The Final Evolution

Somers's gritty fifth science-fictional thriller (after 2010's The Terminal State) featuring Avery Cates, a killing machine in human form, is a violence-filled tale redeemed by Cates's hard-edged narrative voice. There is no prologue detailing Cates's convoluted backstory; instead, Somers draws readers in with witty dialogue and trusts them to catch up. Cates and his prot%C3%A9g%C3%A9, Remy, have taken on a murder-for-hire assignment targeting a Bolivian despot following the disintegration of the System of Federated Nations. Their client pays them in information about a man on Cates's personal hit list. What could be a standard hard-boiled, noirish plot is enhanced by science fiction elements: Cates has been physically augmented, and one of the obstacles in his path is an Angel, a person with psionic ability and delusions of a divine mandate to rule the world. Readers will enjoy the imaginative tale and look forward to more Cates adventures. (July)