VIROLOGY - Ren Warom


I had no idea that this was the second book in a series until I went to grab the image from Goodreads to add to the blog. Now I understand!  I understand why I didn't enjoy this book.  I was missing some vital parts of the story! I also hadn't realized, when I requested a copy, that it's cyberpunk - a genre that I don't generally click with (though there are exceptions).

Access to a virtual world known as the Slip is in the head of Shock Pao. He stole the bioware program and now he control's all the systems around the globe.  This makes him a target, of course, for every criminal wanting that access. 

While Shock is constantly seeking new hiding places, there is a strange illness plaguing the planet. The source seems to be from one of the outer hubs (former Earth cities that were sent into orbit). Time is running out to secure a cure.

The post-apocalyptic world, as created by author Ren Warom, is dark, gritty, messy, and brutal. There's plenty of action - fight and flight. And there's plenty of high tech intrigue. What I didn't find was a reason to care.

The characters living, fighting, and dying in this world start as enigmas to me, and remain so all the way through. And while I like the dark sci-fi that borders horror, at some point I need to be let in on why the world is the way it is. How does it work? How do our characters navigate this new space? I'm willing to wait for some of these answers - and in fact prefer to be led slowly to the reveals. But if this information came, I was already too lost to care.

It makes some sense, though, to discover that there was a previous volume. I highly suspect some of my questions were already addressed with the first book, meaning you really would want to read the series from the start to truly enjoy this.

Looking for a good book? Virology, by Ren Warom, is the second book in the Shock Pao series and this book does not stand alone as a novel to this reader. Curious readers should check out the first book, Escapology, before deciding whether or not to read on.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

* * * * * *

Virology

author: Ren Warom

series: Shock Pao #2

publisher: Titan Books

ISBN: 9781785650949

paperback, 400 pages

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