11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Action-packed and entertaining!, September 14, 2007
This review is from: The Electric Church (Paperback)
For some reason, I can't say that Jeff Somers' The Electric Church piqued my curiosity when I received the ARC. A few weeks later, as I was looking for something not too bulky to bring along for my trip to NYC and DC, I decided to give this Orbit USA launch title a shot. The story was occurring in New York City, which sort of made it apropos.
I started reading this action-packed novel on the eve of my departure, and I would have read The Electric Church till the wee hours of the night had I not had an early plane to catch. I was immediately sucked into this cyberpunk/noir science fiction tale.
An explosive near-future thriller in which Kill Bill meets Blade Runner -- that's how they sum up this book on the back cover of the ARC. I figure that's as good a description as any!
Avery Cates is a Gunner -- a hitman. As if his life isn't complicated enough, he finds a way to screw up in spectacular fashion when he kills a cop. From that point on, Cates is basically a dead man walking with the entire System Security Force on his trail. Somehow, Cates will dig himself an even deeper hole by killing more cops as he desperately attempts to save his own skin. Realizing that his miserable life has reached its expiration date, Cates will do the only thing that might see him survive. With no other alternatives this side of death, he will accept to kill someone for Director Richard Marin, of the SFF Department of Internal Affairs. His target: Dennis Squalor, founder and chief prophet of the Electric Church. The only problem is that, since Marin cannot be seen getting involved, Cates must face the SFF and the Monks of the Electric Church in order to succeed and possibly save his own life.
The worldbuilding is not your typical post-apocalyptic environment, though the premise is similar. About two decades in the past, the Riots were quelled rather violently, and every country on the planet is now part of the System of Federated Nation. Since Unification, the System Security Force, the corrupted military arm of the Joint Council, maintains order by taking lives instead of asking questions. It's an extremely gritty setting, and Somers' portrayal of near-future New York City and London is brilliant.
The characterization is the aspect that propels this story forward. First-person narratives can be tricky, especially when you're dealing with the POV of a disreputable criminal like Avery Cates. He's kind of a prick, no question, but it's impossible not to like him! As for his supporting cast, a more endearing band of misfits I would be hard-pressed to name!
The best characteristic of this novel remains its swift pace. Unlike most scifi books, which can be filled with numerous info dumps and slow-moving story arcs, The Electric Church reads like a thriller.
Jeff Somers shows that he has quite a few tricks up his sleeve. The addition of psionics was a nice touch that worked really well in the overall scheme of things. In addition, the whole premise behind the Monks, the Electric Church's converts, who abandon their flesh for enhanced robotic cyborg bodies with human minds, was quite fascinating. With eternal lifespans, they seek to achieve Salvation.
Jaded readers tired of the "same old" should definitely give Jeff Somers' The Electric Church a shot! As for me, it is with curiosity and eagerness that I will wait for the sequel, The King Worm.
Apart from Brian Ruckley's Winterbirth, this could well be Orbit USA's most interesting launch title. It will be released in a few weeks from now. . .
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Futuristic Shoot-em-Up, September 19, 2007
This review is from: The Electric Church (Paperback)
Set in a near future dystopian New York and London, this high-energy story pits mid-level hitman Avery Cates against the two most powerful forces in the quasi-fascist world. The first of these is the System Security Force (SSF), the totally tricked-out elite troops who keep the peace in the name of the System of Federated Nations. (If is the "SS" in their name reminds you of another group of elite soldiers, it's probably intentional.) Of course, in this class-stratified future, keeping the peace pretty much means keeping the plebes in line and protecting the wealth and health of the upper crust. They don't pay too much attention to small fry like Cates until one of his hits goes bad, and he kills an undercover SSF officer.
Alas, if you kill an SSF officer, all bets are off, and you're lucky if you live 24 hours. As it happens, Cates is incredibly lucky -- instead of being stomped into a pink puddle, he is made an offer he can't refuse and is directed to kill a very high profile target. This brings him up against a sinister religion known as The Electric Church, whose membership is growing at an exponential rate. The reason for its growth may lie in the wild rumors of forced conversion and brainwashing, rumors that Cates' new assignment will prove or dispel.
Jam-packed with fast and furious cinematic action, the book's real distinguishing feature is its colorful cast of characters. Cates assembles a team to help him -- including a weedy acquaintance with mysterious mental abilities, a British techie on the lam, and strange twin sisters specializing in transportation -- and then leads them to London for the big showdown. It's crucial in these kind of stories (or movies) that the hero be likable and his henchmen interesting. Cates, as the hitman with a heart of, well, silver if not gold, is charismatic and flawed enough to carry the story (until the end, when he kind of loses it), and the cast of supporting characters have enough personality and surprises to keep one interested. The overall effect is kind of comic-booky (not in a bad way), and while it's not exactly groundbreaking or earth-shattering stuff, it should fit the bill for those looking for an action-packed futuristic shoot-em-up.
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Promising but needs work, November 2, 2007
This review is from: The Electric Church (Paperback)
It's original and the character is certainly interesting, but there are problems. The writer spends way too much time repeating his mantra about how tough the uber cops are and how corrupt the system is. He doesn't need to say after the first chapter. It would have saved time and been a better read for him to have just shown us his point instead of his endless repetition.
In a world of increasing interconnectedness the author didn't do a very credible job of explaining how the protagonist was able to slip through so many cracks. It seemed to me that the monks should have been much more adept at tracking him down. These are high tech scion, but they don't use cellular phones? 3 monks with blackberry's would have ended this story fast. On one hand the main character is able to dodge his foes with the help of his reliable deus ex machina, but the reasons his savior could help him should have made his detection easy.
The climax has a few plot holes concerning the security of the bad-guy installation. A supertech strong hold should have been harder to enter...harder to crack.
All in all the work is a good first effor that needed more editing, and a little more reveiw by someone who had more than a passing interest in technology. Any editor who read 3 issues of popular science, or even had paid attention inside a Best Buy, or read a sharper image catalog could have made this a truly great work.
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