Red Nexus
Benoit Chartier
Trode Publications
April 2015
ISBN - 1505870941
Trode Publications
April 2015
ISBN - 1505870941
ISBN - 13: 9781505870947
From the Publisher
Once part of the Tokyo elite, Wen Harkwell lost his status when his mother died, and now he’s forced to labor in the depths of the city, far from the easy life of the Heights, struggling to support his thirteen-year-old brother Sammy. By day he toils in a factory and by night he digs for scrap in the infamous Heap under the city. One night Wen is drawn to an old book he finds and risks taking it home—a quick decision with devastating consequences.
Soon after, Sammy is kidnapped, and when Wen turns to a friend and coworker for help, the two find themselves embroiled in a secret high-tech operation that will stop at nothing to maintain their ciphered code. When Wen realizes that the same corporation connected to his mother’s disappearance is behind the attack, he knows he must do whatever it takes to save his brother—even if it means working for the enemy.
In the vein of William Gibson and A. A. Attanasio, Benoit Chartier’s Red Nexus is a dystopian sci-fi adventure full of fascinating technology, fast-paced action, and plenty of heart.
Smell The Book Review
Soon after, Sammy is kidnapped, and when Wen turns to a friend and coworker for help, the two find themselves embroiled in a secret high-tech operation that will stop at nothing to maintain their ciphered code. When Wen realizes that the same corporation connected to his mother’s disappearance is behind the attack, he knows he must do whatever it takes to save his brother—even if it means working for the enemy.
In the vein of William Gibson and A. A. Attanasio, Benoit Chartier’s Red Nexus is a dystopian sci-fi adventure full of fascinating technology, fast-paced action, and plenty of heart.
Smell The Book Review
8 out of 10
This is the second book I have had the pleasure of reviewing for Benoit. The first was The Calumnist Malefesto. I found Red Nexus well written and an interesting take on a familiar theme. The story itself feels like a combination of The Matrix, Neuromancer and other such science fiction novels. readers are familiar with the theme of "virtual worlds" where users log in and feel like they are physically in these other worlds as they perform tasks, complete missions and suffer real physical consequences if they experience harm.
We follow the life of Wen Harkwell who cares for his brother, Sammy, after the death of their mother. Sammy turns up missing one day and Wen must enter into the heart of those he knows have kidnapped him in order to save Sammy. The story is about family and loyalty, even several hundred years in the future.
My usual rule for how I gauge the level of writing is whether or not I feel invested in the happenings of the protagonist. I found myself rooting for Wen in the search for his brother, and the battles and weapons that Wen is able to create in his virtual world is a unique twist on the "jacked in" theory of future technology.
This is the second book I have had the pleasure of reviewing for Benoit. The first was The Calumnist Malefesto. I found Red Nexus well written and an interesting take on a familiar theme. The story itself feels like a combination of The Matrix, Neuromancer and other such science fiction novels. readers are familiar with the theme of "virtual worlds" where users log in and feel like they are physically in these other worlds as they perform tasks, complete missions and suffer real physical consequences if they experience harm.
We follow the life of Wen Harkwell who cares for his brother, Sammy, after the death of their mother. Sammy turns up missing one day and Wen must enter into the heart of those he knows have kidnapped him in order to save Sammy. The story is about family and loyalty, even several hundred years in the future.
My usual rule for how I gauge the level of writing is whether or not I feel invested in the happenings of the protagonist. I found myself rooting for Wen in the search for his brother, and the battles and weapons that Wen is able to create in his virtual world is a unique twist on the "jacked in" theory of future technology.
There's some twists, some surprises, and I look forward to more from Benoit!
8 out of 10.
Chris
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