Information Cloud (Tales of Cinnamon City) [Formato Kindle]

Sometime in the future, perhaps on an alien world, perhaps on a future Earth, one Nick Chambers, in his capacity as a commander of the Security Forces, leads a group of "crocs" - six-legged armored personnel carriers, against a Kamari base. Unfortunately for him, the rebel Kamari have been tipped off by hacker/journalist Riser Trent. Equipped with a powerful new tool, a swarm of networked drones, the Information Cloud of the title, he televises the assault for everyone to see. Accompanying Chambers in the assault is his old girlfriend - and mother of his child - Rachel Henson. And, for reasons official and unofficial, Admiral Gail Thompson of the Security Forces is willing to take extreme measures to shut Trent's broadcast down.

The good news is that West's plot twists and pacing reminded me favorably of S. A. Swann, and the battle scenes, while not as strong as Peter F. Hamilton's, reminded me of that writer.

And West's knowledge of cybernetics and artificial intelligence contributes to some interesting inventions. Specifically, he addresses the issue of how the sensory feed from hundreds of networked droids could be usefully fed into the human mind, and one of his weapons has an interesting and plausible Achilles heel.

Unfortunately, what is missing is the context for this story's main struggle between the Kamari and the Security Forces. We are not given any idea of the issues at disputes or even, really, what type of government Cinnamon City has. Granted, West gives us some knowledge in a glossary and cast listing at the end of the story, but that's not the place to do it in the first installment of a series. The fate of a couple of characters is left hanging at the end of the story which contributes to the feeling that this is not a story but the middle of a novel. And West's attempts to depict the emotional life of Rachel and Nick are clichéd.

So, in short, while West has promise, I will not be reading more Cinnamon City stories.

[Review copy supplied by author.]

This is a fine book for a very specific crowd.

If you're a sci-fi techno-junkie, hooked on jargon and technical talk, and you love action, you'll have a terrific time here. I'm not, and STILL enjoyed reading it.

I gave it three points for general audiences...but add a point if you love reading futuristic writing about technical military action. Even more if you want to promote indie Kindle publications.

"Information Cloud: Tales of Cinnamon City" is a fast-paced book that shoots from one narrative line to the next in an almost seamless fashion, never dwelling too heavily upon one thread long enough to dominate. In each short and very readable chapter West manages to build interest up to a level of interest that demands satisfaction--only to delay that satisfaction by switching to the next account. Yet, since the narration is moving along quite speedily, the constant change does not seem unsettling...in fact, it seems as seamless as, say, watching a house be built by looking at the carpenter, then the plumber, then the electrician, etc. It's hard not to want to go on.

Why did I not give the book a four, or a five? Because, as rich as the action was, I never knew much about why the incidents in the book were happening, nor was I given any real reason to root for one side verses the other. For instance, where is Cinnamon City? Is it even on Earth? Who where the security forces, and who are the Kamari? And who are these all powerful Lords to whom only a couple of pages are devoted?

True, some insight is give to these questions in the Glossary, but--call me old-fashioned--the book needs to tell us these things, not just some pages added at the end (which require a lot of shuffling around on the Kindle, anyway). Besides, many questions are still not answered, such as when this is taking place? What is happening in the world around them? Is there an America, or ANY country?

Additionally, there are things that show up in the Glossary that seem to have nothing to do with the book at large, though they might have been interesting had they been included. For instance, why is "Ice Cricket" created for the Glossary only? It doesn't occur within the novel. And until I read the Glossary I was not even aware that Cinnamon City was domed. That seems a pretty vital point to leave until the Glossary.

Additionally, there is not much character building. A daughter, for instance, who has a lot to do with two central characters and is the motivation for a good deal of their actions late in the book, is not introduced with any description until halfway through the novel. And the death of a major character's father is handled much the same way...because only a couple of passing remarks are made of his existence his death toward the end of the book has no real weight.

A lot of this might not really matter to those who want their books action packed, fast paced, and full of technological innovations. And it is here that "Information Cloud" actually shines...the mechanizations used by these futuristic armies are intricate, well-described, and most of all exciting. As each new weapon is wheeled out there remains little doubt about what drives the author: West LOVES his technology, and has thoroughly mapped out the specifications, syntax, and even their shortcomings. Forget exposition and characterization: these weapons are the real "characters" here.

So, again, add a point to my three-star rating if action and weaponry are what you want. If you like world-building, stick to Mieville, Bacigalupa, and others. If you like world-DESTRUCTION, however, where each new weapon is better than the last, and each device flies, monitors, kills, maims or explodes a whole lot better than the last, then "Information Cloud" is for you.

Peter James West has carved out a niche for himself, and it should please those who are devotees of this genre--for I'm assuming a techno-junkie market is out there.

And, what's more, there is good news for those who belong: it's made clear that other books will follow.

Information Cloud: Tales of Cinnamon City gives multiple story lines which consists of technological warfare and control with information technology. As interesting at it seems to be I find that I look for more science fiction and less warfare, although the characters began to intrigue me. I think if young Peter J. West makes each book a stand alone novel he will do very well.

Peter gifted this delightful book to me through Amazon for my review.