Review: Neon Calico

This was a fantastic sci-fi cyberpunk fest that I enjoyed from first page to last. I definitely recommend you buy it immediately if that sounds like your cup of tea at all.

The main character,Xue Meilei, is the daughter of a wealthy Hong Kong industrialist in a near(ish) future where virtual reality and skull plug-ports for web access are a reality. Hong Kong does not welcome cyber-enhanced augmented persons and Xue Meilei, due to a childhood accident, is an "aug." Given her father's tendency to not care for her personal wellbeing, Xue runs away at a young age and ends up in Chicago where she makes a life as a "Troubleshooter".. basically a virtual reality mercenary willing to take on jobs for pay. She has a code and absolutely refuses to kill. Now her father has died, and her brother ... a real "drek" who mistreated her horribly throughout her youth ... has come looking for her with a plan to turn her to his own ends regardless of what it does to her. The book is called Neon Calico because Calico is the name by which Xue Meilei now goes in her new life. She has a circle of friends that she works with ... Pixie - the hacker being the main one. Regardless, the plot takes off at a breakneck speed when Xue gets infected with an artificial intelligence that is set to rewrite her personality to make her into the docile little creature her brother needs to further his own ends. This book covers Chicago, Hong Kong, and even a space station in it's flight through fancy.

All I can really say is ... Read it! Read it now!