The A-Men Return by John Trevillian
| The A-Men Return by John Trevillian | |
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| Category: Science Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Jill Murphy
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| Summary: Pacy, dark, violent and sexy, this noir sci-fi carries on the story of the A-Men in the urban wasteland of Earth in the future. Energetic and graphic, it will find many followers in fans of the genre - although perhaps it's just that bit too busy for the lay reader. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 432 | Date: March 2011 |
| Publisher: Matador | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 184876619X | |
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It's been several years since the Phoenix Tower came down and the A-Men split. Dead City is a shadow of its former self: an urban wasteland and the centre of the sort of gang warfare that finds and exploits drugs and hopelessness with a ruthless talent.
Jack's life has descended into monstrous chaos and he's desperate to find a way out, any way out. Esther has retreated into the God-U-Like convent, where she really has become Sister Midnight. Pure has left the city to become an assassin, but she's provoked the Wolves of Owando clan, so it's out of the frying pan and into the fire for her. Genetic halfbreed Elliott is waiting on tables - it sounds relatively peaceful, but he has a shock in store. And encarcerated D'Alessandro is posing as a radio DJ and still dreaming of resurrecting the X-Isle project.
But of course this fragmented state of affairs can't continue. Up in the star stations, the rich and famous are at risk from a virus and their hostgod is dying. And their only chance of survival lies back on Earth.
The A-Men's time is not yet over...
Pacy, dark, violent and sexy, this noir sci-fi carries on the story of the A-Men in the urban wasteland of Earth in the future. The narrative alternates between the five protagonists, but Jack - the Nowhereman - is the strongest voice. He is both brutal and brutalised and a cipher for this broken society. But my favourite is Elliott, part-dog, part-man, who retains some core of naivety and purity in the midst of horrifiic surroundings. It's a frenetic read - from fight scene to sex scene and back again, the pace is relentless. The fight scenes are particularly great and I can't think of a possible punch that Trevillian has pulled. If you'll pardon the pun.
Expect blood, gore, bodily fluids, sweat, toil and tears. And many rude words. The book isn't all dark though and there's a seam of black humour running through which I appreciated. Occasionally, I felt there was just too much going on - the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, and next door's sink to boot - and there was a slight loss of focus. But some may actually feel this is a good thing. And there is a great deal to like about this book - it's funny and horrific and its people are as credible as the plot will allow. If you like your fiction hardboiled, this book is for you.
I thoroughly enjoyed The A-Men Return. Energetic and graphic, it will find many followers in fans of the genre - although perhaps it's just that bit too busy for the lay reader. We also have a review of Trevillian's The A-Men.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The A-Men Return by John Trevillian at Amazon.com.
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