What if the pandemic had been cyber-driven–and far worse? Call it dystopian noir. (Pretty sure I’m not the first person to come up with that.) Matt Harry’s Ash Land fits the bill–most of humanity has been wiped out by little nanobots that instinctively seek out proteins to power and reproduce. Cities have come up with different protective methods, and in L.A., you’re pretty much vacuum-sealed.
And then a murder happens. Former LAPD turned P.I. Kai Braddock has to figure out who killed his leg man while investigating the disappearance of a research scientist who may have been close to finding a cure for the microbots that nearly destroyed civilization. Cutely nicknamed “Ash,” the microbots are not cute and might spur terror in your eyes any time you see a swarm of gnats.
How does Kai solve a murder when he’s largely limited to drones and bulky hazmat suits? Author Harry has worked that part out pretty well, while creating a travelogue/tribute to all the City of Angels has to offer. While Ash Land works as noir fiction, in a weird way it serves as a love letter to Los Angeles. As a fairly recent transplant myself, I feel guilty for all the landmarks I haven’t visited yet.
Where Ash Land may fall short is in the psychological toll that these circumstances might create. Though essentially bottled up, the survivors seem fairly well-adjusted. Are we that resilient as a people? Even raising that question, it’s also clear that the novel’s ambitions lie in a cracking good plot, not necessarily a psychological treatise. It’s mystery, not satire.
The characters are sharp; the plot appropriately complicated. Even as it reached its conclusion, the novel left me wanting to explore a little more of this post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. Harry offers the possibility of a sequel that might explore more of the world. If this does becomes a series, Ash Land makes a fine launch.
Also, this should not be confused with Ashland, the home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Fanboy Planet is an affiliate of Bookshop.org as well as Amazon.com. Purchases made through links on this site may generate a commission for this site as well as sales for independent bookstores Mysterious Galaxy and Vroman’s.
