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Killswitch #1
Killswitch
Meet Jessie Coben, your typical cyborg dude — brassy on the outside, sensitive on the inside, 91. 77% machine, but ‘all man’ (so he says).
Ex-army, he gets by as a trade consultant (aka glorified delivery guy) and occasional smuggler whilst evading a government hell-bent on recalling the 91. 77% of him for salvage.
Oh, and he’s divorced. (But still trying to be free of his bloodsucking ex).
So, when the mysterious and glamorous Captain Malika comes along with an offer he cannot refuse — an offer that will allow him to buy out his ex and start a new life — Jessie takes on the job. Get her and her ship to planet Jhapa unnoticed and the life-changing payout is his. The stuff of dreams.
But dreams, as they say, are an illusion and this dream is about to turn into a nightmare he never bargained for. Pursued by pirates and police, hunted by machine and mafia, what is Captain Malika hiding that has the entire galaxy after them? As the deadly conspiracy unravels, Jessie discovers the answer in the unlikeliest of sources… his own turbulent past.
Killswitch kicks off the science fiction adventures of Jessie -- the Harry-Dresden-meets-Murderbot cyborg, his uploaded dog and their AI-run colonial outpost in the Red Realms galaxy. Perfect for fans of the Wayfarer series, Bobiverse, Murderbot, Old Man’s War and of course, Dresden Files.
NB. Whilst some of the author's work may be stories about AI, no part of any of this is produced by AI. The author remains resolutely against the utilisation of AI for any part of their work, has zero interest in the unoriginal splicing and reassembly of content by artificial intelligence, and continues to proudly produce authentic, personal and imperfect work.
Ex-army, he gets by as a trade consultant (aka glorified delivery guy) and occasional smuggler whilst evading a government hell-bent on recalling the 91. 77% of him for salvage.
Oh, and he’s divorced. (But still trying to be free of his bloodsucking ex).
So, when the mysterious and glamorous Captain Malika comes along with an offer he cannot refuse — an offer that will allow him to buy out his ex and start a new life — Jessie takes on the job. Get her and her ship to planet Jhapa unnoticed and the life-changing payout is his. The stuff of dreams.
But dreams, as they say, are an illusion and this dream is about to turn into a nightmare he never bargained for. Pursued by pirates and police, hunted by machine and mafia, what is Captain Malika hiding that has the entire galaxy after them? As the deadly conspiracy unravels, Jessie discovers the answer in the unlikeliest of sources… his own turbulent past.
Killswitch kicks off the science fiction adventures of Jessie -- the Harry-Dresden-meets-Murderbot cyborg, his uploaded dog and their AI-run colonial outpost in the Red Realms galaxy. Perfect for fans of the Wayfarer series, Bobiverse, Murderbot, Old Man’s War and of course, Dresden Files.
NB. Whilst some of the author's work may be stories about AI, no part of any of this is produced by AI. The author remains resolutely against the utilisation of AI for any part of their work, has zero interest in the unoriginal splicing and reassembly of content by artificial intelligence, and continues to proudly produce authentic, personal and imperfect work.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 18, 2023
276 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Warwick Eden
9 books8 followersWarwick Eden is an ex-engineer with a weakness for cheese and wine, nineties music, and a slightly unhealthy obsession with trains.
Currently working in the IT industry and understandably frustrated by current AI capabilities of the REAL world, Warwick finds writing novels the only means of bringing to life these ambitions and ideas.
The author currently lives in London with partner, Jess, and daughter, Lily.
Currently working in the IT industry and understandably frustrated by current AI capabilities of the REAL world, Warwick finds writing novels the only means of bringing to life these ambitions and ideas.
The author currently lives in London with partner, Jess, and daughter, Lily.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 14, 2023
‘Get out whilst you can’
We tend to think that futuristic sci-fi is fiction, when the reality is that we’ve been living the life for decades (thanks to the greats). The tech race has been a sprint while bio-ethics have been at a post-marathon plodding. This book brings up many questions (at least for me):
Who is the legal owner of a full cyborg? Are there partial owners for partial cyborgs?
Who (or what) decides when and if to use the Killswitch? Can it be reversed? Should it be?
At disposal, are the cybernetics and the biometrics kept together? If yes, for how long? If no, what’s done with the “conscious being”?
What happens in the legal arena after laws were put in place yet before lawyers learned how to defend and prosecute them? Were trials based on case law…and on what type of cases?
Etc.
On a much lighter note:
I totally chuckled about the ‘inbuilt access control’ (Neurodivergence at its finest!) and had fun seeking out various Earthen easter eggs.
Fave character:
Can’t decide between DeXA and Millie.
Fave line:
‘Divorce. The end of an error, as they say.’
Even though I’ve read the related series (Red Realms), this one was more intense and had me on edge from start to finish. Think I need to check into the Hotel Caliphonia and order some pink champagne on ice!
Next in this series are ‘Deliverance’ (16 October) and ‘Megalomania’ (12 August).
We tend to think that futuristic sci-fi is fiction, when the reality is that we’ve been living the life for decades (thanks to the greats). The tech race has been a sprint while bio-ethics have been at a post-marathon plodding. This book brings up many questions (at least for me):
Who is the legal owner of a full cyborg? Are there partial owners for partial cyborgs?
Who (or what) decides when and if to use the Killswitch? Can it be reversed? Should it be?
At disposal, are the cybernetics and the biometrics kept together? If yes, for how long? If no, what’s done with the “conscious being”?
What happens in the legal arena after laws were put in place yet before lawyers learned how to defend and prosecute them? Were trials based on case law…and on what type of cases?
Etc.
On a much lighter note:
I totally chuckled about the ‘inbuilt access control’ (Neurodivergence at its finest!) and had fun seeking out various Earthen easter eggs.
Fave character:
Can’t decide between DeXA and Millie.
Fave line:
‘Divorce. The end of an error, as they say.’
Even though I’ve read the related series (Red Realms), this one was more intense and had me on edge from start to finish. Think I need to check into the Hotel Caliphonia and order some pink champagne on ice!
Next in this series are ‘Deliverance’ (16 October) and ‘Megalomania’ (12 August).
September 18, 2023
This first installment of the new series also plays in the Red Realms Universe - a series I also really enjoyed-but many years later so it can be read on its own.
In this one we follow a cyborg who is in the delivery business and we'll a mission goes haywire very fast.
The present part is written in first person, in contrast the backstory in third person. In my opinion it worked very well together.
It's a story more on the humorous side - the part of the story that didn't vibe with me - but that's the thing with humor it's either a hit or miss🤗
I went into the book blind so when the mafia came in I wasn't that keen to begin with-I don't know most mafia stories I tend to not like 🤷♀️ but I kept on going and I'm glad I did cause oh boy Warwick came with a lot of surprises and unexpected turns of events which created great suspense.
And the ending I need that second book like yesterday 😜
In this one we follow a cyborg who is in the delivery business and we'll a mission goes haywire very fast.
The present part is written in first person, in contrast the backstory in third person. In my opinion it worked very well together.
It's a story more on the humorous side - the part of the story that didn't vibe with me - but that's the thing with humor it's either a hit or miss🤗
I went into the book blind so when the mafia came in I wasn't that keen to begin with-I don't know most mafia stories I tend to not like 🤷♀️ but I kept on going and I'm glad I did cause oh boy Warwick came with a lot of surprises and unexpected turns of events which created great suspense.
And the ending I need that second book like yesterday 😜
September 15, 2025
An okay read, fun at times, but mostly annoying.
Characters too underdeveloped (despite their relatively extensive backstories) to get attached to and care about.
Stilted, unnatural dialogs, generously spiced with awkward infodumps, accompanied by lots of redundant exotic dialog tags and -ly adverbs.
A ton of superfluous exposition and explanation.
Juvenile, unfunny humor.
Cringeworthy action sequences.
And an atrocious editing job (if an editor had ever seen the MS, that is): poor punctuation, word repetitions, tense shifts... Did I mention dialog tags?
All minor issues, but when combined - constantly jarring and making it virtually impossible to suspend my disbelief.
The plot is... passable, although definitely nowhere near Scalzi or Murderbot (referenced in the blurb).
Will not be continuing with the series.
Characters too underdeveloped (despite their relatively extensive backstories) to get attached to and care about.
Stilted, unnatural dialogs, generously spiced with awkward infodumps, accompanied by lots of redundant exotic dialog tags and -ly adverbs.
A ton of superfluous exposition and explanation.
Juvenile, unfunny humor.
Cringeworthy action sequences.
And an atrocious editing job (if an editor had ever seen the MS, that is): poor punctuation, word repetitions, tense shifts... Did I mention dialog tags?
All minor issues, but when combined - constantly jarring and making it virtually impossible to suspend my disbelief.
The plot is... passable, although definitely nowhere near Scalzi or Murderbot (referenced in the blurb).
Will not be continuing with the series.
January 19, 2025
Not What I Expected
The description lead to the preview, and the preview was OK, if too short. The further I read into the story though, the less I found appealing. Multitudes of fabricated words dropped into the narrative with no description or background. And while it’s often possible to define these imaginary words and concepts by the surrounding content, much of that was equally thin. Multiple conflicts, some rather gruesome. Constant friction between Jessie and Mace failed to support their continued close association. The storyline alternates by chapters between past events and current events, which does not improve the narrative. In the end, this was mostly time wasted.
The description lead to the preview, and the preview was OK, if too short. The further I read into the story though, the less I found appealing. Multitudes of fabricated words dropped into the narrative with no description or background. And while it’s often possible to define these imaginary words and concepts by the surrounding content, much of that was equally thin. Multiple conflicts, some rather gruesome. Constant friction between Jessie and Mace failed to support their continued close association. The storyline alternates by chapters between past events and current events, which does not improve the narrative. In the end, this was mostly time wasted.
April 25, 2024
I was a little put off by the wide range of details to grasp in the first few chapters. So much so that I almost put the book down. The good news is that I kept reading and the characters started to click and the story built into something that was really interesting.
I don't know that all the details in the beginning were necessary to tell the story, but if you can get through it, I think you'll find the book a good read.
I don't know that all the details in the beginning were necessary to tell the story, but if you can get through it, I think you'll find the book a good read.
October 19, 2023
Good sci fi thriller/adventure
The worldbuilding is grim with a high body count, which I didn't expect after reading the blurb. There is humor, but a lot of really bad things happen. There is graphic violence, which I did expect. The story is twisty with a lot of surprises. Dexa is entertaining. Mace needs therapy. Jessie is a nice guy. Millie is awesome.
The worldbuilding is grim with a high body count, which I didn't expect after reading the blurb. There is humor, but a lot of really bad things happen. There is graphic violence, which I did expect. The story is twisty with a lot of surprises. Dexa is entertaining. Mace needs therapy. Jessie is a nice guy. Millie is awesome.
May 8, 2024
Fun
Join the military and become a lethal cyborg. Changed water are so much they outlawed the creatures but legal maneuvers gave our guy his freedom except his wife has his kill switch. You never know when you'll need something like that. So now he delivers packages few else can and many bad guys want to take off him.
Join the military and become a lethal cyborg. Changed water are so much they outlawed the creatures but legal maneuvers gave our guy his freedom except his wife has his kill switch. You never know when you'll need something like that. So now he delivers packages few else can and many bad guys want to take off him.
June 29, 2024
A really good read
This is the first book I have read by Warwick Eden and it won't be the last.
A really great read from start to finish and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
This is the first book I have read by Warwick Eden and it won't be the last.
A really great read from start to finish and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
October 8, 2024
Entertaining Read
After a bombing raid, Jessie is rebuilt into a cyborg soldier. After the war, he partners with his childhood friend, Mace. I like the action, humor, adventure, and mystery. I look forward to the next book.
After a bombing raid, Jessie is rebuilt into a cyborg soldier. After the war, he partners with his childhood friend, Mace. I like the action, humor, adventure, and mystery. I look forward to the next book.
December 7, 2023
Good read
I was not happy with the pace of the story. It jumped around quite a bit and I was not sure where it was going.
I was not happy with the pace of the story. It jumped around quite a bit and I was not sure where it was going.
February 1, 2024
The book started off really good. I found as more time went by, it was hard to follow the story.
July 20, 2024
A different storyline.
Story flowed well. Interesting world building which feels believable. Compact cast of principle characters with varied interactions. Well worth a read.
Story flowed well. Interesting world building which feels believable. Compact cast of principle characters with varied interactions. Well worth a read.
November 8, 2025
I wanted to like this book, and I did, in places.
I feel that it occupies the uncanny valley between space opera and farce, not quite succeeding at either one.
I feel that it occupies the uncanny valley between space opera and farce, not quite succeeding at either one.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews