Title: Phoberia (2nd Edition)
Series: N/A
Author: HB Kurtzwilde
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: Novel (204 pages)
Publisher: Loose Id (3 Sept 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.5Hearts
Blurb: The corporate colony of Cadose HQ has a technological disaster brewing in its data pillars. The only man who can save them is Dixon Sinonyx, nanotech operator. But Dix himself is in need of help, both to solve the puzzle of Cadose’s reckless violations of safety protocols, and his own loneliness. Athen Dendrophile seems the perfect solution to both problems, but his youth and enthusiastic passion are as attractive as they are a dangerous distraction.
Though Dix is going crazy with the need for human contact, he fears doing damage to a seemingly innocent youth. Athen soon proves himself anything but innocent, and yet Dix can’t shake the fear that he is in more danger than he can understand. With the data pillars nearing meltdown and their mutual desire at the boiling point, they must find a way to put their differences aside to survive the hostile, brutal world that is crumbling all around them.
NOTE: This book was previously released by another publisher but has been substantially edited and revised.
ISBN: 9781623003708
Product Link: http://www.loose-id.com/phoberia.html
Reviewer: Prime
Review: I’m not going to lie, this is a difficult book to read, but the payoff is a fun Cyberpunk type of future. You need to keep paying attention, which I think is what sometimes takes away from my personal enjoyment. I’m all for mindless, simple plots after a long day.
Perhaps I’ve been watching too much Doctor Who reruns recently (well, that’s a lie, one can never have too much David Tennant!), but the story gives a strong Doctor Who vibe to me. If you’re not a Whovian, perhaps think of something like Tron or the character of Mr Universe in the movie Serenity.
Okay, that’s all my pop culture references out the way. Onto more important things.
Our two main characters are Dix and Athen. They are both tech-heads, so there is all matter of jargon including “defragging”, “system integration” and all other words that remind me of Star Trek. There are also some rather mind-boggling descriptions of computer processes that have been created purely for this story.
I’m going to say that this is what makes this a difficult read because this isn’t just a simple out of this world adventure. Dix has been hired to repair the core computing/internet network of the Cadrose Corporation on the planet Cadrose. The colony is also called Cadrose. Think of that what you will.
Dix is human, a rarity and this touches on a feature common of science fiction which essentially points out the pointlessness of being racist or xenophobic or whatever. Everyone is different but the minorities are always picked on. Partly because when Dix seeks to hire a helper, he wants a fellow human, who turns out to be Athen.
The players in place, now the Cadrose Corporation’s computer systems need to be dug through and repaired. This leads me to point out another important feature of science fiction: there is the talk of governments/ major companies overreaching their powers with the everyday folk. Both Dix and Athen are complex characters, especially Athen who had a difficult upbringing. For that reason the slow unfolding of their intimacy feels right as the guys really get to know each other and their respective quirks.
Forgive me while real life intrudes for a moment: if you’re someone dealing with bioinformatics (as well as a sci-fi fan), this may actually also make a lot of sense to you, especially if you’re dealing with network analyses. I know, that’s a really niche group, but hey, that’s what I think from personal experience.
After that spiel, it should be clear if science-fiction and geek romances are your thing, then you’ll enjoy this. However, the romance side of things is rather subtle, so I describe this first and foremost as a sci-fi adventure.
This is a great, great book but I fear it sometimes lost me when the pace dropped off at point to deliver long explanations and the jargon. I advise not to read this one tired.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *