Kaleidocide

This deliberate techno-thriller (sequel to 2012’s Silhouette) pits newly anointed CEO Michael Ares, formerly of the British special forces, and his Bay Area Security Service, rulers of the independent city-state of San Francisco, against a vengeful Chinese warlord. Armed with a mystical ritual of colors and pigment-primed assassins, Gen. Zhang Sun plots the death of Ares. Fearing betrayal, Ares brings in a former colleague who employs a team of identical female Japanese cyber-samurais to prevent the killings and protect the secret of the BASS antigravity technology. A number of twists keep the narrative tied neatly to the rainbow-themed threats, but Swavely telegraphs the action with “Had I but known” narration that diffuses the tension, and a “gloating villain” moment undermines the climax. (Dec.)