I had no idea what to expect when sat down to read Ren Warom’s debut novel, Escapology. My knowledge of cyberpunk is limited to an ages-ago viewing of Blade Runner, based on the classic Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? As a result, I went into my reading unhindered by any potential comparisons to other books in the genre.
Escapology is set in Foon Gung, the last remnant of what used to be Asia. Survivors of the unspecified disaster that plunged the world into this less than idyllic state avoid reality by spending time in a virtual reality world known as The Slip. Our hero, Shock Pao, spends most of his time in The Slip, trying to eke out a living while avoiding his crumbling life around him.
Pao is a hacker, a Haunt, and he’s exceptional at his job. He’s also a drug addict who spends most of his time looking over his shoulder, trying to stay ahead of the people he’s wronged during his life. One of those people is his ex-girlfriend, Mim. Mim tracks Shock down and offers him a job, a heist only someone of his skills could have any hope of pulling off. Just when he thought he was out…you know the rest.
She wants Shock to steal from Twist Calhoun, the very definition of the term Very Bad Man. Calhoun is a crime lord in the Gung, and doesn’t take kindly to having things taken from him…especially things so powerful that they keep the entire Slip together. To that end, he dispatches his cleaner, or assassin, Amiga to bring Shock in…dead or alive.
I’ll admit, it took me a while to get into the book, mainly trying to get used to the new (to me) terminology. However, once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed Escapology.
Shock is a fantastically flawed protagonist. His struggles with addiction and gender identity, with staying alive and sharks. Sharks? Oh yes…there are sharks. Despite my initial trepidation, I can’t recommend this book enough. It gets really weird, really fast…and that what makes it such a fun read.
Thank you to Titan Books for providing a complimentary copy for review.
