Existing universe(s) this one may be closest to : Nephilim RPG with a cyberpunk twist. The protagonist is similar to a Shadowrun Physical Adept, though "awakened" powers are seemingly unheard of among the general populace and there are no known meta-humans. Though some people do show feline traits, and the existence of at least one successful batch of fully alive and self-willed artificial (humans ?) comes up as part of the plot.

In a not too far future. All the major population centers seem no more than a few hours away from each other through maglev trains and suborbital shuttles.
Artificial Intelligences are used as household or work assistants at least by some wealthier individuals and do seem to have reached some degree of sentience and individuality, though not quite a status of self-willed individuals.
Nations have apparently fallen and been replaced by more local governments bolstered by the regular payouts and occasional enforcement of a semi-secret society which (the reader finds out fairly soon, though the protagonists remain mostly in the dark for now) is headed by powerful ancient beings who've been hiding amidst humanity. This strange way of funding public affairs doesn't seem to trouble many for the time being, which is likely helped by the fact that it somehow apparently comes with no more taxes and an acceptable degree of freedom and general prosperity for most.

The protagonist Morgan Stormrider has been one of their enforcers for the whole of his adult life, maybe the most well-known and feared. But he's been trying (unsuccessfully) to resign since his last mission three years ago resulted in the death of a colleague by his hands in circumstances he's increasingly less at ease with.
He's also been part of a 3-persons band with his (now ex-) girlfriend and another female friend until he and the girlfriend parted ways acrimoniously a few months ago.

A new mission comes up, that involves removing "without bloodshed" the person responsible for a local coup. He probably wouldn't have agreed to take it up, might have indeed tried to push his resignation through once more, if it didn't come with a major bribe : a side-trip to London where his ex has been murdered, and his other friend is now held as a suspect under unusual secrecy, and where some slight exhibition of his status might just come in handy to cut through the tape... ( )

I would like to thank Curiosity Quills Press for giving me a copy of this e-book to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review. I personally give this book 3.5 stars, but as most rating systems require whole numbers only, I shall give it 3 stars on those sites.

Goodreads Blurb:

"All who threaten me die."

These words made Morgan Stormrider's reputation as one of the Phoenix Society's deadliest IRD officers. He served with distinction as the Society's avenger, and specialized in hunting down anybody who dared kill an Adversary in the line of duty. After a decade spent living by the sword, Morgan wants to bid a farewell to arms and make a new life with his friends and his music.

Despite his faltering faith, the Phoenix Society has a final mission for Morgan Stormrider. A dictator's public accusations made Morgan a liability to his organization. He must put everything aside, make his way to Boston, and put down Alexander Liebenthal's coup while taking him alive to prove he is not the Society's assassin.

Despite the gravity of his task, Morgan cannot put aside his ex-girlfriend's murder, or efforts to frame him and his closest friends for the crime. He cannot ignore a request from a trusted friend to investigate the theft of designs for a weapon before which even gods stand defenseless. He cannot disregard the corruption implied in the Phoenix Society's willingness to make him a scapegoat should he fail to resolve the crisis in Boston without bloodshed.

However, the words with which he forged his reputation haunt him still.

First and foremost, I must share just how much I love the book's Disclaimer. It is chock full of sarcasm, letting the reader know just what they are getting themselves into. In my opinion the odds of the book being well worth reading go up dramatically when the Disclaimer states, “If you find any allegory or applicability, please consult a qualified professional for psychiatric evaluation and treatment.”

As the first in a series, this book spent a fair bit of time setting up the story for the reader. Yet there was still a solid amount of action and emotion woven into the groundwork of the series. Though Morgan Stormrider is introduced as the central character, the main protagonist, yet the story certainly hasn't completely played out that way thus far. He is certainly central to the plot, it's simply that others are right there with him.

The character building is fairly tight, but given the number of characters I found it a bit challenging to keep track of them all. Unfortunately that problem remained all the way through to the end of the book for me, as I had to backtrack some pages to place a character referred to in the final pages. However if there aren't too many new characters introduced in the sequel I think it will be pretty easy to keep track of everyone and their relationships - as we understand them now. Of the current characters, for the most part they grow before our eyes, gaining depth and maturity as the story unfolds. There are some who remain cloaked in mystery, but the one who remains the most mysterious is the main antagonist. But even this character drops a bomb or two on the readers, one of which lands almost at the very end. The new information caused enough of a stir for me that I have begun to rethink their role as the antagonist.

Set in a world that seems similar to ours, but about 100 years into the future, it appears to have reverted to more closely resemble the old caste system. Everyone has some sort of niche, all of which answer to a higher authority, with the highest for the average citizen being the Phoenix Society. Those within the Phoenix Society answer to the Executive Council, an almost entirely anonymous group of people. A group of people with no contrasting power to keep them in check. We already know what happens in systems lacking true checks and balances, so it seems easy to see where this is heading. . .

Though it took me a little while to get into the story, once I reached that point I was there for good. As I mentioned above, there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but once I got a feel for a few of the main characters and became invested in them I wasn't going anywhere. One thing I really liked, even though I'm still confused about the designation of some characters, was the use of Artificial Intelligence systems (AIs). It seemed all the characters had their own AIs to do all kinds of things for them; anything from ordering food or clothes, to running interference to allow the person they served some privacy. However there may have been some that did not use AIs, for reasons I'm hesitant to even guess at just now. I'll admit I found it interesting how Mr. Graybosch seems to have discovered a way around the ever present fear of AIs outgrowing humans and taking over the world.

The plot is solid, and the arc of the story was smooth and consistently engaging - once my attention had been caught that is. Aside from the sensation of being overwhelmed by the sheer number of characters, I enjoyed this book. I'm curious as to where this story will go from here, especially after reading the author's Acknowledgements at the end of the book. He referenced certain things that have left me planning what else to pay attention to in the future books of the series. ( )

Graybosch has skilfully merged aspects of rock music, science-fiction, and ancient conspiracies, from both the West and the East, producing a novel which will be enjoyed by both lovers of classic techno-thrillers and animé fans.

After the partial collapse of society, the Phoenix Society arose to hold the new governments of the world to a code of morals. Morgan Stormrider has served the Society loyally for over a decade, dealing out a clean death to any who raise arms against the Society’s operatives. Tired of moving from place to place, seeing the worst of humanity, he wishes to retire. But first he must complete one last mission: bring in a newly-established dictator in alive, proving he is more than an assassin paid by a brutal cabal to suppress dissent. But when he is framed for his ex-girlfriend’s murder, he is forced to question whether the accusations are true.

Graybosch has created a distinctive world which combines the luxuries of a post-capitalist society with hints of the wreckage of social collapse beneath. The history, both recorded and secret, is carefully embedded, creating a balance between leaving the reader struggling to understand the world and wondering why characters have suddenly broken into detailed exposition of famous events.

The unfolding of conspiracies within conspiracies is similarly handled, giving the reader a sense that events that are not immediately clear are a plausible reaction to secret plots that will be revealed later.

Morgan Stormrider is a well-rounded character, possessing both a complex personality and a life outside of the Phoenix Society; he still believes that killing is a legitimate part of a just society, but now longs for a stable relationship with the woman he loves. This makes his struggle to clear his name a complex tale of personal growth, rather than a simple rehashing of a gunslinger’s Road to Damascus.

The other characters also lead rich lives outside of both Morgan’s quest and the subsidiary plots, creating a real sense events are part of a greater whole.

However, it is this rich other life which also potentially creates the greatest obstacle to some readers: while they might be unsurprising in animé, international police assassins who are also rock-stars are not a common trope in Western science-fiction. However, the dual roles exist within a framework of mature dichotomy rather than the shallow farce of children’s morning television, so a reader who gave up at that point would be doing both themselves and the book a disservice.

Although the novel is strong enough to invite rereading on the plot and characterisation alone, Graybosch has seeded occasional nods to progressive rock and other classics of music and literature. Some will leap out at readers familiar with his influences, others hide behind engaging plot, and some might be coincidence, opening the possibility of subsequent readings merging the hunting of the Easter Bunny with that of the Snark.

Overall I enjoyed this greatly. I recommend it to readers who do not despise the fusion of cultures and styles.

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for a fair review. ( )

Book Info: Genre: Speculative Fiction
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: fans of metal, scifi, fantastic worlds
Trigger Warnings: sexual assault, abuse of power, murder, violence, fighting

My Thoughts: First of all, I absolutely love the cover on this thing. It is just gorgeous. This is the first book in the Starbreakers series, and it was a terrific read. It is described at the Starbreakers series website as: “Androids unaware of their nature fight demons from outer space. It's totally metal.” If I had known that little bit going into the book I might have caught on to what was going on that much more quickly, but it is eventually revealed to the careful reader. Additional stories that can provide background can also be found and read online by starting at the Starbreakers series website story page.

I love the complexity of the characters in this book. None of them are one-dimensional, nothing is really ever quite what it seems, and every time I started to figure out what might be going on, a new twist or kink was thrown in and I was right back at ground zero. It was beautifully done to keep the reader engaged with the story rather than frustrated. I particularly was amused by some of Claire's random ejaculations and swearing, which I am unable to add into the review due to Terms of Service issues at some of the sites where I post them. I did post some updates including some of them on Goodreads, which were apparently amusing enough that one of my friends told me she'd picked up a copy of the book based on my updates on only the first 11 percent of the book.

The “metalness” of the stories is more obvious in the short stories available on the website, but it comes through a bit in this book, too. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, so if it sounds like your sort of thing, definitely check it out.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Curiosity Quills in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: "All who threaten me die."

These words made Morgan Stormrider's reputation as one of the Phoenix Society's deadliest IRD officers. He served with distinction as the Society's avenger, hunting down anybody who dared kill an Adversary in the line of duty. After a decade spent living by the sword, Morgan seeks to bid a farewell to arms and make a new life with his friends as a musician. Regardless of his faltering faith, the Phoenix Society has a final mission for Morgan Stormrider after a dictator's accusations make him a liability to the organization. He must put everything aside, travel to Boston, and prove he is not the Society's assassin. He must put down Alexander Liebenthal's coup while taking him alive.

Despite the gravity of his task, Morgan cannot put aside his ex-girlfriend's murder, or efforts to frame him and his closest friends for the crime. He cannot ignore a request from a trusted friend to investigate the theft of designs for a weapon before which even gods stand defenseless. He cannot disregard the corruption implied in the Phoenix Society's willingness to make him a scapegoat should he fail to resolve the crisis in Boston without bloodshed.

The words with which Morgan Stormrider forged his reputation haunt him still. ( )