This Eden is a smart modern-day adventure reminiscent of both the cyber noir novels of William Gibson and the golden age of espionage fiction.
‘An incredibly fast-paced literary thriller, tricksy & crammed with ideas, beautifully written, occupying its own unique territory somewhere between Graham Greene & William Gibson’ Kevin Power
Ever felt like you were living in a dystopian tech thriller? That’s because you are… Michael is out of his depth. The closest he ever came to working in tech was when he rode a delivery bike for a food app in Vancouver. Yet when his coder girlfriend dies, he is inexplicably headhunted by sinister tech mogul Campbell Fess, who transplants him to Silicon Valley. There, a reluctant female spy named Aoife lures him into the hands of Towse, an enigmatic war-gamer, who tricks them both into joining his quest to save the world, and reality itself, from the deadliest weapon ever invented.
Hunted by government agents and corporate goons, manipulated at every turn by the philosophising Towse, Aoife and Michael find themselves in an intercontinental chase which will take them from California to New York, from the forests of Uganda to Jerusalem, Gaza, Alexandria and Paris, and to a final showdown with the truth in Aoife’s native Ireland.
Fast-moving, exhilarating and tense, This Eden is both a classic spy novel and speculative fiction for the here and the now. O’Loughlin adapts the propulsive thriller form to create a sharp yet passionate account of a world under mortal threat from cyber-warfare, feral money, runaway technology, and a cynical onslaught on truth itself.
‘An incredibly fast-paced literary thriller, tricksy & crammed with ideas, beautifully written, occupying its own unique territory somewhere between Graham Greene & William Gibson’ Kevin Power
Ever felt like you were living in a dystopian tech thriller? That’s because you are… Michael is out of his depth. The closest he ever came to working in tech was when he rode a delivery bike for a food app in Vancouver. Yet when his coder girlfriend dies, he is inexplicably headhunted by sinister tech mogul Campbell Fess, who transplants him to Silicon Valley. There, a reluctant female spy named Aoife lures him into the hands of Towse, an enigmatic war-gamer, who tricks them both into joining his quest to save the world, and reality itself, from the deadliest weapon ever invented.
Hunted by government agents and corporate goons, manipulated at every turn by the philosophising Towse, Aoife and Michael find themselves in an intercontinental chase which will take them from California to New York, from the forests of Uganda to Jerusalem, Gaza, Alexandria and Paris, and to a final showdown with the truth in Aoife’s native Ireland.
Fast-moving, exhilarating and tense, This Eden is both a classic spy novel and speculative fiction for the here and the now. O’Loughlin adapts the propulsive thriller form to create a sharp yet passionate account of a world under mortal threat from cyber-warfare, feral money, runaway technology, and a cynical onslaught on truth itself.
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Reviews
An incredibly fast-paced literary thriller, tricksy & crammed with ideas, beautifully written, occupying its own unique territory somewhere between Graham Greene & William Gibson
Sharp, witty and so well-written, with a plot that intrigues till the end. The Thirty-Nine Steps for the modern age.
This Eden is a delight, a rollicking ride that never lets up, with a surprising - and emotionally rich - ending. And if that were the sum of it, This Eden would be a terrific read. But, as readers of O'Loughlin's Giller-nominated, multifaceted historical mystery Minds of Winter might have guessed, there is much more to the novel than that'
Like a Tesla carjacked by William S. Burroughs, beneath its cool, sleek prose This Eden teems with ideas, wit and invention. A wild ride that hurtles from Vancouver to Jordan to Paris, from a chimpanzee sanctuary in Uganda to the dark pools of the high-frequency traders where money itself seems on the point of coming alive, Ed O'Loughlin's new novel is a searing depiction of a world teetering on the brink of technological abyss, a rallying cry for those who want to save it, and an exhilarating, bleeding-edge thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Its like Jason Bourne meets John Le Carré, but the sense that it could be terrifyingly real never leaves.
Feral money is gnawing at the vitals of this timely but quirky cyberthriller by Ed O'Loughlin, a former Booker nominee.
Determinedly original
A sophisticated literary thriller, it is written with super-cool elegance and a keen eye for detail reminiscent of the best of William Gibson. Manipulated by the mysterious, philosophising Towse, Aoife and Michael must keep moving, warned to stay off -grid or be captured by the sinister agents pursuing them for reasons Towse is not ready to disclose. They manage to get from California through Africa to Israel, and then to Europe for the final showdown in Dublin. This is a breathtaking, memorable adventure with a serious heart.
Wonderfully intriguing
A glorious blend of spy novel and speculative fiction, the kind of book that sends the reader tumbling down rabbit holes to explore surreal scenarios that are chillingly plausible.
Gripping... The threat to global stability here is an unholy amalgamation of AI and cryptocurrency, and O'Loughlin salts the action with big ideas and keeps the pace from flagging
An unsettling thriller that treads in the digital footsteps of William Gibson's intricate worldview of spies, global conspiracies and rampant technology . . . O'Loughlin has a unique voice that keeps you on edge throughout.
This Eden brings spying up to date, with high frequency trading bots running amok and a cryptocurrency playing havoc with online financial systems.
This novel is like the lovechild of Graham Greene and Philip K Dick, and it's impossible to do it justice in a short review. It's an ingenious mix of espionage and dystopian fiction, generously sprinkled with clever literary allusions.
A brilliant international cyber-thriller that's smart, funny and, as it turns out, remarkably timely.