If there is any definite sign in The Engineer’s Mechanic that corporations rule the world, it is the naming of the “Outskirtz,” where some corporate head decided the “s” was not edgy enough. From these humble surroundings we follow Ren, a mechanic blessed with the gift of tech, as he confronts the corruption of Meticorp. This new Cyberpunk novel from L.K. Wintur is what I would like to call dystopian light, and a welcome switch up to overbearing darkness of the genre.
If there is any definite sign in The Engineer’s Mechanic that corporations rule the world, it is the naming of the “Outskirtz,” where some corporate head decided the “s” was not edgy enough. From these humble surroundings we follow Ren, a mechanic blessed with the gift of tech, as he confronts the corruption of Meticorp. This new Cyberpunk novel from L.K. Wintur is what I would like to call dystopian light, and a welcome switch up to overbearing darkness of the genre.
Do not let this fool you, The Engineer’s Mechanic can and does lean into more oppressive elements. It is merely that in this case the novel is largely free of the heavy Cyberpunk filter that distorts everything to some level of miserableness. Here, the folks are generally happy, healthy, even if there are deeper problems. This is why I call this novel dystopian light, or perhaps Cyberpunk light: it leans deeper into the science fiction action as opposed to more heavier elements. Even so, the main character is well written, and interesting. The way Ren interacts with the setting seems natural, and L.K. Winthur really shines in the extremes with their prose: from quiet moments to hectic. I wondered at times if the author had a particular interest in racing, due to the detail of the expertly crafted scenes.
However, I did find that in those middle moments the pacing and writing suffered. This can be a problem, as this is where the large swath of character development occurs. Ren had enough focus on him from a writer’s standpoint, that his own characterization did not suffer. The others, especially Taxia, were much more affected. There were times some of the other characters felt more as set pieces.
Yet, the positives in the Engineer’s Mechanic far outweigh the negative when taken against a more YA theme. This is a solid first in the series book, one that will keep you interested, and won’t beat you down with the usual tropes. I am certain this book will appeal to a wide variety of readers.
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