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twistedroots's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
starblaze's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
whatyoutolkienabout's review
4.0
After discovering Aconyte books back in 2021 I have been making my way through their backlog. I finally finished Watch Dogs: Legion Day Zero and it almost managed to make me prefer Watch Dogs: Legion, almost. The story kept me engaged and I was pretty certain I would enjoy this from the first page!
We follow four protagonists, although I did feel Olly got a bit more attention than the others at times, and their reaction and involvement in a murderous conspiracy that sees loyalties tested. I found it refreshing, as with most of Aconyte’s works, that the narrative took place before the events of the game rather than during meaning we don’t get a retelling of the game.
The characters were all enjoyable and well rounded but as with any novel that focuses on several protagonists you don’t always get a lot of time for them to develop or flourish. I would say though, that they are introduced and fleshed out very well for the time we get. On top of these the characters, both main and supporting, capture the essence of the game and each has their own flaws and weaknesses.
The story is action packed and fast paced with a bit of intrigue along the way. I still find it fascinating and worrying how some of the issues in the novel and games can be seen to become more and present today.
All in all I really enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to the future ones in this series. A definite must for fans of the games and cyber sci-fi.
We follow four protagonists, although I did feel Olly got a bit more attention than the others at times, and their reaction and involvement in a murderous conspiracy that sees loyalties tested. I found it refreshing, as with most of Aconyte’s works, that the narrative took place before the events of the game rather than during meaning we don’t get a retelling of the game.
The characters were all enjoyable and well rounded but as with any novel that focuses on several protagonists you don’t always get a lot of time for them to develop or flourish. I would say though, that they are introduced and fleshed out very well for the time we get. On top of these the characters, both main and supporting, capture the essence of the game and each has their own flaws and weaknesses.
The story is action packed and fast paced with a bit of intrigue along the way. I still find it fascinating and worrying how some of the issues in the novel and games can be seen to become more and present today.
All in all I really enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to the future ones in this series. A definite must for fans of the games and cyber sci-fi.
jarichan's review
2.0
Die Warhammer-Bücher von Josh Reynolds finde ich grossartig und gehören zu meinen liebsten aus diesem Universum. Natürlich wurde ich mit der Zeit auch neugierig auf seine anderen Titel.
Dieses Buch hier war jedoch ein Reinfall. Als Fan von Reynolds sage ich einfach mal, dass er nicht viel zu diesem Werk beigetragen hat. Nur schon seine Kurzgeschichten haben mehr Tempo, mehr Inhalt und bessere Charaktere als das gesamte Day Zero-Buch.
Überhaupt ist der gesamte Aufbau dieses Titels kaum durchdacht. Es werden zu viele einzelne Handlungsstränge mit einzelnen Figuren einführt, wobei man die Charaktere sehr schlecht auseinanderhalten kann. Eigentlich sollte man Day Zero lesen können, ohne das Game zu kennen, aber ich glaube, das geht so nicht.
Da ich bereits von Anfang an Mühe hatte, mich in der Handlung zurecht zu finden, verlor ich immer mehr den Faden, und somit das Interesse. Obwohl viel explodiert und immer wieder Verfolgungsjagden stattfinden, langweilte ich mich bald nur noch.
Bei einem Warhammer-Buch von Josh Reynolds ist mir das noch nie geschehen. Ich werde definitiv noch einmal ein Nicht-Warhammer-Werk von ihm probieren, um zu sehen, ob das hier wirklich nur ein Beispiel von schlechter Zusammenarbeit war, aber erst einmal habe ich noch einen Warhammer-Reynolds zu lesen.
Dieses Buch hier war jedoch ein Reinfall. Als Fan von Reynolds sage ich einfach mal, dass er nicht viel zu diesem Werk beigetragen hat. Nur schon seine Kurzgeschichten haben mehr Tempo, mehr Inhalt und bessere Charaktere als das gesamte Day Zero-Buch.
Überhaupt ist der gesamte Aufbau dieses Titels kaum durchdacht. Es werden zu viele einzelne Handlungsstränge mit einzelnen Figuren einführt, wobei man die Charaktere sehr schlecht auseinanderhalten kann. Eigentlich sollte man Day Zero lesen können, ohne das Game zu kennen, aber ich glaube, das geht so nicht.
Da ich bereits von Anfang an Mühe hatte, mich in der Handlung zurecht zu finden, verlor ich immer mehr den Faden, und somit das Interesse. Obwohl viel explodiert und immer wieder Verfolgungsjagden stattfinden, langweilte ich mich bald nur noch.
Bei einem Warhammer-Buch von Josh Reynolds ist mir das noch nie geschehen. Ich werde definitiv noch einmal ein Nicht-Warhammer-Werk von ihm probieren, um zu sehen, ob das hier wirklich nur ein Beispiel von schlechter Zusammenarbeit war, aber erst einmal habe ich noch einen Warhammer-Reynolds zu lesen.
trackofwords's review
4.0
Trouble is brewing in an alternative but worryingly believable London, with organised crime rife, private military contractor Albion muscling in on the Met, and hacker collective DedSec leading an underground resistance. Tensions begin to escalate when a spate of shootings rock the East End, and players from all sides step up their efforts as a deeper mystery comes to light in the battle for control of the city.
As much as this is a smart, gripping thriller, it clearly comes from a sci-fi angle, with all the high-powered hacker tools and smart AI-personalities (think Iron Man’s Jarvis but with added sarcasm for DedSec’s AI Bagley). It’s also a love letter to a changing but still recognisable London, from the shifting of power to the geography of its streets and buildings. It certainly doesn’t feel like a tie-in novel; fans of Watch Dogs will see the connections, but there’s no need to know anything about the game when the plot, setting and characters are all so much fun and so clearly depicted. It does a great job of suggesting a future that might yet come to pass – if you’re so inclined, it’s easy to see this as a warning – but it’s also just a lot of fun, and ultimately proves to be an effective combination of Swallow’s sense for tight plotting and Reynolds’ enviable touch with dialogue and character.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/11/09/day-zero-james-swallow-and-josh-reynolds/
As much as this is a smart, gripping thriller, it clearly comes from a sci-fi angle, with all the high-powered hacker tools and smart AI-personalities (think Iron Man’s Jarvis but with added sarcasm for DedSec’s AI Bagley). It’s also a love letter to a changing but still recognisable London, from the shifting of power to the geography of its streets and buildings. It certainly doesn’t feel like a tie-in novel; fans of Watch Dogs will see the connections, but there’s no need to know anything about the game when the plot, setting and characters are all so much fun and so clearly depicted. It does a great job of suggesting a future that might yet come to pass – if you’re so inclined, it’s easy to see this as a warning – but it’s also just a lot of fun, and ultimately proves to be an effective combination of Swallow’s sense for tight plotting and Reynolds’ enviable touch with dialogue and character.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/11/09/day-zero-james-swallow-and-josh-reynolds/
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