Just last week I commented that I missed a good detective novel that made me crave a good cup of coffee. To my delight, The Invisible was that novel, gritty, full of coffee and whisky, it was what I call my literary “comfort food”. Despite its dystopian label and it’s Gotham-like atmosphere, New Babylon was a familiar landscape with a refreshing amount of optimism not usually found in this genre.

It doesn’t take long before you notice the political and social parallels, sometimes eerily similar to today’s headlines. Ratner’s attitude throughout the entire story makes the tension palpable, rolling with the punches and putting his best foot forward.

Dashes of quirkiness set this story apart from other detective novels, adding a little bit of the unexplained to further distinguish this plot from the rest. Short chapters make the timeline move quickly, a slow burn that sneaks up on you, a resolution that satisfies but leaves you wanting more.

Doubinsky has created a welcome respite to the chaotic ups and downs of the traditional mystery. A paradoxically rich palate cleanser that rests and rejuvenates the mind while still delivering an engaging plot.

Many thanks to Meerkat Press for a galley copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

This was quite a strange book. I actually selected it based on the publishers who are known to put out some interesting and very different sort of literature into the world and this novel was definitely very much within those criteria. I’ve never read the author before, but having done some research afterwards, it turns out all of his books are set in the same universe, a world of city states and their complex politics. Although it stands to mention that this book read perfectly well as a standalone as the author gradually expanded his world building throughout the story. So the story itself is about a freshly appointed city commissioner of New Babylon. An honest man, a man of integrity, a former police detective, he tries to do the right thing as he is tasked with finding out more about the LSD de jour, Synth, a new brain altering chemical on the market, something that allows its users to change their world perception. Not just a new way to get high, but possibly a new way of living. Definitely subversive enough to investigate. Then there’s a dead body, so it turns into a murder investigation. Then there’s an election coming up, wherein the current POTUS Delgado (perfectly modeled on the US popular choice of 2016) has to compete with the populist Rust (perfectly modeled on the US somehow actual political choice of 2016). So that’s a lot for the justgothere city commissioner to navigate and he does so nicely to his credit. The man lets his integrity be his compass (unusual as that is in politics) and lets his conscience and maybe an occasional visitation from an Egyptian deity steer him through the increasingly muddy waters of New Babylon. That probably would have been enough for a story, but the author threw more into that kitchen sink, there’s also subversive poetry and a secret society dedicated to watching out for a very specific sort of occurrence based on collective will and projection and so on. It’s pretty great, actually, It’s one of those novels that improves itself progressively as it goes along. Deceptively simplistic at first with minimal paragraphs and streamlined narrative, this tale gets more and more intricate and intriguing as it unravels. It remains sparse and streamlined throughout, very quick read, but there’s a lot in here for the world count. It’s certainly an inviting introduction to the author’s imaginary world of city states. Different. Interesting. Clever. Entertaining. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.