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Nigel Findley

2Xs Paperback – January 1, 2003

by Fanpro (Author)

4.8 38 ratings

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Book by Fanpro

Print length

324 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Fanpro Llc
Publication date

January 1, 2003
ISBN-10

0451452100
ISBN-13

978-0451452108
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Nigel D. Findley
10
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10 offers from $2.47
Christopher Kubasik
60
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Nigel D. Findley
9
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4 offers from $3.75
Tom Dowd
12
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9 offers from $3.97
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6
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Robert N. Charrette
669
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fanpro Llc (January 1, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 324 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0451452100
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0451452108
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces

Best Sellers Rank: #4,204,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #171,088 in Science Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.8 38 ratings

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4.8 out of 5

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J J

Exactly as advertised! 100% Satisfaction!

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2023

Verified Purchase

This was one of my Favorite books when I was a teenager. Years later a girlfriend that didn't know what it meant to me donated this to a school. I was slightly upset but knew this would bring someone else as much enjoyment as I got out of it. Now that I am older I wished I had it to read again. I wanted an original First edition. This is actually in slightly better condition than my previous copy was. It is a first edition and was in the condition as advertised. Thank you for bringing me back to a source of enjoyment from my young life!

One person found this helpful

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Jack Tripper

Shadowrun meets 40's hard-boiled fiction

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2010

Verified Purchase

With the exception of a couple of the later novels, I've read every Shadowrun book from its initial run during the 90's and early 2000's. '2XS' is near the top, imo, and in the opinion of quite a few others, it seems.

Nigel Findley was arguably the best writer for Shadowrun, and Dirk Montgomery was un-arguably his best character. Part Philip Marlowe and part Rick Deckard, Dirk's a mundane (no magic) detective working the Seattle Sprawl. Up until now, he's mostly worked smaller cases, nothing too crazy. Now he's in over his head. His former girlfriend is found dead, and he's soon involved in a far-reaching conspiracy that seems to get crazier by the second. It's told in the first-person, hard-boiled style of Chandler and Hammett, which just adds to the already noir-ish atmosphere of Shadowrun.

Okay, negatives first: Findley's writing, structurally, does not seem quite up to par compared to his later work, which steadily improves over the course of his next couple books, and imho, peaks with 'House of the Sun,' his second and final "Dirk" novel, and unfortunately the last he'd ever get to write, as he died soon after. But considering that this is only his second novel, after 'Into the Void,' for the Spelljammer (D&D) universe, this is understandable.

Positives: The actual story here is top notch, and sub-standard prose from Findley is still better than just about any other Shadowrun author, with the exception of maybe Dowd, Stackpole, and Kubasik, whose novels I'd put on a similar level with Findley's. Of course, they didn't have near the level of output that Findley had. Anyway, we're not reading these novels for their "literary merit." '2XS' is easily in my top 10 for Shadowrun books, and a must-own if you are into the series. If you're into detective fiction from the 30s and 40s as well, you're in for a double treat, as no one was better at injecting that 'noir' feeling into the world of Shadowrun, always keeping the level of mystery and suspense at a high level. Not to mention heavy doses of paranoia. This IS Shadowrun, after all, and Findley was perhaps its most unique voice.

4.5 stars as far as gaming-related fiction goes.

Ranking among Shadowrun novels, imo- 6th

5 people found this helpful

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tayloao

Don't judge a book by its cover

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2016

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Back in the 90's I used to love the Shadowrun RPG. It was an awesome blend of fantasy and cyber punk. I had read one of the novels a really long time ago and was looking for one to read now. This one was at the top of everyone's list. I was a bit hesitant to get it though because of judging the book by its cover. On the cover is an S&M alien shooting lightening at a non-descript cyber punk guy. Just ignore it. Pretend the cover doesn't exist because the cover is terrible and really doesn't have anything to do with anything.

The book itself is fantastic. It's got a lot in common with Bladerunner. It's about a private detective investigating multiple cases and incidents. It's not your standard story of a Shadowrun. In other words, it's not a mixed group of cyber punk characters going on an adventure. Instead, the main character is a guy with no cybernetics and no magic. He's just a normal guy with a side arm. The plot has lots of twists and turns and really builds the world of future Seattle. If you want a cool detective story in a cyber punk setting, this is definately the book for you.

4 people found this helpful

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Ryan Mackey

VERY good read I do say so myself.

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2021

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Very good read for anyone who's into the cyberpunk genre.

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Byron

Nigel Findley IS/WAS Shadowrun

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2013

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I've read the book at least 10 times. The era of Findley's work, defined Shadowrun (1st/2nd edition). If you buy one Shadowrun novel, then this is the one to buy. Nobody got the setting like he did.

2 people found this helpful

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Jim from Pound Ridge

Arrived safely -- good read

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

Bought this to revisit Nigel Findley's contributions to the Shadowrun series. This is a great read if you like sci-fi of The Awakened Age

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Rick

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2014

Verified Purchase

Been looking for this for awhile

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2014

Verified Purchase

EXCELLENT TRANSACTION. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2009

Many Shadowrun fans consider 2XS the greatest Shadowrun novel of all time. This statement is hard to dispute. Nigel Findley was a wonderful author, and from what I have heard an even better person. Out of all of the Shadowrun authors who have written stories based of the world, Findley's characters have are still the most dynamic, cherished, beloved...As a writer the characters Findley created were his strengths.

The main character of the book is Dirk Montgomery. A former lone-star cap with the will of a lion and the eye of the tiger when it comes to doing the right thing. Dirk Montgomery is Harry Dresden, before Dresden was even conceived in Jim Butcher's mind. The book is written in first person, like the Dresden files. Dirk is a down on his luck detective who left Lonestar for its corruption to become an independent Shadowrunner. He is a mundane with minimal cyberware, instead relaying on his skills, wits, and intuition for survival. There are also some other wonderful characters in this novel as well such as Buddy, the manic depressive, drum loving, grouchy, rowdy, personality disorder decker who happens to be one of Dirk's friends till the end. Jocasta Yzerman, a weather women trid star who breaks the mold when it comes to women in the refrigerator, and of course Argent, the main hero of "Run Hard Die Fast." For those of you who are fans of Argent and have read Run Hard Die Fast, the events which Argent's speaks of the demise of the Wrecking Crew, occur in this novel.

The book is a gritty detective noir, full of suspense. And the plot is centered around the death of Dirk's former lover, who happens to be Jocasta's sister. All around Seattle there have been numerous kidnappings and reported disappearances. Dirk investigates to only find himself knee deep in a story which goes much deeper then a few kidnappings. Among the missing is Dirk's only family member, his sister Theresa. Thus, when Dirk tries to pull out of the craziness surrounding him, he is dragged right back in. The ending is a wonderful climax to the book and the build up is even better.

If you are a fan of Shadowrun and want to purchase a book to help you fall in love with the world, 2XS should be a the top of your list. It's that good. Or at least in the top five.

I actually enjoyed the sequel to this book "House of the Sun" a lot better, but mainly because it builds off the characters in and events which happened in this novel.

6 people found this helpful

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evil taco

Tolkien meets Neuromancer by way of the Maltese Falcon. A very satisfying read.

Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2014

Nigel Findley might be the best thing to happen to Shadowrun fiction, and this is BY FAR his best effort. This, and Tom Dowd's "Burning Bright" are the high water mark for Shadowrun fiction, and stand up incredibly well on their own merits, even removed from the Shadowrun fandom.

Part detective noir and part cyberpunk playground, Findley merges the 2 genres nearly seamlessly. In the chrome and grunge of 2055 Seattle, which is breathtakingly developed until it's almost a character by itself, a hard nosed but slightly naive detective seeks to unravel a mystery. Through the course of the novel, the plot gets more and more tangled, and he finds himself in the middle of a massive intrigue that stretches all the way to the government. The main character is incredibly well written, and believable, which can be rather rare for Shadowrun novels. The supporting cast, as well, is brilliantly conceived, the author doing an amazing job of making you really care about the characters, which makes certain twists in the novel that much harder to read. For his young age (Findley died in his mid 30s, sadly) the author had a strong ability to build empathy for his characters, which is really probably the highest selling point for this book. The ending, as well... Findley weaves a very tangled web of intrigue, and gathers together every single last strand as the tension builds to a peak. The level of detail he put into the plot is flat out impressive. The finale is satisfying, and quite a bit more emotional than you'd expect for expanded universe RPG fiction. Even by themselves, I'd strongly recommend this novel and the sequel "House of the Sun".

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Seth A. Tucker

Shadowrun blended with hard-boiled noir.

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2016

A hard-boiled detective noir story set in the amazing backdrop of Shadowrun! This was a great fun read. If you enjoy hard-boiled detectives then you need to meet Dirk Montgomery, shadow-runner and former Lone Star law officer. Dirk finds himself on the trail of a corrupt corporation that seems to be dumping a highly-addictive and deadly new substance for those looking to escape reality: 2XS. This one has all the fun of a traditional shadowrun story - magic, megacorp espionage, people/creatures that exist in the shadows of the 'official' society -, but you also get the added fun of a classic-styled down on his luck detective.

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2009

After being introduced to Shadowrun last year, I had been meaning to start reading some of the related fiction for some time. After scouring the internet, I decided on my first two books on the basis of their reviews: 2XS, and Never Deal with a Dragon. 2XS was far and away the better of the two.
As both a book and a tie-in to the Shadowrun universe, 2XS is exceptional. The characters are engaging and believable. The plot is riveting, but without the confusion that comes from characters double- and triple-crossing each other. And the setting! It's more than just a few place names- be the end, I felt like I knew the places and people of Seattle in 2052 like I'd been there myself.
If you already know about Shadowrun's Universal Brotherhood organization, you can expect to have a little bit of the mystery given away. However, I didn't find that to diminish the suspense in the least.
I'd highly recommend 2XS for both newbies and veterans of Shadowrun.

One person found this helpful

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Pomai Kajiyama

Yeah, Surprisingly Good

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2004

I'll admit, I stole this book. I saw it on the bookshelf at my Dormitory and thought, "Hey, I'm kinda board, this looks interesting." I never thought that this book would be so great. I've never read any Shadowrun books before, and all I know about it is that it was an old RPG campaign setting that never really took of. (That doesn't mean anything, Planescape is the best campaign setting ever, but they discontinued it for quite some time) It is supposed to be a blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy... yeah I know their pretty much the same thing, but still, it's refreshing to see that if there were once elves and orcs and other creatures, what would happen if they were still living with us throughout the future?

What's cool is the multi-genreness of this book. It's a basic hard-boiled detective novel, set in a dark future (i.e Bladerunner), with fantasy creatures and characters, (i.e Lord of the Rings). What else could you ask for? Character.

Character is the most important part of the story, and if anybody's taken a writing class they would know this, that the characters are what mak the story. You have to care for the character, actualy care if they die or not, if they fall in love or not, if they make it out of this with sanity intact or not.

Dirk Montgomery is a great character. From the mold of those Film Noir, Detectectives, which was then super injected with a tough, street smart, morally upright, drinker substatce, and painted with a broad spectrum of emotions.

The Minor Characters are great, and I don't want any spoilers, but you will care when they die... or not die... or something.

Yeah, pick up this book. It's a real good read that will have ou thinking afterwards, and looking for more.

3 people found this helpful

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erin c. paul

A book unlike any other in Shadowrun

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2002

This is by far the absolute best of the Shadowrun novels. Non-stop action, adventure and a plot so full of twists and turns that it'll have you backing up a few chapters to try and find out where you've "heard that somewhere before".
Every chapter of this book gives you a glimpse into the life of the most unusual shadowrunner to hit the streets yet. A man of complex history and complex ideals. The most amazing thing is that as the book continues, nothing happens that shouldn't. No cheap cop-outs to solve a complex situation. No easy victory. No characters begin to act in a way that is unlike their established demeanor. Everything is so well thought out and planned and executed perfectly. When you turn the last page, you'll know the smell of the every allyway and the sound of an HK Assault rifle fired from a moving vehicle. And you will miss reading about characters who are gone.
I'm going to check to see if the follow up book, " House of the Sun" or something, is in stock. I've been told that it is almost just as good. If you can find a copy of 2XS, you will have found the best of a great thing.

11 people found this helpful

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Oni

Good but not great

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2012

I purchased this book as I heard it was one of the best Shadowrun books written, unfortunately I don't believe this to be the case. Findley's style of writing feels more like its a diary style entry then it does a fantasy novel, at times the main character is recounting stories or events from there past and it feels that the writer sometimes relies more on a descriptive writing style rather then dialogue.

The other issue I had with this book was the plot. It worked well but it took forever it seemed to kick into gear. There are allot of twists and turns but it seems that for every one step forward you have to go one step to the side. Even the use of characters was a bit odd. Dirk has a character he interacts with called Bent which is one of his main sources of information. This character is mentioned three or four times then all of sudden disappears. I kind of expected him to come back as the villain Instead another character is introduced three quarters into the book and he is villain??

Overall its not a bad book to read however I don't think it is cracked up to be all people say.

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