Animus Paradox (Digital Extremities #2) by Adam Bassett

Rating: /10

There’s a thief on the loose. The Tigres excel at tipping the scales in their favor, be it through bribes, politics, or blood. They unofficially run Viterbo, Italy—and somebody stole from them.

Private investigators David and Mafalda De Campo have been hired to help find the thief. They’re in it for the money, but the Tigres just want to make a statement.

Meanwhile, the Heredes have returned: ruthless idealists and revolutionaries. It’s not clear what they’re up to, but they keep getting in the way.

The De Campos will need to decide how far they’re willing to go for this job and the Tigres. Viterbo may soon become a battlefield, and one wrong move could set it aflame.

What a treat it was to pick this one up. Animus Paradox takes an atypical approach for a sequel—rather than starting a new collection or a fresh story, it launches directly out of the final short story from Digital Extremities, Bassett’s first collection. That’s not a structure I see often, moving from an ensemble of standalone shorts into a single continuous story that picks up right where one of them left off, and I really appreciated the choice. It rewards readers who spent time with the first book without making the sequel feel inaccessible on its own.

Because of that connection, we’re dropped right back in with characters we already know—David and Mafalda De Campo—and the story uses this novella-length space to deepen our relationship with them rather than starting from scratch. There’s something satisfying about watching characters you’ve already met get more room to breathe; you’re not being introduced to strangers, you’re catching up with people you were rooting for.

The world-building continues to be a real highlight. If you have any fondness for cyberpunk and near-future tech settings, you’ll feel right at home here—body mods, corporate and gang politics, and a near-future Italy that gives the genre’s familiar bones a fresh setting. Bassett clearly has a strong handle on this world, and it shows in the small, consistent details as much as the bigger plot machinery.

And the story itself just moves. It’s exciting from start to finish, with twists and turns that kept me guessing about who to trust and how things would shake out. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it and came away hoping there’s more David and Maf on the horizon.

Highly recommended for cyberpunk fans, especially those who’ve already spent time in the world of Digital Extremities—though newcomers should find plenty to enjoy here too.