It's not enough for dark fiction just to be grim. It must have soul. It must be animated by a core message that gives the grit a purpose. KOP is not a perfect book; some of its characters are predictable, two-dimensional villains who offer the reader little more than a sense of revulsion. But what it lacks in style it more than makes up for in moxie, in intelligence, and in dark vitality.
In the 28th century, humans have gone to the stars, spreading themselves across numerous worlds. Lagarto, a tropical planet, is one of the most impoverished of these colonies. Economic miscalculations have sent its citizens spiraling into soul-crushing destitution. Many of them haven't even the funds to get off-world, to the orbitals, where the most paltry fare would be, for the Lagartians, an inconceivable delicacy. Consequently, Lagartian society has lost its grip on the rule of law and allowed civil society to devolve into a vicious game of every one for themselves, a rat race for the last scraps of food and shelter. Enter our antihero, Juno, an aging police officer who, long ago, made a pact with his best friend, Paul Chang, now the police chief of the capital city, to clean up their streets regardless of the physical and moral costs. All these years on, though, and it seems to Juno that their efforts have been in vane. They may have saved some people from the cruel gangs who devour Koba's streets, but they've only treated the symptoms; they haven't cured the disease. Now, tired of the fight and lonely in his marriage, Juno is sent out by his best friend to solve a case he's not supposed to solve. Further complicating matters is Maggie Orzo, an idealistic cop who is Juno's partner on this case. The daughter of a rich family, her sights set on reforming Lagarto with the light of justice, she has no time for Paul Chang and the corruption of his administration. Will the investigation change her mind and make her see the world through Juno's cynical eyes, or will he be the one who is forced to make changes?
Though KOP is, at root, a mystery, the murder investigation is easily its weakest component. There's nothing particularly wrong with the case; rather, life on brutal Lagarto has three times its intensity. The scenery is grippingly noir, with not a hero or a savior in sight. What's more, Mr. Hammond has committed himself, here, to a heartfelt examination of what life is like when one is the exploited, not the exploiter. Strip away the science fiction, the otherworldliness, and Lagarto could be any of a dozen colonialized countries, trying to wriggle out from under the boot of their imperial masters. However, KOP's best feature, by far, is its earnest depiction of the consequences of poverty and the myriad ways it coerces good people into the darkness where, slowly, their will to be honest and true is sapped from them. Juno's marriage is a powerful example of the cost he pays for trying to do what he considers to be the right thing. And though Mr. Hammond is a bit overwrought here, the price Juno must pay is simply too high for anyone to endure. Flawed but eminently engaging on numerous levels. (3/5 Stars)
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