The Heist of Hollow London

Tense, twisty, and thoughtful, this futuristic heist tale from Robson (Drunk on All Your Strange New Words) sets an impressive thrill ride against the backdrop of a crumbling and corrupt dystopia. In the future, corporations create clones of executives intended to serve as “spare parts” should the need arise. To pay back the cost of their creation, these “mades” are indentured in myriad positions within their companies. When one of the world’s largest corporations, Oakseed, unexpectedly goes bust, all of its assets are scheduled for decommission, destruction, or sale. Mia Ostrander, a former developer for Oakseed, buys a handful of the company’s mades, including brand ambassador Arlo, security officer Nadi, and IT specialist Loren, and presents them with a bold plan: to steal a digital Coyne, “a type of anonymized, untraceable data storage device” worth $80 million, from a soon-to-be-decommissioned facility. If they succeed, they’ll all be able to buy their freedom. But security is tight, someone’s always watching, and that much money is enough to tempt anyone. This unlikely crew of clones will risk everything and, in the process, discover what they’re truly made of. Explorations of identity, commodification, and exploitation run throughout the narrative, which toggles between the crew’s multiple perspectives as they scheme their way toward victory. This works on every level. (Sept.)