What can I say … this was a fast and fun, cyberpunk/mission impossible style story. World building was pretty much stock, but the author didn’t make any grievous mistakes throwing all of the tech jargon around (major props for that). Editing was also clean, so I never had any “WTF?” moments that sometimes interrupt the flow of the story with grammar or word choice mistakes. Characters were solid and interesting (although development was limited)… with a sub-genre combination you don’t always see: mage (check), cyborg (check), hacker/ai (check), … and it was this cross genre style that I really really enjoyed. So what drives this story? The over the top action of course (and character camaraderie and some interesting mission build-up). The only serious critique I might raise here would be the predictability of the plot … but I had so much fun watching it unfold, that was really a plus for me (sometimes I like low stress stories with happy endings … sue me). In short, this is pure escapism … perfect for a relaxing day poolside or at the beach.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#TheChimeraCode #NetGalley ( )

I really enjoyed this novel. Santos sometimes bills himself as a straight-up action guy whose books are full of explosions, but that's doing himself a disservice. Although Chimera Code is certainly an action-oriented novel with plenty of explosions, there really is quite a lot of depth to some the issues being presented and tackled throughout the storyline.

Everything about how a futuristic or fantasy world (depending on your genre) is constructed says a lot about the ideologies an author carries with them, and taps into their own sense of ethics. When authors say they "don't put politics in their books" that is, in my experience, code for "I want the current status quo but with flashy trappings."

Chimera Code is progressive and subversive in lots of subtle ways, from how thoughtfully the nonbinary character is handled, to how the world economy has shifted away from being North American centric (culturally and otherwise).

So if you want your gripping cross-genre action thriller with a healthy, well-made dose of not-perfect-but-genuinely-progressive-society, and you really like cyberpunk settings, this book will be great for you :) It'll go well along with new Cyberpunk video game coming out in autumn (unrelated to this book) and the prequel graphic novel featuring Chimera Code's main character, Cloke (definitely related to this book.) Mmmm, a cyberpunk summer!

The only thing that took my review down to 4 stars was also, paradoxically, one of the things I liked best about the novel. Zee, the nonbinary supporting character, was the real star of the show for me: I liked zir character, zir arc, the emotional impact of zir decisions, and the way a certain final showdown was handled.

But Zee is sadly not the main character :( That role goes to Cloke, who is a good character too, just less interesting to me personally for various reasons--perhaps because she has to be quite coy about what she knows for various plot/tension reasons and so sometimes is aloof, whereas Zee is very "open" to the reader. This aspect of the review is wholly subjective, though, so much salt as ever. ( )

In the interests of full disclosure, I have to say that I met Wayne when we were both young geeks in University. I've been reading bits and pieces of his writing ever since then, and I was so excited to hear that he was finally going to be published. He kindly sent me an ARC of The Chimera Code. I had a vague fear about what I would say if I didn't like it, but I should have known that wouldn't be a problem. This book takes huge portions of my formative years, squashes them into a whole and presents them in a single, exciting story. It's William Gibson, anime, urban fantasy, and MuchMusic all merged into one.

The concept that every story has already been written holds true here. When you strip away the meat, the bones of this story are very familiar, but oh - the meat is so very tasty. As I was reading, my partner said, "This must be a good one, you keep giggling." I'm addicted to witty repartee and this book is chock full of it; the sarcasm runs thick and fast. The characters are familiar but well developed and appealing. There are mages, hackers, cyborgs, power-players, media darlings and I want to be able to hang out with all of them, except I'm probably not cool enough.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I feel like trying to describe the book *is* giving away good stuff. Suffice it to say that the action is gripping, fast-paced, and filled with a lot of "oh, no way!" and "so cool!" moments. I want a sequel, but even more than that I want a prequel. That may be the part that turns some readers off. The story takes place in a near-ish future after some pretty dramatic changes have shaken up the world as we know it. There is some discussion about what happened, but no details and the bits and pieces come scattered throughout the story, not in a nice exposition at the beginning, so you just have to run with it. I think it's absolutely worth it though - I will be recommending this book to all and sundry when it is released. ( )