OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile
The warning in this atmospheric audiobook, the second in the Cas Russell series, is to be careful what you wish for. Portrayed by skillful narrator Lauren Fortgang, Cas, a math genius and a mercenary, is a mess. She even hears voices. Cas has the hubris to think she can cure an ultra-violent Los Angeles, which she helped to create through her actions in the series' first volume, ZERO SUM GAME. This puts Cas and her allies in the crosshairs of the entire local underworld. In addition to playing all the heroes and villains, Fortgang also voices all the uninvited guests inside Cas's psyche. She handles all that with aplomb. What results is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that is impossible to resist. D.E.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
05/27/2019
This exciting SF thriller sequel to Zero Sum Game keeps up the pace and piles on the tricky twists. Cas Russell, an expert mathematician and crimefighter, is recovering from a mind-melding fight and adjusting to a life filled with false memories. While on the hunt for a notorious L.A. crime lord, Cas begins to lose her grip on reality, her mind invaded by a past and an identity she does not recognize. Increasingly paranoid, Cas soon believes her friends all have ulterior motives and goes digging. Her curiosity may prove to be her undoing, as her discoveries upend the tenuous stability of the L.A. crime scene. The gritty tone complements the backdrop and plot, and there is a geniality to Cas that endears her to the reader. As Huang weaves together a compelling bit of science fiction in the possibilities of overwriting memories and identities, Cas’s existential struggles echo those of social media users wrestling with profiles and personas. Although the side characters have the tendency to fade into the background, the central narrative is still strong. Readers who appreciate suspenseful science fiction will enjoy this vigorous novel. (July)
From the Publisher
Praise for Null Set
“Tight action, compelling characters, and mathematics magic….Fans of Jessica Jones will enjoy meeting Cas.”—Library Journal
"This exciting SF thriller sequel to Zero Sum Game keeps up the pace and piles on the tricky twists."—Publishers Weekly
“Action and superhero fans will enjoy this story of a powerful individual struggling with questions of identity and morality.”—Booklist
Praise for Zero Sum Game:
"A smart, calculated action thriller that keeps the reader guessing."—Den of Geek
"Trust us, trigonometry has never sounded so cool."—Paste Magazine
“Fun and original.”—San Francisco Chronicle
"A fast-paced, darkly humorous read with a lot of heart for fans of action and urban fantasy, as well as lovers of Wolverine and other morally ambiguous, gritty superheroes with a mysterious past."—Booklist, Starred Review
"Fast, furious, and adds up to one of the coolest, most crackin’ reads this year."—Chuck Wendig
"The best novel I've read this year; a heroine I fell in love with."—Eric Van Lustbader, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Cas Russell is who I want to be when I grow up. She kicks ass with her fists and her brain—a true twenty-first century action hero. I loved this book."—Richard Kadrey
"Paced at a flat out sprint."—Kate Elliott
“The smartest and thrillingest book you’ll read all year.”—Ken Liu
"Intense, vivid, and insanely clever, with a great heroine—I couldn't put it down."—Yoon Ha Lee, New York Times bestselling author
"This hard-to-put-down, action-packed sf debut is intelligent and entertaining. With Cas, Huang has created an indelible, flawed character who makes mathematics seem almost magical."—Library Journal, Starred Review
“A paranormal thriller in which both the action and the questions don't stop....Cas is an awesome antiheroine...exciting, nasty fun...an excellent harbinger for books to come.”—Kirkus
OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile
The warning in this atmospheric audiobook, the second in the Cas Russell series, is to be careful what you wish for. Portrayed by skillful narrator Lauren Fortgang, Cas, a math genius and a mercenary, is a mess. She even hears voices. Cas has the hubris to think she can cure an ultra-violent Los Angeles, which she helped to create through her actions in the series' first volume, ZERO SUM GAME. This puts Cas and her allies in the crosshairs of the entire local underworld. In addition to playing all the heroes and villains, Fortgang also voices all the uninvited guests inside Cas's psyche. She handles all that with aplomb. What results is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that is impossible to resist. D.E.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
