Shadowrun: Neat

A Shadowrun Novella

By: Russell Zimmerman

Narrated by: Robert Austin James

Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

The Meanest Streets....

James Kincaid is the type of guy who might be described as down on his luck, if only he’d had some luck to begin with. Like so many people in the shadows of Seattle, he’s trying to get by with what he has. In his case, that includes a lively spirit, a sadly diminished magical talent, quick wits, and good knowledge of the twists and turns of Seattle’s dingy streets and back alleys. He puts all that to the service of whatever clients he can dig up, solving whatever cases they’re willing to pay him to take on. With any luck, he’ll scrape up enough nuyen to buy a few rounds of his favorite drink - whiskey, neat.

His latest case seems simple enough - find a girl who’s gone missing. But throw in a couple of feuding megacorporations, a few organized crime families, and a full selection of the odd denizens of Seattle’s streets, and you’ve got a case that’s anything but easy. It’s up to Kincaid to see how many people he can keep alive - including (and especially) himself.

Neat is a Shadowrun novella plunging listeners into the cold, sharp environs of the Sixth World. Elves, trolls, orks, and dwarves mix with humans in the shadowy streets of a near-future world altered by magic, trying to survive on the crumbs dropped by the megacorporations that dominate the world. Whether you’re new to Shadowrun fiction or a longtime fan, Neat is your ticket back to the Sixth World in all its dark, desperate glory.

©2012, 2021 Topps, Inc. (P)2021 Topps, Inc.

I love me some Shadowrun Audio!

I’ve been playing the Shadowrun RPG for years, and really enjoy the back story and world building they put into it. The Kincaid series by Russell Zimmerman has been considered some of the best fiction set in that world for many years, and now it’s finally available in my preferred format: audiobooks.

Hard boiled Noir style story telling, set in the Sixth World of Shadowrun. Think: Neuromancer crossed with Lord Of The Rings, and you get a taste of the Sixth World. This is a great introduction to that, if you’re new to the setting.

Good from the get go

The book opens Kincaid lead knocking out a homophobe at a bar, so I knew it'd be good from the get go, and it didn't disappoint. Follow a nearly burned out mage detective as he tracks down a girl gone missing using a combination of street smarts, cyberware, magic, and contacts to connect no small number of points.

it delves into a few cliches but does them a service, especially some particularly Noire moments at the end that reminds me of some of the genre novels of my younger days. The VA does a great job too, big probs to them as well.

I'll be checking out the next book asap.

Good if you're looking for some Shadowrun ambiance

Performance was a little over-the-top. Some of the dialogue was a little pre-pubescent when describing the main character's thoughts on the opposite sex. But, in the end, a nice little story in the Shadowrun universe, if not a little bit trope-y.

sounds precisely as I'd expected Jimmy Kincaid to!

Neat is a fine little story akin to one of the classic noir detective stories, but with a trace of Harry Dresden thrown into the fantasy/cyberpunk mix Shadowrun brought to the world back in '89. looking forward to more!

Good Shadowrun Story, but

I liked the performance of the reader as well as the story itself, but I could have done without the language and some of the political left agenda that was thrown in that had nothing to do with the story.

While it turned out to be an interesting story, I don't think I will be following the author with future stories. Hopefully, someone else will come along that can write a good Shadowrun story without all the unneeded elements to make it feel edgy and gritty.

As it is, this is not something I would let my kids listen to.