Veteran authors James Swallow and Josh Reynolds team up for modern, high-tech thriller Day Zero from Aconyte Books, a prequel novel to the Watchdogs: Legion video game. Trouble is brewing in an alternative but worryingly believable London, with organised crime rife, private military contractor Albion muscling in on the Met, and hacker collective DedSec leading an underground resistance. Tensions begin to escalate when a spate of shootings rock the East End, and players from all sides – local government, DedSec, Albion, the brutal Clan Kelley crime family – step up their efforts, as a deeper mystery starts to come to light in the battle for control of the city.
The story revolves around four characters – Olly Soames, a slightly hapless bike messenger and new-ish recruit to DedSec; Sarah Lincoln, the ruthless MP for Tower Hamlets South; Ro Hayes, a low-ranking enforcer for Clan Kelley; and Ro’s brother Danny, ex-soldier and now working for Albion. Between them they offer multiple viewpoints on proceedings, from the political battle taking place over Albion’s role in the East End to various interested parties trying to dig out information on why the shootings happened, and who or what lies behind them. They’re all born-and-bred Londoners who – deep down, in some cases – want to see their city survive and thrive, despite their personal differences, and Swallow’s affection for his home city comes through clearly in their backgrounds, their relationships with London, and their determination to protect home, family or just their own interests.
Even without the shootings, this version of London is a battlefield for competing factions, populated by a mixture of hardened criminals, morally exempt soldiers, career politicians and regular folk caught up in the fight. Once the first shot is fired, the plot speeds up into a breakneck thrill ride of hacking camera feeds, hijacking drones, soldiers clashing with coppers, bold heists and dangerous political power plays, as Albion doubles down on its street presence while its various opponents scramble to fight back. It’s pacy and action-packed, but the characters are more than strong enough to carry the story, helping to explore themes of ambition at all costs, and the dangers of allowing too much power to fall into the hands of corporations, all of which are deeply relevant right now.
As much as this is a smart, gripping thriller, it clearly comes from a sci-fi angle, with all the high-powered hacker tools and smart AI-personalities (think Iron Man’s Jarvis but with added sarcasm for DedSec’s AI Bagley). There’s nothing here that doesn’t feel possible, whether in terms of tech, politics or economics, while it’s also a love letter to a changing but still recognisable London, from the shifting of power to the geography of its streets and buildings. It certainly doesn’t feel like a tie-in novel; fans of Watch Dogs will see the connections, but there’s no need to know anything about the game when the plot, setting and characters are all so much fun and so clearly depicted. It does a great job of suggesting a future that might yet come to pass – if you’re so inclined, it’s easy to see this as a warning – but it’s also just a lot of fun, and ultimately proves to be an effective combination of Swallow’s sense for tight plotting and Reynolds’ enviable touch with dialogue and character.
Many thanks to Aconyte Books, James Swallow and Josh Reynolds for a review copy of Day Zero, in exchange for my honest review.
See also: my interview with James Swallow and Josh Reynolds.
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