Review by Booklist Review
An organization called IAC (pronounced "Yak") uses AI to predict and control people's decisions. Mat, a "body-hacker" who has high-powered weaponry in place of arms and legs, is an accomplished mercenary who refuses to work for IAC until a friend needs his help with an off-the-record job. When the mission blows up, Mat meets Silvia, a woman whom IAC has transformed into a killing machine, and the two find themselves on the run from the all-knowing organization. Steinmetz's latest, following The Sol Majestic (2019), deviates from the usual regular, shoot-'em-up action novel by centering the story around Mat's morals. (He only agrees to IAC's mission to minimize the body count.) He has PTSD, while Silvia has a panic disorder, both of which Steinmetz depicts with compassion, realism, and humor, highlighting the obstacles and advantages of each condition. Mat, a movie buff, relates his tale with a Ready Player One-level of pop culture references, naming his limbs after famous duos, such as Thelma and Louise. Like those two, Mat and Silvia make a welcome, unconventional pair of protagonists in this outlaw action adventure.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A cyborg mercenary works to protect a genetically enhanced woman from a powerful corporation in this consistently surprising, hyperkinetic action adventure from Steinmetz (The Sol Majestic). Former drone operator Mat, now more machine than man, is obsessed with preventing casualties on his oft-violent missions. Despite his reluctance to work for the shadowy International Access Corporation, Mat accepts a lucrative job protecting one of its packages in transit. But when he discovers the package is Silvia, a woman experimented on against her will and transformed into a monstrous killer, Mat turns on his employers to rescue her. As the two try to outwit IAC, they forge an unexpected bond, helping each other face their respective trauma. Steinmetz expertly fuses cyberpunk staples and romantic comedy elements to deliver an over-the-top, action-packed tale while also addressing mental illness and body issues. In tackling Silvia's panic disorder and Mat's PTSD, as well as their respective feelings of dysphoria, Steinmetz imbues this rip-roaring tale with a surprising amount of sensitivity and heart. This thoroughly satisfying story works as both thriller and romance. Agent: Evan Gregory, the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
When Mat mustered out of the military due to an injury, he began body-hacking. At first he simply replaced the limb he lost with cybernetic hardware, but when he realized his cybernetics were faster and more accurate as weapons, he replaced them all and became one of the top body-hackers in the world. He used his military knowledge and cybernetics to carve out a career as a mercenary. When he's offered $3 million for two hours' work, he jumps at it, because cybernetics repair and replacement is expensive. All he has to do is help a bloodthirsty body-hacker and crew protect a shipment. Despite his careful planning, they're attacked and he discovers the cargo is Silvia, a woman who's undergone some involuntary biological enhancements. Mat can't leave an innocent civilian behind even if she's stronger, faster and more bulletproof than he is, and he just might be falling for her, even as a bloodthirsty organization hunts them relentlessly. VERDICT Steinmetz (The Sol Majestic) delivers a "rom-com with explosions" featuring a hero with PTSD and control issues, and a killer heroine with a panic disorder. The action is nonstop, with issues of mental illness, identity, and humanity woven subtly throughout. Mat breaks the fourth wall in his random musings, rather like a cyborg Deadpool. Recommended for libraries looking for a deliciously over-the-top adventure.--Melanie C. Duncan, Washington Memorial Lib., Macon, GA
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