TL;DR:
++ Very Noir
++ Very interesting character and character development
++ Realistic setting, well fleshed-out world (very Picketty)
++ Well paced, quite a page turner
++ Just the right length
Review:
Imagine all the favourite bits of Luc Besson's greatest hits: Leon the Professional, Le Femme Nikita, Transporter, heck, even Taken, and mix it with a dash of Hitman (the game series, mind) and set it in a Strossian x Picketty near future sci-fi noir fest and that's Spark: A Novel for you.
The story is pretty simple: an assassin whose neurological disorder allows him to accomplish his corporate-sponsored assignments effectively. He has a set of rules that allows him to barely function as a member of society. He has no sense of sentiment, no sense of morality, no right or wrong. Despite that, his seeming alienness, he remains quite relatable, particularly in his unintentionally humorous:
“The music was as tasteless as the rice pudding. People sang about losing love instead of something important—like losing their car keys”
I especially like how he breaks down seemlingly complex situations into charts, just like your favourite game or book review. One unusual thing about the novel are the many-numerous figures and drawings peppering the text (describing various ways by which the protagonist copes with the world around him). It reminds me of that Hyperspace novel with its even stranger drawings.
I haven't had this much fun with a book since Altered Carbon and while the book ends quite satisfactorily, I'm not sure what I'd feel about sequels (should there be any) or more books in series: just like your typical Luc Besson movie, he would've done the world a favour by not making Transporter 2 or 3 (4 and 5 are actually planned out, according to IMDB).
Details:
Verdict: highly recommended 5/5
Author: John Twelve Hawks
Genre: Science Fiction, Noir
Book Length: 320 Pages (Hardcover Version)
Published: October 7, 2014
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