Dead Man Dreaming

I’ll be honest: I’ve listened to a *lot* of cyberpunk audiobooks, and *Dead Man Dreaming* stands out because it refuses to romanticize its own griminess. Roland Tankowicz isn’t a chosen one or a brooding genius—he’s a guy who’s good at violence, bad at quitting, and stuck in a city that chews up people like him for breakfast. Vaillencourt’s writing shines in the details: the way Dockside’s underbelly feels like a character itself, the way fights aren’t just action sequences but desperate, messy scrambles for survival. The plot unfolds like a bloodstained treasure map, with enough twists to keep you guessing but never so convoluted that you lose the thread. Now, the narration: Jay Ben Markson is *perfect* for this role. His delivery has this world-weary rasp that makes even the most mundane lines feel like they’re delivered from the bottom of a glass. The pacing is tight, though I’ll admit the middle act drags just a touch—there’s a stretch where the cat-and-mouse game between Tankowicz and the killer starts to feel repetitive, like the story is spinning its wheels before the final act. And while the sound design is mostly excellent, a few of the ambient effects (like distant sirens) occasionally clash with Markson’s dialogue, forcing me to rewind once or twice. But these are quibbles. By the time the last chapter hits, you’ll be as invested in Tankowicz’s survival as he is—which, given his track record, is saying something. If you’re craving a cyberpunk thriller with teeth, this one bites back.