Escapology

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUL 4, 2016

Warom makes an impressive debut with this action-packed, post-apocalyptic, postmodern adventure, in which a skilled hacker attempts the ultimate digital heist. In the near future, massive land ships, remnants of a broken world, ply their trade across a global ocean, and the sprawling city of Foon Gung occupies the last patch of stable land in what used to be Asia. Shock Pao, a down-and-out "Haunt" someone who can navigate the electronic realm known as the Slip without being seen is pressed into service by a ruthless crime lord and winds up in the center of a society-shaking conflict involving gangs, assassins, and all-powerful AIs. The diverse characters and well-crafted setting breathe fresh life into the cyberpunk subgenre. Warom's language is dense, full of slang and complex character voices, but rewarding for its difficulty. "Curled up against the window like a squashed bug, Shock squints down at the tops of rain-swollen clouds, the plunging cliff-side drops of the 'scrapers, and half imagines he might be dying" is how readers meet the protagonist, who struggles with addiction and gender identity questions among many other concerns. The worldbuilding and narrative could be a little clearer and more straightforward, but readers will appreciate that this tale defiantly carves out its own identity.