Series: iMe
Book Number: 2
Read this book for: futuristic mystery, tech mystery, UK/European mystery, thriller, political thriller
Quick Review: Fast-paced, brilliantly imagined, and thoughtful, this is multiple genres and stories in one; fans of many different genres will enjoy this novel.
Can a game change the world?
The Ten are chosen – they are reckless, driven and strong.
They are tested. Ten become Four.
In a country where everyone is tracked, how can the Four hide from the police?
DI Clive Lussac hates the system that controls everything, but he’s ill and it’s helping him. He must decide: conform or fight.
As Clive’s world unravels, he and his partners DC Ava Miller and DS Zoe Jordan can’t believe the entry price to the game.
They strive to answer the real questions.
Why does the ultimate Augmented Reality game have four different finishes?
And how is a simple game wrapped up in politics, religion and the environment?
NO SIGNAL is the second in the near-future sci fi series by Jem Tugwell that features the ‘iMe’ system – implants for all British citizens that allow continuous tracking and monitoring. Under such a system of surveillance, you would imagine no crime could possibly be committed without those people being immediately caught. But this system has a few holes, as this series fascinatingly explores.
This is the second book in Tugwell’s ingeniously imagined iMe series (check out the review for book one, PROXIMITY, here). You do not necessarily need to read the first instalment to pick this one up, but it does help rather a lot to understand the dynamics on DI Clive Lussac’s team, his standing with the police department, and how the system works. It’s also a very interesting introduction to the world, so it’s worth a look.
It’s also worth a look as the technology/sci fi element to this is one of the best parts of this story; it’s such a believable concept, imagined so vividly with all the little logistics details worked out – immigration, visitors, removal, system failures, and how other countries might interact with a country that has adopted such a system. Then, he goes on to imagine how this would impact the religious and political life in the country in a vivid and real way. And yet, the technology is blended with the world such a way that it never becomes overwhelming for the story.
One of the most interesting parts about this story is the ‘game’ – the selection process and the lengths the players go to are gripping, partly because it’s plausible, and partly because it’s a very interesting concept. Tugwell does a great job of making you care about the way these characters chase across the UK under the eyes of this ubiquitous system, and then horror when you realize what they are doing – both willingly and unwittingly. It gives this story a surprising amount tension in a setup where the entire concept is that nothing can go un-tracked.
Most thrillers would stop with the chase of the game – the thriller element. However, that’s only part of this novel. The rest of it is an interesting discussion of political factors that are relevant to us even outside this sci-fi world, and a hunt to discover which political faction might be behind the attacks. The fact that multiple sides of the spectrum could be responsible for the use of extreme force like this is terrifying and thought provoking.
If you can’t decide what genre you’d like to spend some time in, or if you’re interested in the fusion of technology and detective work — or if you’re just looking for a thriller with a really interesting backdrop — NO SIGNAL is something to check out!
