David M.

Great atmosphere/characters/narration

Revisado: 05-24-23

Solid sci-fi action-adventure with excellent atmosphere and team dynamics. Not to completely retread the blurb, but when a sanitized corporate town/environment is faced with a disaster it was never designed for, it's human ingenuity and spirit that has to step up and stand in the gap.

There is plenty of action, drama, terror, problem-solving, and heart. I find plenty of elements akin to BioShock, The Abyss, Frederick Pohl, and many other fine monster-hunting sources of entertainment.

If you've read Landry and Logue, you'll recognize a lot of themes and elements: yes, human ingenuity and spirit overcoming a complex interplay of opposing will and unfeeling systems; characters who overcome past trauma by reforging themselves in the present; commitment to teamwork and collective ingenuity raising the whole above individual capabilities; implications of a well-worn and far-reaching universe of which we are individually only a small but crucial part; ultimate meaning found in one's character and the the value we create in the bonds between each other. Many others: it's all there.

Finally, for audio listeners (my experience was half Kindle, half audio, with Kindle/Audible seamlessly switching back and forth depending on whether I was driving or out to dinner), Jessica Threet has a really smooth, consistent delivery. You can just sit back and let the story come to life. She was an outstanding choice.

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Finely Crafted Post-Cyberpunk LitRPG

Revisado: 11-05-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Zachary Johnson has a really smooth, intense voice, which works for this world. Cyber Squad itself is an outstanding post-cyberpunk noir-light, with plenty of action, realistic characters you can trust to just be themselves and be plausible, with a much stronger sense of plot and story than we often see in the genre. It blends some of the best and most down-to-earth features of anime style with classic story structure and a Western / East European civ worldview.

For attentive fans of the plot-behind-the-plot, there are some tantalizing undercurrents building foreshadowing throughout the story with minor payoffs in the current story, but clear setups for even greater revelations down the road. (Without being overly spoilerrific, consider avatar appearances, the demeanor of long-time testers, and hints about the effects of protracted time in-game.)

It's a bit non-traditional in that there's a heavy but meaningful out-of-game component, and the leveling takes place out-of-game and yet is dependent on in-game actions (e.g., leveling up in the real-life profession as a result of in-game actions). Non-traditional, but totally works, and in-genre.

All told, an excellent read. You're in outstanding hands here, and if any of the above resonates with you as it did with me, add it to your library now.

Genre markers: Creamy LitRPG, No Harem, Post-Cyberpunk, VR Immersion

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