Wired: A Review
Fellow author and frequent TK contributor, @Reverentia headed over to Wattpad's resident orangutan's page to find the winner of the Wattpad Grand Prix—a Cyberpunk SciFi short by the name of Wired. Check out what she thought of it, below.
Kane is a mercenary information broker, his body enhanced with embedded circuitry to enable him to secretly store vast amounts of information on his person. While he's out celebrating the successful completion of a particularly difficult mission, Isis, an enhanced operative hired by Kane's nemesis Astafar, injects him with nanobots whose purpose is to destroy him. Isis tells Kane the only way to save his life is to find Astafar and offer to provide information in exchange for a cure. Kane works his way deeper and deeper into Astafar's hidden lair, where his destiny depends on the outcome of their face-to-face confrontation.
Repeatedly throughout the story, I found myself in awe of the unique technology driving it. The idea of circuits that are embedded within the skin and yet can move and reconfigure at Kane's will is brilliant and makes me want to figure out how such a technology could work. Kane's other powers, which he reveals later on, similarly beckon me to figure out how these might work. @TheOrangutan has also electrified—sometimes literally—this cyberpunk plot, using whiffs of romance and vampires to provide a certain je-ne-sais-quoi to the high-tech ambiance of the story.
The refreshing wittiness and expert use of language 'enhance' (get it?) the interesting premise and plot. In the third line we're introduced to "The Glitch," a great cyberpunk name for a nightclub type of facility where patrons can plug into to the Flow for a high, or to just "go with the Flow." @TheOrangutan then takes a kiss that crackles with electricity to a whole new level (not to mention amperage). Finally, what android wouldn't cower in its boots when Kane threatens to melt it down and use its eyes for cufflinks?
If ever @TheOrangutan decides to revisit and expand on this story—and I certainly hope he does—my key recommendation for improvement would be to capitalize on the as-yet untapped but golden (or siliconized?) opportunities to crank up the level of conflict and suspense even further. Kane is a mysterious character with so many enhancements and special powers that a villain would need to have at least as much power, if not more, to truly present a danger to Kane. If the villains in "Wired" do have similar powers, they need to be flaunted. Send the bystanders into a frenzy like wasps from a kicked-in nest. Let Kane wonder if he's going to come out alive this time around. Let him feel the pain (and lots of it). Find someone to wipe the arrogant smirk off his face. Turn a great fight scene into an epic one. It's absolutely in @TheOrangutan's realm of expert capability.
"Wired" has a bit of something for every cyberpunk fan. Clever technology? Check. Great plot? Check. Abundant wit? Check. A stunning femme fatale with glowing skin? Check. If you're looking for a great romp through a cyber-enhanced future in short story format, look no further than "Wired" and settle in for a great read.
You can check out @TheOrangutan's work, Wired, here:
http://www.wattpad.com/story/18190609-wired