(I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for honest feedback)

I freely admit that I am not usually a cyberpunk fan. In the past, it all felt dated to me, as if the authors were so enamored with the '80s and '90s style that they never updated it. Worship the Image did not have this problem. I was hesitant to try to write a review for this cyberpunk novel. This one, instead, felt incredibly relevant, with technology that could appear within the next several decades.

Why this book? Why not the classics? As mentioned, I’m not usually a fan of the old cyberpunk. Or the old urban fantasy, if we’re being honest. They’re two sides of the same coin for me, which I can discuss later, trying so hard to be so contemporary that they become quaint. After writing the two posts on dieselpunk, I thought I should catch up on where we are now.

Browsing on Netgalley, I found this cover, and was instantly grabbed by it. The combination of trench coat and fedora, such an iconic noir look, contrasted with a neon-noir cityscape, was a hugely powerful image. The contrast between the two sucked me right in. So, well done to the cover designer.

It’s the perfect blend between a near-future sci-fi dystopia and the classic film noir mystery. Initially, it doesn’t seem like sci-fi, other than the implants and constant digital overlays. Things initially seem like a classic hard-boiled murder case— wealthy socialite dead in an apartment, a private investigator helping the cops off the record, organized crime, and addiction. But in this book, the world is created and overlaid by digital images. Augmented reality holograms, essentially, hide the decay of the world. One of the buildings is even described as having digital overlays that resemble the interior of a building from the 1920s old money communities, just to drive home the social parallels. As the story progresses, however, the old-timey facade is peeled away to reveal the technology and corruption that it props up.

Elijah Kincaide is an excellent character, both for a noir mystery and for a cyberpunk story. He used to be a cop, who was horrified by the things he’d seen and done, became an alcoholic, and barely made ends meet as a private investigator who helps the police when they need a scapegoat or can’t do something officially. The story is really defined by his relationships with Dominic, the ex-cop turned politician, and Marla, the resistance fighter whose fallen older sister was Elijah’s partner on the force. As Elijah’s life and case orbit tighter and tighter around these two, he finds himself torn between them and the visions they offer for the city’s future. One is stability, familiarity, and someone he trusts. The other is violence, anger, destruction, revenge, and someone who hates him.

In case you haven’t guessed yet, I really liked this book. The plot surprised me several times, and the characters were all believably complex. The characters acted in ways that made sense for who they were and what they understood about themselves and their world. Having seen a lot of discourse on the difference between acting out-of-character, making bad decisions, and making decisions that readers would not, that’s something many people don’t understand.

The characters are not only consistent and believable, but they also feel like real people. I particularly appreciated their emotional expression. Elijah was no stoic, emotionally frozen protagonist. The best part of the story is his emotional growth and realization. The narrative explores his emotional state and its impact on his decisions, showing how it changes in stages. There’s one scene where he expresses his feelings in what could be called “therapy speak,” but that was it. And in this case, it wasn’t as bad as many others, as it expressed his emotional eureka moment. Thea is also very emotional and emotionally expressive. While she initially comes across as a standard badass strong female character, it quickly becomes apparent that it’s a facade she puts on.

I’d also like to highlight the writing style. It’s very descriptive and easy to read. It adds what I would call a vibrant, lucid style to the narrator’s voice. It ties into the plot and character arcs. Things are never what they appear in this novel, often quite literally, as things could easily be nothing but a hologram. The characters’ facades and elusive writing style contribute to this feeling that reality is slippery. The characters struggle to understand what is real and what’s illusory. At the end, it was very moving and made me cry. I finished it with a major book hangover, and that has not happened for a while.

If you like noir, mystery, or cyberpunk, this is a great book. For sci-fi fans, I’d also recommend it. Just in general, I recommend this for everyone.

Five stars out of five.

Worship the Image releases May 1st and can be purchased here. (Not an affiliate link)

I really liked this book! While reading the last page I could feel my throat tighten and I began to cry. The book doesn't seem like it would be emotional on the surface but the overall message being shown through out the book really draws you in. The author does a great job at keeping you engaged through out the whole book. There wasn't a moment I wanted to put the book down. This is def a sci fi worth checking out. I loved the corporate conspiracies and the use of an AI. This book has a strong message I believe people should check out and find for themselves. I want to buy this book. I actually wish I had a physical copy I could gift to my grandma because I KNOWWWWW she would be obsessed with this book. Will be purchasing on kindle when it comes out. Def think you should too!