Ron Bender

Here is the review I'll post on LibraryThing.com:

I didn't finish Ron Bender's book Shadow's Fall until several months after I had received it.

It was worth the wait. This book is part of his New White Sands City Cyberpunk Series. And it surprised me. When I requested an early reader copy, I was expecting something similar to William Gibson's classic work in this genre. I was wrong.

The story is told from the first person point of view of Raven - also called Sweetie. And the occasional insights show more into her psychology are occasionally tantalizing, usually humorous, and just sufficient to pique the reader's curiosity. I'd like to know more about her back story and her formative years, despite the revelation about her origins that come as this book unfolds.

Her partner, Brios, is more enigmatic. I'd like to know more about him as well.

Author Bender combines dystopian lore with cyberpunk and some well written humanity of his characters. The story is quick paced, consistent in plots and story lines, and easy and enjoyable to read.

My only complaint is that the big climax is followed by an epilogue that could have included more. Instead it reads like "they died then they were alive then they went back to their old lives." Each of these three parts of the conclusion left me wanting more, and more to tie them together. Brios was a central character up through the climax but only got about a two sentence mention in the conclusion.

All in all, a good story with some surprises that kept me reading. I recommend this more for fans of space opera and cyberpunk of the same style as William Shatner's Tek Series. It may disappoint readers expecting a Gibson experience. I look forward to more by this author. show less