I’m ready to go back to the 2010s dystopian era! Coldwire gives nostalgic vibes while also bringing a unique take and some signature Gong twists! It was everything I hoped and if you love dystopia, this has to be on your TBR! Keep reading this book review of Coldwire for my full thoughts.
Summary
The future is loading…
To escape rising seas and rampant epidemics, most of society lives “upcountry” in glistening virtual reality, while those who can’t afford the subscription are forced to remain in crumbling “downcountry.”
But upcountry isn’t perfect. A cold war rages between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahua—and no one suffers for it more than the Medan orphans in Atahua. Their enrollment at Nile Military Academy is mandatory. Either serve as a soldier or risk being labelled a spy.
Eirale graduated the academy and joined NileCorp’s private forces downcountry, exactly as she was supposed to. Then Atahua’s most wanted anarchist frames her for assassinating a government official, and she’s given a choice: cooperate with him to search for a dangerous program in Medaluo or go down for treason.
Meanwhile, Lia is finishing her last year upcountry at Nile Military Academy. Paired with her academic nemesis for their final assignment, Lia is determined to beat him for valedictorian and prove her worth. But there may be far more at stake when their task to infiltrate Medaluo and track down an Atahuan traitor goes wrong…
Though Eirale and Lia tear through Medaluo on different planes of reality, the two start to suspect they are puzzle pieces in a larger conspiracy—and the closer they get to the truth, the closer their worlds come to a shattering collision.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I loved the world of Coldwire. Coldwire is a dystopian take on artificial intelligence, corporate societies of concentrated power, and virtual worlds. It feels detailed and futuristic while also echoing conversations we are having now. I think that’s one of the beauties of dystopian literature: their ability to bridge the present with the potentials – and pitfalls – of the future. Virtual becomes reality. And when our reality becomes virtual, what’s real anymore? Suffice it to say, I deeply enjoyed the science fiction and cyberpunk element of Coldwire. But even more so, I loved the conversations Gong has about identity in the future.
It’s a world where corporate and country loyalties clash. A world where we can be exploited for our time, our labor, our efforts, but also our identity. Where orphans are fuel in this corporate system of espionage, betrayal, and double crossing. For them, there’s this added layer of betrayal of our own diasporic home and this fragile and fraught connection. I deeply enjoyed the exploration of home and identity in Coldwire. In many ways, Coldwire and corporate – key in also country espionage – becomes a lens to discuss the ways in which we can feel like imposters in our own world. The ways in which when we move or are displaced, we feel this sense of betrayal and not feeling at home, feeling surveilled.
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To pivot here to the characters, I enjoyed these dual character duos of Lia and Eirale. For fans of rivals to lovers and also enemies to lovers, rejoice! We see the ways in which the lines change and the impacts of propaganda and the right perspective changes everything. Who would we be if situations were reversed? If we had made a different choice? Major admiration to the twists and turns, the betrayals and politics in Coldwire for Gong. There’s so much I’d love to discuss, but you know I’ll save it for book two!
Find Coldwire on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.