Daughter of the Cyber Dragons

Cyber Dragons, Book 1

By: C.T. Phipps, Michael Suttkus

Narrated by: Catherine Ho

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.

Terrific new series!

Daughter of the Cyber Dragons
by C.T. Phipps
This book has great characters and fun dialogue that is the calling card for this writer! I like the world setting, which is in another of his series. But this seemed to make better use of various backgrounds since the characters were immersed in all types of environments.
I really liked that android and enhanced people were just part of daily life. One of my favorite characters was an android. The other was a sociopath, Paradise.
The dialogue had me giggling frequently, as I usual do with many of Phipps' books. The plot had so many twists! Wow, I was caught off guard I have to admit!
The narration was excellent and added an extra flair and I gave the Kindle version a 4 star but this Audible version was definitely a 5 star!
Another winning series! I want to thank the author for giving me a copy for my opinion.

Kei & Paradise are kicking butts & taking names!

Note: It’s not necessary to have read the Agent G books to enjoy this book.

Kei and Paradise are an unlikely teamup but they sure do make the chapters fly! I loved the banter between these two. Kei is so serious, so steeped in her self-recrimination and dark thoughts. Paradise is happy to be here, kicking butt and cheering on sex workers wherever she finds them. Then we get Case and Luchita, who I already know from the Agent G books. Case has long been one of my favorite characters in the larger world of Phipps stories. His cyber enhancements sometimes make his personality a bit inhuman, but he has these great moments of support and insight for his teammates.

The pacing is really good as you never get bored but you also feel like the characters get to develop continually throughout the story. I also like the bouts of banter and pop culture references. This book made me nostalgic for Blade Runner. And I also like the challenge of trying to guess them all, tho I admit my knowledge of music isn’t great at all.

Then there’s the plot which snuck it’s way into the opening chapters with a fun ruse. Paradise and Kei meet in a unique way and the crazy ride starts from there. While things look straight forward for our team, don’t worry! There will be some deceit to keep us all interested in the wrap up.

The drug lethe was a curious little bit as Kei sure does spend a lot of time being hard on herself for someone who has worked so hard to forget just what she’s being hard on herself for. I like how she’s a bundle of little contradictions like there. I also like that this story doesn’t let her, or anyone else really, off the hook. There are consequences for actions, whether you remember them or not.

Snake! Kei’s memories of this sensei butthead are tossed in here and there and they add a certain intensity to her character. He took her on as an orphan and trained her in martial arts, killing, and manners. He also forcibly upgraded parts of her with cybernetics. Kei eventually managed to walk away from him and she seems to have embraced her body the way it is, finally.

And all of this comes together for the final big standoff at the end of the story. Will our heroes be maimed permanently? Will some die? Will newly forged friendships be ruined, or reinforced? I love that there’s a kid to rescue. It always seems to bring out the best in our reluctant heroes. It’s another win from this writing duo! And I can’t wait for book 2! 5/5 stars.

Audiobook Narration: Catherine Ho was great as Kei. She had the all too serious snark down and the darker thoughts along with the command voice to get her team moving. Since I’ve listened to the Agent G books, I already had that voice in my head for Case, but Ho did a decent job of creating a believable voice for him here. I LOVED her exuberant voice for Paradise. Her pacing was good and flexible, as the story demanded. Her delivery of the snark and jokes and pop culture references were spot on. 5/5 stars.

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.

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.