Edward Ashton is a US Science Fiction author most known for Mikey 7 (soon to be made into a film) and Antimatter Blues.
I have been putting more time into reading and I was looking forward to reading Ashton’s newest book and I was not disappointed.
As a free AI, Mal finds the war between the modded and augmented Federals and the puritanical Humanists about as interesting as a battle between rival anthills. He’s not above scouting the battlefield for salvage, though, and when the Humanists abruptly cut off access to InfoSpace he finds himself trapped in the body of a cyborg mercenary, and responsible for the safety of the modded girl she died protecting
I previously read Mickey 7 and I couldn’t put it down, it was the same with Mal Goes to War, it was read in a day. This dark comedy was enthralling, a character-driven story based on a civil war between the Federals and the Humanists, who are a faction that don’t believe in Human augmentation and go as far as killing women & children and creating burning pits, evil! We travel through this world with the free AI Mal (who likes to call himself a Silico-American). Mal doesn’t want war, he thinks the Monkeys are wasteful. When he is trapped in a cyborg body he meets Kayleigh an 18-year-old gene-modified girl in a toddler body, she tells him that as he has taken the body of her protector, he needs to protect her until she is safe. So the adventure begins. The story runs along at a great pace and I constantly feel like the action and humor keep us flying along through the book.
I try to keep these small reviews short so I am not spoiling them. I started this book and literally couldn’t put it down, I had to stop reading when pesky work got in the way, but as soon as I finished work I was reading constantly. If you enjoyed Mickey 7 and like Ashton’s writing this will be for you. I will be reading it again, a worthy addition to my library.
You can purchase Mal Goes to War from your local Bookshop, supporting indie bookshops is important and something I am very in favor of. Or if you want you can shop at your local Waterstones, I am a great supporter of physical bookshops, or online at Amazon
