Jon Richter

The first thing I have to say about Disturbing Works volume 2 is that after reading it I need to get my hands on Volume one. These 10 short stories both shock and horrify as we are plunged into what feels like a realistic nightmare. I was hooked from the first story where something as believable as a garbage strike springboards into a tale of corruption, murder and monsters.
There are stories of mythical creatures, medical breakthroughs that go horribly wrong, which I suppose is to be expected when one has the option to be injected with animal DNA to address human weaknesses or aging. The scariest factor for me was my belief that in reality if such medical treatment became available there would be people willing to try it. Have you ever watched any of those Urban Exploration videos online or maybe even considered exploring an abandoned place on your own? I have watched a few and often thought it might be exciting to join in but the story Urbex cured me of that desire. Sometimes abandoned places are best left to decay in peace. John Richter's writing is smooth and expressive, making me feel as if I did not merely read these stories but experienced them.

I received a complimentary copy for review.
… (meer)

In The Warden, Jon Richter wraps a murder mystery with the COVID pandemic, artificial intelligence, and Machiavellian reasoning to create a delightfully horrific thriller.

In 2024, the UK residents of the Tower are sealed into their Innovation Corporation apartment building to protect them from the latest COVID variant. Their landlord is an AI named James, who uses spider-like robotic creatures to distribute provisions to the residents. Eugene is a former detective living in Towers, an agoraphobic who has settled into a precise routine but is jarred when he sees a dead man instead of his provisions one morning.

The book also flashes back to 2020. Felicity Herring, an ambitious Innovation VP, is using her AI project named James to advance to the upper echelons of the corporation. These scenes are an effective tool for learning the backstory of James, and they provide an understanding on how Innovation’s business strategy played a key role in creating the Tower society.

Author Jon Richter uses a pandemic setting to create a disturbing setting that sets this mystery apart. The Warden provides a claustrophobic backdrop that draws the reader into its cloistered world.There’s a fine line between reality and perception in the Tower. Richter draws the reader into his disorienting experiment that makes it hard to put the book down.

I was jarred when I first read the term COVID and wondered whether it was the right time to read a book set in the pandemic. I’m also claustrophobic and felt the weight of this stifling environment. Dystopian and horror fans will appreciate reading a compelling story set on the fringe of our pandemic society. It’s not a comfortable book, and it’s not meant to be.

The Warden isn’t a book to be slowly savored. It’s a book that demands your attention and keeps you in its claustrophobic grasp until the end.

Thank you, Blackthorn Book Tours, for providing me a copy of this book.… (meer)

3.5/5 stars
(NOTE: A copy of the novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts are my own.)

I'm always game to try an indie sci-fi book. Independently published books are always a bit of a gamble; sometimes they're great; other times they're not so great. But often you can find a great diamond in the rough by reading an independently published sci-fi novel. So, when the publishers of Auxiliary: London 2039 reached out to me and asked if I would like to review the book, I thought it was worth a read. It sounded reminiscent of Blade Runner and Altered Carbon, two stories I've enjoyed to a reasonable extent, so I thought it was worth a shot. And, having read the book, it's not a bad read but it's not a great read either. It's perfectly fine, with a suitable mystery, well-written prose, and solid pacing, but it's also not particularly original, and it feels like something you've read before.

It's not that Auxiliary is bad, far from it. It's an intriguing mystery that is well-executed and frequently enjoyable. It's filled with multi-dimensional characters, fascinating ideas, and great action scenes. So, what's the problem, then? The problem is that much of the novel feels very familiar - so familiar that is often distracting. Now, to be fair, a story being familiar isn't inherently a bad thing. Lots of sci-fi builds off of the ideas of other stories. The problem for me was that there just weren't enough new elements in the story. Instead, it just felt like a remix of old ideas and new technology.

For starters, Dremmler, our protagonist, is every detective from any pulp novel you've ever read. He's troubled, he's an alcoholic, he often plays by his own rules, he's frequently misogynistic, and he even has a tragic backstory. He's Blade Runner's Deckard meets any film noir detective. In fairness, this all seems intentional - the whole novel is a riff on film noir detective stories and even briefly starkly comments on Dremmler's flaws. The problem is that that's all it does with the trope. One throwaway gag doesn't get you off the hook for using such a trope. It felt like there was plenty of room for the novel to try to subvert Dremmler's characterization, but every time it comes close to doing so, it fails to commit. Now, again, there's nothing inherently wrong with a character like Dremmler. I just have no interest in journeying with such a character in a story that doesn't seriously examine their flaws in any meaningful way.

The same problems plagued many of the novel's other elements. They're all familiar ideas presented in a new context but without any further changes. The newest element of the story is probably the specific technology used - an Alexa-esque AI called TIM, who has access to, and control of, almost every facet of society – but even that just feels like a slight update of the way Androids have been used in earlier cyberpunk stories. The novel tries to put some twists on its ideas through its central mystery - who is behind this seeming malfunction of a TIM-controlled limb, and why - but it never manages to be particularly surprising. There are satisfying twists and turns, but almost all of them are predictable before they happen - even the book's climax, which tries to shock you at times but merely ends up confirming suspicions you've had the whole time. Now, I wouldn't mind this much on its own, but couple it with the other examples of the novel feeling like an old room with a new coat of paint, and it starts to feel like a pattern.

However, despite all this, Auxiliary still manages to be a lot of fun. Some of that is down to the fact that even a predictable mystery can still be a fun one but much of it is due to how good Richter's prose is. It's a fast-paced novel, and Richter never spends more than more time than he needs to on a scene. He litters the novel with action scenes, constantly propelling the narrative forward. He expertly builds tension in a way that makes you worry for the characters even though you have a good idea of how things will turn out. The book moves so fast there's never a chance for you to get bored. And even if many of the elements feel very familiar, they're still competently repackaged in a manner that's fun to read and enjoyable to experience.

So, at the end of the day, Auxiliary: London 2039 is a bit of a mixed bag. It's a familiar take on familiar ideas but doesn't bring much new to the table. However, it's still presented in an easy-to-read, fast-paced, and enjoyable manner. The characters feel developed, if archetypal, and the mystery is well-executed. It makes for a fun read if you're looking for this kind of thing. It's enjoyable enough, and if you want something in the same vein as Blade Runner, it's well worth checking out.… (meer)