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Review
'A brash, brutal, brilliant novel' --Sfx
'An action movie in print' --Daily Telegraph
'An action movie in print' --Daily Telegraph
Product Description
'THIS IS AN ASSASSINATION. NOT YOURS. BUT AN ASSASSINATION NONE THE LESS.' Avery Cates, criminal 'king' of New York, has climbed his way to the top of a heap of trouble. On his knees in the snow, with a gun to his head, Avery thinks this must finally be it. Instead, he is injected with nanotech and left confused but alive. Then everyone around him starts dying. With every moment bringing humanity closer to extinction, Cates finds he will be either executioner or saviour of an entire world.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Digital Plague is top drawer SCI-FI pulp fiction. The book is a fast paced romp through a future dystopia full of guns and violence. The main character is great fun and the plot moves along at a brisk pace. Read the 'Electric Church' first as this book leads on from it. I can't wait for the 3rd book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Jeff Somers' second Avery Cates novel continues the trend of noirish sci-fi, filling the pages with action and hard-arsed back-and-forth.
Following the first novel, "The Electric Church", Gunner Avery Cates has spearheaded an anti-establishment campaign that has grown from strength to strength during the intervening years between books. "The Digital Plague" brings us swiftly up to date even as the story leaps straight in, with Cates on his knees with a gun to his head. A daring escape - or incomprehensible release - allows Cates to return to his base of operations, where he soon discovers the first victims of a terrible technological plague. This propels him on a journey to track down the source of the deadly sickness - an old friend - and put an end to it if he can. Cates brings himself as close to death as a man can be, following the trail of his own personal involvement.
The writing is as smooth as ever, bringing the first-person narrative more alive than most other fiction out there, especially sci-fi. The hard-boiled approach serves Somers well, and he's certainly got it down pat, and he thankfully doesn't overdo it by making all of his characters Hollywood-style immortal, something that conversely made the first book so enjoyable. The characters undergo sophisticated transitions and the book is no overly long - although it is accompanied by more unnecessary appendices, but of course nobody's obliged to read those; they don't add much.
There are plenty of totally transparent seeds planted for the third instalment, which has been announced as "The Eternal Prison" - you'll see the pointers miles before the end, but although they're inexpertly delivered they don't get in the way much. "The Digital Plague" has a finely crafted story with some great characters that drive the plot along with force and style.
Well worth reading, especially if you liked the first one - I'd recommend reading them in order, though.
7.5 / 10
Following the first novel, "The Electric Church", Gunner Avery Cates has spearheaded an anti-establishment campaign that has grown from strength to strength during the intervening years between books. "The Digital Plague" brings us swiftly up to date even as the story leaps straight in, with Cates on his knees with a gun to his head. A daring escape - or incomprehensible release - allows Cates to return to his base of operations, where he soon discovers the first victims of a terrible technological plague. This propels him on a journey to track down the source of the deadly sickness - an old friend - and put an end to it if he can. Cates brings himself as close to death as a man can be, following the trail of his own personal involvement.
The writing is as smooth as ever, bringing the first-person narrative more alive than most other fiction out there, especially sci-fi. The hard-boiled approach serves Somers well, and he's certainly got it down pat, and he thankfully doesn't overdo it by making all of his characters Hollywood-style immortal, something that conversely made the first book so enjoyable. The characters undergo sophisticated transitions and the book is no overly long - although it is accompanied by more unnecessary appendices, but of course nobody's obliged to read those; they don't add much.
There are plenty of totally transparent seeds planted for the third instalment, which has been announced as "The Eternal Prison" - you'll see the pointers miles before the end, but although they're inexpertly delivered they don't get in the way much. "The Digital Plague" has a finely crafted story with some great characters that drive the plot along with force and style.
Well worth reading, especially if you liked the first one - I'd recommend reading them in order, though.
7.5 / 10
Format:Paperback
It's 5 years after THE ELECTRIC CHURCH. Avery Cates heads the most feared criminal organisation in New York with Wa Belling (aka Canny Orel) as his number 2 when he's kidnapped by unknown assailants who, instead of killing him, inject him with nanotech and leave him outside the city. Realising that someone in his organisation has betrayed him, Avery's determined to get revenge. When the people around him start dying from a strange sickness though, it soon becomes clear that Avery is a pawn in a bigger game - a game where the fate of all mankind is at stake ...
Jeff Somers' sequel to THE ELECTRIC CHURCH is another fast-paced SF action thriller. This time Avery takes the role of Typhoid Mary, with the story following his efforts to find out who set him up and why. Although Avery has a strong voice, I'm still not convinced that he's the flawed hero Somers seems to want him to be mainly because he has so little emotional impact to what he's been forced to do. Somers introduces the character of Glee (a teenage girl who Avery's formed a paternal relationship with) to give the tragedy a human impact for him, but because Glee has not been seen before it's difficult to understand the connection beyond her youth. Saying that Avery does go on a character arc, with the character at the end of the book very different to that at the beginning, which was interesting.
I still like the dystopian future that Somers has created and I particularly enjoyed the way that he sets about making it even worse in this book. There are some nice look backs to THE ELECTRIC CHURCH (which you do need to read to get the most out of this) and while some of the twists and turns were a little predictable, Somers keeps them coming at a fast pace. Although deus ex machina is again relied on to get Avery out of his worst scrapes, the fights are well choreographed and a scene towards the end has a chilling techno-take on zombies. Supporting characters remain largely ciphers there to fulfil roles and I didn't believe the traitor's motivation at all once they're revealed.
In conclusion, it's a decent read that kept me turning the pages and the cliff hanger ending will ensure I look up the next book, THE ETERNAL PRISON.
Jeff Somers' sequel to THE ELECTRIC CHURCH is another fast-paced SF action thriller. This time Avery takes the role of Typhoid Mary, with the story following his efforts to find out who set him up and why. Although Avery has a strong voice, I'm still not convinced that he's the flawed hero Somers seems to want him to be mainly because he has so little emotional impact to what he's been forced to do. Somers introduces the character of Glee (a teenage girl who Avery's formed a paternal relationship with) to give the tragedy a human impact for him, but because Glee has not been seen before it's difficult to understand the connection beyond her youth. Saying that Avery does go on a character arc, with the character at the end of the book very different to that at the beginning, which was interesting.
I still like the dystopian future that Somers has created and I particularly enjoyed the way that he sets about making it even worse in this book. There are some nice look backs to THE ELECTRIC CHURCH (which you do need to read to get the most out of this) and while some of the twists and turns were a little predictable, Somers keeps them coming at a fast pace. Although deus ex machina is again relied on to get Avery out of his worst scrapes, the fights are well choreographed and a scene towards the end has a chilling techno-take on zombies. Supporting characters remain largely ciphers there to fulfil roles and I didn't believe the traitor's motivation at all once they're revealed.
In conclusion, it's a decent read that kept me turning the pages and the cliff hanger ending will ensure I look up the next book, THE ETERNAL PRISON.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Second time around
This is the second time out for Avery Cates, and like the Electric church this is also an action packed and exstreamly readable book. Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2010 by Haydies
Excellent follow up
This is a really good follow up to 'Electric Church' - same disfunctional world, same high level of violence, snappy dialogue and a question over whether anyone will be left alive... Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2008 by A. J. Sudworth
Electric Church Sequel
The author has matched the action and the 'one hope in a million of getting through this alive' atmosphere that he created in the Electric Church. Read more
Published on 31 May 2008 by E. M. Scarrott
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