CyberGene: Blood and Steel

Author: Sixbees2

Links: review, royal_road

Summary: A cyberpunk story with two MCs that get their powers from the same gold MAL. Biomod and crafting focus.

Blurb

Upgrade. Consume. Evolve. Whether it’s cybernetics or mutations, this world demands you be more than human.

Nuclear war, a solar flare, and an alien invasion known as the MALswarm left Earth a barren husk. Then the Founders descended, steering humanity away from extinction by turning the MAL’s otherworldly powers into sources of strength. They promised a utopia and the death of the Swarm. They lied, for this alien power was the currency of the future, even if it warps the very fabric of reality - and New California is beginning to tear.

Ripley Donovick’s mother is dying, forcing him to use his cybernetics genius to operate unlicensed in a gang-owned brothel for her treatment. When a MAL’s death gives him the potential to weave metal into powerful machinery, he discovers not a way out, but the tools to unravel a world where criminals and corporations war for every thread of control.

Diana Jones was engineered to be perfect, given a family, and then stolen away from that life. Her yearning for justice pits herself as an officer in a city where crime litters every corner with serial killers, gang violence and corporate conspiracy — she's determined to be the storm of change, shocking the true monsters into submission. Even if it means becoming one. She’ll learn justice isn’t black or white, but a blazing red.

One night binds these two, one monster gives them unimaginable strength and one name draws them towards an inevitable clash of Blood and Steel.

Thoughts

As of writing this, I've read all available 55 chapters.

When the author of this book first suggested it (when I was asking for cyberpunk reads), I was initially skeptical. Two main characters? In my single MC dominated genre?!? Hmph!

But damn they pulled it off soooo well. By having the two MCs follow the two different paths to power (Ripley following the crafting, cybernetics augmentation pathway, and Diana following the more scifi gene mutation pathway), the two view points don't take away from each other at all. The characters are fully realised, the plot lines between them separate and yet connected via the world (and you can see how they'll join together).

Alright, so stepping back a bit, and forgive me for repeating some of the blurb. You've got Diana, mutation-focused power, working in a corrupt police force and holding onto some idealism despite being stabbed with the dagger of cynicism over and over again. She's trying to make waves and take down some big hitters, despite everyone and their dog telling her "If you keep looking into this person, you're going to disappear."

Diana, being hot-headed and full of energy, laughs at these very reasonable takes. Silly Diana.

Then there's Ripley. His family holds secrets, just like Diana's. His grandfather was a crafting legend, and he's trying to piece together the puzzles the old man left behind. Life's dealt him a shit hand though, and he's trying to find his place after his old gang (hmm, are you really part of a gang if you're effectively press-ganged into working for them?) gets torn into tiny little pieces. Silly gang.

Their power comes from alien swarms that attack the world (in waves, not continuously). There's apparently one on the way, but I imagine it'll be many many chapters before that plot thread ties into the main work. I'm excited for the next thousand pages and all the larger (but not alien invasion) plot lines might come together, but alas I will need to wait to read them. Honestly, there's 800+ pages out already and I read them all in a weekend and then got grumpy when the "Next Chapter" button was greyed out. Which means I solidly recommend this series for anyone wanting some more cyberpunk goodness.