Gridlinked b. Neal Asher

I was about to say that it had been a long time since I had read a cyberpunk novel, but then I just recalled that I had read "Kiln People." I won't try to compare the two however, because one leans heavily on it's Gumshoe detective while "Gridlinked" leans half upon it's James Bond-like hero, half upon the wonderous world of technology. In this book, human beings and technology's relationship are intertwined. Humans have augs and implants which allow them to have instant and constant, internet-style access to data and others. Humans are also capable of modifying their looks to reflect animal-like features. Of course there are the starships and the wicked assualt weapons that are ussually included inside of good science fiction, but where this book stands apart for me, involves the amount of brutality in this piece. Its not a total blood bath, but the acts of violence are poignent and calculated almost with a mechanical emotionless manner. The main character, Ian Cormac, has been gridlinked (hooked into augs) for so long that his human characteristics are slim to none. The best at what he does as a lawman, his list of enemies is not only long but includes something far greater than the usual rebels and criminals. When a transporter (runcible) is destroyed and the inhabitants of a planet are wiped out, Ian is sent to investigate. Without his aug and detached from the information grid upon which he has been linked into for over 30 years, Ian is forced to rely on his less than reliable humanity to confront not just the mystery of the accident, but a villian with a vendetta to score and ...something very godlike.

A good read if you like your scifi to have a harder, sleeker edge to it. I really enjoyed it.