Cyber Mage

Written by Saad Z Hossain

Narrated by Fajer Al-Kaisi

Welcome to Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2089. A city notorious for its extreme population density has found an unexpected way to not just survive a global climate apocalypse, but thrive: pump enough biological nanotech into the neighborhood and all of the bodies together form a self-sustaining, and even temperate, microclimate. Of course, this means that millions of humans have to stay put in order to maintain a livable temperature, and people are getting restless. All of the nanotech has also led to some surprises: certain people no longer need food or water while others can live without functioning organs.

So the mercenary Djibrel has to carry a machete wherever he goes. Only a swift beheading can ensure the job gets done anymore. Djibrel navigates the crowded streets, humans teeming with genetic mutations, looking for answers about what happened to the Djinn, a magical super race of genies who seem to have disappeared, or merged, with humans for survival. What Djibrel doesn’t know is that his every move is being tracked by the infamous Cyber Mage—better known to his parents as Murzak, a privileged snarky teenager who regularly works for a Russian crime syndicate with a band of elite hackers, like his best friend ReGi, who resides in North Africa’s FEZ (Free Economic Zone). Respected and feared online, Murzak is about to embark on one of his biggest challenges: attending high school IRL. But when he discovers a brand new type of AI, operating on a dark web from the abandoned Kingdom of Bahrain that he thought was just an urban myth, Murzak and Djibrel will have to face the unimaginable in an already inconceivable world.

In this laugh-out-loud-funny and totally original new novel, Saad Z. Hossain continues his signature genre mashup of SF and fantasy, challenging and subverting everything previously imagined about our future and climate change. A scathing critique of corporate greed, Hossain shows us how to think beyond the naïve ideas of preening moguls like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Mar 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781094441207

Saad Z Hossain

Saad Z Hossain writes in a niche genre of fantasy, science fiction and black comedy with an action-adventure twist. He is the author of Escape from Baghdad! and Djinn City. He was published in the anthologies The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 4 and The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories. He lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Reviews for Cyber Mage

[Sheila Panegasser · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not your average teen vs dystopian overlords. I really loved this book. It was engaging, quick witted and very funny. It makes you think without pushing you into depression. Highly recommend!!

[Kristen Forget · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fantastic journey of awakening and an adventure of what could be. For gamers or people interested in the extent of vr

[Chauncey Mabe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great fun, plotting like clocklwork, and the most delightful cosmic apocalypse I’ve encountered in a while. A joy to read

[Chris Wilkins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fun, if odd, story. The narrator did a great job!

[Paul H · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had never heard of this author before but the premise was intriguing.

I am so glad I have it a go! It was very much my kind of story: Sci-fi dark dystopian-vibes with just the right amount of supernatural elements sprinkled in.

I'm looking forward to trying out more of this author's body of work!

[Atticus Foster · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Saad writes another unique fantasy masterpiece, but I feel like it fell into the same trap that Djinn City fell into. The story is a standalone, although it weaves in characters and plots from Djinn City well without over powering the new ones. The characters and world are fun and fluid as always. The main issue I have is that some of the plot lines have issues wrapping up. If Saad somehow finishes it off with a third installment, it can come around but as it stands, there's some weakness to the ending.

[Sir Ab3ee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An amazing adventure from start to finish. For the gamers.

[inge dussart · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Refreshing and original, I loved it !!!
Also very good narratef

[Ciprian S · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just great and very refreshing SF. Waiting to read more from this author!!!

[Jas Badyal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Fajer Al-Kaisi who is an exceptional narrated. The book is a sequel to Djinn City, which continues to be one of my favourite SFF novels. I would recommend a re-read/listen to Djinn City before this one so you have greater context. It's not required but you'll know the connections better. It's just as funny, dark, and a fantasy meet technology science fiction with interesting and diverse characters. Djinn City was a stronger novel but this one us a must read for anyone who is into SFF, especially BIPOC SFF.

[mailnaarmargot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the sci-fi fantasy themed novel. I even laughed out loud a couple of times. That means a lot. If you enjoyed Djinn City you will love this one for sure.
Also the narrator is superb! Why can't we give a review on narrators?

Oh and beware; you want to start playing MMORPG games (again). ;-)

[Diana Wittenbrock · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was exciting, enchanting, and a delightful follow-up to Djinn City with an ending that did not disappoint. I occasionally wish the main characters had a stronger moral compass, but I enjoy the unique perspective & wit.

[Mason Ozich · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great. I really enjoyed this. A bit geeky tho. Nice narration too.

[Benjamin Bernstein · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Engaging, inventive, and consistently funny. This author just became one of my all-time favorites. I just put his other books in my queue!

[Mack b · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. It was entertaining, witty, clever, smart, and it got me through some grinding work days. Great listen. I love the blend of sci fi, fantasy, clever ideas and humor. Well done. Would recommend.

[Anne · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The narrator tried to make the story sound better then how it actually is. The first chapter was really difficult to get through, the ancient mechanics of sword making, dragons, jins and - just could not follow. Too many changes at once. Awful.

[Ruth Galicia-lopez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely LOVED this book! The whole series is a delight! It's so well written with fun, interesting, and relatable characters.

[vecharo · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This wasn’t marketed as a love story. Why can’t we just have a true action packed book without love stories interwoven!

[KE · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I've listened to almost 3 chapters and I dont't have the slightest idea what they're talking about. It just made me confused.
I guess this is not my type of book. I might try again later hoping it would draw me into the story eventually.

[anniemod · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you end up in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2089, you won't recognize the city (not that you will recognize any other major city...). Humanity had managed to screw up the atmosphere so much that the only way to actually survive is to populate everyone's bodies with biological nanotech which can control the climate locally - as long as there are enough of them. So Dhaka is in a really good shape - the old overpopulation problem had turned into its salvation when the world was taken over by corporations and then the global climate apocalypse wrecked havoc with everyone's lives. Add to that the jinns (who are very real indeed) and you just got your crash introduction to the world of this novel. Add a gamer (a really good one) who is also a hacker and his friends. Add a few AIs. Add a guy who seems to be invincible and keeps cutting people's heads. Add the Russian mafia, hidden servers (collapsing small countries leave infrastructure behind), a missing space station (nope, nothing fancy - it is our well known space station) and a boy with a crush and things start getting interesting really quickly - even before things escalate into an almost war. I suspect that some of parts of the book will resonate better with someone who plays video games - I found some of the passages describing the game play a bit boring. But even with that, the novel manages to be hilarious. And if you had read the author's earlier [The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday], you may even realize before it becomes clear in the text who one of the characters is. The book is also a continuation of [Djinn City] (which I had not read yet) - set decades later but still sharing a few characters (and possibly spoiling some of the earlier book). I plan to go chase that one now. Hossain's mixing of jinns and technology sounds like a possible disaster but he manages to make it work marvelously.

[shrike58 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well, that was a hell of a rush! Though you could make a drinking game out of spotting the influences in this novel, Hossain's malicious glee in following the misadventures of his characters in the post-apocalyptic nuthouse that is his milieu is infectious. One is reluctant to say too much, as that would give away the plot. However, these thoughts come to mind. One is that you should probably read Hossain's "Djinn City" first, as that introduces a lot of the supporting characters. Two, the critical comments by those folks who found this to mostly be a "boy's own" adventure have a point; though this is probably inevitable when the main character is fifteenth. Three, I was considering rating this book higher, but since Hossain has two interlocking series going in what is looking like a sprawling family saga I'm withholding judgement to a certain degree. However, I will be reading the follow-on books, will be trying to hunt down "Djinn City" sooner, rather than later (my reading schedule for the year is already filling up), and I will be a little surprised if this book doesn't do rather well on the nomination front.

[Liam Farquharson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Decent fantasy / cyber / MMORP, good listen, not somethi g I'd usually read but kept myle interested. Similar to the light novels coming out of China / Korea.

[Cynthia Holvenstot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this authors books. I hope he come out with more soon...

[Sheena Gurbakhash · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Did I enjoy this book? Yes tremendously- Did I love it as much as Djinn City? No.
There is little doubt that Saad Z Hossain is a fabulous writer. His sweeping vistas of modern and future Asia combining cyber/steam punk/ fantasy/science fiction are fabulous. His dry wit had me laughing out loud at more than one point.
The world he has created is stunning. But there were points in the book where there was just too much background information. Yes, it was necessary to understanding the world- but it seemed to go on and on when really all I wanted was to get back to the action.
The book is a celebration of the gamer. His hero is a legend online but is pretty much clueless in the real world as most boys in their mid-teens are. Intellectually brilliant but emotionally all over the place. Marzuk wants the girl, and will go through just about anything to get her, regardless of the fact that she is vapid and shallow. She is the great love of his life. That being the case, Marzuk enrolls in school (the most exclusive school in the area) where he realises that in the pecking order of jocks and in-crowds he is one big nobody. Not only is he nobody but he becomes the target of the worst kind of bully- and it does get quite harrowing at times.
There are parallels with Djinn City and we meet some of our old favourites- the djinn make an appearance and as usual are enmeshed in their own politics with little care for the impact it has on people. All in all it's a rollicking romp- with a proper ending (almost).

[Everett Abbott · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A pretty interesting universe with great characters. Made a mistake of listening to Cyber Mage before Djinn City and Escape from Baghdad. Still, it was interesting enough for me to seek out the others and finish them off

[Bontle Senne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wildly original and super fun read - loved it!

[Lammert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved it! It was funny, totally out of this world and yet entirely plausible

[Platinum · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

lacks world building and context. jumps from transhumanism to virtual and back in the same sentences. its confusing and story isn't interesting. protagonist is a mary sue child.