Chloe Gong (Our Violent Ends) delivers a fractured not-too-distant future in her electric, visionary dystopian cyberpunk trilogy opener, Coldwire.
Catastrophic climate disasters and rapidly mutating pandemics have forced most of the world's population to live virtually in "upcountry"--a computer-generated reality run by the corporate juggernaut NileCorp--while the less privileged remain "downcountry" in the deteriorating real world. In addition, the two most powerful nations, Atahua and Medaluo, are locked in a cold war. Eirale, a corporate soldier for NileCorp and Medan by birth, is stationed in downcountry, where she is framed for a crime and forced to work with "Atahua's most wanted anarchist" to prove her innocence. Lia, a Medan adopted by an Atahuan family, is a graduate of Atahua's military academy and must prove her merit in her final assignment: tracking down an Atahuan traitor in upcountry. Eirale's and Lia's missions converge around an AI program that could upend the countries' power balance and challenge the boundary between what's real and what isn't.
Gong shares a glimpse into a possible stark future through Lia's and Eirale's alternating perspectives, spotlighting child exploitation and corporate influence on government while discussing the complexity of relationships with social media and AI. Gong's well-thought-out world is complex and layered, giving rise to nuanced conversations about identity and otherness, whether that's related to a Medan not being Atahuan enough or a cadet feeling disconnected from reality. She also deftly poses questions about users' right to privacy, survival under capitalism, and resource equity. This high-stakes dystopian thriller is a cinematic blend of cyberpunk, political intrigue, and sharp social commentary. --Lana Barnes, freelance reviewer and proofreader