I must confess I’m not too well versed in the cyberpunk genre much beyond Blade Runner and The Matrix, although I’ve had a go at toying with some of the genre’s themes myself in the fringes of my own work, so I dived into COMPLETE DARKNESS with only a small sense of what to expect. It’s great going in not knowing much, because the high-tech future portrayed by Matt Adcock in his novel is full of invention and, is frankly quite dazzling.
The neon, rainsoaked tech-noir cityscapes that are the staple of the genre, I think most fans would agree are worlds that you simultaneously want to fall right into, and run very far away from. I think that polarizing sensation is one of the most compelling aspects of what these future worlds present to us; so many things we despise about the direction technology is taking us, and yet we choose to barrel headlong towards it anyway. Adcock knows we want to experience this world vicariously, and he takes us with him into L2, a sequel of London built on top of the old one. As a Londoner, I loved this concept. So simple, conjuring up incredible imagery for the story to work within, and for our minds to comprehend. This is why I love science-fiction.
COMPLETE DARKNESS builds out an idea where, resulting from some really fascinating technology that allows humanity to see into the past, we are made aware of evil forces that have become unleashed into our realm. In a world where username handles become actual names, and as these forces gain power, the ex Special Forces guy Cleric20, ricochets from calamity to calamity as he navigates the madness that builds around him. One set piece, an ultra-violent bar brawl, was positively joyful to read and would not have been out of place in a Paul Verhoeven movie.
Despite the almost non-stop, brain-melting, action, there is a lot of great humour here. I especially loved the mention of a calamity befalling an athiest university, and it being heralded as an Act of God. These felt like glimpses of the late great Douglas Adams, and there were quite a few of these dotted throughout the book. I found myself laughing out loud at another joke; the comical graffiti augmentation of a pet store slogan. Real invention on display. And there are respectful nods to Asimov too, as well as nods to the IT geeks among us.
This book hits you like a tech tidal wave, and its breakneck pace rarely lets you come up for air. If you are ok with that sort of thing, like I am, COMPLETE DARKNESS is a must.
Purchase COMPLETE DARKNESS on Amazon