Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Futuristic Shoot-em-Up, 19 Sep 2007
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
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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3.0 out of 5 stars
It's okay to skip church, 2 Sep 2009
The Electric Church mixes cinematic action sequences with a fast-paced plot and a no-frills, utilitarian writing style - and here lies its Achilles' heel in my view.
The book reads like a film script, with a breathless pace that hurriedly ushers you from one action set-piece to the next, with minimal character development and back-story, making its dystopian world seem flimsy and insubstantial.
Sci-fi at its best is as much about ideas as it is action, and The Electric Church is skewed in favour of the latter at the expense fleshing out the reasons why we should feel sympathetic towards the main characters or an affinity with the world they find themselves in.
Each chapter is no more than a few pages long and meaningful exposition as to why the main protagonists behave as they do and what brought them to where they are now is very thin on the ground.
While the action is fast and furious and the plot clever and expansive, the book ultimately feels disposable, like wolfing down a take-away with a plastic fork from a cardboard container, as opposed to savouring something special that lingers on the palate.
If you want a book that has a similar story theme and action-oriented ethos as The Electric Church but is set in a richly realised universe with believable characters I would recommend Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. It mixes furious cyberpunk action with an impressive depth of story-telling and character development and is everything that The Electric Church could have, and should have, been.
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