Hammered

I’ll be honest: *Hammered* took me two chapters to fully lock into, but once it did, it *hammered* me (pun intended) into submission. Bear’s world is a masterclass in *lived-in* futurism—no shiny spaceships here, just the rusted-out husk of a Connecticut turned feral, where corporate wars and street gangs bleed into each other. Jenny Casey is the kind of protagonist I’d follow into hell: a woman whose body is a patchwork of military upgrades and whose loyalty is a commodity she doles out in bullet-sized increments. The plot’s a high-stakes game of espionage and revenge, but it’s the *details* that gut-punch you—like Jenny’s cybernetic knee acting up mid-fight, or the way she sizes up a room like it’s a kill zone. Hoyos’ narration is *almost* perfect. Her Jenny is a growl wrapped in a smirk, and she nails the dry, dark humor that keeps the story from drowning in its own bleakness. My only gripe? The pacing stumbles in the middle during a few overly technical tangents (yes, we get it, the nanotech is cool, but *move*). And while Hoyos’ accent work is solid, a few secondary characters blur together in crowded scenes. Still, the audio production is crisp, with no distracting edits—just the kind of tight, no-nonsense delivery this story demands. If you love your sci-fi with teeth, a heroine who’s her own worst weapon, and a world that feels like it’s already rotting around the edges, this is your next listen. Just don’t blame me if you start eyeing alleyways differently afterward.