Recap:

Hey, my nugs! Thank you for your patience, as my reading schedule has slowed a lot lately. I’ve been working on reading some other books and am finally getting back around to my indie authors I love to support. So, here’s a quick reminder of the last book I reviewed, A Voice of Fire by Aaron Scott Wickel. He’s a good friend of mine and this sequel to A Whisper of Wind was an amazing second book! If you have read none of his work, don’t forget to check out the book reviews linked in the titles!

The Story:

Behind Blue Eyes is a Cyberpunk novel that’s true to its genre. For those of you who are a little less familiar with the Cyberpunk genre, here’s a quick low-down. The first mass accepted cyberpunk novel was Nueromancer by William Gibson. He created what some believe is the standard for what cyberpunk should be, a dystopian world where corporations have completely taken over “set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology.” (Oxford Dictionary Online) Often you’ll see underdog characters as the main protagonists of this story.

In Behind Blue Eyes, you follow the story line of the cybernetically enhanced resident bad ass #1 Nephilim. She is no chump and is part of the elite task force, Angels. The Angels of Olympias are cybernetically enhanced humans following a rule of 70% Cybernetics and 30% Human composition. They enforce the interests of the Olympias, believing they are enhancing the lives of the inhabitants. One day, a single raid changes everything for Nephilim. She goes from most likely to be the next Archangel, the highest position of High-Archangel, to becoming the most wanted Angel for reasons good and bad. Join Nephilim as she tries to understand the changes in her mind as the reality of Olympias proves it may not be the paradise she thought it was.

Why I Enjoyed this Book:

Behind Blue Eyes by Anna Mocikat, first drew me in because of my interest in cyberpunk novels. After reading Nueromancer by William Gibson, I’ve wanted to explore as many cyberpunk worlds as possible. There are certain tropes of cyberpunk novels that the summary hit for me, and I’ve read Anna’s other series that I enjoyed. The synopsis addresses the following in its respective order: Cybernetically enhanced soldiers, owned by mega-corporations, to protect Olympias inside and out, and it gives the conflict that will carry the entire story.

While I struggled with the opening chapter, where it brought up the blue eyes of the Angels repeatedly, everything else fell into place for a great opening scene. Openings are some of the hardest scenes/chapters to write, and Anna does an amazing job of pulling on the elements of fiction to create intrigue, tension, and a moment for the reader to connect with Nephilim (the protagonist). Even though readers may not realize it at first, but they introduced the opposing force early on with a great parallel of symbolism throughout the entire story. Watch and note all the biblical references throughout and let me know what some of your favorites were.

The Cover:

Anna Mocikat just updated the cover of Behind Blue Eyes, and I honestly like all three versions. The original cover showed three figures standing against a cyberpunk city backdrop. Nephilim stands in front, flanked by Metatron, and I think Adrial or Zathaniel or Jake? I’ll update this if I hear from Anna about this. Why I liked this first one was because it showed the separation of the characters and promised instant conflict. Then, by setting the backdrop of Olympias below the level of all three characters standing, it shows the difference viewed in the characters and the society they protect.

The second and third covers take away the others to emphasize Nephilim as the central figure of the story. They both keep the city as the backdrop, but in the second cover she’s lower and shown as more of a part of Olympias. Whereas, the third, and most recent cover almost blurs out of the city to give the sense that she is no longer a part of the Olympias mindset. The thing I love most about the newest cover is the change in lighting. The first two covers definitely gave that cyberpunk edgy look, but the newest cover backlit Nephilim, showing that she might bring some light into the darkened world of Olympias.

Overall:

I really enjoyed Behind Blue Eyes by Anna Mocikat and highly recommend it to fans of Cyberpunk, or just Sci-Fi. I think Behind Blue Eyes is a great introductory book for the cyberpunk worlds. The characters challenge different aspects of society and bring up the question in your mind of how would you face these situations. There are so many times the characters could have said not my chair, not my problem, but Anna shows the truth behind humanity is empathy. Nephilim will leave you feeling like you’ve just explored the last 500 pages with an elite soldier who shows she’s more human than robot, even if her body is otherwise. I loved the ending to this story, because it challenges normal conventions. I won’t ruin it, so let me know when you read it. Come back and add your comments below!

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