You never know with sequels… Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about this one – Dircks’ second in the Tesla series delivers every bit as well as the first (and if you haven’t seen that review, look for it – I rave like a fangirl, teehee).
Chip and Pete and Bobo and Julie and Nikola are back – but not only are they back, they’re back with a vengeance. The new adventure is even more madcap, yet still oddly relatable, than the first; somehow, Dircks’ has this fantastic ability to take these guys that should, by rights, irritate the hell out of me (in real life, they would – Chip would be beyond irritating and Pete too perfect by half) and make me love them and cheer for them and hope beyond hope that they’ll keep coming back for more…
The new additions to the cast – from a sanctimonious by-the-book FBI agent who turns out to have hidden depths, to a demigod cockroach with the soul of Mr. Miyagi and the voice/attitude of your best friend’s Uncle Geno, to Einstein in all his wild-haired Teutonic glory – provide a slew of new opportunities for fabulously crafted snark and pratfalls. Oh, and surprisingly spot-on insights into the human condition that are delicately layered throughout in ways that you don’t even notice until they’re past you and the lesson is learned. And it’s all delivered in the same balls-to-the-wall writing style that made the first book so entertaining.
There doesn’t appear to be any mention of a third installment – I really hope that’s oversight, because these characters and this world are too good to let go so soon…
My review copy was provided by SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America) through NetGalley. Check them out – they have some seriously talented writers!
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