A Song for Rust-City

De: Simina Lungu

Narrado por: Amber McCulloch

Deirdre Morgan is a Reconstructor working at the Rust-city Criminal Investigations Agency. She is one of the Touched, people with extrasensory perception serving society but always kept on the fringes, feared and mistrusted for what they can do. Deirdre has been transferred from one team to another, until she becomes a part of Agent Sebastian Cadwalder’s unconventional squad.

Everything changes when Deirdre’s new team must look into the kidnapping of the famous Gaila Starborne, beloved opera singer, daughter of a powerful businessman, and fiancée of the first alien ambassador on Earth. Conspiracies will be unmasked, painful secrets will be uncovered, and by the end of it all the world will feel a little less safe…

Part science-fiction, part mystery, A Song for Rust-City blends atmosphere and suspense, offering an entertaining and thoughtful glimpse into a possible future.

©2024 Cora-Simina Lungu (P)2025 David N. Wilson

Good story

The story is interesting and complex. But the writing is simple especially the dialogue. And the narrator is only serviceable. I was able to get past these distractions and enjoy the story.

Okay but

The story concept was ok but the background was difficult to understand and the plot took unexplained jumps.

Entertaining mystery set in the future

This was a Deal of the Day at a very low price, so it seemed worth the risk of a purchase as you cannot return cash purchases. I liked it far more than expected, not giving it five stars as it cried out for more sophisticated technology. It could be something was lost in the translation. It is worth a credit.

Good story but lacking something

Overall the story and characters were good and believable but still no wow factor. Granted not ever book can have a wow factor. This was good and entertaining

Slow burn

It took me six or seven chapters before I began to care or even take any interest in what was happening in the story. The world was interesting enough, but the story itself was just kind of bland. It did end and wrap up well. I don’t think I will listen to this again. The narrator just kind of read the book. She didn’t do voice as well nor was there that much emotion expressed.

Neo-Noir Psychic Mystery

Half Dick Tracy, half the TV show "V"

The vibes are immaculate. When this narrator describes a dive bar for an illicit rendezvous you can practically taste the cigarette smoke.

I wish the author spent more time with individual characters. I want to know more about Max and Deirdre and Sebastian. I don't care as much about the side characters and a lot of the time spent on them feels like it could have been used better.

A good book, but would be better short story.

I thought the world was good. I thought the characters were good. I just think the story itself needs to be shortened. I think this would have been a great short story versus a novel.

An Intricate Sci-Fi Noir

Simina Lungu has crafted a distant-future sci-fi noir set on Earth at a time when humanity has colonized other planets and aliens have made contact. The story starts with a missing celebrity singer. As the team of investigators tasked with investigating her disappearance delve into the mystery, it quickly unravels a conspiracy involving a well-known alien and the city’s most powerful citizens, who are determined to push humanity towards a carefully constructed future. The team is targeted by enemies within and without, and it doesn’t take long before they’re the ones on the run. It’s an intricately, well-woven adventure. As always, narrator Amber McCulloch delivers a phenomenal performance with a large cast of characters. I think this story is perfect for anyone who enjoys “Bladerunner” and the political debate over mutantkind in “X-Men.”

A subdued mystery begging for atmosphere

I liked the cop alien/mystery procedural quite a bit but was bummed at the minuscule amount of time spent on the sci-fi, setting, or characters. It’s set in the future, in a somewhat apocalyptic world, yet we get scarce detail beyond snippets of Rust City being named for its rust colored buildings. It was 10 hours in before we got an offhand comment about there being no wood furniture anymore. What do the Axellans look like?

With better atmosphere, I could have accepted the broody noir tone; as-is, the subdued emotions of all the characters left me numb. There was no sex or cussing and the limited flashes of violence weren’t graphic at all, which made the lack of vibrant dialogue or imagery that much more disappointing. It was an interesting enough book to listen to, but I doubt I’d move on if there’s a sequel.

Came for the Sci Fi, stayed for the mystery

The story is set in an imaginative future following some time after the 4th World War and first contact with an alien species. Much of the plot focuses on the mystery of who kidnapped the beloved heir to a billionaire, but through that lens we get to explore what happens when a small portion of society is forced to evolve into a more advanced kind of human and how the rest of humanity is likely to treat them. But most importantly, we see the best of humanity in those characters who are close to Deirdre.

The mystery itself is also a wonderful and compelling romp through Rust City, introducing us to dozens of characters and several high profile suspects for whodunit. At no point does the mystery take any lazy path, it stays clever and two steps ahead, ensuring you'll have questions until the final reveal and resolution!