This is the big one. This is a novel that attempts to not only reinvent the Cyberpunk genre but also current cultural perceptions of Japan. In general, I think it's a great success. Despite the density of names, tech slang and sleazy future-world details, it's a smooth page-turning read, with the action zipping you along without missing anything. Second time around, you pick up some of the smaller supporting details on re-reading.
Although it’s 625 pages long, that can barely contain the intrigue, action and awesome set pieces stuffed inside the book. The setting is a near-future Japan recovering from a war with North Korea, patrolled by police drones and 'Todai' military cyborgs, and dominated by The Mall - a conglomerate of streaming social media VR/AR platforms that keeps the population pacified - until Sakura, the nation's darling android, becomes sentient and realizes how she is being used and abused.
Sakura is the world's most famous android Idol (giving a new meaning to manufactured Pop Music), but she is also Kunoichi, a secret AI buried inside her neural net that transforms her into an assassin whenever the book's shadow-government cabal requires it. The internal dialogue between Sakura and Kunoichi could get confusing in the hands of other authors, but its always clear in this book that its two minds sharing the same body.
The other characters are mostly Japanese nationals with the occasional foreigner, a large cast developed and fleshed out enough to have an impact when needed, but who don't confuse the story. It's never clear who can be trusted and who is working for the cabal that transformed Sakura into a killer, which is keeping with the book’s theme, but my favorite supporting character has got to be the grizzled veteran-turned-hacker Nayato AKA Chronos, and all of his hidden depths. I also have a sneaky fondness for Vulture, despite his inherent nastiness. Even the synthetic Vocaloids are handled well; Yuki and Hitomi come across as charmingly human.
The ending was, for me, superb and a fitting climax to all that had gone before. A total pump-your-fist moment if I ever saw one, after a tragic and shocking twist at the end of the third act that - I must admit - I didn't see coming, which is a testament to the co-authors' craft.
"Sakura: Intellectual Property" isn't perfect; some of the dialogue and descriptions are a little flat. Bearing in mind the main character is an android, however, this could be a stealth move to show that Sakura is only beginning to express her brand new emotions and how she observes the world around her. Personally, I am not a fan of the Gothic Lolita, Vocaloid or Babymetal phenomena, but the co-authors slyly use the inherent weakness of manufactured Pop Idols as a strength, in a kind of 'android rebellion'. Each chapter begins with a playlist of the songs mentioned in the chapter - and there’s even an index of the guitars featured in the book!
The violence was not a turn-off because it's handled extremely well, and it fits perfectly into the whole basic premise of the book. The future Japan really comes to life and is something that could quite plausibly happen.
Overall,"Sakura: Intellectual Property" is an extraordinary blend of Cyberpunk designer violence with flashes of 21st century pop culture, Heavy Metal and old school Rock. As the prologue says, this is a great memorial to Zachary Hill, and massive respect to Paul Gennese and Patrick M. Tracy who finished his magnus opus, brought to life with wonderful sketches by Sarah Steigers. I can totally recommend this to anyone who cares about what could happen in the screwed-up virtual world of tomorrow.
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![SAKURA: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY by [ZACHARY HILL, PATRICK TRACY, PAUL GENESSE, Sarah Steigers, Larry Correia]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41-CC12yjDL._SY346_.jpg)
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Lands Like a Rock Opera Power Chord
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2019
The novel Sakura: Intellectual Property lands like a power chord from a world-class rock opera. There’s power in the words. Power in the characters. Power in the story. From the first chapter, we are card-carrying members of the Sakura fan club. Sakura is a “vocaloid,” an android robot designed to sing hard and thrash a guitar even harder. While millions of fans watch, Sakura’s programming is hacked, turning her into the most sophisticated and dangerous assassin ever created. Sakura kills. And she becomes a woman divided. She is just as revolted by the escalating death around her as she is thrilled by her musical performances on stage. From the first note, we have a front-row, mosh pit, best-seat-in-the-house experience that’s completely compelling and relentlessly captivating. Our emotions are thrashed by riff after riff of excellent storytelling. Every chapter is a new verse in a deepening LP of plot. Every character adds to the unforgettable chorus of good or evil or, in some cases, a mixtape of both. The story behind the story is just as engaging with author Zachary Hill’s unfinished symphony being completed after his unfortunate death by two equally-talented composers of words, Patrick M. Tracy and Paul Genesse. You should know their story for their sake—but buy this book for yourself. There’s no chance of disappointment in this epic track of music, ideas, and hardcore adventure. More than any other genre of music, heavy metal acknowledges the nihilism and chaos that exist in the world. Sakura feels those tremulous notes inside her, and she fears she will need to embrace the philosophies of destruction to not only defeat her enemies but merely survive. The story is tighter than a lead guitarist’s E String. Will Sakura find a way to play her song to the climax or will she break before the final chord sounds? Science fiction is the literature of humanity’s future and this is one book any sci-fi fan will relish. Just press “play.”
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2019
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Kindle Customer
Brilliant cyberpunk
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 18, 2019
JD (Baen Fan)
Heavy Metal versus ninja assassin.. all in the same body!
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The vocaloid metal musical I never knew I needed!
Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on January 31, 2020
