Book Review | Dealbreaker

Dealbreaker by L. X. Beckett is a fascinating and visionary sci-fi thriller that imagines a future where human consciousness is uploaded into a VR setting called the Sensorium while their bodies are suspended in Sarco Pods. However, creating a virtual world for humanity to live in has some unintended consequences ... AI are immerging and evolving with their own codes—some are benevolent, others are plotting against humans.

On top of that, humanity and AI alike face an alien threat from the outside. Overall, the story is an interesting exploration of our relationship with technology--perfect for fans of Altered Carbon or the “San Junipero” episode of Black Mirror.

The one downside is that because the story is so conceptually-driven, I find the character development lacking. Maybe partly due to some of them being AI or uploaded consciousnesses, characters can come across more as one-dimensional caricatures at times.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Books, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Book Details:

Publication Date : January 26, 2021

Publisher : Tor Books

ISBN : 9781250165299

Pages : 512

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