Book Review: Space Punk 2: Nightingale's Song by Anna Mocikat

SPACE PUNKS II: NIGHTINGALE'S SONG by Anna Mocikat is the sequel to the extremely enjoyable SPACE PUNKS novel she released last year. The premise of the series is that the human race lost 90% of his population as well as the planet Earth during the uprising of their robot servants. The survivors of humanity live in space colonies spread throughout the solar system and beyond with AI being highly illegal.

Cybernetics are very common as our enhanced individuals. It's a very evocative setting and one that has a definite "cool" factor that I enjoy.

The previous book ended with the revelation one of the cast was actually an infiltrator from unknown forces while Nightingale was critically injured just as he managed to pledge his love to his girlfriend, Aztec. I really enjoyed Aztec and Nightingale's relationship because it went from being a "friends with benefit" situation to something more deep and meaningful across the length of the book.

The book follows the discovery that Nightingale is dying. Having his cybernetics heavily damaged, he needs parts that are only available to the military junta that controls the remains of the human race. Our protagonists are a tight-knit crew and while it's suicidal, they're exactly the sort of people who would plan a heist on one of the military's outposts in order to make sure that one of them would live.

Much of the book is devoted to expanding on the lore of the setting and building up the plot threads that will continue the story throughout what I assume other volumes will follow up on.

We discover the reasons for the Mimic War, how far humans have explored the galaxy, and what the current government as well as social structure is like. As with all good cyberpunk, megacorporations have taken over everything but t hese are more realistic than most examples as they've transitioned to an oligarchy and dictatorship.

The book's villain, Lucien, is a particularly sick and twisted individual. He's a powerful military officer but also a depraved murderer who gets a sexual thrill from killing. Protected by the Pentad, he's able to indulge his fantasies while plotting the overthrow of his superiors. He's a wonderful shade of black in a book otherwise peppered with gray. I can't wait for him to get taken out.

The book is full of action and deep personal relationships between the Nephilim's crew. It also deals with the issue of freedom, slavery, and AI ethics as the latter are fundamentally different from humans in a way that makes coexistence difficult (if not impossible). I think it's a very deep story that just so happens to be an action movie-style story, sort of like John Wick or The Matrix.

Yes, both of which being Keanu Reeves franchises.

Do I recommend readers pick up the series? Oh, absolutely. It's a fun story that has a lot going for it. It's an interesting cast, an evocative world, and full of great action as well as hateable villains. It's also written for adults rather than teens. Not only would I recommend this book but also the BEHIND BLUE EYES series by the same author.