The Bookwyrm's Review of Moon City Vice by C.T. Phipps
Rating: 9/10 Stars
"Welcome to the Moon!"
Neal Gordon and his partners, former actress Lucy Westenra and intelligent canine Barksley, are in hot water with Cyberlife after a bust goes disastrously wrong. Put on what is likely to be permanent suspension, they receive a job offer to work for EarthGov directly. Unfortunately, EarthGov is hiring them because they know a catastrophic plague is about to be unleashed throughout the Moon's neighborhood.
Neal finds himself trying to unravel a conspiracy involving poisoned narcotics, a sham church founded by humans from another planet, and a mysterious woman from his past that he was sure had died.
Enjoy this latest satirical entry in the Moon Cops series that is already a best-selling new entry in the Futurepunk universe (Agent G, Cyber Dragons, Space Academy) by C. T. Phipps!
Moon City Vice is the latest installment in C.T. Phipps Futurepunk series, spanning the course of three different eras. This could go wrong for a less talented author, but in this case, he has plenty of experience spinning a multi-generational arc, and inserting it in organically to the overall arc for his written universe. What we get is an excellent continuation of this arc and an expansion of the lore he started with the first Agent G book.
The world building is well done, adding on to the word he created with the first book, and also expanding on the tie-ins from the Agent G books and setting up the future that will be seen in the Lucifer Star series centuries later. It's one of the most extensive combined arcs over time that I've read, and even with middle books that take place between the earlier written arcs, it's consistent within the lore. Disney could learn a few things from him on how to add to lore.
The moon colony is basically Mos Eisley, a hive of scum and villainy, but with Pacific Palisades attached for the oligarchs to stay. Its the kind of place where when someone says eat the rich, it's in the Donner party sense. Life is cheap, and you get the feeling Blade Runner was pretty inspirational in crafting this world. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and life for most is a daily struggle, with crime of all types running rampant. Let me put it this way, if I owned Hell and the Moon colony, I'd rent out the moon and live in Hell. It's just really well set up, and the perfect setting for this story.
The characters are such a fun mix. Neal Gordon, former corporate Marine and Mars cop, has settled into his role as a post-human cyborg corporate cop. He is dedicated to ending human trafficking on the Moon, and this mission will see himself and his partner Lucy suspended for interrupting the business interests of some of the Moon's oligarchs. Neal is an interesting mix of kind of corrupt but ultimately dedicated to getting justice for those who can't protect themselves. He's a bundle of contradictions, but is at heart a good man stuck in a crazy situation. But Neal is never a afraid to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
The side characters are excellent as well. Neal's partner Lucy, former actress and now tough as nails cop, is a great foil to Neal's goofier tendencies, and she is always willing to call him on his crap when necessary. She too has been upgraded, although it is a huge concern to her, since it was done against her will. That being said, she comes to appreciate the new abilities her nanite upgrade provide, and it makes her even more effective in a fight. Gordon's other partner, the bioroid corgi Barksley, is his usual snarky self. Barksley provides comic relief while also being actually helpful in a fight with his own abilities, and his side gig as the head of the Maple syrup smugglers syndicate provides a hilarious look at Moon society and priorities. They just had me laughing throughout. The introduction of Gordon's ex-wife as a clandestine government agent who recruits Gordon and Lucy is an interesting development, because this link to Gordon's past may not be quite what she seems, and the revelations tied to her have far reaching consequences.
The villains are the usual eclectic mix, ranging from gangsters and human traffickers to corporate bigwigs, and there is definitely some overlap for the two groups. As the story evolves, there are new threats that develop, and some of the revelations are shocking, because sometimes the bad guy really is hiding in plain sight. In this case, it's truly a gut punch to Gordon, because what he thought he had figured out is now turned on it's head.
The audiobook narration is performed by Alex Freeman. He does a nice job of bringing Gordon and the various characters to life. He uses inflection, tone, accents and cadence to differentiate the characters, injecting real personality into each, and giving them their own distinctive voice. He was an excellent choice for this book.
I think that having a shared universe can be kind of a letdown sometimes, with some arcs better than others. In the case of this author, he crafts each arc meticulously, and ensures they fit within the overall lore he has created previously, but also adds to the canon in a consistent manner. I think this series will appeal to his fan base, and has broader appeal for sci-fi fans in general. I give this a whole hearted recommendation for anyone looking for a more comedic sci fi series. Check it out today, you won't regret it.
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