The Skull Cage Key: A Novel [Paperback]

Michel Marriott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2008

Chinese New Year, 2042. Armstrong, an upwardly mobile Harlem resident, is out celebrating with his boss (and lover) when they’re assaulted in her hotel room. She ends up in the Jacuzzi minus her head; the cops are convinced he’s to blame. Armstrong goes on the lam, dodging the cops while trying to figure out exactly what happened that night. Answers come in the form of Oona, a sultry sex worker with an unexpectedly deep reservoir of information. As Armstrong digs for the whole story, a disgraced ex-cop is invited back to the force to combat a powerful designer drug that’s all the rage with the young, rich, and bored. As the two men’s paths draw inexorably together, the story behind the new drug becomes clearer — and far more sinister. This absorbing debut novel is a dark, erotic thriller with a powerful sci-fi kick.

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Agate Bolden (March 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193284130X
• ISBN-13: 978-1932841305
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,631,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Pursuit of Joy..., March 24, 2008

By 

Phyllis Rhodes (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Skull Cage Key: A Novel (Paperback)

I was thoroughly pleased when offered a copy of The Skull Cage Key as a review book because I had recently read a glowing endorsement in Essence magazine for the debut novel by Michael Marriott. I am a fan of the Sci-Fi/Paranormal genre and have enjoyed Patrik's Picks tremendously in the past, so I anxiously settled in with this latest recommendation. Unfortunately, after reading the last page, I am not as enthusiastic about the book as Patrik.

The novel opens strongly enough with a young, virile man, Army, engaged in an unfulfilling affair with his demanding employer during the celebration of the Chinese New Year in a posh hotel suite in 2041 New York City. Within a few pages, Army is rendered unconscious and awakens to find his lover's decapitated body in the tub and himself in police custody as a person of interest. Fast forward a few days later when his boss's decomposing head literally lands on his parents' home, he recognizes a setup when he sees one. Fleeing as a prime suspect, he goes on the lam determined to clear his name and find the real murderer(s). In a parallel plotline, there is Reagan, an ousted, racist cop with a shady past who is obsessed with the dark, exotic, and extremely beautiful pleasurist (akin to a futuristic prostitute), Oona, who just happened to bedazzle Army from afar minutes before his boss's beheading.

The selling of joy/happiness is the craze behind the new, highly addictive drug, Hedz. However, harvesting joy comes with a fatal blow as the drug is derived from freshly obtained brain matter. The rich and happy are targeted for their endorphin-rich memories of lavish vacations and lush lifestyles. When wealthy and often high-profile targets command the attention of the police to address their murders, Reagan is hired as a private consultant to work the most recent case involving Army's boss.

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where I started losing interest, but I think it could very well be I never truly connected with Army, Oona or their plight - there just was not enough there for me to care about them as individuals or as a potential couple. Although Reagan was intentionally an unlikeable character, I found his storyline a tad more interesting than Army and Oona's. It was truly the intrigue surrounding the new drug, Hedz, and Reagan's shady underworld involvement with the sleazy Harlemite drug dealers that kept me reading as it proved to be more interesting than Army (including his family), Oona, and Reagan combined. At times, the story read somewhat like a screenplay with numerous chase scenes, weapons-fire and multiple explosions. Factor in a sexy, handsome protagonist and irresistible, highly desirable pleasurist hovering about, there was little doubt that the requisite sex scenes were dutifully (and tastefully) infused throughout the novel.

For me, the most notable aspect (and possibly an unintentional by-product) of the novel is the author's keen rendering of an underlying political landscape, cultural amalgamation, and the complex social constructs in the not too distant future. He effortlessly folds in the concepts of Terrorist Wars, the migration of racial classifications/identities to simply Lights and Darks, the everlasting War on Drugs (same modus operandi, different drug), the use of lotteries in education, and the Maternal Order concept where surrogate motherhood is taken to another level. Such notions and speculation surrounding the evolution and morphing of unresolved contemporary social problems are, at a minimum, thought-provoking. The infusion of authentic historical references from Renaissance Harlem to current events adds a sense of nostalgia and relevance.

The Skull Cage Key is well-written, well-imagined, and fairly well-paced (there were some slow passages for me). It is a novel that I recommend with caveats - from a positive angle, it has smatterings of SciFi elements in terms of cool innovative gadgetry, artificial intelligence, very light erotica in terms of few sex scenes and the introduction of "jellies" in the sex trade of the future, and intrigue in the murder, mayhem, and pursuit to find the real Hedz culprits. From a negative angle, because of the broad coverage across three or so genres, a "true" fan of any singular genre might not be satisfied with the offering as a whole. Thus the middle of the road rating and encouragement to just give it a try and decide for yourself.

Reviewed by Phyllis Rhodes
APOOO BookClub
March 23, 2008

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Not to Distant" Reality?, July 26, 2008

By 

Jack Grimm (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Skull Cage Key: A Novel (Paperback)

Michel Marriott's debut in the written word of techo-mystery is a stunning, well crafted look at the hedonistic future of our society and, specifically, the world of Harlem in 2041.
In his novel he describes the unending, drug seeking cravings of an Alpha/Omega generation, those that would profit from that need and the oversight of a government armed with technology but little or any insight into the basic needs of its citizens.
Trotting out an overweight, forced to retire early cop, he describes in sometimes morbid detail, the "harvesting" of human brains used to produce a fast acting drug, Hedz, that transports the user to greater "highs" than those provided by previously produced non-organic,substances. In a world of "pleasurists," "Lights and Darks" and just ordinary folks, a classic struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, coupled with just enough technology, emerges.
Mr. Marriott provides an insightful view into a rather bleak future but, thankfully, one not void of the basic goodness of humankind as evidenced by several sub plots and characters whose journey's end as they gratefully do.
When not reading, I found myself speculating about the next "turn in the road" and my inclination to assign real actors to the characters I saw revealed on the printed page. My only disappointment was, a personal prejudice, that STARBUCK's still exists in 2041!
I highly recommend this novel.

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Sci Fic!, August 3, 2009

By 

L. Dickerson "shoe addict" (Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Skull Cage Key: A Novel (Paperback)

This book was a great read that kept my attention until the end! Very well written and very believable futuristic outlook. I am very interested in seeing what this author does next!