oh, and it also came across as a treatise on eating healthy and exercising regularly.



Like, for reals yo. There are so many mentions of proper exercise forms and what kind of fats and sugars are ok to eat when you need to stay in ass-kicking shape.



This is a single POV book, written in 3rd person. Our protagonist is Go Jung-Hwa, a Korean enforcer/bodyguard for the United Sex Workers of Canada, which is essentially a unionized brothel that functions within established government regulations. As a protagonist, she's pretty well engaging. In a society heavily augmented with cybernetic implants, she is an anomaly: completely unenhanced and prone to seizures and other illnesses. There were many ways which author Madeline Ashby could have gone with the main character, but having her essentially physically vulnerable from the outset was a rare and interesting choice. In a way, it explains her adherence to a strict diet and exercise regimen. She is determined and capable, but certainly not infallible, and I found myself invested in her struggles. When a new parent company (and a VERY wealthy one at that) takes ownership of the rig town that she lives on, her entire world gets turned upside down. This affects her in multiple ways, including opening up her personality more. Once we get to know her more, we find that she's rather snarky, and there were moments of true levity with her intrapersonal interactions.



"Hwa decided that this was probably not the time to remind Lynch that she was a high-school dropout, and that while she fluent in multiple languages, her mother-tongue was cursing."



In fact, there were several genuinely funny moments peppered throughout this novel, some of which managed to completely catch me off-guard. I don't always get a sense of an author's personality through reading their works, but after reading some of the passages here, I get the feeling that Madeline and I would get along famously.



"It felt like being born, if your mother was an unfeeling machine with a pussy made of steel who didn't care if you lived or died."



At some point in time, the normally "lone wolf" Hwa gets saddled with an exclusive bodyguard job guarding the teenage son of her insanely rich employer (with some typical teenage drama), as well as a supervisor who can essentially monitor her every move, Big Brother-style. The presence of both of these individuals begins to put cracks into her façade, which is most welcome, as it starts to humanize her even further.



"Hwa shuddered. Trapped with her detail on the community floor of Tower-Two, constantly swatting away fairy-lights and standing in line for the washroom behind giggling girls whispering blowjob tips to each other was one of her visions of hell."



An anti-social bodyguard at a school dance? Seriously, that's some funny shit!



So we have a cool setting, and a main character who is engaging and motivated. And we have some wicked and sharp humor. So far so good...



But you know there's a "but..." coming, don't you?



You'd be correct. While the setting is cool, and while Hwa was someone I could root for, some of the other elements of the book just don't work as well. For instance.the technology. There's some pretty nifty ideas being floated here, some of which are even relatively scientifically sound. But some of the everyday tech, the stuff that gets mentioned the most because of how commonplace it is, just isn't explained in a way that makes sense. For example, people have filters over their eyes, which projects a different reality on their vision. Maybe they are walking down a dingy hallway, but they see it as a tree filled paradise. Or something along those lines. And people are viewed differently depending on the filters that are being used. But none of this really gets expounded on. In fact, I'm kind of going out on a limb even giving that much definition to is, as the book certainly never really defines it. It's confusing, and really never gets clarified. There's some other tech like that as well. Some stuff gets a clear definition and is written in a way that makes it make sense. Other stuff...I'm left scratching my head.



Also, some of the action scenes don't quite work. Someone is out to get Hwa, and this someone is nearly impossible to detect. But instead of just killing her (just ask Scott in Austin Powers!), this person jumps through increasingly difficult hoops in order to try and make it look like an accident. Which is entirely unnecessary, as NOBODY would know who did it if the assassination was actually accomplished. For all the high-tech shenanigans going on, the villains were generally operating like amateurs.



The TRUE villain, though, was handled decently well, even if the final threat was resolved "blink and you'll miss it" quickly.



What's interesting is that the book seems to flow better as you get further into it. The narrative is tighter, the dialogue is better, and the jokes are funnier. What I don't know is if that is because I was getting more and more used to the setting, or because the author was becoming more comfortable with her creation, the further she got along in telling the tale.



"None of the students really noticed. They were too busy miming anal on the dance floor."



So...yeah. There were things I truly enjoyed about the book, and things that left me exasperated. The whole concept is pretty unique, and Madeline Ashby gets bonus points for her humor and the unexpected twists that she integrated into the story. But the confusing or glossed over aspects really hurt my overall enjoyment (and comprehension) of the tale being told.



I will, however, look into other books by this author in the future, and that's certainly points in her favor.