Looks promising. Some characters are a bit silly (especially the bodyguard), it all seems like a comic book. Feels a bit padded - this is definitely a short story and should've been kept compact. ( )

Reviewed at The Hungry Monster Book Review

Artemis Bridge is a man with connections. He’s the guy who knows a guy and he sells his connections to those that have a need and the cash. He’s an ex hacker turned legitimate business man (there’s nothing illegal about introducing two people). He operates in the grey market unwilling to get his hands dirty. He thinks fast and talks fast, but when he’s given a damaging video that puts him in the crosshairs of the most powerful men in the city very few of his connections are willing to help him. Bridge must get his hands dirty; doing things he swore never to do again, and in the process he learns who his real friends are, who he really is, and who really runs Los Angeles.

The first thing you’ll notice about Under the Amoral Bridge is the concise and witty language that’s used to develop the character of Artemis Bridge which serves to deliver a clear vision of the characters motivations and world view. The clever writing is not just in narration or internal dialogue, but the banter between characters is some of the more subtly humorous and engaging writing that I’ve read in a while. The novel is fairly short and a quick read, I believe it’s the product of a serialization. If I’m forced to stop praising the succinct writing my only negative comment would be with the ending of the novel which seemed a bit muddled and rushed with the resolution delivered in the last chapter. Which I don’t dislike for any kind of literary principal, it’s just in this case the ‘facts’ were vaguely defined. Even the revelation of the facts were delivered a little too easily making it a little too unbelievable as they were simply told to Bridge by someone that spent the entire novel trying to keep Bridge from finding out too much. But in the end the ending didn’t live up to expectations because the novel succeeded so well in telling an awesome story.
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Reviewed at The Hungry Monster Book Review

Artemis Bridge is a man with connections. He’s the guy who knows a guy and he sells his connections to those that have a need and the cash. He’s an ex hacker turned legitimate business man (there’s nothing illegal about introducing two people). He operates in the grey market unwilling to get his hands dirty. He thinks fast and talks fast, but when he’s given a damaging video that puts him in the crosshairs of the most powerful men in the city very few of his connections are willing to help him. Bridge must get his hands dirty; doing things he swore never to do again, and in the process he learns who his real friends are, who he really is, and who really runs Los Angeles.

The first thing you’ll notice about Under the Amoral Bridge is the concise and witty language that’s used to develop the character of Artemis Bridge which serves to deliver a clear vision of the characters motivations and world view. The clever writing is not just in narration or internal dialogue, but the banter between characters is some of the more subtly humorous and engaging writing that I’ve read in a while. The novel is fairly short and a quick read, I believe it’s the product of a serialization. If I’m forced to stop praising the succinct writing my only negative comment would be with the ending of the novel which seemed a bit muddled and rushed with the resolution delivered in the last chapter. Which I don’t dislike for any kind of literary principal, it’s just in this case the ‘facts’ were vaguely defined. Even the revelation of the facts were delivered a little too easily making it a little too unbelievable as they were simply told to Bridge by someone that spent the entire novel trying to keep Bridge from finding out too much. But in the end the ending didn’t live up to expectations because the novel succeeded so well in telling an awesome story.
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My original Under the Amoral Bridge audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Under The Amoral Bridge is the first novella in the Bridge Chronicles, a series of four books so far. Set in LA in 2028, it introduces Artemis Bridge, who is the guy who knows a guy. He is a kind of facilitator in the shady underworld who connects people for a small fee without actually touching anything illegal himself. Artemis is the amoral anti-hero of the story, but I essentially found him to be likable and amusing. He employs a bodyguard but quite happily accepts a beating because he doesn't pay the bodyguard enough to fight for him. He has a genius hacker ex-girlfriend for whom he still harbors feelings, though he wouldn't admit it.

I know absolutely nothing about cyberpunk. This was my first book in this subgenre, but to me Under The Amoral Bridge was simply an exciting thriller with a futuristic setting.

It's a very quick listen, only 4 hours, so I don't want to give any of the plot away, but there's a political angle to it, corruption and shady dealings, assassins and fights. Overall, a very entertaining listen. I thought the side characters were particularly strong. I loved philosophical Aristotle, the bodyguard, and the hacker girlfriend was a great basis for explaining all the techno stuff while also showing Artemis' softer side.

Joe Hempel's narration was very good. Excellent pacing and very clear voices. He emotes really well and I thought his smooth tone was very fitting for Artemis. There were no issues with the production.

I would recommend Under The Amoral Bridge to any listener who enjoys fast paced thrillers or action-packed science fiction, and for me as a complete novice, it was certainly an engaging introduction to cyber punk.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator. ( )

Cyber-punk, near-future sci-fi, urban-sci-fi, any one of those terms could describe Under the Amoral Bridge by Gary A. Ballard. It could also be described as a good yarn featuring an ambiguous, yet relatable, main character.

The plot centers around Artemis Bridge, a slightly shady go-between who can get you what you want, be it illegal or immoral. It is business as usual until one of his deals goes sour and he finds himself with killers on his tail and in possession of information he doesn’t want.

The book is a fairly standard cyber-punk sci-fi novel, but it does have a nice touch of nihilistic cynicism set in a scruffy, corrupt future. The characters are well-rounded, with the focal character neither heroic nor completely indifferent; he is just a guy trying to get himself out of a bad situation in one piece. Also, the author does do a splendid job of painting his future world, a gritty, dark place full of people turned jaded, corrupt or apathetic. The book isn’t perfect, though; the review copy had a few formatting mistakes and typos, if nothing major or overly distracting, but the novel itself was worth ignoring a few errors.

Under the Amoral Bridge started life on the blogs as serial fiction, but it translates well to book form and it is a satisfying, entertaining read. ( )