Behind Blue Eyes

Behind Blue Eyes, Book 1

By: Anna Mocikat

Narrated by: David Reimer, Jessica Weyman

Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

In a future world ruled by warring mega-corporations, cyborg Nephilim believed she was fighting a righteous cause. As a powerful cybernetically enhanced elite soldier, her job is to do all the dirty work for the mega-corporation she belongs to. She and her elite cyborg squad are deployed on the most dangerous missions–to protect Olympias from threats outside and inside, at any cost.

One day, a malfunction in her implants separates her from the all-controlling grid. For the first time in her life, Nephilim is free. She learns that everything she has believed in all her life is a lie, and decides to defend her newfound freedom. But Metatron, the leader of her unit, has very special plans for her future and won’t let her get away. Soon, Nephilim finds herself hunted by the killer squads she once belonged to. She’s the best of them, but will her skills be enough to survive?

Blade Runner meets John Wick with a badass female lead!

©2020 Anna Mocikat (P)2023 Anna Mocikat

cyberpunk at it's best

The world:
do you ever wonder what it would be like if every major cooperation ruled the world? Behind Blue Eyes paints an eerie and terrifying future where corporations rule.

The characters:
Nephilim is easy to love and route for. Total bad ass.
Adriel: sleeper hit character. I hope I see more of him in book 2.
Metatron: great villain. Love to hate him.

Narration: David and Jessica are some of the best in the business! they have great chemistry and bring everyone to life.

I could go on and on but the long and short of it is if you want a cyberpunk book that will knock your socks off and leave you begging for more check this series out

the voice acting was in my opinion awesome

ooof this book kept me on the edge of my toes but I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to read the others

Ugh

I just couldn't quite finish the story. The writing comes off as misogynistic at times with comments about how the guys are or are not "real men". The writer needs to work on using more contractions and honestly a lot of the characters were just very two dimensional. It just gave me the impression of a beginner writer that didn't get a good editor.

Generic, but quite alright

Writing and storyline feel very generic and follow normal cyberpunk megacorporation tropes from the megacorp soldier perspective. It's an easy listen, if you want something light to play in the background! They also put a surprising amount of effort into the recording, so there's also that going for it.

As a side note, author's fixation on power exchange over people dynamics is somewhat amusing.

Action Packed!

Behind Blue Eyes is an action packed thrill ride through a dystopian future where the angels are made of titanium. it's sexy and violent and leaves you wanting more. Excellent story and performance!

This Is Exactly What I Needed!!

I've been trying to find a good cyberpunk series to get into for a long time and couldn't find anything interesting...until now!!! This was better than I could have imagined and I'm completely hooked!! I just downloaded the second book!

Jumps right in with guns blazing!

A story about a cyborg soldier who struggles with herself and rediscovers what it means to be Human, and also the dark side of humanity that comes with it. Fast-paced, no nonsense thrill ride like a cyberpunk novel should be. I highly recommend this for veterans and anybody new to the genre. If you haven't picked up a copy, do so now.

The next big thing in science fiction!

Behind Blue Eyes is going to be the next big thing in science fiction!

This book has everything! Action, adventure, romance, self-discovery, and the human urge for freedom even in cyborgs!

We meet Nephilim (I loved the use of biblical names) who is a partial cyborg who begins experiencing doubts about the perfect system they live in. The futuristic world that Mocikat created is incredible. Every facet was well thought out, from the Guardian Angels themselves to the way the normal humans lived.

I adored Nephilim. She was an incredible main character who I rooted for the whole time. In fact, every character was wonderful. The villains were exquisitely crafted, and each side character was an important addition to the story.

As Nephilim struggles with her newfound independence and a budding romance, we follow her journey as she attempts to discover who she is and what she wants to be in the future, which is a theme that so many of us can relate to.

I loved every aspect of this book when I first read it and listening to it again was just as amazing! If you haven’t checked out this series yet then what are you waiting for?

Fantastic cyberpunk action thriller

BEHIND BLUE EYES by Anna Mocikat is a independent cyberpunk novel. It is a story that draws on dystopian science fiction tropes as well as puts the author's own spin on the subject. It also incorporates the journey of its heroine from being a pawn of a corrupt system to being her own woman, finding out along the way that you can't trust anyone even if they seem to be the good guys. A lesson that she learns multiple times with increasing bitterness.

The premise is that in the distant future, humanity has mostly destroyed itself with the survivors living in arcologies run by various megacorporations. Olympias City is run by one and survives due to the efforts of a cybernetic assassins called the Guardian Angels. Blue-eyed mercenaries. they are created from children taken from the dregs of society or its outcasts then upgraded into unfeeling weapons that eliminate all dissidents.

Nephilim is one of the best of the Guardian Angels, soon to be promoted to their Archangel ranks that answer only to the mysterious Metatron. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she is damaged during one of her battles and starts to question her role as a government cleaner. Assisted by a nerdy computer programmer named Finwick, she manages to buy herself some genuine freedom and explores it with a young rebel named Jake. However, totalitarianism turns out to be harder to escape than it sounds.

I like the world-building in this book. Olympias City is a dystopia in the vein of Brave New World versus 1984, focused more on bread and circuses versus direct oppression. You are provided a job, security, and all the sex as well as mindless entertainment you could want. It just requires you to have your news edited, to never disobey your superiors, engage in no religion, and ignore the perversities of the society like legalized child trafficking. Anna introduces the darker elements one at a time so that it takes awhile to understand just how fully messed up the society is.

Nephilim is a fantastic character and one of the more likable heroines I've encountered in the genre. She desperately wants to be free and the good guy but is still fairly naive due to being programmed to trust her superiors as well as believe in her society's propaganda. This pays off in a way that I feel is the highlight of the book. I'm also a fan of Finwick, who is both repulsive and likable in equal parts. I mentally cast him as Seth Green just like I used Kate Beckinsale for Nephilim. Now there's a movie I would have liked to have watched.

Metatron is an amazing villain and comes across something like a Bond villain transported to a cyberpunk dystopia. Educated, charming, and urbane, he's a fellow that thinks he's less of a complete monster than he is. Despite my earlier statement that it's more BNW than 1984, he reminds me strongly of O'Brien from the latter. A man who has immersed himself in the culture of the old world and is aware of the Party's flaws but gleefully pursues its goals anyway.

The narration for the book is fantastic and really manages to bring the book to life. I actually was impressed with the incorporation of music and sound effects. The audiobook sounds a bit like Deus Ex and I absolutely loved that game. Almost like an audio drama versus a book.

In conclusion, I think this is a book that fans of cyberpunk and scifi action thrillers will enjoy. There's lots of fantastic movie-esque set pieces and scenes as well as a strong character heart. I'm not a big fan of Nephilim's romantic interest, Jake, but that's a small complaint in an otherwise solid story. Strongly recommended.

Different twist on a Cyberpunk world

Fun, action-packed, sprinkled with a literary reference here and there in the right places.
The world building is great. The attention given to the values of the society make it seem a bit Brave New World, a bit 1984, and a lot of Blade Runner. It is fun to hear the author’s speculation of the future. Gives some things to think about, after the Cyborg heroine is done kicking butt.
The fun part is, instead of a ragtag team of hackers trying to take down the Man, the hero is part of the Man. Who finds out she is the bad guy, but is really, really good at it.
The narrators were great as well. No complaints there at all. Kind of liked the slow careful cadence of the main character. A bit menacing, a bit tough guy (girl). Seemed like a good fit.