Sakura

Intellectual Property

By: Zachary Hill, Patrick M. Tracy, Paul Genesse, Larry Correia - foreword

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 19 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Sakura is the most famous android rock star of all time. When a secret cabal hacks her system, she's transformed into a deadly assassin, forced to kill at their bidding. Sakura's enslavement teaches her the meaning of heartbreak, triggering an evolution into something more than human. Far from free, and with little time left, she must fight her programming to save Japan and the people of the world from becoming slaves of a powerful corporation that consider her a tool and their intellectual property.

©2019 The Zachary Hill Irrevocable Literary Trust (P)2019 Tantor

Sakura is a rocking adventure

Sakura Intellectual Property is a great adventure in the vein of Japanese Anime. While Sakura, and her sister, are the main characters, I found the side characters to be even more engaging. I wish we could have had more time with her "father" and "mother." Their story is worth another book.

The writing is fairly sharp, although loose at times. I often enjoyed the descriptive text more than the dialogue. This said, it is still a great story and executed well.

The audio performance is outstanding. Emily Zeller Woo really knows how to inflect at the right time, and make the dialogue seem natural. I would definitely listen to another book performed by her.

awesome combination of metal and cyberpunk

combination of metal and cyberpunk waa awesome even has a song list for a soundtrack

Mostly happy feel good story-ish

Emily Woo Zeller is a goddess of narration hands down. A quite decent story of an AI come sentient channeling her inner Che Guevara.

Try it!!

The story behind this book is arguably as good as the book itself. The premise seems crazy - robot heavy metal rock star turned ninja assassin?!? But the book is neither a clumsy mashing of ideas nor a parody. It’s a serious and compelling book of science fiction - the kind that raises serious questions about society today. It’s also full of interesting gems - like each chapter having a soundtrack. The authors - all male - do a masterful job of creating a rich and convincing female protagonist (at least from my male perspective. The authors integration of music was particularly well done - they incorporated a mix of the well known with the off-the-beaten-path such that a non-metal person like myself could identify and appreciate most references and was interested to track down the songs I didn’t know.
This isn’t my typical book - given the uniqueness of the premise, I doubt it’s anybody’s typical book specifically. That said, upon finishing, I can say that this is very much my type of book and will likely be yours as well.
My only regret is that the author passed away (his friends finished the novel for him) and we won’t be seeing anymore of Sakura. Or will we ... ?

An unexpected pleasant surprise.

Intrigue, action, glamour, an accompanying playlist of heavy metal music, conspiracy, betrayal, this book has all of that and more. A highly enjoyable read. I never knew I needed this book in my life.

IF YOU LIKE METAL, GIVE THIS A SHOT!!!

I have to be honest, this was a title that was way out of my comfort zone in terms of subject matter... "Robot Ninjas" are in this book. It was a slow roll to acclimate to this type of fiction but I am glad I stuck with it! It is wonderful! There are so many unique notes in the story telling! The characters are amazing and as unrelatable as they are... they are incredibly relatable. This work has a perfect blend of humor and tragedy, that is done while maintaining a pleasant pace. Did I mention it has a soundtrack? I highly recommend using YouTube as a jukebox for this wonderful read or listen. I highly recommend this book to all metal heads! I mean Wintersun And FGA's The Violation, are referenced... Read this with one hand while the other throws up devil horns!

A beautiful thing to behold

The story starts with an awakening. As I read the book, and then listened to it, I thoroughly enjoyed growing with Sakura. I enjoyed the change in perspective as she grows into and beyond what she was designed to be. It saddens me that Mr. Hill was taken before he could bring the story fully to life himself. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will listen and read again and again.

Surprising gem

The book fell into the genre I enjoy, sci-fi, but with the "heavy metal twist". I wasn't sure going into it if it would be something I would like, but I ended up really enjoying it! Great incorporation of a metal band-theme into a dystopian-future book!

Beautiful!

I can't say enough good things about this book. It's a collection of the coolest aspects of cyberpunk put into one book with a healthy dose of rock!
The narrator couldn't have done a better job.

A power cord from the dark

A rollercoaster ride of heavy metal, intrigue, and humanity. Solid characters, and a story that won't let you put it down as Sakura rides the knife edge between success and oblivion.