Synopsis:
Arlo and Drienne are ‘mades’—clones of company executives, deemed important enough to be saved should their health fail. Mades work around the clock to pay off the debt incurred by their creation, though most are Reaped—killed and harvested for organs when their corporate counterparts are in medical need.
But when the impossible happens and the too-big-to-fail company that owns them collapses, Arlo and Drienne find themselves purchased by a scientist who has a job for them.
The Debt paid off, freedom from servitude, and enough cash to last a lifetime.
The Infiltrate a highly secure corporate reclamation facility in the heart of dead London and steal a data drive.
They’re going to need a team.
Review:
The Heist of Hollow London by Eddie Robson is an interesting book and to be honest, I’m still unpacking some of my thoughts on the futuristic sci-fi tale. Robson’s view of the future in his novel is a bleak commentary on the role of corporations now and what constitutes humanity, but ultimately all that is merely a backdrop to the heist story that takes center stage. There is a Blade Runner mixed with Gattaca vibe about it all, but the heist story evokes a bit of Ocean’s Eleven and The Italian Job along the way.
The story starts with Arlo and Drienne, human clones who exist merely to be on-call organ donors should the need arise from corporate executives they’re based on. In the meantime, they make a living as human advertisements, selling products however they can in this cyberpunk-ish dystopian world where gigantic companies rule. The company they work for goes belly-up and they find themselves in a position to make a new life for themselves and perhaps a massive payday as their employer implodes. Along the way, we get a team that plans the heist.
And Robson does well with the heist — you need a cross, a double-cross, a triple-cross, and maybe even more for a good heist, and Robson weaves his story into so many knots in the end, you’re kinda left wondering how you got there. Once the actual heist planning and execution begins, the book does well, but a chunk in the first 30-40 percent of the book drags with a lot of world-building and explanation of what the companies do and don’t do.
Robson has experience writing for Doctor Who spinoffs like radio plays, comics, and short story anthologies and I can see a bit of parallel between some of that and the parts that make The Heist of Hollow London successful. The big difference is that there is no magical, mystical TIme Lord ready to pop in and save the day with a sonic screwdriver, so Arlo, Drienne and the others have to figure out how to save their own bacon when the plan goes awry. There is humor to be found, but sometimes there is a lot of the world that Robson is trying to create that gets in the way of the humor and banter of the characters.
Overall, I enjoyed Robson’s futuristic heist story and would gladly read more of his work.
Thank you to Tor Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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