I received this book for free from Blogging for Books.
This book is definitely a solid four stars. It had its moments of "meh" but for the most part was quite interesting. Honestly the last quarter of the book was hard to put down. It was action packed and twisty...very very twisty. I liked it!
We start just shortly after the last book ends...and by shortly I mean, the baby has been born and they are in hiding. Of course people are still trying to kill her and her love child because her father's church was full of nut jobs. Spademan now has to look after her but he's not doing a very good job. He has an instant, albeit warped, "family" yet he keeps his distance...why?!?!?
Of course there is a new baddie in town and it still revolves around the Limn. This virtual world needs to be unplugged...it is just bad news. Can we die in the Limn, supposedly not..if no then what is happening??? This book isn't as disturbing as its predecessor in regards to Spademan BUT it is just as, if not more, disturbing in the lets do horrible things and justify it as "saving humanity". It touches on prejudices towards Muslims and women. Basically in this new broken world fear of middle easterners is like it is today times 10,000 and seeing women as insignificant is just as bad. I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing. I didn't figure it out which I liked. They keep just enough out of reach that you can't draw conclusions until the author is ready for you to draw them.
As creeptastic as the story is, it is a good story. The main character is funny in his own way. The sub characters are snarky. It almost fun until people are getting sliced and diced and blown to smithereens. At that point you remember how jacked up the future is and it sobers you a bit.
**SPOILERS**
I don't know how I feel about nurse. I don't think Spademan needs a love interest...he is a murder for hire, we don't need a love story! I was "eh" about the weirdness I sensed with Persephone in the first book but I for some reason would prefer her as the interest. Especially now that Simon is indisposed, stuck between reality and the Limn. I am glad Nurse isn't a baddie but I still am not sure about her. Now, I knew the cops that were sent to watch Spademan and his "family" were bad. That I did figure out but I did NOT see the Boonce twist. I really thought he was a good guy not a nut hell bent on killing people in the Limn.
Spademan is played from the beginning. He thinks he is doing good by not killing Lesser as requested by the mysterious woman, when in reality he made things so much worse for everyone. Now Boonce is dead in reality but alive in the Limn...not in a Loop, 100% functioning, it is DISTURBING! Simon is stuck in limbo and Mark almost died!!! He didn't but he is tapped in again and may not return for some time. Persephone is stupid! Yes, Spademan did a bad job of keeping her safe but it isn't his fault they were all played. I hate that she left and he lost his "family". He still has Nurse but I like him being "Uncle Spademan".
Then there is Salem. I thought he was bad, they got me. They tricked me just like they tricked everyone else. He wasn't an extremist he was good. He wanted to save people not bring down what was left of new York. I didn't catch on until Spademan was going 90 to nothing trying to get to Atlantic Ave. That is when I realized Boonce was pinning it all on Salem and was going to have him killed by playing on the fears of the already fragile New Yorkers. Plot twist Salem is a she, the she that called in the hit on Lesser. She is the sister that was supposedly dead but Salem never actually existed in the first place. So it was always only the girl...with a new identity. A necessary identity because no one will listen to a girl but a boy...he can be a programming prodigy and a leader (that is messed up!). She created the programming that Boonce tortured out of Lesser...programming that allows him to survive in the Limn without a body in reality...programming that I am assuming will change everything.
Now an ex tap in addict is going back in the Limn to stop him. Spademan, please don't die...
Below are my ramblings as I read:
Page 11 — March 10, 2015
"I pull out the lock-picking tools I keep hidden in my hair"
At least Spademan still has a sense of humor
Page 14 — March 10, 2015
"Ghosts of Perverts Past"
Snarky Spademan
Page 16 — March 10, 2015
"Dude is jacked. Really overdoes it on the cock length. God, these coots and their fantasies. I'm talking Javelin."
Omg, hahaha. That's pretty graphic Lesser!
Page 32 — March 10, 2015
"Uncle Spademan"
Cute
Page 107 — March 12, 2015
"Love thy neighbor, until thy neighbor gets firebombed. Then f**k thy neighbor. And f**k this neighborhood."
Well that's not what Jesus said
Page 134 — March 12, 2015
"In the beams, a single bed. In the bed. Me
What?!?!?!?!!?!??!!!!!! WTF!!?!?!? ***SPOILER*** He's not awake???? Did he dream all of this?!?!?
Page 143 — March 12, 2015
"Two? Where's the other one? In the bathtub. What's he doing in the bathtub? Draining"
Pahahahaa - snarky Simon
Page 153 — March 13, 2015
"Spot two or three clickers, with their homemade hazmat suits and Geiger counters and surplus gas masks, lugging bulging garbage bags, like apocalyptic Santas."
I feel like this would be an episode of doctor who....or a monster in one of the episodes...don't show Moffat *shush*
Page 162 — March 16, 2015
"Growing exponentially. Metastasizing. Like a tumor. And that's the end of the story of Times Square. First came the tumor. Then came the radiation."
Ooooo good analogy for the limn
Page 205 — March 16, 2015
"And then I know. Salem Shaban never has a sister. And Hussein el-Shaban never had a son. Just a daughter."
Holy plot twist batman
Page 207 — March 16, 2015
"After all, Lesser spilled it to me, that night in Stuyvesant Town. Not her. Not here.
Oh wow....I see it now...talk about bringing you back to the beginning.
