Synopsis
After thirty years running the net, Ace, AKA “ICE” Clester is semii-retired in Southampton. He’s got enough creds stashed to keep the lights on, but he still takes the odd run—not for money, but to remind the world he’s still around.
Then a job hits him like a freight train—a rare score across the atlantic in Echo City. It’s messy, dangerous, and exactly the kind of trouble that pulls him back under the big league’s neon lights.
Now ICE is caught between ruthless mercs, corrupt corps, and a ticking virus buried deep in his system. The net is no playground—it’s a war zone. And this time, losing means more than just wiping your deck.
He’s got one last shot to stay alive, he must find punk runner.
Quick Review
Digital Ravens wastes no time, with blazing fast action and characters that would feel at home in a William Gibson novel, this reads like a loveletter to the cyberpunk genre.
Full Review
Although Digital Ravens takes place between books one and two in the Neon Tales of Echo City, I want to preface this review by saying I haven’t had the chance to read the first book in that series. Despite that, I had no problem picking this novella up as my entry point into it. Digital Ravens absolutely works as a fun, action-packed standalone story for anyone who just wants a taste of Putt’s cyberpunk storytelling.
That’s my major takeaway from this novella: the fun, fast-paced action. There’s some deeper themes embedded inside of here, but they tend to take a back seat to Digital Ravens’ iconic action scenes.
However, the book has some awkward moments. The formatting around some dialogue with ICE’s neural interface never quite worked for me, it’s something between internal dialogue and prose and could be difficult to parse at times. There’s also some edgy cyberpunk tropes that feel a bit forced, and some language that while fine for people used to the genre might confuse people who are new to cyberpunk.
The biggest hiccup I hit while reading this story was the way two characters, Siri and Alixia, join ICE’s team to help with his job. I never quite understood what value they added to his team. I can see why they joined him in terms of satisfying the plot, and they are both very cool characters, but their motivations for joining—as well as ICE’s for asking them to join him—felt a bit flimsy.
That said, the rest of the cast was great. ICE is an interesting character, and Evie really comes into her own by the end. I hope that Putt is able to move beyond the tropes a bit, but keep this amazing cyberpunk feeling, and bring them back for another job in this neon-drenched world. Or, perhaps they’ll return with their own agendas… I hope they do return in some form, because the ending felt like it left a lot unsaid. That’s not something which personally bothers me, but I do feel like Putt has some very exciting opportunities to expand on these characters.
I recommend Digital Ravens. It isn’t breaking any new ground, but S.K. Putt has absolutely mastered the feel of a modern cyberpunk action story. It’s fast-paced, with high stakes, and the hint of something deeper.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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