Just Finished Reading: Bad Voltage by Jonathan Littell

In early 21^st Century Paris Lynx, founder of the Livewires street gang, is considering his future. Now in his 20’s he’s beginning to wonder if a life causing trouble, taking drugs and playing violent war games in the underground caverns beneath the city is enough. Things come to a head when his lover is killed by the police during a daring race through the crowded city streets. Falling under the spell of rich socialite Angelique he learns how the other half, the rich and decadent, live. They have moved beyond simple pleasures into the realms of the gothic where they literally feed on the poor. Horrified at what he has witnessed he runs back to the streets but not before his spurned new lover vows that she will use her considerable resources to hunt him down and watch him die in front of her. In order to survive Lynx must draw on all his street survival skills and convince the Livewires to go to war on his behalf. Lynx also discovers he has a most unexpected ally – Angelique’s dead brother who is out for revenge.

This is another of those books that has been sitting on my shelf for years. Written in 1989 it is a prime example of the art of Cyberpunk. Full of street-talk (which took a bit of getting used to but once you got the hang of it became very easy to follow), fast action, sex, drugs, violence and techno-babble it certainly gave anything that Gibson produced a run for its money. Rooted in the streets, where all Cyberpunk belongs, this even had its own soundtrack (helpfully fleshed out in the appendix – I kid you not) which was unique as far as I know. With strong characterisation throughout, nice bits of world political commentary, cool technology – some of which was believable – and more action that should be packed into a single volume this was a seriously fun and engaging read. In many ways this is very adult SF, not just for the violence, sex (both gay and straight) and repeated drug use but for the overall tone. It is certainly not for the faint hearted or easily shocked. But don’t let that put you off. This is a quality piece of Cyberpunk that should definitely be on the shelves of anyone interested in that ground breaking genre. Highly recommended.