If you could re-create a day, what dark secrets would you uncover?
From New York Times number-one best-selling author Brandon Sanderson comes a detective thriller in a police beat like no other.
Anthony Davis and his partner, Chaz, are the only real people in a city of 20 million, sent there by court order to find out what happened in the real world 10 days ago so that hidden evidence can be brought to light and located in the real city today.
Within the re-created Snapshot of May 1, Davis and Chaz are the ultimate authorities. Flashing their badges will get them past any obstruction and overrule any civil right of the dupes around them. But the crimes the detectives are sent to investigate seem like drudgery – until they stumble upon the grisly results of a mass killing that the precinct headquarters orders them not to investigate. That’s one order they have to refuse.
The hunt is on. And though the dupes in the replica city have no future once the Snapshot is turned off, that doesn’t mean that both Davis and Chaz will walk out of it alive tonight.
Detectives on the prowl with a Bladerunner/Minority Report aftertaste Sanderson is his usual convoluted self in this near-future detective story. There are multiple twists, layers of meaning, some plot devices you see coming and some that you don’t. I can’t say I enjoyed this as much as The Emperor’s Soul or other shorter works by Sanderson, but it is interesting and thought-provoking. If you’re a fan or a completionist, it’s definitely worth getting.Â
Sanderson is a magician. Sanderson is a magician. He shows you one thing and you think you are so smart and have it all figured out because it is definitely Cornel Mustard in the conservatory with the Candlestick but then BAM POW he does that writing magic that he does and it is amazing and you should have seen it all along but it was Doby in the Quiddich Pitch with a love potion, who knew.Â
Just What I Wanted I’m a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson, and this short story is exactly why I love his work. Beautifully conceived places, immersive story and intriguing relationships between people. The technology is fascinating, well thought out and has limitations that makes sense. This is what I expect from a Sanderson novel, and it’s exactly what was delivered.