Of The Apocalypse, Salvation and Death

Dive Deep To Find Truths You May Not Want To Know

Midnight, Water City by Chris McKinney (2021) – Forty years ago, an asteroid threatened Earth with destruction. It was Akira Kimura that identified and then neutralized the threat, making her the savior of humanity. When she feels threatened, she calls on her former bodyguard/friend for help. Upon arriving, he discovers that someone brutally murdered her. But something isn’t right, and he is drawn into the search for the answers. Answers that will make him question everything he believed to be true, and that belief led him to do terrible things.

Why I Liked It – An unusual blend of science fiction and detective murder mystery with a lead character with a unique ability to see murder.

Set in a future where climate change has made most of the land on the planet unfit for habitation, the story is told first person by an unnamed narrator. He is the former bodyguard for Kimura, now an eerily effective murder detective. That strange ability is because he is both red/green colorblind, and has an unusual form of synesthesia. With synesthesia, you sense things in two different fashions. Some folks will hear music and see it as colors. For our narrator, music that he finds profound is red. But murder is green, and death is red as well. The colors float before his eyes, leading him to the remnants of the violence. It’s an ability he’s never discussed because he knows people will think he’s insane. That’s a possibility that has crossed his mind as well.

McKinney creates a world where most of humanity is living on or under the planet’s oceans. The wealthiest few, what he calls “The Money”, live the deepest. Water City is a series of massive, inverted skyscrapers. It creates a claustrophobic atmosphere for the story. The book itself is an interesting mix, part post-apocalyptic science fiction, part noir detective story. There was a strong resemblance to the world of the movie “Blade Runner.” There are wheels within wheels. Society has become an open technological oligarchy, and no one considers even the possibility that Kimura’s salvation of humanity may not be what it appears. The world’s hero had secrets. Personal, deadly secrets.</p>

This is a fascinating book that received boatloads of critical praise when it came. I didn’t know till the end that it’s intended to be the first book of a trilogy. “Eventide, Water City” hit bookshelves a couple weeks ago (July, 2023). McKinney is a solid writer and excellent story teller. The narrator doesn’t get many straight line clues to follow, and the author weaves them beautifully. It’s tough, and grim as a noir style detective novel should be.If you’re looking for something a little different, “Midnight, Water City” may be just what you want.