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A review by inquisitrix
The Body Scout by Lincoln Michel
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
There's something delightfully quirky about a noirish cyberpunk thriller about the shady side of major-league baseball. Quirkiness and cheekiness seem to be Lincoln Michel's stock in trade, and he pull them off tidily in his debut novel.
While I would have liked more character development--I never felt like I really got much insight into any of the characters, even and almost especially the narrator--I quite enjoyed this title. It's as much of a romp as something featuring a fair bit of dystopian-future gross body horror and sewer content can be, and, because it doesn't read like it's taking itself particularly seriously, I found it easy to hang on for the ride and have fun. I'm not at all into baseball, but I found the baseball content to be some of the most engaging parts of the book, perhaps because the narrator sometimes reveals a little more of himself to readers when thinking about the game.
This is a quick, fun read well suited to an autumn release. Michel wears his mashup of influences on his sleeve; while this doesn't make for the most original worldbuilding in history, it does result in a world that will feel familiar, immersive, and easily entertaining to fans of works like Transmetropolitan, George Saunders, and many assorted grim and gritty cyberpunk/biopunk/neo-noir mysteries and thrillers.
I received a free e-ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my review.
While I would have liked more character development--I never felt like I really got much insight into any of the characters, even and almost especially the narrator--I quite enjoyed this title. It's as much of a romp as something featuring a fair bit of dystopian-future gross body horror and sewer content can be, and, because it doesn't read like it's taking itself particularly seriously, I found it easy to hang on for the ride and have fun. I'm not at all into baseball, but I found the baseball content to be some of the most engaging parts of the book, perhaps because the narrator sometimes reveals a little more of himself to readers when thinking about the game.
This is a quick, fun read well suited to an autumn release. Michel wears his mashup of influences on his sleeve; while this doesn't make for the most original worldbuilding in history, it does result in a world that will feel familiar, immersive, and easily entertaining to fans of works like Transmetropolitan, George Saunders, and many assorted grim and gritty cyberpunk/biopunk/neo-noir mysteries and thrillers.
I received a free e-ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my review.