Book Review: Falling Into Oblivion by Aaron M. Payne
Genre(s): Science Fiction / Cyberpunk
Book Synopsis:
MODIFICATIONS COME AT A PRICE.
Detective Sol Harkones is tangled in the wires of a deadly conspiracy involving defective body modifications causing permanent brain damage. A suspect is known, but something more dangerous may be lurking in the shadows.
A city plagued by waste.
Violence fills the streets.
Oblivion is within reach.
Review:
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mystery deaths, a determined detective, cybernetic modifications (both legal and not), mechanical dragons, and a whole lot of action make up this book. It was a wild ride from start to finish.
It begins at a frenetic pace and doesn’t let up until the end. Sol Harkones is the main character, a detective assigned to investigate the unusual death of a teenager. He’s desperate to close it out; in his world, completing cases is the only way to get paid, and he’s hurting for credits. He’s unwilling to take a break until the mystery is solved, which makes for a really long day.
The story was action-packed and a lot of fun. I especially liked the various cybernetic mods presented (the illegal ones were pretty creative at times), and Sol’s stubborn refusal to augment himself with any. It made for an interesting dichotomy and laid the groundwork for some of his personal challenges. But Sol isn’t without a means to combat the cybernetically-enhanced criminals he confronts, and there are a few pretty cool combat scenes.
This book doesn’t do anything terribly groundbreaking, but it’s fun. Sometimes I need a book like that, one that doesn’t force me to think too hard, but has a great story and a few unique elements to keep me entertained. Falling Into Oblivion is like an action movie in book form, and I think it’s a promising start to the series.
So if you’re looking for an action-packed sci-fi with a mystery at its heart, definitely check this one out.
Falling Into Oblivion is available for preorder and will release October 4, 2024.
Author website: bibliotheory.com
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