The Body Scout
A Novel
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3.9 • 34 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In this “timeless and original” sci-fi thriller (New York Times), a hardboiled baseball scout must solve the murder of his brother in a world transformed by body modification, perfect for readers of William Gibson and Max Barry.
An Esquire Pick for the Top 50 Sci-Fi Books of All Time
A New York Times Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novel of 2021
"A breathlessly paced techno-thriller characterized by stunning, spiky worldbuilding." — Esquire
In the future you can have any body you want—as long as you can afford it.
But in a New York ravaged by climate change and repeat pandemics, Kobo is barely scraping by. He scouts the latest in gene-edited talent for Big Pharma-owned baseball teams, but his own cybernetics are a decade out of date and twin sister loan sharks are banging down his door. Things couldn't get much worse.
Then his brother—Monsanto Mets slugger J.J. Zunz—is murdered at home plate.
Determined to find the killer, Kobo plunges into a world of genetically modified CEOs, philosophical Neanderthals, and back-alley body modification, only to quickly find he's in a game far bigger and more corrupt than he imagined. To keep himself together while the world is falling apart, he'll have to navigate a time where both body and soul are sold to the highest bidder.
Diamond-sharp and savagely wry, The Body Scout is a timely science fiction thriller debut set in an all-too-possible future.
"I devoured it." —Jonathan Lethem
"Completely weird and still completely real. Delightful—I couldn't put it down."—Shea Serrano
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The bases are loaded with murder and suspense in Lincoln Michel’s grand-slam cyberpunk thriller. Kobo’s genetically tweaked adoptive brother is a baseball superstar on the Monsanto Mets—until he dies during a match against the team’s dreaded rivals. Grieving and running out of funds, Kobo tracks the killer through the high-stakes world of genetically modified athletes, where just about any shocking modification is possible. Michel’s debut novel is even weirder than his acclaimed short-story collection, Upright Beasts, and we mean that in the best way possible. He creates a beautifully discordant future where our obsession with technology has pushed us beyond our wildest dreams…and possibly beyond our own humanity. We especially enjoyed the offbeat cast of two-bit modded goons, kooky comrades, and shady moguls Kobo encounters as he seeks justice. The Body Scout is a darkly funny look into our possible, not-too-distant future. Michel says he wrote it for “any reader who enjoys big-concept science fiction that doesn’t forget to have a lot of fun.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Michel's brisk, entertaining debut weaves familiar cyberpunk tropes through a gritty, near-future world of corporate greed and pro baseball. As young boys growing up in the bleak underground warrens of a New York City partly submerged due to climate change, Kobo and his best friend, JJ Zunz, dreamed of playing ball in the big leagues. Kobo washed out of the now-defunct Cyber League and became a talent scout for the pros, though the sport is now controlled by Big Pharma, whose cutting-edge drug blends fuel the top players. Zunz, on the other hand, had the skills and luck to become a star hitter for the Monsanto Mets—until he drops dead on the field during a playoff game. Was it poison or a careless overdose? Kobo's determined to find the truth, and his investigation plunges him deep into a web of corporate politics, intrigue, and cutthroat shenanigans. The plot moves fast and features well-wrought if expected worldbuilding details, including floating billboards, advanced drug and gene therapies, cybernetic rebuilds, obnoxious and über-wealthy CEOs, and ecological collapse. Readers won't need to be baseball fans to enjoy this gripping ride.
Customer Reviews
Science Noir
Interesting take on a Phillip Marlow story. Worth the time but nothing brilliant