Tokyo Green by C.D. Wight


"In 2048, AI specialist Tomo is about to lose his job in Silicon Valley, as U.S. unemployment soars past thirty percent. In Tokyo, he reveals a yakuza scheme that amounts to genocide. Tomo fights to defend the independent lifestyle of his grandmother and other elderly Japanese, with help from an upbeat slacker and a rogue AI." Sounds great, right? Japan, AI, future philosophy, independence...count me in.

I got an email advertising Tokyo Green on Netgalley. I most commonly just throw these advertisements in the trash, but every now and again my curiosity is piqued. This time I was drawn by the cover, the "independent lifestyle," and a scheme.

I was horrifically disappointed. What I got was an in your face political soapbox drug deal gone wrong. There was little in terms of the AI philosophical pondering that was heavily hinted at in the first chapters we meet Tomo and Sara. What we got instead were some really unsubtle allusions.  Horrible plot points: pot's illegal but I'm going to grow it anyway and change everyone's mind; corporate CEOs are bad people; my generation totally knows better than your generation. Oh, and let's throw in a love story with the kitchen sink.

So much potential squandered.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Uncanny Collateral by Brian McClellan

Image
I have recently been watching a group of authors playing D&D on Twitch (the group is called TypecastRPG ) because of Charlie Holmberg. As I have watched, I decided to start reading books by the other authors. I started with Brian McClellan's new book Uncanny Collateral .  The premise is urban fantasy--not my ideal fantasy category, though I do love Buffy so it seemed like a worthy try. A reaper seeks out those who have sold their souls to the underworld. Interesting enough. Add to that the reaper has a mystical ring stuck to his finger that houses a djinn. My interest continued to mount. I take points off for the author basing the book in Cleveland, but add points back for the armpit jokes that only an Ohioan can understand. I didn't appreciate the profanity, but it is an urban fantasy so it wasn't surprising. The actual storytelling more than makes up for it, though. The snarkiness, the characters, the action; all terrifically written. I love the dynamics between
Read more

Ga-ga-ga-gas-Lit City

Image
Welcome to February everyone. Hope you have all unburied from the snowmagedpocalypse readers in the Northeast. Just in time for some new powder to flurry down and send you back indoors to read my reviews on what to read to get you through the winter doldrums. Today we certainly have just that. The Custodian of Marvels by Rod Duncan And my world has been righted! We are back with Elizabeth Barnabus as she was in The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter. I'm all tingly. Not that Unseemly Science  was a complete let down; I just really feel that the magic (or circus dust?) wasn't there from the first novel. Apparently that is because it all built up and got swept to this novel.  We have the original troupe together for some Ocean's Eleven shenanigans as they attempt to rob the International Patent Office (gasp for dramatic effect). The humor and wit have returned to the original level because everyone knows all about best laid plans. While I like Julia, her relegation back to
Read more

The Hunted by Jeff Wheeler

Image
Just one week and you can continue on with Eilean's journey as The Hunted publishes September 20th. And boy, will you want to continue the journey. This is an excellent quest type of story where the characters are always on the move and meeting tons of new people--with a heavy splash of romance.  We are trekking through the land of Muirwood as Eilean escapes the only home she has ever known to get the tome entrusted by Mordaunt to safety. Fortunately, she doesn't have to go it alone as Celyn and Stright come along with her as Captain Hoel is right on their heels. Every step travelled strengthens Eilean's ability to share the power of the Medium. She learns the secrets of nature and the history of the world and deepens her love and trust in the ultimate power. New lands brings a handful of colorful new characters. She meets princes, queens, Aldermastons, and supposed heretics. With each new person Eilean meets, she develops a bigger picture about the leadership she has alway
Read more