Street Freaks

In a future both advanced and hauntingly familiar, Ash Collins lives a sheltered life. Ash is then stunned when he receives an emergency message from his dad, warning him to flee immediately and head for a dangerous part of the city, the Red Zone. As Ash scrambles to escape trigger-happy security forces, his only hope is to reach Street Freaks, a hot-rod shop with plenty of secrets to hide.

Street Freaks offers tantalizing glimpses of a very broken world, particularly the Red Zone, which is given just enough detail to be intriguing. But the characters are where the novel comes alive. The street freaks are all fascinating characters, each rich and complete, while the protagonist feels staggeringly one-note; his romantic obsession and irrationality quickly shift from naive to cloying and irritating as his fumbling attempts to court the object of his desires prove to be as relentless as they are charmless.

In short, this is a book you read in spite of the main character, not because of him. The world is sharp, the supporting cast is a thousand times more engaging and interesting, and the numerous strong capable female characters feel hampered by this throwback, pathetic protagonist.