It's hard to believe that the author only graduated from college two years ago. Okay, so he went to Reed College, which is an exceptionally good school, but still.
Here's what I liked about it: there is an aura of authenticity that is not often present. It is possible that I'm being bamboozled, since there's lots of stuff about guns, real specific stuff about magazine capacity and specific bullets and such. I know as little as is possible to know about guns and being awake in the current era. But I suspect he has it all right.
The entire milieu that this novel takes place in is one that few of us will be personally acquainted with, but there were no red flags for me. Then, I've never lived in Atlantic City nor ever been to Kuala Lumpur, which is the other location where much of the story takes place. It's possible I've missed something, but somehow I doubt it.
Let me explain myself just a little bit more on the "aura of authenticity" as I see it. I'm a reasonable fan of historical fiction. Unfortunately, about 90 percent of what's out there is simply 20th or 21st century people dressed up in old clothes. Fully modern attitudes and ideas, but the surrounding countryside is France in 1789, or Boston in 1835 or whatever. It's very annoying.
One novel I like to recommend is "Guns of the South" by Harry Turtledove. People from the 21st century go back to 1862 (63? I forget which) and arm the Confederacy with AK47s. It's science fiction. But the 19th century people are fully realized, totally believable 19th century people. That's at least in part because Turtledove started out as a historian, so he gets his facts, including how people thought and behaved back then, absolutely right.
Anyway, I wholeheartedly recommend "Ghostman" to anyone who finds the set up at all interesting.
I can hardly wait for his next novel.
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