A Review of "Mercury's Son"

Introduction

After what feels like forever, I have finally finished Mercury's Son by the talented Luke Hindmarsh. The holiday season can be crazy for anyone, but luckily for me, I had this wonderful novel to keep me sane! I found it via Booktasters on Twitter (and will happily use their free services again!)

I began this book when Mr. Hindmarsh kindly exchanged a Kindle copy of it for an honest review, and I have to say, I was far from disappointed! Growing up in the Information Age led me to host a great passion for cyberpunk, and Mercury's Son fulfilled that craving! This murder-mystery novel is set in a dystopian society run by elements of technology after Earth was destroyed in a nuclear war, which, to me, is both cautionary and exciting all at the same time!


My Rating: ★★★★


Synopsis: "Valko can see the last moments of a victim's life.
It comes at a price--a scrap of flesh cut from his brain and replaced with an implant. Bound to a drug that lets him use his insight but brings with it the pain of synthetic emotion, he's at war with himself.
Now a killer has found a way to hide from him and two people are dead. Someone wants to keep their secrets buried. The trail leads out into the wasteland where death flies on the wind as nanotech dust.
Manipulated and betrayed, Valko must get to the truth before his time runs out.
If he only knew who to trust maybe he'd have a chance, but a man with an artificial soul can't even trust himself..." (via Goodreads)

Thoughts and Comments

Pros

• In the beginning, the writing contains universe-specific terms that were slightly overwhelming at first, but as I read further, I began to adore them! They became familiar to me, like something in the novel that would ground me after the main character, Valko, would flash back, or perhaps possess someone else's memory.
• The language was eloquent, and Mr. Hindmarsh used a lot of five-dollar words that I found to be very refreshing. I always love reading a novel where the author has an expansive vocabulary. 
• The worldbuilding was phenomenal! I was immediately submerged into the several different Plenum, and I was shocked at how relatable the post-apocalyptic world was. Overcrowded cyber-cities abounded, and because I'm originally from a metropolitan area, it was easy for me to imagine myself shoulder-to-shoulder with Valko during his entire journey.
• For those that enjoy long novels, this book is a must! I found myself not wanting the novel to end, and because it was such a long story, I really feel that the experience was worth all of the page-turning. Mr. Hindmarsh gets so incredibly in-depth with his lore and his history, and it made it so much easier for me as the reader to understand how the setting of this dystopian after-Earth came to be.

Cons

• The chapters were FAR too long. Personally, I dislike taking a break from a novel in-between chapters, but for this book, I was forced to. Chapters are like checkpoints for me, and if they're so spaced out that it's hard to end reading for the day where I want to, it makes it harder to have to get back into where I left off. I'd have to turn to the previous page to familiarize myself with everything that was going on.
• There were a few grammatical issues throughout the novel, but nothing that was absolutely appalling. It didn't bring me to simply putting the book down out of distraction, but it was enough to notice. If you feel particularly strict about grammar, here's your heads up!

Conclusion

Luke Hindmarsh's Mercury's Son encompasses all subgenres of cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic, murder-mystery, and even some dieselpunk vibes, and I sincerely believe that fans of any or all of these will VERY much enjoy this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a novel that can keep them company on long travel trips, as it is sure to keep you enthralled during the duration of your reading! Mr. Hindmarsh, I hope and expect to see more great work from you in the future!

Goodreads Link: See here 

Amazon Link: See here

Riffle Link: See here

This fulfills my "Arcanepunk Fantasy" subgenre of the Fantasy genre!


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