The world has survived the war. Just like past wars, this one led to advancements in technology. New technologies allowing Sakura to be built. She's a vocaloid (vocalizing android), the lead singer of one of Japan's most popular heavy metal bands. She loves singing, playing, and performing. Making her fans happy and maintaining the company's honor is all she wants to do. But others have a different path for her. They've hacked Sakura's operating system to force her to commit crimes so they can achieve their hidden agendas.Who will win the struggle for control? Who will survive the fight?
I received a copy of Sakura: Intellectual Property from the coauthors (Patrick M. Tracy and Paul Genesse) for review purposes.
Setting
Sakura: Intellectual Property is set in future Japan after a major war with North Korea. There are still war veterans throughout the country and many parts of Japan haven't recovered from the destruction that occurred. Even with the loss of so many lives, there are a lot of people who are out of work and just surviving.
Technology is an integral part of everybody's lives. The internet has become The Mall—a business entity controlling nearly everything happening in the electronic world. Some people are so connected to The Mall, they are living almost entirely in the virtual world rather than dealing with reality. Everyone has some level of electronics as part of who they are. And, some are more human than others.
Characters
Sakura is a vocaloid—an android designed to sing and perform. Her music is heavy metal and is affectionately known as the metal queen. She's more than just an electronic performer though, because she has the latest electronic advancements, Sakura is on the edge of enlightenment.
Sakura knows there is more, she's almost to the point of being able to feel it. Then, as she is drawing to the end of a concert in Tokyo, her life, and her perception, is thrown into a new realm as her operating system is hacked and she has to fight for control of her life.
The Phantom Lord has inserted himself into her existence. Sakura is left with no choice but to follow his commands and it is tearing her apart. She's directed to commit crimes that go against her sense of honor and morality.
Sakura must fight back. She finds help to save herself. And, as she learns more, she has to fight to save her friends, fans, Japan, and the world.
Style
Sakura: Intellectual Property builds a story using music as a fantastic element to add depth. Chapters have play lists and the song selections provide deeper levels of understanding the situations, feelings, and the characters. For me, it's reflective of life as each of us have a playlist of music for events in our past. This was a great way of bringing the emotion music provides to a book. I enjoyed the collection of music presented, knowing most of the songs and even having had the opportunity of experiencing some of the artists in concert. It was impossible for me to keep the music out of my head while reading Sakura. Or, you can load the songs up and listen to them while reading the story.
Along with the playlists, original music was created. I had an opportunity to talk with the coauthors and learned they worked with local artists to record original songs for the book.
The pacing of the book fit my expectations of a thriller. Sakura is over 600 pages and it moved quickly and seamlessly from beginning to end. We are introduced to the story moments before the hack (which we already know from the back cover). Then the story is in almost constant movement. There are a few short breaks where you can catch your breath, but then Sakura is right back into the thick of the mess.
Sakura presents a story set in the future that is relevant today. Good stories give us something that applies to our lives, what we see within and around us. Both the internal and external story are presented here: carried throughout, intertwined, and executed to perfection.
Overall
Sakura is a head-banging, anthem singing sci-fi thriller. Like the music, it will get your heart pounding.
It is a science-fiction thriller set in dystopian Japan. It maintains the pacing of a thriller with the elements of cyberpunk, dystopia, and psychological horror to build a story that's gripping from beginning to end. Fans of these genres will find something in this book. I heard comments about the project a couple of years ago and being a person who enjoys all of these elements I was interested to see how they would be brought together. I congratulate the team who brought Zachary Hill's final novel to publication.
I give Sakura: Intellectual Property 5 out of 5
Sakura: Intellectual Property is available on Amazon (link).
Earnings from the sale of Sakura are going to Zachary Hill's widow, Mackenzie.
Additional work by Zachary Hill can also be found on Amazon (link).
You can also find other work by the two co-authors who worked to bring this book to the public on Amazon. Patrick M. Tracy (link) and Paul Genesse (link).
About the Author (from the book)
Zach loved life. He took every opportunity to experience it. He traveled to every country he could, just to learn and take part in how the people lived. He made friends all around the world and was the most loyal friend anyone could ask for. He was simply the best, most honest, loving and supportive man I ever knew. I could tout his accomplishments—like his two tours in Iraq or his two bachelor degrees—but if we could ask him what his greatest accomplishment was, he'd say marrying his soul mate Mackenzie.Tragically, Zach died January 15, 2016, from a blood clot. Shortly before his sudden passing, he finished the first draft if Sakura: Intellectual Property. He loved this story—and Japan, where he once taught English. This novel, the greatest achievement in his writing career, brought together his love of music, action-thrillers, dystopian sci-fi, and Japanese culture, all centered around the most unique character he ever created.
At his wake, Zach's loyal friends decided to finish his final project as a tribute to him. The best way to remember or get to know Zachary Hill is to read what he wrote. That's all he would ask for. RIP, brother.
--Joshua Hill
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