This book wasn’t all that good, if I’m being honest. It’s got some interesting ideas, but they’re not well-executed.
The premise of this book has a drifter (known only as the Operator) and his dog passing through the bottom-most reaches of a megacity on his way from here to there. His hovercraft is damaged by some local thugs, though, and he ends up getting caught up in the rivalries between the local gangs/law enforcement (the line between the two categories is fuzzy at best). Influences include Fallout, Blade Runner, and spaghetti Westerns.
The execution needs work though. If I were to point to a single overriding issue, it would be a lack of character motivation. Some people help the Operator, some people don’t. Some people trust him, some people don’t. I could discern no pattern for which side of the line characters would fall on, let alone any reasons why they ended up where they did. It made for a frustrating read, and one that struggled to hold my attention and interest.
Additionally, the plot jumped all over the place. Androids (and androids passing as humans) are a major part of the story, but one that feels disconnected from the rest. The same can be said for the semi-feral tribes of people living in the tunnels underneath the mega city, and the (unseen) wealthy upper reaches of the city.
All in all, not an author I plan to revisit.
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