DISCLAIMER: I received this copy in exchange for a review.

WARNING: This review contains mild spoilers.

I have mixed emotions about this novel. Parts of it are so very well done, that the parts that come up a little short are glaring.

The world building is intriguing, and had me hooked from the start. The "Halfskin" universe (home of "[b: Halfskin (Halfskin, #1)|16193991|Halfskin (Halfskin, #1)|Tony Bertauski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354388160s/16193991.jpg|22121691]" & "[b: Clay (Halfskin, #2)|21894193|Clay (Halfskin, #2)|Tony Bertauski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397272367s/21894193.jpg|41184883]") has an intuitive, lived-in feel. The reader picks up on the social clues scattered by [a: Tony Bertauski|449366|Tony Bertauski|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1293454552p2/449366.jpg], and feels familiar with the world of the narrative. This book stands on it's own. Having said that, reading "Halfskin" first will likely provide richer history, context, and background.

We are introduced to a society coming to grips with the ultimate means of empowerment and escape, the cell-replacing "biomites." The gritty, noir feel of the universe is not so much Mad Max as Blade Runner. The raw descriptions of the characters and their settings give you a sense of immediacy. This isn't so much about a far flung future as it is about an alternate now.

The audio is very clean, slick, and professional. I didn't hear any duplicated lines, bad edits, or background noise. Frankly, I am in envy of David Dietz's ability to simply and effectively put individual voices to the characters, particularly the female characters. That's not an easy task for a male narrator.

Bertauski reached for, and by-and-large grasped, the themes of: the need for community, the dangers of isolation, the heavy burden of dependence, the distraction of social media, the illusion of a single reality, and the faded nobility of sacrifice. There are others, I'm sure, but these are the ones that stuck with me.

One trope bugged me; the bad guy as religious fanatic. The character's skewed use of scripture to justify his actions was particularly rankling. I kept wanting to shout him down. Kudos to Bertauski for invoking this strong of a reaction in me.

The religious overtones and parallels begin with the novel's title "Clay," and continue: Marcus Anderson's obsession with purity and his righteous disdain of biomite use, Cali's messianic position, and ultimate, willing sacrifice. But, the very odd, and very genius moment comes when Bertauski casts the AI "Mother" as mankind's savior. Not what you normally find in a cyberpunk novel!

There is an ensemble cast of protagonists. Other reviewers have mentioned difficulty following the shifting POV, however if you know to expect that going in, it's fairly easy to keep up with the main protagonists: Nix Richards, Jamie, Cali Richards, Paul, Raine, and Marcus Anderson.

Of the protagonists, I had the most trouble with Nix Richards. Often he didn't strike me as someone who could survive 20 years in hiding. He didn't exude the degree of cold implacableness hiding from a determined government search would require. It was more of a desperate, whiny neediness. At times, I had a difficulty reconciling his present actions with previous ones.

The resolution to the central conflict had the feel of "...and a wizard walked by." It welled up suddenly, attempting to resolve disparate issues on multiple plot lines. It felt ungainly and clunky, particularly in light of the story craft exhibited to that point. Cali's ultimate decision smacked more of exhaustion and desperation than noble sacrifice. However, Bertauski weaves that into an almost perfect noir ending; she won't get the brass ring, but her actions might make it possible for others.

Unfortunately, the book didn't end there, instead opting to tack on two additional endings that seem to be positioning the plot for the next book in the series. Like Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings," it just didn't seem to know when to quit. These endings, with Marcus and Raine, could easily be the opening chapters of the next book, unless Bertauski isn't planning anymore. And, that would be a shame. I believe the "Halfskin" universe has a lot more stories to tell, and I'd certainly like to hear them. ( )

DISCLAIMER: I received this copy in exchange for a review.

WARNING: This review contains mild spoilers.

I have mixed emotions about this novel. Parts of it are so very well done, that the parts that come up a little short are glaring.

The world building is intriguing, and had me hooked from the start. The "Halfskin" universe (home of "[b: Halfskin (Halfskin, #1)|16193991|Halfskin (Halfskin, #1)|Tony Bertauski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354388160s/16193991.jpg|22121691]" & "[b: Clay (Halfskin, #2)|21894193|Clay (Halfskin, #2)|Tony Bertauski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397272367s/21894193.jpg|41184883]") has an intuitive, lived-in feel. The reader picks up on the social clues scattered by [a: Tony Bertauski|449366|Tony Bertauski|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1293454552p2/449366.jpg], and feels familiar with the world of the narrative. This book stands on it's own. Having said that, reading "Halfskin" first will likely provide richer history, context, and background.

We are introduced to a society coming to grips with the ultimate means of empowerment and escape, the cell-replacing "biomites." The gritty, noir feel of the universe is not so much Mad Max as Blade Runner. The raw descriptions of the characters and their settings give you a sense of immediacy. This isn't so much about a far flung future as it is about an alternate now.

The audio is very clean, slick, and professional. I didn't hear any duplicated lines, bad edits, or background noise. Frankly, I am in envy of David Dietz's ability to simply and effectively put individual voices to the characters, particularly the female characters. That's not an easy task for a male narrator.

Bertauski reached for, and by-and-large grasped, the themes of: the need for community, the dangers of isolation, the heavy burden of dependence, the distraction of social media, the illusion of a single reality, and the faded nobility of sacrifice. There are others, I'm sure, but these are the ones that stuck with me.

One trope bugged me; the bad guy as religious fanatic. The character's skewed use of scripture to justify his actions was particularly rankling. I kept wanting to shout him down. Kudos to Bertauski for invoking this strong of a reaction in me.

The religious overtones and parallels begin with the novel's title "Clay," and continue: Marcus Anderson's obsession with purity and his righteous disdain of biomite use, Cali's messianic position, and ultimate, willing sacrifice. But, the very odd, and very genius moment comes when Bertauski casts the AI "Mother" as mankind's savior. Not what you normally find in a cyberpunk novel!

There is an ensemble cast of protagonists. Other reviewers have mentioned difficulty following the shifting POV, however if you know to expect that going in, it's fairly easy to keep up with the main protagonists: Nix Richards, Jamie, Cali Richards, Paul, Raine, and Marcus Anderson.

Of the protagonists, I had the most trouble with Nix Richards. Often he didn't strike me as someone who could survive 20 years in hiding. He didn't exude the degree of cold implacableness hiding from a determined government search would require. It was more of a desperate, whiny neediness. At times, I had a difficulty reconciling his present actions with previous ones.

The resolution to the central conflict had the feel of "...and a wizard walked by." It welled up suddenly, attempting to resolve disparate issues on multiple plot lines. It felt ungainly and clunky, particularly in light of the story craft exhibited to that point. Cali's ultimate decision smacked more of exhaustion and desperation than noble sacrifice. However, Bertauski weaves that into an almost perfect noir ending; she won't get the brass ring, but her actions might make it possible for others.

Unfortunately, the book didn't end there, instead opting to tack on two additional endings that seem to be positioning the plot for the next book in the series. Like Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings," it just didn't seem to know when to quit. These endings, with Marcus and Raine, could easily be the opening chapters of the next book, unless Bertauski isn't planning anymore. And, that would be a shame. I believe the "Halfskin" universe has a lot more stories to tell, and I'd certainly like to hear them. ( )

This was just too much after reading Halfskin. I though the concept/world was good but this time around I didn't care about the characters. ( )

ABR's full Clay audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

This is my fourth from Tony Bertauski and yet again he is able to leave my jaw laying on the floor.

There is just something about the Sci Fi that he writes that makes me think that this cannot even be THAT far into the future. People are thinking about this! Bertauski is a zeitgeist, ahead of his time and thinking of things that will come to pass.

The scary thing about that is that this is dystopian. It’s horrific and I can see hundreds if not thousands of people wanting to go against Mother but I can also see those that would embrace and think this technology will save humanity.

I’m not even talking characters and plot yet and there is THAT much in here. So many interesting thoughts that I had to give myself time before I could write the review JUST to wrap my brain around all of this!

But, as in other books by Bertauski, the characters are there. The plot is definitely there. The narration jumps back and forth a bit but I was able to keep up with it for the most part. His books are like this and I think it is great because the reader gets to see all points of view, not just the main character. If we were stuck with Nix we would have no idea what really happened inside the warehouse at the beginning, and that was a phenomenal start to this story!

David W. Dietz does it yet again. I’m so glad they kept the same narrator. I was in love with his rendition of book one and loved it all the more in this one. There is just something about his intensity that adds to the dystopian feel. It adds that anxiety that the characters are supposed to feel. The audio was amazing and this might be one that I listen to again just because this is a deep story. I normally would switch to reading if I wanted to get more out of a story, but this one just lends itself to be heard.

Amazing story, fantastic writing, and great audio make me want more from Bertauski!

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator. ( )

"My anger is hot", he says. "My aches are wanting. My joy is sweet. My loneliness hollow. I feel all the same things you do. Does the body make us human?

This is the underlying question posed by Clay, the second volume in the Halfskin series by Tony Bertauski. Picking up where Halfskin left off, Cali and Nix continue their cat and mouse game with Marcus Anderson, the government agent charged with controlling the "Halfskin" population. Marcus is one of the few all-natural humans left-a man whose religious conviction feeds his disdain for those who have reached their threshold of Biomites (a Halfskin), the synthetic cells that supplant human cells (Clay). Continuing on from volume one, the AI construct MOTHER continues the government's program of shutting down those who have surpassed their allowance of 49.9% biomite make-up. In this 2nd volume, the Bricks are introduced 100% biomite fabricated humans used as enforcers by the government, with the ability to control human biomites, thereby enabling the Bricks the means to shut down thousands of Halfskins in mere seconds.

Tony Bertauski has again produced an extremely well written story that not only entertains in classic SCI-Fi form, but also poses provocative questions concerning what it means to be human. Is it the human body, made of flesh and blood (Clay), or is it the emotions, ideas and memories (the Mind) which make us human? The story deals heavily in Transhumanist philosophy, the belief of a growing number of scientist-philosophers that are actively searching for outcomes such as those depicted in this book-namely a way in which the human mind can be downloaded into man-made constructs, facilitating immortality of the mind. Heady stuff to be sure.

Above all, a good story should leave one with questions, forcing us to think and ponder the ramifications put forth by the author and the plot. Bertauski manages to entertain while posing important philosophical, existential and ethical questions, which he delivers In spades. The story is tight, well researched and wildly entertaining, with an ending that will leave you gasping. I look forward to the 3rd book in the series, titled Bricks. Tony Bertauski is certainly one of my new favorite authors, and I believe if given the chance, he will become one of yours as well. File under SciFi, Psychological Thriller. Read the Review in The Thugbrarian Review at:http://wp.me/p4pAFB-dC ( )