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Rating: 8.75/10
Synopsis
Keiko "Kei" Springs is a Rider, a specialized form of delivery girl and mercenary all in one. They are among the most highly prized criminals in the dystopian neon city of New Los Angeles. Kei has been running from her past for years and has literally erased it from her mind using a popular street drug called lethe. Unfortunately, you can't outrun your past forever, even on her specialized Nina cybercycle.
Strapped for cash, Kei accepts a job she probably shouldn't after barely surviving a live fire test by a married pair of oligarchs. Teamed up with a group of other mercenaries and cyborgs, Kei is to seek out a stolen computer program that has the power to drive otherwise ordinary individuals to shocking acts of violence. Her team includes her ex, a handsome bioroid assassin, a teenage hacker, and a ruthless corporate exec that all have their own agendas. It'd be the worst time of her life if not for all the ones she can't remember.
The Cyber Dragons Trilogy is set in the same world as the Agent G series and is an exciting action adventure cyberpunk thriller with plenty of humor.
Review
I've been a fan of these two authors for close to a decade now, and I have read all the books they've written. I'm very familiar with the worlds they've created, and how the various characters and worlds intersect across the multiverse they've created. Daughter of the Cyber Dragons fits quite well in the overall metaverse they have created, being firmly ensconced in the Agent G cyberpunk universe.
The world building is a seamless addition to the Agent G universe, a cyberpunk world that went into a corporate run dystopia with the eruption of the Yellowstone super volcano, with all the disruptions that brought about, including massive loss of life, climate change and economic upheavals world wide, Corporations consolidated and end up as the power running the world. This is a world of underground criminals, cyborg couriers and high tech advancements, as well as crushing poverty and unpeopling of too many people. It's quite apparent that the authors are huge fans of the cyberpunk genre, and have used the tropes of the genre to create something that will resonate with fans of the genre, as well as their fans in general.
The characters are fairly typical for these authors. Snarky, determined and often in over their heads, they are the kind of plucky protagonists that I've come to associate with their work. Kei is built in the same mold as Jane Doe from the Bright Falls mysteries, an underdog that punches above her weight class and always manages to find trouble for herself. She is at heart a good person, as most of the protagonists in their books are, but she can kick ass with the best of them. She is the best combination of Alita, Johnny Mnemonic and Mira Killian, with the snark turned up to ten.
The supporting cast of characters is the usual quirky and diverse set of characters, ranging from established characters like Case, aka Agent G, to new characters that add snark and action to the story, such as another young deadly courier like Kai and her femme fatale mother, and even an ex boyfriend of Kai who may or may not be able to help her accomplish her mission. All in all, it's quite the cast of characters.
The narration is performed by Catherine Ho. I was unfamiliar with her work before this, but I found her work to be very entertaining. Her narrative pacing is excellent, and she is very good at creating different voices for the various characters, giving them each a life of their own. She is excellent at injecting the snark needed to make the characters work, and I hope to hear more from her in the future.
As an addition to the broader universe these authors have created, Daughter of the Cyber Dragons fits right in to the general insanity and action oriented stories they tell. I am enjoying the new take on cyberpunk, a lighter view of a dystopian future, and can't wait to see where they take the story. I highly recommend this story.
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