Shadowrun 39: Tails you Lose

Nonstop action, the question of how sentient beings define themselves and the bloodlust for revenge ever present in Shadowrun books merge to form a true gem. Though the characters can be a bit stereotypical, there is a grain of ethical controversy behind the gunfire, screeching tires, and magic. Be careful how you judge some of these characters; there are a few powerful turnabouts.

Alma has a problem--she has been framed for murder and has a ticking time bomb in her head. If she can't track down whoever set her up, her job will end terminally. Night Owl has a problem too. As a shadow runner, she has to deal with some pretty unsavory characters, but now she has three major gangs and corporate security pro Alma all after her.Both Alma and Night Owl try to do good, but the two approach things from different angles. Night Owl sees evil everywhere she looks (and in the future dystopia of the Shadowrun world, this makes a lot of sense). Alma sees good. Of course the odds are that neither of them will get what they want with such powerful enemies after them.Author Lisa Smedman hasn't written a big book about saving the universe--instead, the action is personal. Both Alma and Night Owl are admirable characters in their own way, but also intensely flawed. I found myself rooting for both of them although they are on opposite sides of the action.Very nice.

When a key employee is extracted, Alma Wei, a security specialist, finds herself in the middle of a baffling investigation. Worse, the victim is the researcher Alma needs to to repair some of her malfunctioning experimental implants. Despite her efforts the researcher turns up dead. And DNA evidence points to Alma herself as the shadowrunner who performed the extraction. Suddenly she only has a few days to find the real culprit before a cranial bomb is set off in her head.Thus begins a story of two women, Alma herself, and Night Owl, the shadowrunner who killed the researcher. They were both members of the SuperKids, a specialised breeding experiment designed to create exceptionally talented individuals. When the experiment is broken up after eight years the children lose all contact with each other. The story expands to include several fixers and mages, various gangs, three dragons and an unusual financial advisor who lives in a condo beneath the ocean. The plot takes countless twists and turns before the truth is finally uncovered. If you miss a couple of early hints final section of the book will come as a real surprise.This is Lisa Smedman's fifth book for the long-running Shadowrun series, and she is clearly comfortable in the intricate game world where both magic and advanced technology work. I have enjoyed the series for some time, since many of the authors who participated are quite exceptional. Smedman has done her best job to date. Hopefully, Shadowrun will continue to be on of the best game-based series.