Mamoru Saitō was well suited for life as a samurai of Matsushita Electronics Corporation, except for one thing―his conscience.
In 2418, Japan has reinvented itself as an anachronism of feudalism and high technology. Corporations govern entire prefectures, each ruled by a CEO wielding the authority of a warlord.
Mamoru’s supernatural ability to embody machines and change software at a thought makes him a coveted weapon in an endless cyberspace war. Ever with the sense he does not belong, he serves without question until an outsider wrests him from his master’s grip, forcing him to flee Japan.
Now a ronin, his sense of honor compels him to exact revenge upon the person responsible for his disgrace. His search reunites him with his past and brings acceptance that he is one of a handful of rare, potent psionics who call themselves The Awakened.
Caught between two factions vying to control him, Mamoru realizes that family is all he truly wanted, but his epiphany may have come too late.
I received an ecopy of Grey Ronin from the author for a honest review. I was not compensated in any way.
Grey Ronin is the third book in the science fiction series, The Awakened. Like the other two books, this one centers on another Awakened and his journey. The setting is a feudal high tech Japan which reminds me a bit of Ghost in the Shell. If you don’t care for Japanese tradition or culture, this book may be a bit of a miss for you. Mamoru is a deeply honor bound character. He doesn’t question his position very much, but understands where he is in the scheme of things.
I honestly didn’t care for him as a character. He lacked in personality and it was hard to understand him. I did like his abilities and his love for tradition, but in means of what made him unique, I felt he was too quiet of a character.
That isn’t to say that the book isn’t interesting. The world Cox crafted is filled with technology and abilities that surpass much of my own imagination. It is thick with imagery and conspiracy.
For me, it was the world and the hint of what is to come in the future book. All of the players seem to be converging and I can only expect it to be filled with action.
Casia's Corner 