Pros: interesting mystery, varied characters, good pacing

Cons: lots of gore & disturbing descriptions

In a future where convicted criminals are lobotomized and have half their jaw removed a convicted serial killer halfhead has regained a sense of herself, over the mutilated body of the man she’s just killed. Assistant Network Director William Hunter has nightmares about the last time he visited Sherman House, the multi-storied residence where he fought during the VR riots. He’s not happy returning to Sherman House now, to investigate the second gruesome murder in the building that week. Something’s not right with Sherman House, and Hunter’s digging threatens to expose something that powerful people want kept quiet. Something involving the work done by a certain halfhead killer.

If you’re squeamish, this is not the book for you. In many ways it reminded me of the original Robocop film, only without the black humour. There’s a lot of blood, guts, and some truly disturbing descriptions of violence. Though, I will say that you don’t get much graphic violence (ie, most of it is descriptions after the events have happened, rather than first person views of the violence itself). The characters all take quite a number of literal beatings. There’s also mention of torture, but no descriptions.

The mystery is interesting. The halfhead’s story is terrifying. William’s a great character, and I enjoyed seeing him break the rules to get to the bottom of what was going on. I really liked Jo as well. She’s spunky with a crazy fashion sense. Emily kept making me think of Emily Blunt, partly because of her name and partly because of her military kickass character in Edge of Tomorrow. Brian’s accent caused me some issues, but I liked seeing him helping William out as a friend.

While I enjoyed aspects of the book, I don’t think I’d reread it, simply because I had to work hard not to let any of the visual imagery give me nightmares. A few scenes were quite disturbing and I wouldn’t want to revisit them. The ending alone was kind of terrifying. While this isn’t technically a military SF book, there’s enough military style action to please lovers of that sub-genre. Similarly if you like mysteries or serial killers, this might be for you. ( )

A very grim near-future that is all too possible. I could have done without the hyper-detailed insight into the psychopathic mind, but it's very well written and a great story. I'm even going to read the sequel, maybe with one eye closed. ( )

First Line: There's blood everywhere.

I've been known to warn folks that, if they have a low tolerance for gore, they might want to give MacBride's Logan McRae mystery series a miss. That warning would go quadruple for halfhead, a novel set in Glasgow, Scotland in the near future. It's a future firmly based in today's events, but I pray that it never comes to pass. Here's the synopsis from the back of the book:

"They call them halfheads: Convicted criminals, surgically mutilated and lobotomised by the State, then sent out do menial jobs in the community so everyone will know what happens when you break the law. There are no appeals, no reprieves, and no one ever comes back. Until now.

" Dr Fiona Westfield, one of the most prolific serial killers Glasgow has ever seen, is waking up. Surrounded by blood and death and darkness. And she wants revenge.

"William Hunter has risen through the ranks since putting Westfield away; now he's Assistant Network Director, in charge of tech-crimes and police actions. Then a routine murder investigation uncovers an appalling conspiracy.

" The vast connurb blocks on Glasgow's deprived south side are about to explode: eleven years ago the VR riots killed millions - now someone wants to start them all over again. And Will is being dragged back into a past he desperately wants to forget."

See what I mean? This world isn't pretty. Not even close. It's a world of Compressed Urban Habitation in which as many people as possible are crammed in as small a living space as possible. It's a world where the masses are kept tractable by continuous feeds of VR-- virtual reality. There are high tech weapons and high tech transportation, and lots of crime.

Even without reading about this book on MacBride's website, I would've known that this is his first novel, and that the Logan McRae mysteries that I love came later. Why? The plot and the action are very good, but the gore factor is so over the top that one scene in particular made me ill (and I'm not squeamish). The characters show depth, but MacBride's trademark twisted, dark sense of humor feels as though it's slipped a gear; it just doesn't quite work. Perhaps it was because the tone of the book was so unrelentingly grim and horrific, but I barely cracked a smile at the humorous bits, let alone laughed out loud.

Although the various elements don't always work smoothly, I did find halfhead fascinating for its view of what the future may hold, and for the simple fight of good against evil. However, if you're not in the mood for a huge slab of tough, extremely rare steak, I'd leave this one alone and stick with MacBride's Logan McRae books. ( )

Glasgow in the not too distant future. Thousands disillusioned with reality turning to Virtual Reality. Violence. Serial Killings. Halfheads are lobotomised criminals now turned into robotic slaves, except one who has come back. A tale of power, government secrets, technology, corruption, killing... this book has it all. Would make an excellent, 18 rated, Spielberg movie! ( )

Stuart MacBride is the author of the Logan McRae series of Scottish thrillers, but he has added an initial to his name (a la Iain Banks) and struck out in a new direction with the tense and visceral Halfhead.

Halfhead is set in the near future in a world which has started to break down. The poorer elements of society are confined to massive communal blocks and many of them spend their time plugged into Virtual Reality. In order to deter crime, people convicted of serious crimes are forcibly lobotomised by the state, along with the removal of their lower jawbone, sexual organs and other identifying features. These zombie-like halfheads are then set to work in municipal buildings, where they can be seen by all.

One such halfhead is Dr. Fiona Westfield. A prolific serial killer, she was lobotomised, but 6 years later, she regains her mind and starts to kill again, but this time in the guise of an anonymous halfhead. She is seeking vengeance from Will Hunter, the Network operative who captured her but Hunter, still haunted by Westfield and his part in the VR wars, is on the trail of another series of apparently unrelated killings. However, the terrible web that Westfield wove in her earlier life soon ensnares them all.

MacBride has created a horribly wonderful vision of Glasgow in the future. High tech machines and weaponry litter the pages, yet the real focus is on the people. He has managed to marry the serial killer genre and futuristic sci-fi with aplomb. My only gripe would be with the fundamental concept and reasons for creating the halfheads - I can't believe that any society would do such a thing. But putting that aside, I was truly trapped by this gritty, gory story. Word of warning, it's not for the faint of heart. ( )