I'm a huge fan of pulpy noir fiction. Film noir is also one of my favorite styles of movie-making. The lighting, the somber attitude, the down-and-out characters. But, what I love more than any of that stuff is when noir is applied to science fiction, and cyberpunk as a genre makes for a great bedfellow with this sensibility.
Tropical Punch by S.C. Jensen is so far up my alley it's not even funny. Jensen's prose paints a dirty, industrialized far future world that feels like it would be perfectly brought to life as a nightmarish mish-mash of Norman Rockwell paintings, Art Deco, 1920s fashion, and grimy, bright neon pastels. Now, the world I pictured in my mind might be different from how you imagine it, but the world Jensen painted for my imagination was unlike any else in the genre. Often, the immediate criticism some modern cyberpunk books that feature a nice, greasy coating of noir flavoring is that they're carbon copies of Blade Runner or Neuromancer. And I can tell you that while Tropical Punch is definitely inspired by 80s cyberpunk, that's the key word here, INSPIRED. It is 100% it's own unique thing. There is a smattering of influences here, as well, including Dick Tracey and The Fifth Element (really I got major Mobius vibes from this whole affair, and I'm here for it).
The characters are vibrant and fun! I absolutely love "Bubbles" Marlowe. She's witty, resourceful, a recovering alcoholic ex-cop who suffered a major mishap on the job that resulted in the loss of one of her arms and some damn near fatal wounds. She wouldn't be alive if it weren't for the cybernetics holding in the contents of her gut, and whenever her cybernetic arm is missing, you really get the sense that she feels naked without it. She's a flawed, yet endearing female protagonist that I could not help but root for. However, her relationship with her smart pet, Hammett, a smart pet that projects a cartoon pig skin around its spherical metallic body, is one of the most endearing relationships in the book. I'm not at all big into AI, but I want a Hammett of my own. For a simulated pet, Hammett feels just as real as any of the other characters in the book.
The plot is a complex mystery involving holograms, space drugs, doppelganger dames and pushers, and all the tongue-in-cheek noir humor and colorful prose you can shake a cybernetic limb at. The opening chapters are a bit slower-paced as they set the tone and the world of HoloCity, and personally, I loved this as it helped me to get used to the characters and the setting before we inevitably changed scenes. But once Bubbles is finally in space, the pace skyrockets. I wasn't quite sure where this case was leading Bubbles, but all of the clues to the eventual reveal are absolutely there, and the climax totally worked for me.
A note on slang for the uninitiated.
My approach to slang in cyberpunk settings is really a grab bag of what might make sense based on what current slang trends are right now. I try to make slang as immediately obvious in context as possible, cause I know not every reader is gonna look at the glossary. But, you know, sometimes, slang doesn't really develop in the way you'd expect. And sometimes, it can transform what is otherwise clearly English into a wholly new language. 1920s-40s slang totally fits this. I mean, without knowing anything about the 1920s and Speakeasies, would you know what a flapper was? (It means a young woman who enjoys a free, energetic lifestyle, and who also enjoys the Speakeasy party life). The answer is, probably not. Tropical Punch uses its 1920s-1940s slang brilliantly, illustrating a fascinating difference between the people who use it like it's their first language (and being from the streets of HC, it basically is) and the people who are paying the planet of Terra Firma an orbital visit aboard the Island Dreamer. One of the side characters Bubbles interacts with even responds to Marlowe's slang with, "I don't know what any of that means."
If you love cyberpunk, if you love 1920s-40s detective noir, you simply have to read this book. No two ways about it, kid. Trust me, it's better than any glow-up you could get at a Speakeasy. While the ebook is free everywhere, I would suggest the paperback version. The book deserves more love.
I give Tropical Punch: Bubbles in Space Book 1 by S.C. Jensen 5 out of 5 stars. Already ordered the next one.
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From the Publisher
Tropical Punch: A Bubbles Marlowe Cyber-Noir Thriller (Bubbles in Space Book 1)
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Chew 'Em Up (Bubbles in Space Book 2)
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Pop 'Em One (Bubbles in Space Book 3)
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Spit 'Em Out (Bubbles in Space Book 4)
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Cherry Bomb (Bubbles in Space Book 5)
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Bubbles in Space: Complete Series (Books 1-5): Digital Edition
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| Price | $0.00 | $0.99 | $0.99 | $0.99 | $0.99 | $9.99 |
| Bubbles in Space | Book 1 | Book 2 | Book 3 | Book 4 | Book 5 | Complete Collection |
About the author
S.C. has done it again! What a thrill ride!
S.C. has done it again! What a thrill ride! Shades of Mike Hammer meets Pluto Nash meets Tank Girl. Plenty of futuristic lingo, gadgets and atmosphere to go around. Action from the get-go. And all with a pithy wit that we long-time-lover's of Noir thrive on. Bubbles Marlowe is just the sort of down-in-the-grit anti-hero faithful readers of the genre will relate with. From her penchant for pink get-up to her amped-up cybernetic arm, she packs a punch with every gripping chapter.Fresh off the surgeon's table after suffering the loss of her arm on a drug-bust case gone bad, the rookie recruit finds herself already retired from the Holocity Police Force with a newly formed business as a private dick for hire, a former captain that's got it out for her, a former partner who may, or may-not still be on her side, a friend in the cybernetic body parts business, an unwanted assistant who's casually mailing new business cards all over the grid and a cybernetic SmartPet with an attitude. All neatly bundled with a fresh new job that starts out with a bang and never let's up until the guts and glory end.Whether you're into dystopian worlds or Cyberpunk or raw-gritty detective jargon, you'll find something to sink your teeth into here. Don't miss this fast-paced, excitement-riddled adventure!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2023
- Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2022
- Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2022
Top reviews from other countries
- Una MaxwellReviewed in Canada on June 6, 2021
What's black and white and pink all over?
- David RenfrewReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2023
Clever Little Space Noir..
- Dave McIlmoylReviewed in Canada on March 30, 2021
Science Fiction with a Hardboiled Twist
- Nik WhittakerReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2022
A fun and enjoyable journey of sci-fi noir with a twist.
