Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Like a truck with no brakes speeding down a steep mountain road, Islington’s latest is an adrenaline-fueled SF thrill ride that follows a biomechanically enhanced assassin as he tries to understand his mysterious origins. The chaotic opening scene gives readers a clear indication of what they’re in for: Contract killer Azure, attempting to complete a mission, is involved in a life-or-death battle with a multieyed biomachine called an Argos. “The thing’s bipedal but has six gorilla-like arms that end in half-metre-long claws,” he complains. After Azure barely dispatches the monster and kills his target, his AI assistant, Atti, informs him of his next job: protecting an elderly—and incredibly rich—woman living in a sprawling underground bunker in the middle of nowhere. “Old Woman,” as Azure calls her, isn’t forthcoming with personal details; all Azure can suss out is that she may be the target of a powerful organized crime syndicate—the same organization that employs him! Is Azure’s ultimate goal to save her or kill her? Although the worldbuilding could’ve been more comprehensive, Islington’s editing choices are brilliant—he strips away the insignificant narrative content to create a streamlined, action-packed adventure with seemingly one goal: to keep the reader furiously turning pages. The various mysteries—Azure’s murky beginnings, the tragic death of his best friend years earlier, Old Woman’s true identity, etc.—maintain the momentum and intensity. The takeaway here is the narrative potential of the characters as well as the plethora of subjects that could be explored more deeply, like immortality for the rich, cloning, and the potential to create bioengineered nightmares for “security.” Islington leaves the conclusion tantalizingly ambiguous. This novel could be the jumping-off point for a memorable series. Buckle up—fans of page-turning SF may find themselves binge-reading this novel in one butt-numbing marathon session. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Library Journal
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Only the megarich can buy immortality, and once they've bought it, nothing can stand in their way—except for a crowdfunded assassination, which is Azure's specialty. It's even legal, and he's excellent at his job. But his latest assignment isn't a hit: it's protection from a hit, or at least that's what he's been told. His client isn't forthcoming with any of the information he'll need to keep her, or himself, alive. As much as the hit may be on the rich, elderly woman he's stuck protecting, it's really on him because she knows too much, and he's gotten too close to a truth that no one was ever supposed to discover. It's up to him to find the rest of the answers before he's burned all his old friends in the wake of destruction following him. Readers who enjoyed The Heist of Hollow London by Eddie Robson will find this novel's megacorp-ruled world and its too-good-to-be-true deals similar. VERDICT Islington's (The Strength of the Few) turn from fantasy to science fiction is recommended for readers who enjoy explosive chases, snarky antiheroes, twisted capers, and seeing an evil megacorporation get its just deserts.—Marlene Harris

Publishers Weekly
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Bestseller Islington (The Strength of the Few) crafts a captivating corporate dystopia complete with a bit of evil schadenfreude, introducing a world where the ultrawealthy can pay for the immortality-conferring serum Ichor, but normal folks are legally permitted to hire assassins to kill these “lifers,” often via crowdfunding. Azure is one such assassin, whose somatic and cognitive “genetic revisions” (or “revs” for short) give him a significant edge in combat. He’s surprised when his latest gig is to protect rather than kill, especially given how poorly his last protection job ended, a disaster that still haunts him. Even stranger is that the client, Jasa, is ultrawealthy but appears to be quite elderly, unlike the other lifers he’s encountered, who typically choose to stay youthful. As Azure notes, “unexpected in my line of work is... rarely great,” but Jasa secures first Azure’s grudging obedience, then his loyalty by promising him a file of what actually happened in Oceanus, where his previous protection job went wrong. There are a few more wrinkles, though, like the fact that the firm that employs Azure is the same corporation that is trying to eliminate Jasa, who, it turns out, is Jasa de Alwes, inventor of Ichor. Mayhem and skullduggery ensue, with myriad red herrings and shocking twists all bolstered by the tense and often humorous working relationship between Jasa and Azure. The result is explosive and delightfully cinematic, perfect for sci-fi fans who love a wisecracking, morally ambiguous protagonist. (Sept.)