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A review by frasersimons
Busted Synapses by Erica L. Satifka
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A solid, too-short probably, cyberpunk offering about a few have-nots in a world ruled by a megacorp that manufactures New People, which are replacing normal humans in the work place, despite their being out of designated revitalized areas sponsored by said megacorp. The people intersect in a believable way and is good at kitting out through dialogue, worldbuilding and characterization.
It seems particularly wary of showing not telling and info dumps, making the prose fairly solid but feeling somewhat sophomoric, as the dialogue comes off as only half natural. There’s no nuances to the New People, as far as what exactly they are and how they are constructed, nor other aspects of the setting. There just isn’t time. Nor is it interested in situating time and place, making it feel generic but also applicable to anywhere.
As someone who enjoys a high amount of specificity, I got on with the book, but didn’t really get attached to any aspect of it. But the fact that I wanted more of it, means I was interested enough in what was offered to like it, overall.
It seems particularly wary of showing not telling and info dumps, making the prose fairly solid but feeling somewhat sophomoric, as the dialogue comes off as only half natural. There’s no nuances to the New People, as far as what exactly they are and how they are constructed, nor other aspects of the setting. There just isn’t time. Nor is it interested in situating time and place, making it feel generic but also applicable to anywhere.
As someone who enjoys a high amount of specificity, I got on with the book, but didn’t really get attached to any aspect of it. But the fact that I wanted more of it, means I was interested enough in what was offered to like it, overall.