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john_nygma 's review for:
Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence
by Rafał Kosik
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely love the video game and also enjoyed the Edgerunner anime, so I was hoping this book would be just to my liking. Unfortunately, I was strongly disappointed.
The pacing and overall composition of this novel are irritating beyond belief. When you have a dozen different characters and a dozen different POVs every single chapter (sometimes 3 to 4 POV changes on one double page), then it's honestly impossible to follow what's actually going. This isn't a film or a TV show where rapid cutaways are a little easier to follow. This book honestly does sometimes feel a bit like it was originally supposed to be a TV script, but it was then changed to novel format without much additional editing. The multiple POV changes made it really hard to fully understand the plot, right up until the last 50 pages, I was struggling to understand what we were even doing here.
Due to the confusing plot structure, I also didn't really get to connect with any of the characters. They all had some interesting concepts or backgrounds going on (e.g., the two female characters), but due to the constant POV switching, we never got much time to get used to any of the characters. At the end of the book, I didn't really care about any of them, and I didn't care for the lacklustre heist story they were involved in. There was just no charm to any of these people.
Also, I don't see how this book would make any sense to someone who is not at least somewhat familiar with the Cyberpunk 2077 world. Phrases, words, and descriptions are thrown around with almost no explanation, e.g., I don't think you'd know what a BD is if you aren't familiar with 2077. I just don't see a reason for non-fans to pick this book up, and I, as a fan of the franchise, didn't have much fun either.
The pacing and overall composition of this novel are irritating beyond belief. When you have a dozen different characters and a dozen different POVs every single chapter (sometimes 3 to 4 POV changes on one double page), then it's honestly impossible to follow what's actually going. This isn't a film or a TV show where rapid cutaways are a little easier to follow. This book honestly does sometimes feel a bit like it was originally supposed to be a TV script, but it was then changed to novel format without much additional editing. The multiple POV changes made it really hard to fully understand the plot, right up until the last 50 pages, I was struggling to understand what we were even doing here.
Due to the confusing plot structure, I also didn't really get to connect with any of the characters. They all had some interesting concepts or backgrounds going on (e.g., the two female characters), but due to the constant POV switching, we never got much time to get used to any of the characters. At the end of the book, I didn't really care about any of them, and I didn't care for the lacklustre heist story they were involved in. There was just no charm to any of these people.
Also, I don't see how this book would make any sense to someone who is not at least somewhat familiar with the Cyberpunk 2077 world. Phrases, words, and descriptions are thrown around with almost no explanation, e.g., I don't think you'd know what a BD is if you aren't familiar with 2077. I just don't see a reason for non-fans to pick this book up, and I, as a fan of the franchise, didn't have much fun either.