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Corin Hayes #1
Silent City
In the Corporation owned cities life is tough. All Hayes wants is money and a bar to spend it in. He is about to learn that some jobs in the abyss can be killers. For a man who has lost everything, is life even worth fighting for?
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2015
14 people are currently reading
518 people want to read
About the author
G.R. Matthews
19 books248 followersG. R. Matthews is a British fantasy and science fiction author best known for Seven Deaths of an Empire (Solaris, 2021), a grimdark epic praised for its visceral combat, dual perspectives, and rich world-building inspired by Roman and Celtic history.
Born in Wiltshire, surrounded by chalk hills, white horses, and ancient stone circles, he grew up immersed in landscapes steeped in ancient myth. Matthews began his publishing journey with self-published works including The Stone Road—the first of The Forbidden List trilogy drawing on ancient China—and the Corin Hayes underwater sci-fi thrillers, before breaking into traditional publishing with Seven Deaths of an Empire.
A passionate gamer as well as a self-taught guitarist, Matthews brings discipline, imagination, and resilience to his storytelling, crafting tales of loyalty, honour, and political intrigue. He continues to expand his fictional worlds with upcoming projects such as The Silencing of the North, while engaging readers with his blend of history, myth, and character-driven drama.
www.grmatthews.com
Born in Wiltshire, surrounded by chalk hills, white horses, and ancient stone circles, he grew up immersed in landscapes steeped in ancient myth. Matthews began his publishing journey with self-published works including The Stone Road—the first of The Forbidden List trilogy drawing on ancient China—and the Corin Hayes underwater sci-fi thrillers, before breaking into traditional publishing with Seven Deaths of an Empire.
A passionate gamer as well as a self-taught guitarist, Matthews brings discipline, imagination, and resilience to his storytelling, crafting tales of loyalty, honour, and political intrigue. He continues to expand his fictional worlds with upcoming projects such as The Silencing of the North, while engaging readers with his blend of history, myth, and character-driven drama.
www.grmatthews.com
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July 29, 2024When you type "Silent City" into Goodreads search this is the 9th hit!
The title, and elements of the cover, shout (silently) supernatural horror at me. But the book is nothing of the sort.
It's more like a 1940s noir detective yarn, only without any real detecting going on. We have the hard drinking "hero" with the dark backstory, his life revolving around brooding in a bar, fist fights with strangers, and underwater maintenance.
The book's setting is entirely underwater, with domed cities, fusion-powered subs and strangely clunky computers, all of which lends it a hint of postwar fantasy a la EE Doc Smith where greasy pipe-smoking engineers take wrenches to the star-drive that hurls the ship between galaxies.
I was able to maintain my supernatural horror delusions for a while because all the early mentions of silent cities allowed me to. Actually they turn out to be quite dull things (as entities - this is not to say the story is dull).
The book is a slim volume and contains a fair bit of world building, much of it technical, revolving around the business of operating a "fish suit" and the nitty gritty of navigating submarines using sonar and hunting others. Having spent a few years of my day job researching some of the fundamentals of such things I can say it all seems fairly solid, with the possible exception of the laser communication.
There's plenty of action including the aforementioned fist fights, underwater explosions, rail guns, torpedoes, and base infiltration. A Bondian number of bad guys are clouted round the back of the head with a wrench or otherwise throttled into submission and stuffed in lockers. Well … at least three.
The book ends with a lot of unanswered questions. In fact almost every question I had was left unanswered. But this is Corin Hayes #1 so watch this space.
I would say that the world building and action were the book’s strengths. A judgement on the plot I think will have to wait on the next volume.
The characters were the part I had the hardest time getting a grip on. It’s in first person so we are almost completely occupied with the eponymous Corin Hayes, who as I said ticks many of the noir detective boxes but with rather less motivation – nobody is paying or asking him to solve the mystery … and the mystery isn’t overly mysterious. He does encounter a couple of dames and emotional connections seem to develop at a great rate of knots leaving me feeling a touch unconvinced. And his murdered daughter is dangled before us as plot/character device a few times but again I wasn’t entirely convinced. At the end of the book his contemplation of memories of the daughter’s mutilated corpse are interrupted by dame #1 and within a heartbeat he’s contemplating her small breasts instead.
These character niggles aside, it’s a short book that isn’t short on action or imagination and the setting is an interesting change of pace, so check it out!
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Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
..
The title, and elements of the cover, shout (silently) supernatural horror at me. But the book is nothing of the sort.
It's more like a 1940s noir detective yarn, only without any real detecting going on. We have the hard drinking "hero" with the dark backstory, his life revolving around brooding in a bar, fist fights with strangers, and underwater maintenance.
The book's setting is entirely underwater, with domed cities, fusion-powered subs and strangely clunky computers, all of which lends it a hint of postwar fantasy a la EE Doc Smith where greasy pipe-smoking engineers take wrenches to the star-drive that hurls the ship between galaxies.
I was able to maintain my supernatural horror delusions for a while because all the early mentions of silent cities allowed me to. Actually they turn out to be quite dull things (as entities - this is not to say the story is dull).
The book is a slim volume and contains a fair bit of world building, much of it technical, revolving around the business of operating a "fish suit" and the nitty gritty of navigating submarines using sonar and hunting others. Having spent a few years of my day job researching some of the fundamentals of such things I can say it all seems fairly solid, with the possible exception of the laser communication.
There's plenty of action including the aforementioned fist fights, underwater explosions, rail guns, torpedoes, and base infiltration. A Bondian number of bad guys are clouted round the back of the head with a wrench or otherwise throttled into submission and stuffed in lockers. Well … at least three.
The book ends with a lot of unanswered questions. In fact almost every question I had was left unanswered. But this is Corin Hayes #1 so watch this space.
I would say that the world building and action were the book’s strengths. A judgement on the plot I think will have to wait on the next volume.
The characters were the part I had the hardest time getting a grip on. It’s in first person so we are almost completely occupied with the eponymous Corin Hayes, who as I said ticks many of the noir detective boxes but with rather less motivation – nobody is paying or asking him to solve the mystery … and the mystery isn’t overly mysterious. He does encounter a couple of dames and emotional connections seem to develop at a great rate of knots leaving me feeling a touch unconvinced. And his murdered daughter is dangled before us as plot/character device a few times but again I wasn’t entirely convinced. At the end of the book his contemplation of memories of the daughter’s mutilated corpse are interrupted by dame #1 and within a heartbeat he’s contemplating her small breasts instead.
These character niggles aside, it’s a short book that isn’t short on action or imagination and the setting is an interesting change of pace, so check it out!
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
..
March 5, 2023
Add another re-read - or rather a re-listen to this book! There's an audio omnibus in the making, which will be out soon enough. I was lucky enough to get a bit of a beta listen experience! Suffice it to say, I still love Corin....
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First read November 2015 - reread January 2017 - and I still love it just as much! :)
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Entertaining and fast paced like an urban fantasy, sarcastic and fun - what is not to like?
One of my favorite books 2015! I found this gem more or less by accident, while asking for some bloody or dark fantasy or scifi - and was recommended this one.
This dystopian story takes place sometime in the near future, when humanity has to live down in the oceans, as the surface is uninhabitable. No aliens or spaceships whatsoever, instead big underwater cities, and a lot of submarines and diving gear.
The story never gets too "technical", but instead manages a perfect balance between worldbuilding and plot, without any infodumps at all. And I just love the descriptions of life in the ocean! I listened to the sounds, saw the deep, endless blue and felt the pressure around me. And that all with just a few sentences here and there, and without feeling like you are being told what to feel.
The main character is absolutely to my liking. I love his dry and dark humor, in all situations, and his dark side. A perfect "broken hero". You can't avoid being pulled onto his side and rooting for him. He had me laughing out loud and grinning to myself and even snorting a at times. (And I'm sure my fellow commuters now think I am a maniac...)
The story gripped me right from the first page, and didn't let me off the hook again. It was quite bloody and detailed in some parts - but for me the balance between plot, humor and violence was perfect. No gore just for the sake of it - but instead right for the story. A lot of action also helped to keep me well entertained and be quite flabbergasted when I reached the end of the book all of a sudden, when I could have kept going for another 200 pages...
The writing is easy and perfectly fluent, so you can really dive into the story, without realizing you are reading. Instead you are there, on the bottom of the ocean, following Corin around - who manages to step from one disaster into the next. Especially the witty humor kept me well entertained.
I can only wholeheartedly recommend this story to anyone, be it urban fantasy, scifi or thriller fan! My only complaint - it's way too short!
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First read November 2015 - reread January 2017 - and I still love it just as much! :)
-
Entertaining and fast paced like an urban fantasy, sarcastic and fun - what is not to like?
One of my favorite books 2015! I found this gem more or less by accident, while asking for some bloody or dark fantasy or scifi - and was recommended this one.
This dystopian story takes place sometime in the near future, when humanity has to live down in the oceans, as the surface is uninhabitable. No aliens or spaceships whatsoever, instead big underwater cities, and a lot of submarines and diving gear.
The story never gets too "technical", but instead manages a perfect balance between worldbuilding and plot, without any infodumps at all. And I just love the descriptions of life in the ocean! I listened to the sounds, saw the deep, endless blue and felt the pressure around me. And that all with just a few sentences here and there, and without feeling like you are being told what to feel.
The main character is absolutely to my liking. I love his dry and dark humor, in all situations, and his dark side. A perfect "broken hero". You can't avoid being pulled onto his side and rooting for him. He had me laughing out loud and grinning to myself and even snorting a at times. (And I'm sure my fellow commuters now think I am a maniac...)
The story gripped me right from the first page, and didn't let me off the hook again. It was quite bloody and detailed in some parts - but for me the balance between plot, humor and violence was perfect. No gore just for the sake of it - but instead right for the story. A lot of action also helped to keep me well entertained and be quite flabbergasted when I reached the end of the book all of a sudden, when I could have kept going for another 200 pages...
The writing is easy and perfectly fluent, so you can really dive into the story, without realizing you are reading. Instead you are there, on the bottom of the ocean, following Corin around - who manages to step from one disaster into the next. Especially the witty humor kept me well entertained.
I can only wholeheartedly recommend this story to anyone, be it urban fantasy, scifi or thriller fan! My only complaint - it's way too short!
October 17, 2016
Reader beware: if you suffer from thalassophobia (= fear of the sea), prepare to be chilled to the bone. . . because the world of Corin Hayes is entirely underwater.
Set in a dystopian future, the premise of Silent City is a terrifying one. Humanity has retreated to the bottom of the ocean after poisoning the Earth's atmosphere with its industrial and chemical bullshit. The protagonist, Corin, is something of a jaded loner. He scrapes a living by carrying out odd jobs that only someone proficient in the use of a 'fish-suit' (I'm not telling you what it is. Read the book!) can accomplish. But his unique skillset soon lands him in even deeper water than he's accustomed to . . . metaphorically speaking.
Short, entertaining and exciting: Silent City is the start of a series I'll certainly be following with interest.
Set in a dystopian future, the premise of Silent City is a terrifying one. Humanity has retreated to the bottom of the ocean after poisoning the Earth's atmosphere with its industrial and chemical bullshit. The protagonist, Corin, is something of a jaded loner. He scrapes a living by carrying out odd jobs that only someone proficient in the use of a 'fish-suit' (I'm not telling you what it is. Read the book!) can accomplish. But his unique skillset soon lands him in even deeper water than he's accustomed to . . . metaphorically speaking.
Short, entertaining and exciting: Silent City is the start of a series I'll certainly be following with interest.
July 22, 2016
Reread: Loved it even more the second time! Can't wait to read the next Corin Hayes!!!
I enjoyed this book. Very different from what I have been reading recently.
I am looking forward to reading more about Corin Hayes!
I enjoyed this book. Very different from what I have been reading recently.
I am looking forward to reading more about Corin Hayes!
February 8, 2017
Damn good fun, intriguing as hell, different and exciting, I devoured this book. Silent City was a refreshing change in reading for me. I've been almost entirely into fantasy for quite a few months, and pretty long epic fantasy, so to read a fast-paced, short to mid-sized sci-fi novel was a real treat.
Matthews writes with a gripping voice that kept me rooted in the story. The setting is incredibly claustrophobic, but in a very cool way. It's hard to describe - Silent City feels almost like a great old radio serial, like The Shadow, almost, but in the way it plays out, the manner in which the narrative is structured and plays out, not the actual story.
At the same time, though, I couldn't help thinking of hard-boiled detective novels - though our hero, Corin Hayes, is basically a glorified underwater welder and not a detective at all.
AND, to add to the strange and awesome feel, I couldn't help getting the sense of my very favorite first-person-shooter adventure games, like Castle Wolfenstein, Quake, even Unreal. All alone, trying to figure out where to go, what to do, how to survive, with puzzles and battles along the way.
I get the idea Mr. Matthews was trying something out with this, experimenting - and in my opinion the experiment was a tremendous success. I enjoyed the hell out of it.
Matthews writes with a gripping voice that kept me rooted in the story. The setting is incredibly claustrophobic, but in a very cool way. It's hard to describe - Silent City feels almost like a great old radio serial, like The Shadow, almost, but in the way it plays out, the manner in which the narrative is structured and plays out, not the actual story.
At the same time, though, I couldn't help thinking of hard-boiled detective novels - though our hero, Corin Hayes, is basically a glorified underwater welder and not a detective at all.
AND, to add to the strange and awesome feel, I couldn't help getting the sense of my very favorite first-person-shooter adventure games, like Castle Wolfenstein, Quake, even Unreal. All alone, trying to figure out where to go, what to do, how to survive, with puzzles and battles along the way.
I get the idea Mr. Matthews was trying something out with this, experimenting - and in my opinion the experiment was a tremendous success. I enjoyed the hell out of it.
January 9, 2024
I'm pretty "meh" on this. It's short and fast paced, but there weren't any answers so it felt pointless. I didn't feel like I got to know the main character or even care about him at all. I'm probably done with this series. I'm bummed out about it. I really wanted to like it.
August 9, 2017
Full review here on my blog!~
This one has a really cool world. It’s our world only… well, post apocalyptic, which I don’t love and I don’t hate… it depends entirely on what kind of post apocalyptic we’re talking about here. This one is underwater. Think something like Waterworld… only the air on the surface is poisoned too, so the world is covered in water, and everyone lives under it. That is a cool as fuck premise when it’s done right, and it’s done right here.
Enter our hero, Corin Hayes, who is a freelance specialized diver. Their main skill is using what are known as Fish-Suits, which are like diving suits with a higher degree of stealth, and more flexibility for use in technical jobs. It takes a special kind of person to be able to use a Fish-Suit without puking, drowning, or just generally freaking the fuck out, because it’s filled with a sort of breathable gel that is apparently not fun to get used to because you’re not drowning, but it always kind of feels like you are. I imagined this to be something along the lines of the LCL that the pilots in Evangelion use to breathe, though there are a few other examples of breathable liquid that I can think of from fiction. Either way, the idea itself and how it would play out in real life (especially the description of purging this gel from your lungs after you’re out of the suit) was really well executed here.
This is a short novel, but it’s full of excitement. There are some really well thought out technical details that add a level of realness to the story. It had plenty of twists and turns, and I was on the edge of my submarine pilot seat once or twice. The ending left lots of room for more adventure, but wrapped up this particular part of the tale. It was very well done. I like Corin’s sense of humour too, so that was a plus.
This one has a really cool world. It’s our world only… well, post apocalyptic, which I don’t love and I don’t hate… it depends entirely on what kind of post apocalyptic we’re talking about here. This one is underwater. Think something like Waterworld… only the air on the surface is poisoned too, so the world is covered in water, and everyone lives under it. That is a cool as fuck premise when it’s done right, and it’s done right here.
Enter our hero, Corin Hayes, who is a freelance specialized diver. Their main skill is using what are known as Fish-Suits, which are like diving suits with a higher degree of stealth, and more flexibility for use in technical jobs. It takes a special kind of person to be able to use a Fish-Suit without puking, drowning, or just generally freaking the fuck out, because it’s filled with a sort of breathable gel that is apparently not fun to get used to because you’re not drowning, but it always kind of feels like you are. I imagined this to be something along the lines of the LCL that the pilots in Evangelion use to breathe, though there are a few other examples of breathable liquid that I can think of from fiction. Either way, the idea itself and how it would play out in real life (especially the description of purging this gel from your lungs after you’re out of the suit) was really well executed here.
This is a short novel, but it’s full of excitement. There are some really well thought out technical details that add a level of realness to the story. It had plenty of twists and turns, and I was on the edge of my submarine pilot seat once or twice. The ending left lots of room for more adventure, but wrapped up this particular part of the tale. It was very well done. I like Corin’s sense of humour too, so that was a plus.
June 25, 2020
3.5/5
Corin Hayes ir pagātnes rēgu nomocīts un tagadnes problēmu nomākts vīrs, kas vēlas tikai strādāt, lai iegūtu naudu, par kuru var dzert un aizmirsties.
Galvenais varonis savu “Fish Suite” niršanas kostīmiņu varētu būt aizņēmies no senās Kamerona filmas par dzīļu iekarošanu (elpošanas šķidrums, neizbēgamā slīkšanas sajūta, tumšās dzīles un bīstamie piedzīvojumi).
Grāmatas stiprā puse noteikti ir pasaule – cilvēce ir patvērusies zemūdens pilsētās, visu kontrolē Korporācijas, kas savā starpā dala un pārdala ietekmes reģionus, resursus – un radītā spriedzes noskaņa. Galvenais varonis gan šķiet nav tas asākais krītiņš kastītē, bet ja tu tik ilgi esi centies nomērdēt visas savas smadzeņu šūnas, tad to var arī saprast.
Corin Hayes ir pagātnes rēgu nomocīts un tagadnes problēmu nomākts vīrs, kas vēlas tikai strādāt, lai iegūtu naudu, par kuru var dzert un aizmirsties.
Galvenais varonis savu “Fish Suite” niršanas kostīmiņu varētu būt aizņēmies no senās Kamerona filmas par dzīļu iekarošanu (elpošanas šķidrums, neizbēgamā slīkšanas sajūta, tumšās dzīles un bīstamie piedzīvojumi).
Grāmatas stiprā puse noteikti ir pasaule – cilvēce ir patvērusies zemūdens pilsētās, visu kontrolē Korporācijas, kas savā starpā dala un pārdala ietekmes reģionus, resursus – un radītā spriedzes noskaņa. Galvenais varonis gan šķiet nav tas asākais krītiņš kastītē, bet ja tu tik ilgi esi centies nomērdēt visas savas smadzeņu šūnas, tad to var arī saprast.
July 12, 2017
Submarines! Frikkin awesome submarines! Sorry, I got carried away, read on...
People are skeptical of self-published authors' reviews. They think they're all from friends slapping 5* reviews on for the sake of it. I gave 4* because I wanted to be brutally honest. This is a true review, not just a friendly pat on the back to the author. Please remember that when reading:
The author is a competent writer. I like his prose, I like his descriptive scene setting and I loved the action. The dialogue flows too. However, although the story has clearly been edited, it wouldn't flow so well or be consistent if it hadn't, I can't honestly offer up a 5* when copy-edit errors pop out at me. I'm talking small things like the odd missed word or grammatical error. That, in all honestly, is why I gave this story a 4*. I know, it's pretty harsh, but it's the truth! It didn't distract me personally from the prose through, nor from the action or the drama or the intrigue, but I can't speak for every reader. What I can do is tell you what I thought:
I really, genuinely enjoyed this story and cannot wait for the next! That's the truth. I've been brutally truthful, but truthful none the less. If you can deal with the occasional typo (which I see in published books too, from time to time) then you will enjoy this story. If you like intrigue, action, an impressive seascape and lets face it, cool submarines and deep sea diving in a scifi/oceanic setting, then this is more than worth a read. Corin Hayes has had it rough, he has it rougher still in this story, but you'll be rooting for him and you will want to read the next when it comes out, of that I'm sure!
Thanks for reading my rambling review, now go read about Corin Hayes and his cinematic underwater adventure!
(I should have probably had this review copy edited, otherwise I'll be getting it in the neck!)
People are skeptical of self-published authors' reviews. They think they're all from friends slapping 5* reviews on for the sake of it. I gave 4* because I wanted to be brutally honest. This is a true review, not just a friendly pat on the back to the author. Please remember that when reading:
The author is a competent writer. I like his prose, I like his descriptive scene setting and I loved the action. The dialogue flows too. However, although the story has clearly been edited, it wouldn't flow so well or be consistent if it hadn't, I can't honestly offer up a 5* when copy-edit errors pop out at me. I'm talking small things like the odd missed word or grammatical error. That, in all honestly, is why I gave this story a 4*. I know, it's pretty harsh, but it's the truth! It didn't distract me personally from the prose through, nor from the action or the drama or the intrigue, but I can't speak for every reader. What I can do is tell you what I thought:
I really, genuinely enjoyed this story and cannot wait for the next! That's the truth. I've been brutally truthful, but truthful none the less. If you can deal with the occasional typo (which I see in published books too, from time to time) then you will enjoy this story. If you like intrigue, action, an impressive seascape and lets face it, cool submarines and deep sea diving in a scifi/oceanic setting, then this is more than worth a read. Corin Hayes has had it rough, he has it rougher still in this story, but you'll be rooting for him and you will want to read the next when it comes out, of that I'm sure!
Thanks for reading my rambling review, now go read about Corin Hayes and his cinematic underwater adventure!
(I should have probably had this review copy edited, otherwise I'll be getting it in the neck!)
June 16, 2018
I wasn't allowed to watch The Abyss in 1989. My parents thought I was too young. Fortunately, there were ways to get around the ban. I remember watching the movie through the half-open doors to my parents' room. They thought I was asleep. I tried to remain silent. It wasn't easy as the movie was breathtaking and awe-inspiring. The scene in which Ed Harris got into the suit filled with breathing fluid was incredible, and it'll stay with me forever.
It turns out liquid breathing isn't a fiction. It's just so damn hard to breathe liquid and move at the same time that it's not used in real life (because of liquid viscosity and problems with CO2 removal). Still, it's a fascinating concept, and science development may allow us one day to feel like a fish in the water.
GR Matthews' Silent City is the first book I read in which liquid breathing is vital to the plot. It's a dystopian tale that takes place in the future. Humanity screwed big time, and the life goes on underwater, in the oceans, under domes. People languish in the underwater cities, surrounded by endless waters. Diving gear is essential for surviving and doing maintenance work. Submarines navigate through waters.
It's difficult to summarise the plot - I feel that what we've got is just an intro to a bigger, more layered adventure. The story's protagonist Corin Hayes is a middle-aged and hard-drinking guy with a dark and tragic history he doesn't want to think or speak about. Whatever money he gains doing underwater maintenance, he spends on alcohol (mostly). He's no stranger to bar fights and bitter reflections about life in general. To be fair, though, he's not (yet) a drunkard. It's just his life lost any sense of the direction and whiskey helps him to go on.
One day he gets a job offer. Money is good. The job is moderately difficult. What could go wrong?
How about everything?
I won't summarise anything more as it would be spoiler territory.
While the book is set in the dystopian future, it has a feel of hard-boiled detective fiction, minus mystery and satisfying conclusion. It ends with many unanswered question and sort of cliffhanger. The plot is rather simple, but my assessment may change when and if the questions that arise will be answered in the sequels.
The story is told from the first-person perspective. Corin Hayes. He's not handsome, his charm is sorely lacking and his social graces were left in the gutter. He's also well past his prime and he repeats it multiple times.
Corin's voice is mostly enjoyable thanks to his wry sense of humour and realistic, down to earth approach to life. On the other hand, he's not fully convincing as a suffering father. He quickly falls in lust and can mourn his daughter's death, picture her mutilated body while assessing breasts of a woman. I dunno. Also, at times his voice becomes simply tiring, and his actions make him kind of a reckless asshole.
All in all, he's decent protagonist, just slightly tiring in bigger doses.
Despite book's short length, there's a healthy dose of world-building done right. I find the concepts of underwater cities, operating the fish tank fascinating and it seems GR Matthews has done some research. If you like technical details, you should be satisfied. I was.
The pacing is right - there's plenty of action (infiltration of the underwater base, bar fights, explosions and stuff). It's difficult to say anything about the villains, though. We learn very little about them. Corin incapacitates or kills some people along the way, but don't expect to learn who they were or if they actually were bad guys. One of the killed dies in a particularly gruesome way.
The writing is accessible and simple. It's also neat, although some misspelt words/under-edited sentences can be spotted. Two examples:
Nothing unforgivable. It happens to the best. The writing is solid, and I appreciate the fact that the author makes the words count. There's no fluff here.
Overall, it's a solid book that doesn't answer any questions. And it's a bit irritating. Will I reach for the sequel? Probably yes. Do I like Corin? Mostly. But he's one of the guys it's cool to know and meet once in a while, just not too often.
I read the book as part of the TBRind - An Indie Author and Reviewer Matching Service created and maintained by The Weatherwax Report.
It turns out liquid breathing isn't a fiction. It's just so damn hard to breathe liquid and move at the same time that it's not used in real life (because of liquid viscosity and problems with CO2 removal). Still, it's a fascinating concept, and science development may allow us one day to feel like a fish in the water.
GR Matthews' Silent City is the first book I read in which liquid breathing is vital to the plot. It's a dystopian tale that takes place in the future. Humanity screwed big time, and the life goes on underwater, in the oceans, under domes. People languish in the underwater cities, surrounded by endless waters. Diving gear is essential for surviving and doing maintenance work. Submarines navigate through waters.
It's difficult to summarise the plot - I feel that what we've got is just an intro to a bigger, more layered adventure. The story's protagonist Corin Hayes is a middle-aged and hard-drinking guy with a dark and tragic history he doesn't want to think or speak about. Whatever money he gains doing underwater maintenance, he spends on alcohol (mostly). He's no stranger to bar fights and bitter reflections about life in general. To be fair, though, he's not (yet) a drunkard. It's just his life lost any sense of the direction and whiskey helps him to go on.
One day he gets a job offer. Money is good. The job is moderately difficult. What could go wrong?
How about everything?
I won't summarise anything more as it would be spoiler territory.
While the book is set in the dystopian future, it has a feel of hard-boiled detective fiction, minus mystery and satisfying conclusion. It ends with many unanswered question and sort of cliffhanger. The plot is rather simple, but my assessment may change when and if the questions that arise will be answered in the sequels.
The story is told from the first-person perspective. Corin Hayes. He's not handsome, his charm is sorely lacking and his social graces were left in the gutter. He's also well past his prime and he repeats it multiple times.
Youngsters always seemed to watch their diet more than us older folks. We knew our body would betray us and begin to build fat no matter what we did, so why bother? I kept it to a minimum, but my metabolism wasn't what it used to be.
Corin's voice is mostly enjoyable thanks to his wry sense of humour and realistic, down to earth approach to life. On the other hand, he's not fully convincing as a suffering father. He quickly falls in lust and can mourn his daughter's death, picture her mutilated body while assessing breasts of a woman. I dunno. Also, at times his voice becomes simply tiring, and his actions make him kind of a reckless asshole.
All in all, he's decent protagonist, just slightly tiring in bigger doses.
Despite book's short length, there's a healthy dose of world-building done right. I find the concepts of underwater cities, operating the fish tank fascinating and it seems GR Matthews has done some research. If you like technical details, you should be satisfied. I was.
The pacing is right - there's plenty of action (infiltration of the underwater base, bar fights, explosions and stuff). It's difficult to say anything about the villains, though. We learn very little about them. Corin incapacitates or kills some people along the way, but don't expect to learn who they were or if they actually were bad guys. One of the killed dies in a particularly gruesome way.
The writing is accessible and simple. It's also neat, although some misspelt words/under-edited sentences can be spotted. Two examples:
I wasn't entirely sure who she was talking too.
They're are called Silent Cities
Nothing unforgivable. It happens to the best. The writing is solid, and I appreciate the fact that the author makes the words count. There's no fluff here.
Overall, it's a solid book that doesn't answer any questions. And it's a bit irritating. Will I reach for the sequel? Probably yes. Do I like Corin? Mostly. But he's one of the guys it's cool to know and meet once in a while, just not too often.
I read the book as part of the TBRind - An Indie Author and Reviewer Matching Service created and maintained by The Weatherwax Report.
June 5, 2016
This is the fourth of G.R.Matthews novels that I have read and, at first glance, it's style and context is as different as you could imagine from the other three.
The Forbidden List trilogy (The Stone Road, The Blue Mountain, and The Red Plains) provided a fantastic re-imagining of ancient China - a refreshing alternative to the medieval European style milieu which is the staple of so much modern fantasy. It was a tale told from two alternating third person characters facing crises of epic proportions but the tone still had much of the formality that I would expect in high fantasy.
Corin Hayes' adventure in Silent City is an altogether more visceral first person adventure set in a far future where humanity has fled beneath the waves to live in undersea cities. The story is packed with action from the first page which has our hero preparing for a beating to the last where our hero is... (spoilers as Riversong would say).
I have been curious for a while about what difference a point of view makes. For example, would Mark Lawrence's antihero Jorg have stirred up so much emotion amongst readers (either intoxicated or alienated by his evil) if his tale had been narrated in the third person? Would that detachment - that additional distance - have ruined the story? Lawrence writes powerfully enough in the third person tales of the Road Brothers, so maybe not but it would certainly have been different.
With G.R.Matthews, I have another chance to consider the impact of an author's chosen point of view. Silent City is told in Hayes' voice and it is an entertaining one. A sort of deep ocean Philip Marlowe, weary cynical, existing rather than living in a confined community that knows too much of his past.
Writing in third person point of view the author is a director manipulating and inspiring his cast without ever being one of them. With first person point of view the writer becomes an actor wholly inhabiting the character. As Iwan Rheon knows from playing Ramsay Bolton, acting an anti-hero can draw down a certain public opprobrium. Corin Hayes is not so much an anti-hero - more a likeable underdog (though there were times he was a little free with his wrench for my liking). But the story depends on us rooting for him and - with the intimacy of first person - we do just that.
He is a man with more than his fair share of personal tragedy. In this relatively short book we get a few glimpses of Corin's backstory which I sense will run like a thread through the next book and beyond as inevitably the past casts shadows well into the future.
There is an inventiveness to Matthews world building in Silent City. While the vision of the future appears as distant from ancient China and the forbidden list as it is possible to be, there are still parallels to be drawn between the tales that hint at their shared authorial paternity.
•In his fantasy works Matthews departed from the euro-medieval conventions to set his tale in the orient;
•In his sci-fiction writing Matthews has eschewed the traditional space opera and buried his protagonist as deep as the wreck of the Titanic in a diminished humanity ekeing out an existence on the ocean floor.
•In the forbidden list, Matthews drew on an imaginative blend of spirit and spell based magic systems;
•in Corin Hayes he creates equally inventive scientific solutions to the practical problems of living and working in an environment which humanity had only previously visited.
•In the forbidden list, the idea of family tragedy - either endured or avoided - was a driver for the two protagonists;
•In silent city a dreadful crime still haunts Corin's waking and sleeping hours.
The story cracks on at a decent pace - I read the last half in a single sitting. For all that the surface world has been abandoned and the human population decimated, those that remain still find plenty to argue about and fight over. In the midst of it all Corin Hayes nurses a drink in a seedy bar not knowing what opportunity is about to knock for one of his dubious past and unusual skills, still less aware of how quickly such opportunities can go belly up.
June 3, 2018
3.5 stars
Corin Hayes hasn't had it easy. A former special ops member and current underwater welder, he's lost his family and been the center of attention after a welding accident caused a major accident, killing several people. All he wants to do is be left alone to drink at his favorite bar, until the mayor comes along and offers him a deal he can't possibly refuse. When he arrives at the job site, however, he may wish he had.
I enjoyed the setting of this story. Humanity is now living on the ocean floor as life above water is no longer viable. There's a somewhat claustrophobic feel to it all, from the two man subs to Corin's fish-suit, which allows him more maneuverability and stealth than the repair subs offer.
The fish-suit has it's own exoskeleton and small engines to help move around in quick bursts. A substance called Oxyquid fills the suit, allowing Corin to breathe at such depths without issue, aside from feeling like you're drowning the when you first put the suit on.
Corin is a tough guy. Getting in fights and taking his fair share of beatings early, thanks to his role in the accident. He's also very determined, not giving up even when circumstances really start to pile on and he needs to get a warning back to his city.
The pacing at times was an issue for me, with it taking almost half the book to really get going. The setting and growing intrigue kept pulling me along though, as I was curious to find out who was behind the attack and enjoyed Corin's drive and resourcefulness in getting back.
It ends on a cliffhanger, of sorts, with some questions up in the air. Recommended to anyone looking for a slow-burner of an underwater thriller, with some intense action late.
Corin Hayes hasn't had it easy. A former special ops member and current underwater welder, he's lost his family and been the center of attention after a welding accident caused a major accident, killing several people. All he wants to do is be left alone to drink at his favorite bar, until the mayor comes along and offers him a deal he can't possibly refuse. When he arrives at the job site, however, he may wish he had.
I enjoyed the setting of this story. Humanity is now living on the ocean floor as life above water is no longer viable. There's a somewhat claustrophobic feel to it all, from the two man subs to Corin's fish-suit, which allows him more maneuverability and stealth than the repair subs offer.
The fish-suit has it's own exoskeleton and small engines to help move around in quick bursts. A substance called Oxyquid fills the suit, allowing Corin to breathe at such depths without issue, aside from feeling like you're drowning the when you first put the suit on.
Corin is a tough guy. Getting in fights and taking his fair share of beatings early, thanks to his role in the accident. He's also very determined, not giving up even when circumstances really start to pile on and he needs to get a warning back to his city.
The pacing at times was an issue for me, with it taking almost half the book to really get going. The setting and growing intrigue kept pulling me along though, as I was curious to find out who was behind the attack and enjoyed Corin's drive and resourcefulness in getting back.
It ends on a cliffhanger, of sorts, with some questions up in the air. Recommended to anyone looking for a slow-burner of an underwater thriller, with some intense action late.
January 12, 2016
A great little book this - something of a throw-back to classic adventure sci-fi, since in style and tech it could have easily been written in the 70s or earlier - if only it had a retro cover (not that the one it's got isn't ace). While reading I came up with the line "Like Die Hard meets Dashiel Hammet" but I think what it most reminded me of was Harry Harrison (these are all Good Things). Only the occasional expository chunk slows down the action, the mystery keeps you hooked and the short chapters keep you going "just one more...". Not sure how long it is (Amazon says 181 pages - another throwback element!) but I read it in a few days, and was left wanting more (luckily, a second book is in the works).
January 10, 2017
Review coming up soon
November 5, 2017
review coming soon
November 2, 2016
"In the Corporation owned cities life is tough.
All Hayes wants is money and a bar to spend it in. He is about to learn that some jobs in the abyss can be killers.
For a man who has lost everything, is life even worth fighting for?"
I love the premise of this book, a far distant dystopian future set not on Earth's surface, but down in the depths of its oceans. A vast part of our world too little explored, I'd say. People now live in cities under domes, deep beneath the seas' surface, far from the poisoned, almost mythical, skies. But the remnants of humanity do not seem to have learned much from history; they still make war on each other.
Written in the first person, so we're right in Corin's head, and I found him to be a pretty reliable narrator, honest with the reader and himself. A flawed character with a sad history and a bleak future, but still having tremendous grit and attitude. He's quick thinking in dangerous situations, but not always quick on the uptake where people are concerned. He's just a bloke who's had some bad things happen to him and those he loves but has, somehow, kept his sense of dry, sarcastic, and self-deprecatory humour about him.
I also love the science. There's plenty to keep my scifi-loving part happy. I like having to look up the odd word, the learning keeps me sharp. G R Matthews explains how this underwater world works without once going into info-dump mode.
The action is well described, very immediate, and there's plenty of it. The narrative cracks on at a good, page turning pace. But there are also those quiet, reflective passages, where we get to know Corin's mind. His take on his world, his personal history and his reasons for needing that next drink, and the one after that.
G R Matthew is a great writer, some of his phrases are simply sublime: "I sat there in my guilt-upholstered chair..."
It's the first time I've read any of G R Matthew's books. I shall certainly be reading more.
All Hayes wants is money and a bar to spend it in. He is about to learn that some jobs in the abyss can be killers.
For a man who has lost everything, is life even worth fighting for?"
I love the premise of this book, a far distant dystopian future set not on Earth's surface, but down in the depths of its oceans. A vast part of our world too little explored, I'd say. People now live in cities under domes, deep beneath the seas' surface, far from the poisoned, almost mythical, skies. But the remnants of humanity do not seem to have learned much from history; they still make war on each other.
Written in the first person, so we're right in Corin's head, and I found him to be a pretty reliable narrator, honest with the reader and himself. A flawed character with a sad history and a bleak future, but still having tremendous grit and attitude. He's quick thinking in dangerous situations, but not always quick on the uptake where people are concerned. He's just a bloke who's had some bad things happen to him and those he loves but has, somehow, kept his sense of dry, sarcastic, and self-deprecatory humour about him.
I also love the science. There's plenty to keep my scifi-loving part happy. I like having to look up the odd word, the learning keeps me sharp. G R Matthews explains how this underwater world works without once going into info-dump mode.
The action is well described, very immediate, and there's plenty of it. The narrative cracks on at a good, page turning pace. But there are also those quiet, reflective passages, where we get to know Corin's mind. His take on his world, his personal history and his reasons for needing that next drink, and the one after that.
G R Matthew is a great writer, some of his phrases are simply sublime: "I sat there in my guilt-upholstered chair..."
It's the first time I've read any of G R Matthew's books. I shall certainly be reading more.
May 2, 2015
You wake up one day, lost a lot and I mean a lot, you’re a drunk, a sod and nobody likes you. Well, yourself included considering what you have been through and possibly caused, who would like you. Alone, not loved and your favor is only found in the bottom of a pint glass. Meet Corin the main character for Silent City. Poor sod, you almost want to feel sorry for him but then you get to meet him, he feels sorry enough for himself. In walks chance, a propensity for things to start looking up and Corin has a smile on his face. Didn't anyone teach him, that is when you get hit the hardest in the knackers right?
Mr. Matthews has enthralled us with a sci-fi tale that will keep you turning the page wanting to know what will happen next. Some of that desire will come from an environment that has tantalizing details, enough to get you on but not enough to pull a master’s painting into your mind. Which is one of the masterful strokes that Mr. Matthews uses in his writing. There is enough there to know what is going on, to allow your mind to start contemplating what will come next and maybe enough to put you into the wrong path and have surprise waiting for you at the end.
In the interactions among the characters there is hint and subtlety enough for the reader to gather slightly hidden nuances buried beneath the surface. Little pieces coming out here and there for one to pick up on. Or one can read straight on and take things at a face value and walk away with the story as intended or take the time to see what else lingers in the shadow of the prose and walk away with a richer story and a lot more questions to ponder.
If you have never read anything by Mr. Matthews I strongly suggest any of his work which includes The Stone Road and The Blue Mountain. Give Silent City a read and I assure you, it won’t disappoint.
Mr. Matthews has enthralled us with a sci-fi tale that will keep you turning the page wanting to know what will happen next. Some of that desire will come from an environment that has tantalizing details, enough to get you on but not enough to pull a master’s painting into your mind. Which is one of the masterful strokes that Mr. Matthews uses in his writing. There is enough there to know what is going on, to allow your mind to start contemplating what will come next and maybe enough to put you into the wrong path and have surprise waiting for you at the end.
In the interactions among the characters there is hint and subtlety enough for the reader to gather slightly hidden nuances buried beneath the surface. Little pieces coming out here and there for one to pick up on. Or one can read straight on and take things at a face value and walk away with the story as intended or take the time to see what else lingers in the shadow of the prose and walk away with a richer story and a lot more questions to ponder.
If you have never read anything by Mr. Matthews I strongly suggest any of his work which includes The Stone Road and The Blue Mountain. Give Silent City a read and I assure you, it won’t disappoint.
February 3, 2017
A great fun, if not a little claustrophobic, read. Looking forward to more Corin Hayes.
January 9, 2018
A highly original, action-packed story set in a dystopian, underwater future, with a noir feel to it. I dig it.
January 2, 2019
I enjoyed reading the Silent city. It is one of those books that you can read in one sitting and will remember decades later.
In a dystopian universe, humanity has been forced to live under-water as it is simply too dangerous to live on plain ground. For clarification sake, when I say “under-water”, it does not mean staying right below the surface of the water. On the contrary, these people are living anywhere from the range of 40,000 to 80,000 feet under water. Quoting a character in the book referred to as the mayor:
“We live in the deep sea, surrounded by pressure that could kill us in an instant, with no access to the surface world that is our natural home”.
Let me regress and state that it is not all dark and desolate. Science has evolved to physically create large pockets of air. These pockets of air are very large and allow humans to easily create large metropolitans and live a normal life.
However, our main character has lived anything but a normal life. We read about our main character in first person through a middle-aged man named Corrin Hayes. Hayes is person who regularly fist fights and drinks in order to escape his brutal past.
On the topic of Hayes’s past, I found that his past was perfectly portrayed to us. The readers could clearly figure out that Hayes had multiple life altering accidents (one being, the death of his daughter). However, the rest still remains untold. I believe that this is kept for book 2.
Perhaps Mr. Matthews is purposely creating an allusion that Hayes could never become socially capable after his tragic past. Often times, Hayes meets lady-friend and we are led to believe that both of them will engage in a relationship. Yet, like most other characters, these lady friends never stick around for long.
Speaking of long and short, I found this book to be the perfect length. Any longer or shorter, and the book would have lost its spark. The plot is very well set out and has the potential to span out for many books.
Of course, I had to keep the best thing of the book for the last, the plot. It’s dark and filled with action; Like any other day, Hayes was drinking his head off, when an attractive and charming woman offered him a high paying job. In the beginning he is tasked with doing ordinary “stuff”. However, his tasks soon become very difficult. As people start dropping dead, Hayes questions his loyalties. More importantly, he now has to do the impossible: survive.
Overall, this book is short but filled with all the action you need.
Ideal time to read this book: When you are in a really dark mood and want to read something dark
Overall rating: 4/5
Improvements: It would have been nice to see greater descriptions of the setting Hayes is in. At times, it was slightly difficult to picture Hayes’s settings.
In a dystopian universe, humanity has been forced to live under-water as it is simply too dangerous to live on plain ground. For clarification sake, when I say “under-water”, it does not mean staying right below the surface of the water. On the contrary, these people are living anywhere from the range of 40,000 to 80,000 feet under water. Quoting a character in the book referred to as the mayor:
“We live in the deep sea, surrounded by pressure that could kill us in an instant, with no access to the surface world that is our natural home”.
Let me regress and state that it is not all dark and desolate. Science has evolved to physically create large pockets of air. These pockets of air are very large and allow humans to easily create large metropolitans and live a normal life.
However, our main character has lived anything but a normal life. We read about our main character in first person through a middle-aged man named Corrin Hayes. Hayes is person who regularly fist fights and drinks in order to escape his brutal past.
On the topic of Hayes’s past, I found that his past was perfectly portrayed to us. The readers could clearly figure out that Hayes had multiple life altering accidents (one being, the death of his daughter). However, the rest still remains untold. I believe that this is kept for book 2.
Perhaps Mr. Matthews is purposely creating an allusion that Hayes could never become socially capable after his tragic past. Often times, Hayes meets lady-friend and we are led to believe that both of them will engage in a relationship. Yet, like most other characters, these lady friends never stick around for long.
Speaking of long and short, I found this book to be the perfect length. Any longer or shorter, and the book would have lost its spark. The plot is very well set out and has the potential to span out for many books.
Of course, I had to keep the best thing of the book for the last, the plot. It’s dark and filled with action; Like any other day, Hayes was drinking his head off, when an attractive and charming woman offered him a high paying job. In the beginning he is tasked with doing ordinary “stuff”. However, his tasks soon become very difficult. As people start dropping dead, Hayes questions his loyalties. More importantly, he now has to do the impossible: survive.
Overall, this book is short but filled with all the action you need.
Ideal time to read this book: When you are in a really dark mood and want to read something dark
Overall rating: 4/5
Improvements: It would have been nice to see greater descriptions of the setting Hayes is in. At times, it was slightly difficult to picture Hayes’s settings.
July 23, 2017
Matthews' was recommended to me by Mark Lawrence (Prince of Thorns) and I have to say that his taste is excellent. There were a few proofing errors scattered through the book, but not many, and none of them distracted from the story in any noticeable way.
Corin Hayes is a broken man in a broken world. A drowned world and a man who drowns for a living, every day. Corin has a rare skill that keeps him in just enough liquor and misery. In this first book, we learn just enough of his story to make us feel like we know him, but not really, which, I believe, is the way he likes it. We know him when we see him, but nothing about him encourages deep questions about life's meaning and, especially, the past.
Out of the blue, a seemingly naive woman, sympathetic to his plight, and connected enough to do something about it manages to get him a fresh start.
It all goes downhill from there.
It's a great read, I finished it in one sitting and immediately snapped up the second book, which I'm going to tempt fate by starting tonight.
Corin Hayes is a broken man in a broken world. A drowned world and a man who drowns for a living, every day. Corin has a rare skill that keeps him in just enough liquor and misery. In this first book, we learn just enough of his story to make us feel like we know him, but not really, which, I believe, is the way he likes it. We know him when we see him, but nothing about him encourages deep questions about life's meaning and, especially, the past.
Out of the blue, a seemingly naive woman, sympathetic to his plight, and connected enough to do something about it manages to get him a fresh start.
It all goes downhill from there.
It's a great read, I finished it in one sitting and immediately snapped up the second book, which I'm going to tempt fate by starting tonight.
June 10, 2018
The thing I liked most about this book was the underwater setting with submariens, fish-suits, underwater cities and an ex-special forces guy rampaging. The writing was solid and well paced, I found only minor typos. Still, I had two issues with the story: first, after a good opening scene it takes quite a time to get really interesting. For me it was, when Corin finally arrived at the Silent City. The beginning and the introduction of Corin Hayes felt like "by the book": sad, brutal past (check), drowning himself in alcohol and getting into fights (check) and so on. I wished for something more special. The second issue is with Corin Hayes character: although it's written in first person I did not like him (i know, he doesn't want to be liked but still). He's more a brutal one than a clever one and a lot of his self-imposed mystery solving is based on mere assumptions. Luckily he is no detective, he would probably kill half a city on assumptions. In the end a lot of questions weren't answered and I still have the feeling of having no idea what really happend.
December 29, 2018
Earth is done for, and we all live in underwater cities. I read plenty of books where people go to another galaxy to try and find a new Earth, but this is the first one I read that we actually stay, but in a totally different environent.
The worldbuilding is great. Mentions of the past civilization kinda of became a myth in the imagination of the people. Jobs, specializations and such also changed a lot. People who use Fish-Suits, like the protagonist, are in high demand.
The main character is pretty hard-boiled, with reason. A lot of things went wrong for him. It's a little hard to connect with him, specially when the secondary characters don't stay for long with him either.
The plot takes a while to go off, but it does go off well when it does. It just kinda of ended a little abruptly.
The worldbuilding is great. Mentions of the past civilization kinda of became a myth in the imagination of the people. Jobs, specializations and such also changed a lot. People who use Fish-Suits, like the protagonist, are in high demand.
The main character is pretty hard-boiled, with reason. A lot of things went wrong for him. It's a little hard to connect with him, specially when the secondary characters don't stay for long with him either.
The plot takes a while to go off, but it does go off well when it does. It just kinda of ended a little abruptly.
March 25, 2019
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Fun, quick, easy read. The MC is highly entertaining, with a dark past (as always). At times the MC seems to find himself in impossible situations and gets out too easily. With that said, had these situations been exacerbated or actually been impossible the story would have been longer and perhaps a bit more dense, which have put this book in different category than Fun, quick, easy read. Other than that, it could use another scrub or two in editing.
It is great book to read between heavier books/series.
Fun, quick, easy read. The MC is highly entertaining, with a dark past (as always). At times the MC seems to find himself in impossible situations and gets out too easily. With that said, had these situations been exacerbated or actually been impossible the story would have been longer and perhaps a bit more dense, which have put this book in different category than Fun, quick, easy read. Other than that, it could use another scrub or two in editing.
It is great book to read between heavier books/series.
April 23, 2019
Is it fair to say that an author did too well?
Silent City by G.R. Matthews is a post-apocalyptic underwater sci-fi thriller. It wasn’t until I read this book that I realized just how claustrophobic I might be. This book showcased all the dangers that come with air-breathers living below the waves, and if it wasn’t bad enough that the main character (Colin Hayes) could drown, or suffocate, or find himself unable to escape from falling debris, or be caught in explosions or torpedo fire, there was the threat of gunfire, guards/soldiers with excellent combat skills, and more.
Hayes is a troubled man with a past that he is trying to avoid. The story is told from his first-person perspective as he seeks to discover the truth of what is going on around him. I would have liked a little more depth to his character, but I suspect that is unrealistic given how much time he spends alone with no interaction with others. Plus, given that this is the first book in a series it is likely that more will be revealed in later stories.
The science and world-building seemed well researched and very plausible, again perhaps too well done. As I mentioned earlier, this felt claustrophobic, which comes partly from the descriptions of the environment and the threats related to it. (The first person perspective heightened this sense even more, I suspect.)
I tend not to stray away from fantasy, but this was a quick, action-packed, intense sci-fi story that will surely impress those readers who can handle the threat. Perhaps I was not that reader, and the book made me more anxious than I would have liked. Again, it might have been too well done for me. I will still give it a 3.8 out of 5 stars (rounded up to 4 for Goodreads). This is (cautiously) recommend for those more daring than I am.
(I was given a copy of this book by the author through the TBRindr program in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you G.R. Matthews!)
Silent City by G.R. Matthews is a post-apocalyptic underwater sci-fi thriller. It wasn’t until I read this book that I realized just how claustrophobic I might be. This book showcased all the dangers that come with air-breathers living below the waves, and if it wasn’t bad enough that the main character (Colin Hayes) could drown, or suffocate, or find himself unable to escape from falling debris, or be caught in explosions or torpedo fire, there was the threat of gunfire, guards/soldiers with excellent combat skills, and more.
Hayes is a troubled man with a past that he is trying to avoid. The story is told from his first-person perspective as he seeks to discover the truth of what is going on around him. I would have liked a little more depth to his character, but I suspect that is unrealistic given how much time he spends alone with no interaction with others. Plus, given that this is the first book in a series it is likely that more will be revealed in later stories.
The science and world-building seemed well researched and very plausible, again perhaps too well done. As I mentioned earlier, this felt claustrophobic, which comes partly from the descriptions of the environment and the threats related to it. (The first person perspective heightened this sense even more, I suspect.)
I tend not to stray away from fantasy, but this was a quick, action-packed, intense sci-fi story that will surely impress those readers who can handle the threat. Perhaps I was not that reader, and the book made me more anxious than I would have liked. Again, it might have been too well done for me. I will still give it a 3.8 out of 5 stars (rounded up to 4 for Goodreads). This is (cautiously) recommend for those more daring than I am.
(I was given a copy of this book by the author through the TBRindr program in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you G.R. Matthews!)
October 1, 2018
This is a fun, noirish future with an interesting main character and an unusual setting (underwater cities, ftw -- we don't get enough underwater shenanigans). It's a quick read and the flaws are minor and don't really detract from enjoyment, so I recommend checking it out, especially if you like noir and detective stories, but want a SFF setting. Silent City will push those buttons for you.
July 25, 2022
I've read fiction for 30 years and what keeps me coming back is novelty. This had some intriguing turns and twists. Some of my favorites were: No long involved backstory to wade through; a man bullied (this is rare); the Fishsuits; steam as a weapon; and fallibility.
There were a few typos/misspellings in the second half (I spotted 5) but the flow was good with no other interruptions to the reader. In the middle it seemed to suffer from the 'infallible hero' syndrome but by the end that wasn't the case.
I am concerned about the lackadaisical approach to head trauma. By now, Corin will have serious concussion to deal with and probably brain damage. After all he's been through with alcoholism, multiple losses of consciousness, and what is likely to be a skull fracture in at least one case, this guy needs rest and medical care. As it is he's probably going to struggle a lot with headaches, decision making (oh wait), attention and concentration, memory, and potentially personality changes. Hey author! Enough multiple knocks to the head! Give him a fractured toe or something to deal with, he might live longer.
I liked it though, looking forward to reading the next book. Good job Mr Matthews.
There were a few typos/misspellings in the second half (I spotted 5) but the flow was good with no other interruptions to the reader. In the middle it seemed to suffer from the 'infallible hero' syndrome but by the end that wasn't the case.
I am concerned about the lackadaisical approach to head trauma. By now, Corin will have serious concussion to deal with and probably brain damage. After all he's been through with alcoholism, multiple losses of consciousness, and what is likely to be a skull fracture in at least one case, this guy needs rest and medical care. As it is he's probably going to struggle a lot with headaches, decision making (oh wait), attention and concentration, memory, and potentially personality changes. Hey author! Enough multiple knocks to the head! Give him a fractured toe or something to deal with, he might live longer.
I liked it though, looking forward to reading the next book. Good job Mr Matthews.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2018
What an interesting read. The main character, Corin, is a bit of a ne’er-do-well with a murky back story, but somehow I was always rooting for him. The setting was neat; it seems to be Earth in the future, after some catastrophe has made people move into habitats in the ocean, and Corin is sort of a specialised diver-mechanic that can go into more extreme conditions than most. He gets caught up into some very big, and not totally explained, political manoeuvring, tries to figure it out, and finds that things are much more complicated than he knew—and that’s the cliffhanger. I want to know what happens...
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through the TBRINDR database in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through the TBRINDR database in exchange for an honest review.
July 12, 2022
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MY OPINION:
Some Original thought, but boring. A really SHTOOPID BOOK!
Contains all the “right,” and most annoying, phrases and words:
“…We sat in the seats and chewed at some of the pickled seaweed and lab grown beef jerky, sipping a little of the water to wash it down.
Even has some “padded,” across a room, etc.
Other than that, this book REALLY STINKS !
Nobody with anything on their mind decorously “sips” ANYTHING !!
I started skipping whole pages. It did not seem to matter.
Ending is apparently resolved by exact same character as in another novel i just read— he just walks out of one novel into this here other one !!!
WHAT A DUMB BOOK !!
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MY OPINION:
Some Original thought, but boring. A really SHTOOPID BOOK!
Contains all the “right,” and most annoying, phrases and words:
“…We sat in the seats and chewed at some of the pickled seaweed and lab grown beef jerky, sipping a little of the water to wash it down.
Even has some “padded,” across a room, etc.
Other than that, this book REALLY STINKS !
Nobody with anything on their mind decorously “sips” ANYTHING !!
I started skipping whole pages. It did not seem to matter.
Ending is apparently resolved by exact same character as in another novel i just read— he just walks out of one novel into this here other one !!!
WHAT A DUMB BOOK !!
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September 7, 2018
Silent City is a thoroughly enjoyable book, and is definitely worth a look. The characterisation is a bit thin at the moment, and the plot seems to largely be set-up for later in the series, but for a first book in a series I'm willing to forgive a bit of mystery. Any flaws that the book may have are balanced out by some truly stellar worldbuilding, which combines all the griminess of cyberpunk with the majesty and terror of the sea. I'd be more than happy to continue the series.
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