Devil’s road is a crazy hybrid science fiction novel by author Gary Gibson.
Not too far in the future, a mysterious rift has opened in the middle of the asian island of Teijouan. Regularly, kaiju emerge of several types from the rift and roam the island, kept on it by a barricade of Japanese warships. The rift also emits a « derangement field », preventing electronics from working, and even having effect on the human brain after a too long exposure.
Corporations have taken the opportunity to organize a death race running all around the island, the Devil’s Run. Because money. To take home the big prize, competitors have to race classic mechanical cars, and avoid the rather hostile and somewhat deadly monsters, with a human navigator (using an actual paper map).
Dutch McGuire has never won the Devil’s Run, but not for lack of trying. She nonetheless managed to survive it more times than anyone else. Her racing days seem to be over, however, as she has been jailed by Russians for an heist turned sour. That is, until a billionaire offers her a way out. His terms : that she enters the race once more, not to win it, but to retrieve something on the island.
The description for the book states « Pacific Rim meets Fast & Furious ». That’s not exactly how I would put it. Readers as old as I am would probably get a better idea of the story if I was to write « Pacific Rim meets Wacky Races », with an hint of « Annihilation » in the mix. Indeed, the colorful racers, their pumped up cars, and their sneaky schemes reminded me more of the Hanna Barbera cartoon of old. With added assorted light and heavy weaponry. And then, there is the rift.
It’s hard to imagine what can be the result of such a mix and, actually, it’s hard for me to describe it differently without spoiling anything. Even more so, it’s easy to see how it could work as a B-movie or an animated one, but how it could be a recipe for literary disaster. Don’t let such thoughts deter you : It’s actually quite the opposite. I’ve been really surprised by this mesmerizing, pedal to the floor adventure. No time lost in lengthy exposition, explanation or philosophy. It’s a pedal to the metal read from cover to cover.
If you’re in for a quick, fun read, full of roaring cars and giant monsters (who wouldn’t be ?), I highly recommend this book.
Thanks to Brain in a Jar books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020
- Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2021
Top reviews from other countries
- DaintystarReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2020
Entertaining and engaging
- Louise FortyReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2022
short, fun but not enough substance
