Daughter of the Cyber Dragons

Cyber Dragons, Book 1

By: C.T. Phipps, Michael Suttkus

Narrated by: Catherine Ho

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Keiko "Kei" Springs is a Rider, a specialized form of delivery girl and mercenary all in one.

They are among the most highly prized criminals in the dystopian neon city of New Los Angeles. Kei has been running from her past for years and has literally erased it from her mind using a popular street drug called lethe. Unfortunately, you can't outrun your past forever, even on her specialized Nina cybercycle.

Strapped for cash, Kei accepts a job she probably shouldn't after barely surviving a live fire test by a married pair of oligarchs. Teamed up with a group of other mercenaries and cyborgs, Kei is to seek out a stolen computer program that has the power to drive otherwise ordinary individuals to shocking acts of violence. Her team includes her ex, a handsome bioroid assassin, a teenage hacker, and a ruthless corporate exec that all have their own agendas. It'd be the worst time of her life if not for all the ones she can't remember.

The Cyber Dragons trilogy is set in the same world as the Agent G series and is an exciting action adventure cyberpunk thriller with plenty of humor.

©2022 C. T. Phipps and Michael Suttkus (P)2022 Podium Audio

Great story

Enjoyed it immensely. Can’t wait till the next one. I love this little universe Phipps has created.

A bit long

I listened to the whole book but skipped the short story at the end. It could have been a couple of hours shorter and been better. Seems like the middle just dragged on and then picked back up about 3/4 of the way through.

My Review

Daughter of Cyber Dragons is Psycho Pass only Sybil is just another bitch out for herself. Ct Phipps described it as what he wanted Cyberpunk 2077 to be like when he played it.   That probably a better starting point for this review. Imagine LA become night city and the main plot is take down a programmer who has figured out to hack anyone mind and turn him or her into a terrorist. 
 
Unlike Cyberpunk 2077 solo story we have a main party. Kei is the cyborg assassin turned courier looking for redemption. Case if the formerly Agent G a robot James Bond who we followed for three novels as this story is a spinoff from his last book.  There is Lucheta a cyborg that was Case’s… it’s a long story but she would be the villain of the story if not for her attachment to case.  There is Paradise a genius hacker pretending to be a dumb blonde that a former prostitute from the sin city part of town where the ladies of the night ruthlessly run the section of town. Finally there is Detective Miles a cop whose story is interwoven with everyone else that once unravavled makes up the entire plot of the novel. Now add Charles and Michael trade mark blend of action, comedy, drama and snark and you got your story.
 
That the review I just want to add enjoy Snake as he steals every scene he is in.  Picture a Weebo becoming a head of the gang and living out all of his comic book and video game fantasies. I’m not doing him justice but I really loved this character and book.

I hope there will be more books.

Absolutely fantastic! Exciting post-apoc cyber punk with great characters, exciting story, and very talented voice actor.

4.5 stars

A solid 4.5 Stars. All of the twists and turns you would expect in a cyberpunk book. At times the twist were coming so fast that it was hard to keep track of them. Enjoyable story that I plan on continuing.

Just as good the second time around

I had previously read the ebook when it came out in Feb and I was excited to revisit it in audiobook form! Catherine Ho does a fantastic job as narrator and the book was just as much fun the second time around. The cyberpunk world of Agent G, and now Kei Springs, is a great setting and often reminds me of Shadowrun games, which I enjoy.

Kei is a fantastic character. She has a nice realness to her. She's a bit tough exterior, slightly less tough interior, but she not all kick-ass action hero. She has depth, she makes mistakes, and I can’t even say but her heart is in the right place, because it often wasn’t! But I felt I knew her well by the end of the book, and wish I could go grab a beer with her sometime. She gives the "streets" perspective of the world set up in the Agent G books. Although, Case shows up does start throwing his money around again, leveling some of that feel.
But getting to see a lot more of Case and Lucita was fantastic, I felt especially with Lucita we got to see a different side to her, which was great. Case is awesome as always.

As is often the case with cyberpunk, and with Phipps and Suttkus regardless of genre, there's some very well done social commentary. The cyberpunk worlds often hold up a dirty mirror to our own society, reflecting back some of the less than savory parts. But I feel these authors are also quite adept at sneaking into that reflection what makes us great too. I appreciate that good with the bad approach, reminding us that while humans can be pretty awful to each other, they can also be pretty great to each other too.

But lest you think it's all philosophical character drama, I can assure you there is plenty of pulse-pounding action too, motorcycle chases, explosions, more guns firing off than you count, and a surprisingly large body count.

And all voiced by the talented Catherine Ho. It was my first experiencing her narrator skills but hopefully not the last! She nails the sarcasm, which is good because snark is kinda of staple if Phipps is involved! But her range in general was good, always easy to tell who was talking, and her pacing was spot on.

Wasn't expecting this!

I think my review just vanished, either that or I'm on the wrong account again. lol

It really wasn't a surprise to be enthralled by this book. Though I admit the narrator was a bit new to me, and took a little to get used to, her tone and pacing was good, and I liked the characters she'd visioned for the world.

Having read some of this, I greatly admired the work CT and Michael put into their worlds, The introduction let me know there was a history to Kei and it really shows in the presentation of her and her personality. It's solid.

With CT I always expect a little humor, and with rich details and laugh out loud moments, you really can't go wrong with this book at all. It was a bit of great fun and I enjoyed it a lot.

The fact Kei is a rider as well, just made this book and her more real to me too. I miss my bike, and it was just fun to be her for a while.

Thank you for the entertainment and I look forward to book 2 when it's out!

GOLD!!

CT Phipps does it again with a great storyline, fast action, puns and quips! Seriously, listen to this book!!

A delightful trip down cyberpunk memory lane.

It took elements from such classic cyberpunk works as Snowcrash and Akira as well as Do Androids dream of electronic sheep and even a bit of Neuromancer.
Cyberdragons blends all this with the wickedly funny style of writing C.T. Phipps has come to display in all his books I have read up to now.
If cyberpunk is your thing and you want something that’s dark as well as funny, I would highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next one when I get my next monthly credit.

A post-apocalyptic Cyberpunk Thriller

Life in a post-apocalyptic New Los Angeles is fast, deadly, and action-packed. Kei is living on her own, struggling to survive. Recruited and trained to be a Cyber Dragon, Kei learns from the best to be deadly and unpredictable. In order to survive, Kei is forced to team up with a host of unusual suspects. Each with their own skillset and hired to steal a computer program that can force anyone to commit horrendous violence. Kei must make some weighty decisions on who to trust and who not to trust.

The authors, C.T. Phipps and Michael Suttkus weave a cyberpunk thriller with pop culture references and comedic moments. The development of Kei’s character was done in-depth and with methodical planning. While I have heard and read several books written by these two men, I found this book fresh. Kei was more basic and realistically flawed in this first book in the series. I could relate to her more so than Jane or Agent G or others. The dialogue was genuine and peppered with sarcastic wit.

As the narrator, Catherine Ho gives a successful performance. Her delivery was flawless and delivered with the right amount of emotion. Ho’s performance in this cyberpunk novel was well done and entertaining. I look forward to hearing more by her. An entertaining listen and a series that one can easily become immersed.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook, it was well done.

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.