has things both novel and serious to say about the psychological effects of intrusive media. Cyberpunk fans will find much to enjoy in the noir tone, unique setting, and high stakes. Napper drives the brisk plot forward with plenty of action and intrigue.

BooklistĪ gripping near-future cyberthriller.

Intricately plotted, using advanced biotechnology, a close investigation into Vietnamese history and culture, and a hard-edged, complicated lead character, Napper's fine first novel will draw in cyberpunk readers. Blood, truth, or redemption. No choice is easy on the 36 Streets. Lin must confront the immutable moral calculus of unjust wars. She must choose: family, country, or gang. She is drawn into the grand conspiracies of the neon gods – of regimes and mega-corporations – as they unleash dangerous new technologies. When an Englishman comes to Hanoi on the trail of his friend's murderer, Lin's life is turned upside down. Meanwhile the people of Hanoi are succumbing to Fat Victory – a dangerously addictive immersive simulation of the US-Vietnam war. Bao drives her hard on the streets there are no second chances. Through grit and courage Lin has carved a place for herself in the Vietnamese underworld where Hanoi’s crime boss, Bao Nguyen, is training her to fight and lead. Lin 'The Silent One' Vu is a gangster and sometime private investigator living in Chinese-occupied Hanoi, in the steaming, paranoid alleyways of the 36 Streets. Born in Vietnam, raised in Australia, everywhere she is an outsider. Altered Carbon and The Wind-Up Girl meet Apocalypse Now in this fast-paced, intelligent, action-driven cyberpunk, probing questions of memory, identity and the power of narratives.

36 Streets by T.R. Napper