Title: Herokiller
Author: Paul Tassi
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 448 (Paperback - ARC)
Publisher: Talos
Publication date: August 7th, 2018
Synopsis from Herokiller's Goodreads page
In the near future, the line between entertainment and brutality has blurred. Mysterious billionaire and entertainment magnate Cameron Crayton is a household name from his questionably legal televised spectacles where death-row inmates fight to the death. But his old shows pale in comparison to the recently announced and eagerly anticipated global event, The Crucible. A gladiatorial tournament open to the general public to enter, the show’s winner is promised unimaginable wealth and fame if they’re able to survive a series of globally-broadcast, fight-to-the-death cage matches.
Former black-ops operative Mark Wei wants nothing more than to be left alone with his drink after sacrificing everything―including his family―in America's covert war against China, a war won largely because of Mark. But there are rumors that Cameron's background and business dealings involve shady connections to foreign powers, and soon Mark is reluctantly convinced to dust off his training and enter the tournament as an undercover agent. It's the most dangerous assignment he's ever been given―racing to expose The Crucible founder's secrets while navigating the pitfalls of fame from a viral phenomenon where the stakes are literally life and death.
Synopsis from Herokiller's Goodreads page
In the near future, the line between entertainment and brutality has blurred. Mysterious billionaire and entertainment magnate Cameron Crayton is a household name from his questionably legal televised spectacles where death-row inmates fight to the death. But his old shows pale in comparison to the recently announced and eagerly anticipated global event, The Crucible. A gladiatorial tournament open to the general public to enter, the show’s winner is promised unimaginable wealth and fame if they’re able to survive a series of globally-broadcast, fight-to-the-death cage matches.
Former black-ops operative Mark Wei wants nothing more than to be left alone with his drink after sacrificing everything―including his family―in America's covert war against China, a war won largely because of Mark. But there are rumors that Cameron's background and business dealings involve shady connections to foreign powers, and soon Mark is reluctantly convinced to dust off his training and enter the tournament as an undercover agent. It's the most dangerous assignment he's ever been given―racing to expose The Crucible founder's secrets while navigating the pitfalls of fame from a viral phenomenon where the stakes are literally life and death.
THOUGHTS
Thank you so much to Thomas Allen & Sons who sent me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The only things that I can honestly say about this book is just....wow. So many wows. I finished this book almost a couple weeks ago and it's taken me this long to figure out what to say, because it was AMAZING.
I am a huge Ready Player One fan, so when I heard that this was a mixture of Gladiator and Ready Player One, I was SO here for it. Now, having read it, I can say that that is the most perfect explanation of this book.
Herokiller takes place in the future, and our main character is an ex black op operative, who has struggled with too much for one person to have had to deal with in his life, and he just wants to get through every day. He ends up getting sucked back into the war, after he thought that everything was done. Getting sucked back into the war is the last thing he wanted, but it brings something new to his life - he joins a show that is fight to the death, in order to get close to the celebrity running the show.
This novel was so well thought out, and so well executed. The entire novel was full of a ridiculous number of twists and turns, and every single little puzzle piece fit together beautifully.
The characters were all so well written and created, that they all seemed almost real. They all struggled with something, be it money, alcohol, or just death from their past, and they all had their own demons, but all they wanted to do was to survive and to help each other overcome them. They all had bad things happen to them in the past, but they all were trying so hard to overcome them.
Not only were the characters amazing, the setting was perfect. They travelled all over the place, and each and every new place that they went to, from the setting of the city itself to the design and construction of the buildings they were in were perfectly set to the scene.
The plot itself was also wonderful in every possible way. The characters had to fight to the death, but there was so much love, heartbreak, friendship and loss throughout the way that I was overwhelmed with emotion for so many reasons. Every aspect of the story, from the way the characters were formed from their backstories, to the way they fell in friendship and love, was beautifully written. There was so much suspense, so much anger, so much loss, and so much suffering, but also so much beauty, love, friendship, and hunger for more out of life, that I was able to connect with every single character in some way.
I absolutely adored this book, for so many reasons. If you can get your hands on this, please, do yourself a favour, and read it. It will change your life.
Overall - ★★★★★
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