Pattern Black, Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant, 2022.
This is a late addition to this review, because I managed to pull it out of the depths of my Kindle and then...so, anyway… This book came out later than the ones I read and reviewed earlier and has significantly more depth and shows greater skill. The authors were ambitious with the sweeping and complex plot. This comes with a cost: the book is long (776 pages) and occasionally the plot is (often needlessly) opaque. There is a definite Matrix vibe to this, which may or may not be your thing -- it generally worked for me.
The general idea stars simply and then gets complicated. Mason is a cop on a downward spiral propelled, in part, by some unresolved “issues” with his father. These turn out to be something very different than that probably sounds, and feature prominently in the unwinding of Mason’s understanding of what’s real and what’s Memorex. He gradually discovers that he’s a pawn in a much larger game and that he can’t take for granted that what he thinks is so, actually is. Along the way he also has to piece together who has and hasn’t betrayed him, and work to resolve old and thorny relationships--all while staying sane and alive.
This was a satisfying read. The characters grow and evolve (or devolve, in one case) as they wind their way through a complex plot that takes place in a rich blend of virtual and real spaces. It’s an ambitious undertaking. The Platt/Truant writing team largely pulls it off. There is much more depth here than in their earlier novels. As a frequent (and often-frustrated) reader of self-/independently-published SFF, the evolution towards greater skill and sophistication in the writing over time is really nice to see, particularly since it seems to be relatively rare. There is a point where output overwhelms progress, and they’ve seemed to avoid getting stuck there.
While I appreciate that this isn’t 1700 pages and four volumes longer, my main gripe is still the length. I think it could have been a more effective and satisfying read at 75-150 fewer pages, without sacrificing too much of the intricately-layered plot and careful--although often still sparse--world-building. Nonetheless, this is recommended reading because it uses plausible characters to explore some cool themes in a vivid world full of surprise, danger and mystery.
Smirk factor: Acceptable: 1 pt (6 smirks in 776 pages, usually describing the facial tic and not just standing in for emotions and so forth)
Immersion factor: Chest-high: 1.5 pts (This was arguably too long, but still a fast read I stayed up too late finishing.)
Writing quality: Average: 1 pt
Character/plot development: Above-average: 1.5 pts
Innovative/interesting: High: 2.0 pts
Total: 7/10 (3.5, rounded to 4 stars)