Psychotrope (novel)
by Lisa Smedman
Rating:

You know how it is on your favorite gift-exchanging occasion, when you receive a gift wrapped up in beautiful paper, metallic bows, and fancy bangles, but when you open it there isn't much inside?

That's Psychotrope.

Psychotrope is the story of several deckers who get stuck inside the Matrix due to a series of unfortunate coincidences, and they spend most of the book trying to get out and to figure out what they're doing there in the first place.

The book contains some wonderful imagery of the Matrix, and definitely provides a good picture of how different systems are constructed using different (and intriguing) metaphors. In the case of Psychotrope, most of the imagery was death-related, and Smedman's descriptive skills are well up to the task of painting vivid pictures (sometimes a bit too vivid, but gory imagery never bothered me--I'm a Stephen King fan from way back).

The problem with Psychotrope is twofold, at least in my opinion: first, I found none of the characters appealing, and second, the plot was muddled and rambling.

With regard to characters, the book is peopled with a ghoul who was secretly a member of the Humanis Policlub, a suicidal Japanese fangirl, an ex-assassin, and a troll whose online persona, named Bloodyguts, is an eviscerated version of himself which uses its hanging entrails as weapons. And these are the good guys. There's also a young teacher who is somewhat appealing, but her appearance in the story almost seems like an afterthought. This is especially problematic given the novel's conclusion.

Characters aside, the plot was rambling and rather hard to follow because it didn't always make sense. The character interaction was as unpleasant as one might expect from four protagonists of such note, involving various parts of the characters' pasts along with their attempts to deal with their situation despite their lack of trust for each other; the events of the story jump around, sometimes making sense, sometimes wandering out into left field. If this is supposed to represent the ever-changing, nebulous quality of the Matrix, then I guess it succeeds, but I found this book a long read.

I have liked Lisa Smedman's previous two books, The Lucifer Deck and Bloodsport. I usually enjoy her writing style and especially the way she involves the reader with the characters. In Psychotrope, though, the plot and characterization seem to take a back seat to the "gee whiz" factor of being inside the Matrix.

I recommend this book to anyone who's interested in seeing what makes deckers tick (and it seems to be a useful resource for ideas about designing sculpted systems, something which I have almost no experience doing). Other than that, I give Psychotrope only a qualified recommendation.


Wolf and Raven (novel)
by Michael A. Stackpole
Rating:

I've known Mike Stackpole for almost fifteen years ("known" in the sense that he used to be a regular guest at our college gaming convention and thus he still remembers me when I turn up at other cons he's attending--not in the sense that we do lunch or anything), so a new Shadowrun book from him is a rare treat not only because he's one of my favorite SR authors, but also because I can say, "Hey! I know this guy!" while I'm reading the book. It wouldn't have worked for Shadowboxer (nothing works for Shadowboxer) but in this case it's just a bit of extra icing on an already very tasty cake.

I've enjoyed Mike's Wolf and Raven stories ever since the very first one appeared in the long out of print Into the Shadows anthology, but I never thought we'd get to see any more of them now that he's really hit the big time with his Star Wars and other novels (which I have not yet read but plan to). This particular book is, as he points out, not a collection of short stories (because collections of short stories apparently don't sell well) but rather a "braided novel" that interleaves the individual stories together to form a coherent whole. Each story can be read individually without affecting the reader's enjoyment, but when you read them all together --especially in order--you'll find all sorts of tantalizing little tidbits in each one that refer back to things that happened in previous ones. Very cool, and very well done.

Two things I particularly liked about W&R were the characterization and the fact that the book was about "good guy" shadowrunners for a change. Although I enjoy a good "the world is screwed and I'm a grim gritty vigilante" type story as well as the next person, it's nice to see a group of characters who represent the side of Good without being wimps. I think that it would be very dangerous to refer to Doctor Raven, Wolf, or Kid Stealth as a wimp--at least you wouldn't do it twice! The interplay between the characters is excellent--Mike knows how to paint characters that the reader will give a damn about, something I value highly and don't see enough of, even in professionally-published fiction.

The stories are all told in first person by Wolfgang Kies, aka "Wolf," who has a Wolf spirit sharing space with his psyche (that is to say, he's a werewolf, but a werewolf with a twist--most of the time he keeps control over his nature even during the full moon). His interplay with "The Old One," which is his name for the Wolf spirit, is well done and occasionally very funny (sample quote: "I can give you warp speed, Longtooth.") Wolf's professional associates and friends are interesting characters in their own right, and it's nice to see a Shadowrun character actually have an SO.

As far as the individual stories go, I liked all of them, although some were better than others. For example, while most of them were excellent and nicely paced, "Designated Hitter" dragged a bit for me (this might be because the subject matter, baseball in the 2050s, did not hold my interest, but I do think the story could have been told in a shorter space). The footnotes are generally very funny, although the book probably could have done without a few of the footnote references to the "Seattle Seadogs."

All in all, for anybody who likes a good story with strong characters and lots of insights into 2050s culture and lifestyles, pick up Wolf and Raven. You won't be disappointed.


Blood Sport (novel)
by Lisa Smedman
Rating:

Plot: I was quite pleased with the plot of Blood Sport from beginning to end. From the moment I met Leni Torres and her friend Rafael Ramirez, I was caught up in a complex network of mystery, murder, betrayal, and apocalyptic visions of the coming of demons and the end of the world, with a bit of romance, faith, miracles, and wonder thrown in for good measure.

When Leni's "Mama Grande", a brain-addled old woman who might or might not have been a shaman, is murdered, apparently by renegade Aztlaner cultists, Leni and Rafael begin an investigation that will lead them into the heart of Aztlan and throw them right in the middle of a plot which, if successful, will lead to the end of the world as we know it. Never quite sure who they can trust and who will betray them, Leni and Rafael negotiate their way through the danger until they finally unravel the secret that Mama Grande had been hiding--and that she was apparently forced to reveal before she died. Using Leni's former-Lone Star training and Rafael's strength and perseverance (and sports savvy), the two commit themselves to righting the wrong that Mama Grande inadvertently set in motion.

Characters: I found the characters to be quite engaging and believable. The protagonist, Lenora Maria Antonia de Torres (known as "Leni" throughout the story) is a former Lone Star cop who lives in a basement flat in a house also occupied by her two friends, would-be combat biker Rafael and "Mama Grande," who is true grandmother to Rafael and adopted grandmother to Leni.

Leni is resourceful, tough, and remains true to both her former Star background and her lapsed-Catholic upgbringing, the latter of which becomes more important as the plot progresses. Rafael is just the right combination of youthful machismo and reliable backup; my only complaint with him is that a couple of abilities he evidences are left tantalisingly hanging and never satisfactorily explained. Both Leni and Rafael perform consistently and never break character as stranger and stranger events begin to occur around them.

The other, more minor characters are also well-drawn: the mysterious androgynous mage Caco (who makes contact with potential information purchasers through young "Chiclets" salesmen); the sinister sacerdotes (priests) of the Aztlan Temple of the Sun and their minions; Fede, the ugly ticket scalper with a secret; Teresa, young housekeeper with yet another secret; Soñador, the feathered serpent who may or not be on Leni and Rafael's side. I cannot recall a character in Blood Sport who seemed false or forced.

Setting: For anyone interested in getting a deeper picture of the inner workings of Aztlan than can be found in the Aztlan Sourcebook, I recommend Blood Sport. Everything from background on everyday life to the official ban on Catholicism to the underground resistance is covered in a nice level of detail--not too much, not too little. Not to mention some very nice background on the Aztlaner sport ollamaliztli, which sounds like a deadly combination of jai alai and basketball, and a deeper look into the dark practice of human sacrifice and blood magic.

Game Mechanics: I noted a few glitches from published Shadowrun game mechanics, but nothing to call out as gross errors. The worst thing that I saw was the reference to one person's being a "half ork" and another's possibly "having troll blood." From my understanding and every bit of published material I've seen, this isn't possible. But as I said, nothing major.

Writing Mechanics: Echoing complaints first voiced in our review of Shadowboxer, I would like to humbly suggest to FASA that they hire themselves a copy editor. While small, the errors are of a bush-league variety that should have been caught by an entry-level copy editor. The most obvious and annoying culprit was the frequent repetition of phrases such as, "The rebels gave Rafael and I sidelong glances..." (page 133). Less annoying but still a bit frustrating were typographical errors such as "tun" for "turn" and "that" for "what".

Another minor stylistic annoyance was Smedman's continued use of the "Little did I know what I was getting into" school of plotting at the end of many chapters. The story was strong enough, in my opinion, to draw the reader through the chapters without resorting to such a cheap contrivance. Once or twice, perhaps, but after a bit it became distracting.

Overall Impressions: Overall, I liked Blood Sport very much. The pacing was good, the characters strong, consistent, and sympathetic, and the plot held together nicely with no obvious holes. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in Aztlan, mysteries, religion in Shadowrun, or magical phenomena, and also to anyone who enjoys a good story.


Clockwork Asylum (novel)
by Jak Koke
Rating:

Another winner from Mr. Koke, and most definitely a cliffhanger that will bring readers back for the final chapter, to be published early next year.

Clockwork Asylum continues the saga of Ryan Mercury's quest for the Dragon Heart, a magical artifact of inestimable power, which has currently fallen into the hands of the cyberzombie Burnout, last seen hurtling to his doom at the end of Stranger Souls. Naturally, there wouldn't be much of a story if Burnout were allowed to expire that simply, so he joins forces (albeit unwillingly at first) with the free spirit Lethe. Lethe is more than a bit peeved at Mercury for his actions involving the Dragon Heart last time it was in his possession, and since the spirit's obsession is to see the Heart safely to the hands of its intended recipient, hooking up with Burnout seems the logical thing to do. The two make a highly effective team, eventually even forging a friendship of sorts, as Mercury pursues them (and they him).

Clockwork Asylum neatly ticks along, providing a page-turner that's difficult to put down. Little nuggets of information about the Shadowrun universe (Who killed Dunkelzahn--or rather, who didn't? Who's responsible for the Horrors' threatening to make an early appearance on Earth?) are interspersed with a suspenseful cat-and-mouse story where the roles switch places several times. Told in a quick, cut-between-the-characters style, the story pulls you along to its climax, and sets up what promises to be an exciting and momentous conclusion with far-reaching ramifications for the Shadowrun universe.


Shadowrun Trading Card Game
(Part 1 of 2)
Rating:

Welcome, everyone. This week, Mullins and I are going to give you our first impression on the latest from the House of FASA, the Shadowrun Trading Card Game. Our esteemed chronicler has provided us with two and a half booster boxes and seven starter decks, and so far we've been so busy sorting cards that we've barely had the chance to play the game yet. This review is the first of two, and it will concern itself only with first impressions gleaned from looking at the cards, reading the rules, and playing exactly one game. We'll divide our review into four subsections: Card Design, Card Distribution, Rulebook, and Gameplay.

Card Design
FASA does good work, and the design of the Shadowrun TCG cards is no exception. The layout is crisp, evoking just the right dark cyberpunkish feel. The icons, used to identify the various skills in the game, are nicely designed and easy to differentiate, although a few of them do require a trip to the rulebook to understand the first time. The artwork makes use of a number of familiar FASA artists such as Jeff Laubenstein and Joel Biske, as well as new faces. We must both be getting old, because some of the art was a bit too graphic for our liking (such as "Bad Lunch"--who wants to watch a troll vomit? and "Katana," where we're treated to the evisceration of an unfortunate victim by the implement in question). But all in all, the card design and artwork are first-rate.

Card Distribution
We weren't as pleased with this aspect. That might be the understatement of this review. As I stated above, we opened two and a half booster boxes and seven starter decks. In this distribution, we found several booster packs that contained runs of identical cards in identical order. We also found that after opening all these packs, we were still missing over 60 cards from a complete set, including two of the common Objectives. I can understand missing some of the rares, even with this many cards, but as far as Mullins and I are concerned, after opening this many packs, it's unacceptable to be missing any commons, and undesirable to be missing any uncommons.

Rulebook
The rulebook is nicely designed, full color, and well illustrated. The only complaint we've discovered is the lack of an index. Allow me to insert a shameless plug here for Rat, our chronicler, who has created an index to go with the rulebook. You can find it here.

Gameplay
We can't comment adequately on this aspect of the game, because we've only played it once. Using the suggestions in the rulebook, we constructed two decks of roughly 70 cards each, using a random selection of Objectives, Specials, and Challenges, and making some attempt to target Gear to the runners in the decks. One deck was composed entirely of samurai, gangers, and the like; the other was composed entirely of mages and shamans. After playing the game, Mullins and I discovered something: unlike in the real world, all things being equal, samurai are far and away the more desirable of the two. The reason for this is because each card has an attack value and a body value; the attack value represents the damage the runner can do, while the body value represents the damage he or she can absorb. These values can be modified with gear, but only if you can get that gear into play. Since damage in combats usually occurs simultaneously, those characters possessed of lower statistics (such as mages) are far more easily killed by Challenges, Objectives, and other runners, while those characters with higher statistics (samurai in general, and trolls in particular) survive more readily without gear. Looking at things from a magical perspective, we see this as a major flaw in the game, but we think it can be nearly alleviated by playing a more balanced deck (that is, a more balanced selection of runners, rather than all mages or all samurai). Of course, you have no control over the deck your opponent will be using.

Well, these are our first impressions of the game. Soon, after we've had a bit more time to try it out, we'll post a more in-depth review of the hints, tips, strategies, and holes we've discovered.


Stranger Souls (novel)
by Jak Koke
Rating:

This latest addition to the Shadowrun library is a fine read.

After the bad taste Shadowboxer left in our mouths, it's a breath of fresh air to be back to the things that make the Shadowrun novels enjoyable, at least according to me: big conspiracies, well-written and appealing characters, insights into some of the dark corners of the Shadowrun universe, mysterious spirits, cybernetic nightmares, and a cliffhanger that's going to make it quite difficult to wait for the next installment (not due until later in 1997).

Stranger Souls gives us some more insight into what really occurred that fateful night of Dunkelzahn's unfortunate demise, but that's only the beginning. The story ticks along at a fine pace as we follow Ryan Mercury, Nadja Daviar, the decker Jane-in-the-box and the rest of Dunkelzahn's hand- (er...claw-?) picked operatives as they struggle to recover an artifact that apparently promises to have a very important effect on the Shadowrun universe for some time to come. Assisting them in their quest is a mysterious and extremely powerful spirit named Lethe, and opposing them, among others, is the cyberzombie named Burnout. This character particularly intrigued me when it was revealed that he had once been a mage who had lost his edge and elected to undergo the cybermancy process; just thinking about that gives me a bad case of the shivers.

Also intriguing (but not for the weak of stomach) is more information about Aztechnology higher-up Thomas Roxborough, who was briefly and tantalisingly mentioned in the Aztlan Sourcebook.

Anyone who has read or experienced the Shadowrun module Harlequin's Back will find that Stranger Souls contains further insight into the current state of Thayla and the mana bridge; anyone who hasn't might be well-advised to read (or run though) this excellent scenario before reading this new novel. The background will be helpful. Let me just say that I am not at all surprised to find out what Mr. Darke is up to these days.

Stranger Souls is well-written, fast-paced, and, unlike Shadowboxer, peopled with characters that I actually gave a damn about. But then, I always was a sucker for heroic, "big picture" kinds of stories.

The book leaves one hanging, which is exactly what a good cliffhanger should do. I expect that we'll see more of Burnout, Lethe, and Ryan and Nadja's attempt to recover Dunkelzahn's mysterious item. Perhaps we'll even find out what really happened to Dunkelzahn. I hope so.


Underworld Sourcebook
Rating:
The latest sourcebook from the good people at FASA is well-written and very informative, though a bit too special-purpose for most requirements.

Included here are descriptions of the major crime syndicates in the Shadowrun universe: the Mafia, Yakuza, Seoulpa Rings, Triads, and some of the more successful street gangs. Additionally, there are sections on most of the types of crime in which these organisations engage: gambling, prostitution, hijacking, organ-legging, and so forth. The book provides a good read if one is interested in this aspect of the Shadowrun world, and would be an invaluable resource for anyone who runs a campaign that is heavily associated with organised crime. If one has no intention of having more than a passing involvement with this sort of thing, the Underworld Sourcebook is probably not a necessary purchase.

If I might be allowed a personal observation, I found the most interesting portion of this sourcebook to be the detailed descriptions of the street gangs: the Ancients, the Cutters, and especially the Scatterbrains. Any gang that is led by a troll in a clown suit is high on my list of things I need to see before I leave this Earth.


Shadowboxer (novel)
by Nicholas Pollotta
Rating:

Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers for Shadowboxer.

I was very disappointed by this latest Shadowrun novel.

Where shall I start? Let's be positive about the whole thing and start with the things I liked, shall we? First of all, some of the characters were intriguing. I especially liked Delphia, the natty samurai with the unique weaponry. Thumbs, the street troll, was also an interesting character, though he had some flaws that were difficult to get past. The elven mage Emile was well done, and it would have been nice to see him (and his ferret familiar, Grand) more.

Another positive thing I can say about Shadowboxer was that the writing style was good. Pollotta is adept at engaging the reader and keeping the pages turning. Even with all the novel's problems, it was hard to put it down.

Now on to the negatives. There are many. In no particular order:

For one, I find it highly unsporting for the author to ignobly kill off what is ostensibly the novel's main character halfway through the story. Despite the fact that the back cover of the book claims that the story is about a dwarf named Two Bears, the bulk of the action takes place after Two Bears has been eliminated. He didn't even get a "good death." I felt a bit cheated by this development.

A second problem is characterisation. While some characters, such as Delphia, were reasonably consistent, others, like Thumbs, were not. The troll was presented at the beginning of the book as a street dweller, reduced to following a likely-looking prospect to look for jobs, but yet he showed remarkable savvy and experience when his services were engaged. Further, his cyberware seemed inconsistent with his situation. Where a street ganger obtained the money for wired reflexes, a reflex trigger, and cyberspurs was not explained: I would have liked more of Thumbs' background. We got more background on Two Bears, who was much less important.

A third, and perhaps the largest, problem in my opinion is one that is purely subjective. Pollotta seems quite enamored of the "world is a sinkhole" view of life. Characters were being killed faster than we could count, many of them in graphically messy ways. Almost no one was trustworthy, and a large percentage of the characters were depicted as either thorougly vile or at the very least dishonourable and without redeeming virtues.

Characters, notably a fellow named Wesley (later to become Attila), were introduced, played with a bit, and then forgotten about. One can assume from the narrative what befell him and his companion, but after following their exploits throughout much of the novel, it would have been nice to see their eventual fates. I'm still not certain why they were included in the first place.

A minor point, but the book could have done with a bit of editing. I counted a number of typos (such as "Tir Taingire") and outright misspellings (such as "Buddah"), the effect of which was jarring in a professionally-published novel.

Finally, the ending of Shadowboxer was extremely unsatisfying. Cheated--that was how I felt when I reached the end. The completion of the story was, in my mind, not an adequate reward for the events that occurred.

Perhaps I am old-fashioned, in that I prefer stories to have protagonists who prevail over odds, a worldview that's a bit more optimistic, and an ending that makes one feel like the effort of getting through the book was worth it. Shadowboxer provided none of these.

The only thing that saved Shadowboxer from our lowest rating is the writing style, some of the characterization, and the excellent background material about Miami and piracy.


2XS (novel)
by Nigel Findley
Rating:
This novel, one of the earlier in the Shadowrun series, is also one of the best I've seen.

2XS is a classic Shadowrun novel. Everything one could ask for is there: protagonist in over his head, competent and appealing co-star, lots of gunfire, magical mysteries, Matrix battles, and a climax involving some of the nastiest stuff in the Shadowrun universe.

The plot centers around a new kind of chip called 2XS, which is worse than BTL. It's even more addictive than BTL and burns most people out in short order. Dirk Montgomery, the protagonist, gets involved when the sister of his murdered former girlfriend comes looking for him, thinking he killed her. From then on, Dirk's in deeper and deeper until he finally discovers what's behind the 2XS trade in Seattle.

If you've been a Shadowrun fan for a long time and have somehow managed to avoid reading this novel (as I did), the climax might not be quite the shocker I think it was originally intended to be, but the story is fast-paced and keeps you involved right from the start.

We give 2XS our highest recommendation.


The Shadowrun Companion (sourcebook)
Rating:
This is indeed the best Shadowrun supplement to come along in quite some time. I can't fathom why they didn't put this one out shortly after releasing the Shadowrun 2nd Edition player's book, but I guess someone must have had a good reason.

Nearly all the rules that GMs have been wishing for over the years are here: alternate character creation systems; rules for playing non-standard characters like DocWagon techs and Lone Star cops; rules for shapeshifters; new variations on existing metatypes; rules for training costs and times; contact rules; and a very useful system of advantages and disadvantages (called Edges and Flaws) that allows a bit of extra fleshing out during character development. All of this is nicely arranged, well-written, and...well, I'm glad that they finally allowed someone other than that Larry MacDougall chap to do some of the illustrations. Not my cup of tea, I'm afraid, but some of the other illustrations in this sourcebook are very nice.

We give this sourcebook our highest recommendation. It's an essential part of every GM's collection, and an entertaining and informative resource for almost every Shadowrun player.


Black Madonna (novel)
By Carl Sargent & Marc Gascoigne
Rating:
It is good to have another novel by this fine team. Messrs. Sargent and Gascoigne are my favourite Shadowrun authors, and that Sutherland's a fine chap, yes? But on to business: why we only gave Black Madonna a rating of three, rather than the four we wanted to give it. Suspending disbelief is one thing, but outright farfetched improbability is yet another. The story is well-written, and the character interaction is first-rate, but the premise is... shall we say...a bit hard to swallow. One would think that immortal Elves are lurking 'round every corner, and have had their fingers in every important historical pie practically since the dawn of time.

Black Madonna reunites Elven mage Serrin Shamandar, decker Michael Sutherland, and African street kid Kristen (now Serrin's wife), in addition to a smart-aleck British samurai named Streak, and Welsh nobleman Geraint (last seen briefly in Nosferatu and at more length in Streets of Blood). Unfortunately, Tom the Troll is nowhere to be seen; I rather missed him in this one. I would have liked to see how he was dealing with his newfound powers from the end of Nosferatu.

All in all, Black Madonna is a good read, and we recommend it with only mild reservations. If you like intricate plots and the behind-the-scenes machinations of powerful groups and entities, you'll like it. However, I wouldn't pick this one up if you're bothered by stories where the authors take some significant liberties with history, or if you've had quite enough of immortal Elves.