Koko the Mighty

Readers still pleasantly reeling from the high energy, cyberpunk adventures of retired corporate mercenary Koko Martstellar and her ex-cop sidekick and boyfriend Jedidiah Flynn in Koko Takes a Holiday will be thrilled to find more of the same in this gleefully violent sequel. Koko and Flynn's brief peaceful return to saloon/brothel ownership turns into an impromptu escape on a commandeered submarine after bounty hunter Jackie Wire reappears. The people in the oddly underdefended complex in the middle of the North American prohib coast can provide medical care for the septic gunshot wound in Flynn's leg, but it quickly becomes clear that remaining there for long may not be in the adventurers' best interest. Echoing the energy of Tank Girl or Mad Max: Fury Road's Furiosa, Koko's brash attitude, quick thinking, and unrelenting self-confidence make her an action hero well worth rooting for. Shea's dystopic 26th-century world is just well enough defined to let her characters play freely, without burdening the reader with too much scientific or cultural realism. (Sept.)