Animus Paradox By Adam Bassett
Blurb:
There's a thief on the loose. The Tigres excel at tipping the scales in their favor, be it through bribes, politics, or blood. They unofficially run Viterbo, Italy—and somebody stole from them.
Private investigators David and Mafalda De Campo have been hired to help find the thief. They're in it for the money, but the Tigres just want to make a statement.
Meanwhile, the Heredes have returned: ruthless idealists and revolutionaries. It’s not clear what they’re up to, but they keep getting in the way.
The De Campos will need to decide how far they're willing to go for this job and the Tigres. Viterbo may soon become a battlefield, and one wrong move could set it aflame.
Review:
When the author’s debut short story collection of sci-fi/cyberpunk tales (Digital Extremities) hit the streets, I was instantly intrigued. But unfortunately wasn’t able to dive in due to scheduling stuff and what not (meh)… although I was lucky enough to do a cover reveal for it nonetheless! So when the golden opportunity to ARC read a copy of the next installment (a short stand-alone thriller taking place in the same world!) arrived at my doorstep, I absolutely wasn’t gonna miss out whatsoever. And what an awesome decision it turned out to be! I extend my deepest thanks to Adam for providing me with an e-copy.
Trust me, you won’t even know when you reach the end. It’s THAT good!
What’s it about?
It’s a Digital Extremities story, and like its predecessor of short story collection, takes place in a remote/rural space with sci-fi/cyberpunk themes.
Well then. Welcome to Italy, 2167!
David and Mafalda De Campo run the De Campo Investagatori Privati, a private investigation firm formed by the couple themselves, with the former an ex-military turned private eye.
Their latest case is to catch a thief. Sounds simple enough. But their employer is none other than Tigres, an organization that isn’t to be messed with. And now someone has stolen from under their very noses. And they want to even the odds… and then some.
To make matters worse, the Heredes have seemingly made a return, much to everyone’s chagrin.
And before long, the De Campos are caught in a web of bullets, katanas, and high-octane drama which sees them racing against time to stop an impending powder keg ready to blow everything apart…
“I learned a long time ago that nothing ever works out exactly to plan.”
The good
Everything that makes a short-story work, totally worked!
The plot was fast-paced, very engaging right from the start, and filled with action/drama at every step making it a thrill ride throughout. I loved it fully!
The characters were pretty cool altogether (even cooler than the MCs, in fact!), and well-written.
I absolutely loved the world. The way we are currently heading, it does seem within the realms of possibility…
The writing was top-notch too, with the third-person, multi-POV very well executed.
The “not so” good
Nothing to complain about! A sci-fi/cyberpunk short story stand-alone thriller, you say!? I mean… it absolutely doesn’t get any better than this, to be very honest!
Other info.
The header images present before each chapter (depicting the POV of characters for the same) were really wonderful.
There was also some really good F&B stuff present; not to forget the “Spiderman” and “James Bond” references too!
Final thoughts
Animus Paradox was a super fun read by all means. Fast-paced, engaging, and filled with action ‘round every corner which made it a thrilling ride throughout. The characters were pretty cool, the plot was very well executed, and the world was nicely depicted. Not to forget the excellent writing. I was hooked from the start, and was fully invested till the end. It was a very enjoyable, quick read which I managed to finish in just a single sitting! A cyberpunk noir story that you don’t wanna miss out on. I loved it, and certainly recommend it.
