Author: J.T. Nicholas
Publisher: Rebel Base Books
Publication Date: January 23, 2018
Pages: 178
Format: Galley/NetGalley
The Artificial Evolution
They look like us. Act like us. But they are not human. Created to perform the menial tasks real humans detest, Synths were designed with only a basic intelligence and minimal emotional response. It stands to reason that they have no rights. Like any technology, they are designed for human convenience. Disposable.
In the city of New Lyons, Detective Jason Campbell is investigating a vicious crime: a female body found mutilated and left in the streets. Once the victim is identified as a Synth, the crime is designated no more than the destruction of property, and Campbell is pulled from the case.
But when a mysterious stranger approaches Campbell and asks him to continue his investigation in secret, Campbell is dragged into a dark world of unimaginable corruption. One that leaves him questioning the true nature of humanity.
And what he discovers is only the beginning . . .
*I recieved this book from NetGalley & Kensington/Rebel Base books in exchange for an honest review*
Review: So I have to admit, I wasn't initially sure I'd be sold on this book. The sci-fi/dystopian aspects pulled me towards it, but I wasn't sure I was going to like the crime/thriller aspect of it. I decided to give it a try and I genuinely liked it! I also thoroughly enjoyed that this was a quick read, less than 200 pages.
So New Lyons is built on what is our modern day New Orleans. There are areas of town that pretty much float, including where the main character lives. Cars that drive themselves. I thought the sci-fi/futuristic stuff was pretty neat.
I really enjoyed the mystery behind the story. It definitely held my attention with different things throughout the entire book. First was what information Campbell's filed held about his past that caused so much to be expunged (is that the right word?) or redacted. All that's assumed is that it had to do with a synth. We eventually find out the big secret about halfway through the book, which finally put a bunch of pieces in place. It helps us understand why Campbell has certain feelings regarding synths that most of the humans do not share. It also helps us understand why a synth, Silas, went to Campbell in the first place to try and get him looking into the synth murders and why he was the best choice. You really gain an understanding of so many things once Campbell's past is brought to light. The other big mystery is why the synth murders were taking place in the first place and who was ordering it. We find out who is ordering it shortly after Campbell's past is revealed, however the reason why these synths were being killed isn't revealed until the end of the book. There was always some type of mystery or question you wanted to know the answer to that kept pulling you along in the story.
There was a few things I wasn't so fond of. It was a bit slow for the first half of the book. It was a mix of just going with Campbell through his daily routine or getting a lot of details about his police work. Usually I'm a big fan of details, but the one thing that bugged me with this book was that we got a lot of details in scenes where we didn't need it. Doing searches through the database, during a fight scene, an entire chapter about a fight with another guy at the precinct. We didn't need an entire chapter to establish Campbell's good at fighting. I think the fact he is a cop and was military gives you a good idea of what he's capable of. But even though we got those details, I felt like the details were lacking in more important parts. How did society get to where it was? How did it come down to society treating the synthetics like slaves pretty much? If something like that were to happen now, I don't feel like they'd be treated like that. These were things I was hoping to get more details about. Overall though, the first half pacing and the details were the only things that bugged me. I enjoyed the story beyond that.
I definitely think the end events set things up nicely for SINdicate!
