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The Electric Church
 
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The Electric Church (Paperback)

by Jeff Somers (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
Price: £9.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Orbit (20 Sep 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1841496154
  • ISBN-13: 978-1841496153
  • Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.4 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 298,246 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Review
'An exhilarating example of powerful and entertaining storytelling'- Guardian 'Somers plot sprints along . . .entertaining near-future noir'- Publishers Weekly 'Somers writes with assurance and style. This is fun, cyberpunky noir SF with just the right mix of fatalism and attitude'- SFSite 'A first-rate piece of science fiction entertainment'- SFSignal.com 'An action-filled noir thriller reminiscent of Blade Runner'- Library Journal Review 'A dark, intense and suspenseful novel' Scifichick.com 'A highly engaging and entertaining read' SFRevu

Product Description
The story of the wily Avery Cates, being chased by the sinister Monks and the System Police is non-stop and action packed with lots of rollicking twists and turns. In the bleak and poverty stricken near-future, the population walks around lost and purpose-less. Everyone either seems to be a thief or a gunner. The fastest growing religion is The Electric Church, and their army of Monks and assassins slowly convert the populus. Unknown to them, this is actually a death sentence. When hit man Avery Cates is tapped for "conversion" he must find a way to slip under the Church's all-encompassing radar. The characterisations and unexpected personalities are not to be missed. Whether they are machines with human qualities and flaws, or humans who consider technology their God, Somers is a master at upping the ante through his compelling characters.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Electric Church
86% buy the item featured on this page:
The Electric Church 4.1 out of 5 stars (8)
£9.99
The Digital Plague
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The Digital Plague 4.5 out of 5 stars (4)
£5.49

 

Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Futuristic Shoot-em-Up, 19 Sep 2007
By A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Set in a near future dystopian New York and London, this high-energy story pits mid-level hitman Avery Cates against the two most powerful forces in the quasi-fascist world. The first of these is the System Security Force (SSF), the totally tricked-out elite troops who keep the peace in the name of the System of Federated Nations. (If is the "SS" in their name reminds you of another group of elite soldiers, it's probably intentional.) Of course, in this class-stratified future, keeping the peace pretty much means keeping the plebes in line and protecting the wealth and health of the upper crust. They don't pay too much attention to small fry like Cates until one of his hits goes bad, and he kills an undercover SSF officer.

Alas, if you kill an SSF officer, all bets are off, and you're lucky if you live 24 hours. As it happens, Cates is incredibly lucky -- instead of being stomped into a pink puddle, he is made an offer he can't refuse and is directed to kill a very high profile target. This brings him up against a sinister religion known as The Electric Church, whose membership is growing at an exponential rate. The reason for its growth may lie in the wild rumors of forced conversion and brainwashing, rumors that Cates' new assignment will prove or dispel.

Jam-packed with fast and furious cinematic action, the book's real distinguishing feature is its colorful cast of characters. Cates assembles a team to help him -- including a weedy acquaintance with mysterious mental abilities, a British techie on the lam, and strange twin sisters specializing in transportation -- and then leads them to London for the big showdown. It's crucial in these kind of stories (or movies) that the hero be likable and his henchmen interesting. Cates, as the hitman with a heart of, well, silver if not gold, is charismatic and flawed enough to carry the story (until the end, when he kind of loses it), and the cast of supporting characters have enough personality and surprises to keep one interested. The overall effect is kind of comic-booky (not in a bad way), and while it's not exactly groundbreaking or earth-shattering stuff, it should fit the bill for those looking for an action-packed futuristic shoot-em-up.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Good first third, mediocre rest, 23 Oct 2007
By F. Wetzel (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The book starts with lots of pace and lots of depth, like a real page turner. The story reminded me of "Escape from New York". The characters are well defined, the description of New York very atmospheric. Unfortunately after around 1/3 of the book, the pace drops, the descriptions are repetitive. The finale is disappointing and short. It might work as a movie, but as a book it lacks depth and energy.
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4.0 out of 5 stars The Electric Church, 5 Jul 2008
By David Brookes (Sheffield, UK) - See all my reviews

Still a relatively fresh-faced arrival on the fiction scene, Jeff Somers brings a brilliantly competent slice of sci-fi action in the form of "The Electric Church", in which the "Gunner" Avery Cates, a mercenary of sorts in a dystopian future, is hired by the fascist State Security Force to shoot down the leader of a new religion: one where the brains of the converted are removed and inserted into high-tech bodies.

It's a great story, full of surprises that reward the reader regularly. Told in the first person, it brings very personalised observations of a world where most of the inhabited areas lie in ruins following a series of hostile takeovers and riots. Gunning is the only way to make enough yen to support a steady diet of gut-rotting booze and stale Pre-Unification cigarettes, and Avery Cates is one of the best Gunners available.

The narrative is clipped, stylish and engaging, affording one of those rare experiences where you really get to know the character, which is often difficult in first person fiction. Somers brings it off with flare, describing as the character contemplates them the broken down cities, the hard-assed people inhabiting them, and an all-important choice: surrender to the growing faith of the Electric Church for immortality and salvation, or live in poverty with all guns blazing?

An awesome read by a true talent. Don't miss out.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Shoot them up before they remove your brain!
Although nothing extraordinary it is fun to read. Easy going, short, action-packed futuristic thriller. Read more
Published 12 months ago by _astra_

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast Paced Sci-Fi
I picked this one up on impulse after reading the blurb, I started reading Sunday Afternoon and put it down again Monday Evening, after desperately squeezing in time to read it... Read more
Published 14 months ago by C. Hodder

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - please film this !
I did wonder if Dirk Gently inspired this story with its reference to electric monks but in fact this comes across as Bladerunner without the worrying about the cyborgs being... Read more
Published 19 months ago by A. J. Sudworth

4.0 out of 5 stars Somers breaks through
The Electric Church - Jeff Somers
To be honest when I originally read the back of this I was wondering what I was letting myself in for. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Gareth Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars An Electric Book
I loved this book. I simply devoured it. Normally a very slow reader, I found myself taking every little opportunity to snatch a couple of pages. I'm now missing it. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Si

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