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A wily young thief must use her wits to survive futuristic, alternate history Beijing in this Les Misérables-inspired young adult cyberpunk that is perfect for fans of Six of Crows and Fullmetal Alchemist. When Zhong Ning'er takes the job, she expects a smash-and-grab burglary she's doing to make rent and help out a friend. What she doesn't expect: a sad-eyed army boy who dreams of insurrection, a former rebel leader trapped inside a secret lab, a group of aspiring revolutionaries who are first collaborators, then compatriots, and then, perhaps, friends. But this is Beijing, nearly a hundred and fifty years after General Yuan Shikai successfully declared himself emperor in 1915. His descendants rule the country from their seat in the imperial city, their gendarmerie--the Beiyang Army--run the streets, aided by cyborgs and the Brocade Guard. Walls have risen, dividing the city into districts called Rings--nominally only by geography, but in truth by class. Earthquakes devastate the northern farmlands, crops drown in the southern typhoons, and all over the country people are hooked on a drug they call Complacency. As a Sixth Ring girl who watched previous uprisings crushed brutally by the court, Ning'er isn't much of an optimist, and she's certainly no revolutionary. But that might not be up to her--as the stakes get higher, the time for passivity is quickly running out, and she must decide if she wants to sit idly in her cynicism, or embrace the breathless, terrible possibility of hope.… (más)
Gritty and engrossing are the first words that come to mind when describing this story. Zhong Ning'er lives in the Sixth Ring of a futuristic Beijing, one still ruled by descendants of the general who declared himself the emperor 150 years before. About the only thing that has changed is what often happens when corruption seeps into government and commerce. The rich get richer and more powerful, while those at the bottom just try to survive while feeling more desperate every day. Ning'ers, existence is further complicated by her drug addicted father who has control over her and anything she earns from a part time job, coupled with theft. His desperation even went as far as selling one of her arms and one of her legs. Fortunately, she has been befriended by a man who has stolen plans and parts that enable him to make high quality prosthetics for her. Unfortunately, there have been times when she's reached a level of desperation that forced her to sell even these. Having just discovered her father has drained her bank account yet again, she's at a crossroads. Unless a miracle happens, there's no way to pay her rent. Enter that miracle in the form of Someone who wears two faces, one of privilege, the other as the infamous Red Yaksha, a figure who opposes the corruption poisoning the city. It begins when she's hired to steal something for him, but quickly becomes a rescue mission that involves breaking into a facility owned by the huge company that manufactures the drug known as Complacency which is what led to her father's desperation. That raid and what is discovered during it are extremely shocking, leading to an all out attempt by the bad guys to capture the rebels before they can tell the people what was discovered. Plenty of action, a bit of romance, and an ending that allows for more left me quite satisfied. ( )
A wily young thief must use her wits to survive futuristic, alternate history Beijing in this Les Misérables-inspired young adult cyberpunk that is perfect for fans of Six of Crows and Fullmetal Alchemist. When Zhong Ning'er takes the job, she expects a smash-and-grab burglary she's doing to make rent and help out a friend. What she doesn't expect: a sad-eyed army boy who dreams of insurrection, a former rebel leader trapped inside a secret lab, a group of aspiring revolutionaries who are first collaborators, then compatriots, and then, perhaps, friends. But this is Beijing, nearly a hundred and fifty years after General Yuan Shikai successfully declared himself emperor in 1915. His descendants rule the country from their seat in the imperial city, their gendarmerie--the Beiyang Army--run the streets, aided by cyborgs and the Brocade Guard. Walls have risen, dividing the city into districts called Rings--nominally only by geography, but in truth by class. Earthquakes devastate the northern farmlands, crops drown in the southern typhoons, and all over the country people are hooked on a drug they call Complacency. As a Sixth Ring girl who watched previous uprisings crushed brutally by the court, Ning'er isn't much of an optimist, and she's certainly no revolutionary. But that might not be up to her--as the stakes get higher, the time for passivity is quickly running out, and she must decide if she wants to sit idly in her cynicism, or embrace the breathless, terrible possibility of hope.
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Ning'ers, existence is further complicated by her drug addicted father who has control over her and anything she earns from a part time job, coupled with theft. His desperation even went as far as selling one of her arms and one of her legs. Fortunately, she has been befriended by a man who has stolen plans and parts that enable him to make high quality prosthetics for her. Unfortunately, there have been times when she's reached a level of desperation that forced her to sell even these.
Having just discovered her father has drained her bank account yet again, she's at a crossroads. Unless a miracle happens, there's no way to pay her rent.
Enter that miracle in the form of Someone who wears two faces, one of privilege, the other as the infamous Red Yaksha, a figure who opposes the corruption poisoning the city. It begins when she's hired to steal something for him, but quickly becomes a rescue mission that involves breaking into a facility owned by the huge company that manufactures the drug known as Complacency which is what led to her father's desperation.
That raid and what is discovered during it are extremely shocking, leading to an all out attempt by the bad guys to capture the rebels before they can tell the people what was discovered. Plenty of action, a bit of romance, and an ending that allows for more left me quite satisfied. (