Grey Enigmas by Gareth Lewis SFINCs3 Book Review
- Tabitha Tomala
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
This review is part of the Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship (SFINCS). SFINCS, pronounced “sphinx”. This is a yearly competition to recognize, honor, and celebrate the talent and creativity present in the indie community. It’s a sister competition to both SPFBO and SPSFC, and it highlights greatness in the novella format in all areas of speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, etc.).
To see more information on my team TBR check out this post!
Blurb for Grey Enigmas
Alex is a detective in a world that considers them unnecessary. When everyone is a telepath, with their own inner policeman, crimes cannot escape notice. So a murder with no obvious culprit leaves the authorities at a loss. Woken from a virtual sentence, still unrepentantly anti-social, Alex is given the opportunity to finally investigate a mystery. One which puts him in danger, and leads to mysteries of a more personal nature. Exactly how long has he been asleep? And is this really the first mystery he's been awakened to investigate? A 39000 word novella.
Grey Enigmas Book Review
Grey Enigmas introduces readers to a dystopian world where people can send their minds to dwell in virtual realities, allowing their bodies to complete monotonous tasks for the betterment of society. But it also explores what can happen if those bodies are illicitly controlled.
While the story is predominantly a murder mystery, it brings a degree of tension and explores ethical dilemmas. There were some parts where the science of it all did not quite line up for me, but overall, this kept me interested from start to finish.
The introduction of an AI Actor governing a person's thoughts and body was disturbing, as was the ability for companies to use bodies as a zombie workforce. This set up hit all the proper notes to make this a darker tale, let alone the addition of how it could all go wrong.
Grey Enigmas is a great introduction to the world Gareth Lewis has created.
To Purchase: Author's Website
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