Dark Matter

I am reveling in my gothic folk witchy crone era of reading and of life, but every now and then I like to push my boundaries and try something new (more in reading than in life, I am tired, y'all), and coming fresh into Kathe Koja's Dark Factory series with the third book of the trilogy, Dark Matter, was a ride.

I had no idea what I was signing up for when I got this review copy from NetGalley and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America/Meerkat Press.

Of course, I had to go read the first two and engage in all the fun content at darkfactory.club, but this review is for one book, although I can't imagine reading it as a standalone or even just reading the books without at least the online version of the experience - not to mention the bonus content from the ebooks - as well: Dark Matter by Kathe Koja.

It's about a dance club and an immersive reality game and art and artists, and the novels read a lot like art journals themselves. I had a lot of fun reading the related ephemera, newspaper pages, certificates, etc., which paid off from the first page when a magazine article served as an introduction to main character Ari Regon with a recap of some of the first two novels.

I won't say I'm going to add cyberpunk to my favorite subgenre anytime soon, but I loved the prose and how the writing style added to the sense of unreality and urgency, and I would recommend this to any fan of the genre or anyone looking for a change of pace.