Pefect World, A.J. Kirby, TWB Press, Science Ficiton

Perfect, Worldly, Thoughtful and Inspiring Sci-Fi., 26 Mar 2011

This review is from H. Hall, UK

Take one grizzled tabloid journalist with pretensions of grandeur. Mix in a beautiful wife whom he has never met, a mad inventor and his dysfunctional family and shake well. Introduce the sour taste of a religious maniac whose crazed predictions of environmental catastrophe are perhaps a little to close to the truth than is comfortable. Shake the cocktail well, and the end result is this author's sharpest work to date. This is sci-fi with a brain and a pulse.

This is the culmination of the character and world-building which we saw in The Magpie Trap and in Bully, and here AJ Kirby creates not just one fictional world but two. The action sequences are breathlessly engaging, the characters original. Kirby makes the reader feel as though we know them. And root for them too.

In summary, Perfect World is set in a near future world where technology is on the brink of taking over. It is a study in how the boundaries between our real world and the `world' of the internet are becoming increasingly blurred. The novel poses the question: if we work, have relationships, play and get our information from the `internet world', what effect does this have on our real world work, relationships and education? And yet, at the same time, it is a fast-paced techno thriller, a crime story and, at its heart, there is love too. Far more tenderly written than Bully, and more clinically than The Magpie Trap, this comes highly recommended.

***
A real page-turner of a read, full of great ideas and characters, 2 April 2011

This review is from: Ben Mudguard, UK

I took a chance on this writer as I saw an review online which compared it to the work of Phillip K Dick. And I was not disappointed. This is a real page-turner, but it is chock full of great ideas. It reminds me of Adjustment Bureau which is out on film at the moment. But there are also shades of other classic Dick works. The action set-pieces are slick, and the dark world Kirby creates reminds me of Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream..) The characters are well drawn, especially young Eva, who I might argue is the main character, and God puts in an appearance too. The scene of the protagonist taking tea on the lawn with God - before the action really starts - is simply stunning.

***
This review is from Hubpages.com by Anna Stephens:

Perfect World is an excellent concept, both as a novel and as a virtual reality world. The characters are complex and three-dimensional, believable in every respect. Toby Howitt's self-absorption and, in the beginning, cowardice, plant the reader firmly in his shoes - at times an uncomfortable experience. But this serves to show his transformation more fully from inside.

***

This review is by UK author Guy Mankowski:

‘I’ve been a fan of AJ Kirby’s work for a few years, but this novel represents a new high in his canon. The theoretical scope of it is magnificent – a man setting out on a mission to interview God. And yet, Kirby’s skill as a writer is such that he grounds such objectives in compelling, compulsively readable writing. In particular I was struck by the dialogue in this book and how it drives the book forward, with every character, despite the setting, being thoroughly engaging. Sci-fi is not a genre I usually go for, and I did have to overcome some natural reticence at the subject matter, but Kirby made this easy to do. There are hints of Phillip K Dick, particularly in the sheer density of ideas on display here. The book also seems to have- and I’m not sure if this is deliberate – a strong moral thrust which was missing in his previous work. The cast of characters – religious maniacs, inventors, beautiful absent wives- allows for a fascinating array who play out a drama against an elegantly drawn dystopian background. Ultimately this novel confronts us with dilemma, where will technology take us in terms of relationships, love and morality? I hope to see Kirby write in this genre more, as it seems the perfect stamping ground for his brilliant skills as a writer. This is a writer who truly matters, and I strongly implore you to check this book out’- five stars.