The Bookwyrm's Review of Space Punks by Anna Mocikat

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Rating: 9/10 Stars

Synopsis

Meet the Space Punks—the only ones crazy enough to challenge the Pentad’s supreme power...

David wakes up in a high-security prison on the forsaken Martian moon Deimos with no memory of his past. A chance encounter with Aztec, a deadly purple-haired cyborg, propels him into a daring jailbreak. She brings him on board a mysterious warship manned by the most notorious and badass crew of the galaxy—the Space Punks.

One hundred years ago AI waged a devastating war against its human creators. Humanity won, but barely and at a horrible price. Ever since, the solar system has been strictly controlled by the Pentad, a ruthless coalition of megacorporations.

As David tries to regain his memory, he finds himself fighting battles between mechs, cyborgs, robots and super-soldiers alongside his new brothers and sisters-in-arms.

But is there more to the Space Punks than meets the eye? Everyone on board, human and cyborg alike, seems to have their own secret agenda.

Including their inscrutable leader, known only as the “Duchess.”

Needless to say, the Pentad sends out their best people to get rid of this unruly menace.

And in the shadows lurks the seemingly defeated enemy, a threat to all humankind, ready to strike again…

Space Punks is a sexy, adrenaline-fueled ride for fans of Firefly and Guardians of the Galaxy!

Review

As a big fan of space opera and cyberpunk, I was happy to see that one of my favorite cyberpunk writers, Anna Mocikat, decided to create a story that merged the two genres together, I was intrigued what she would produce. After finishing it, I can say up front its a fast paced thrill ride with a lot of polish and panache, that has some twists and turns that the reader might not see coming.

The world building is an interesting mesh of dystopian cyberpunk and space opera. After an AI uprising has left earth an uninhabitable ruin, The government is not=w run from Mars. There are colonies on Venus and Ceres, as well as colonies in other solar systems reachable through alien tech left over from a vanished alien race. Society is controlled by the Pentad, the Corporations that took over after the AI uprising was narrowly defeated by humanities last hope, cyborg Warriors using technology the AI couldn't overcome. It has left a very stratified society in its wake, with a clear line between the haves and have-nots. This is where the space punks come in. Misfits who don't fit into the system, they are the outsiders who fill in the gaps between those haves and have nots. Technology is advanced to the point where even the poorest people have implanted chips in their heads, but that still doesn't even the playing field, just adding another layer of control instead. It is the epitome of a cyberpunk dystopia, and it is so well executed.

The characters are such an eclectic bunch, but they play off of each other really well. David is the main character, and we meet him as a he is a prisoner on the prison moon of Deimos for a crime he can't remember committing. Deimos is the equivalent of Alcatraz in space, and its a chance encounter with a fellow inmate, Aztec, that sets his course in the book, as he helps her on a mission to help another prisoner escape. While he can't remember who he really is, he seems to have fighting skills that make him important to Aztec and her associates, and as he joins the group, he puts those skills to use as the space punk group they are a part of is now on the run from the Pentad after coming into possession of an alien artifact, the kind of thing the Pentad will kill anyone in their way to get a hold of. It 

The secondary characters are the usual well rounded bunch I would expect from this author. Aztec is more a second lead, and she is such a fun character. A beautiful woman, she is death on two legs, as she is a former spec ops soldier, specifically augmented with cyborg limbs and other augments to be able to fight AI troops, although she is quite capable of killing human thugs. She is skilled and focused, but also has a sense of humor and still cares about people. She comes across as a complete person, not just a Merciless killing machine. She very much lives, laughs and loves, although going murder hobo at times is an occupational hazard. Her partner Nightingale was her partner in spec ops. He is a bit more fatalistic, knowing that he is unlikely to die in bed as an old man, so he takes a gallows humor approach to life. He is as competent and dangerous as Aztec, and is the kind of person who will make the ultimate sacrifice for those he loves.

The rest of the characters are excellent as well. Bonesaw, their combat surgeon, is another confident, competent character, and she loves to tease David, as he finds her  extremely attractive, and I could see they might have something down the Road. The captain of the ship, who they call Captain Jack, is a big bear of a man, and not a swishy pirate, but he is a fun character. He really cares about his crew, and you can tell that he definitely knows his job and can be trusted when the chips are down. The wonder of their ship, the Duchess, is a beautiful mystery. She seems to know more than everybody else, and has knowledge way beyond the rest of the crew. One of her mysteries is revealed at the end of the book, and it throws her backstory into view for all to see, and it's a complete shock. An excellent twist. Niemand is the Duchesses mysterious partner, and when his past is revealed, its another fantastic twist as well, which explains his often reserved demeanor in the story. The last crewmember is Galahad, the pilot of their ship, the Nephilim. He is a hilariously snarky cyborg who is literally attached to the ship.  Great pilot, but he is more than happy to make fun of his crewmates in his definitely fake British accent. They are all just a fun bunch that mixes the action and humor in the best ways.

There were several antagonists in the story. One is called Wraith, a mysterious crime lord who tries to set the group up for destruction trying to recover the artifact. It's bad for him that the crew is so talented though, and the menace they faced wasn't enough to take them out. The true menace is Lucien, who is attached to the Pentad, and is a truly chilling, ruthless character. He also has a mysterious connection to the Duchess in their past, one that is somewhat revealed at the end of the story to excellent effect. They are excellent foils for the team.

The audiobook is narrated by a full cast. I actually enjoyed this performance, because it allows for a wide range of voices and personalities to shine through. I think it allows the humor to shine through more, IN addition, the dialogue slows more smoothly, much more like a conversation instead of reading, so it is is engages the listener just a little bit more. 

I think this book has appeal to a wide range of fans. With it's sci fi elements, it can appeal to space opera fans. It's cyberpunk elements will appeal to those who enjoy a dystopian future read. I give this a definite thumbs up recommendation.