The Electric Church

Jeff Somers

Sep 2007 · Avery Cates Book 1 · Hachette+ORM

About this ebook

In the near future, the only thing growing faster than the criminal population is the Electric Church, a new religion founded by a mysterious man named Dennis Squalor. The Church preaches that life is too brief to contemplate the mysteries of the universe: eternity is required. In order to achieve this, the converted become Monks -- cyborgs with human brains, enhanced robotic bodies, and virtually unlimited life spans.

Enter Avery Cates, a dangerous criminal known as the best killer-for-hire around. The authorities have a special mission in mind for Cates: assassinate Dennis Squalor. But for Cates, the assignment will be the most dangerous job he's ever undertaken -- and it may well be his last.

"Some debuts simply set new bars in a genre. Jeff Somers' The Electric Church is one such book, a gritty noir story that challenges and surprises with every page. A novel that is equal parts Raymond Chandler and William Gibson. A major new talent has arrived -- and it's about time!" -- James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author

Ratings and reviews

Love this series and the unapologetic approach to the main character. Not a saint by any means, obsessed with revenge on an hourly basis. Destructive to all those around him, even more so with his enemies. Not for young readers, and the characters don't have an arc, as we expect to see over the course of the series. Genuinely funny when it needs to give the reader a little breathing room from the oppressive surroundings. But that adds to the charm of the book for me, seeing the consistently vindictive Cates set out to kill and never waiver.

Somers introduces a 1984/Bladerunner-ish future setting with a Korben Dallas-like protagonist. If that doesn't sound entertaining enough, imagine cyborg monks trying to take over the world and turn everyone else into robo-zombies like them in the process.

I've never wanted to drink bathtub gin more in my life. "Gritty" is an understatement

About the author

Jeff Somers was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. After graduating college he wandered aimlessly for a while, but the peculiar siren call of New Jersey brought him back to his homeland. In 1995 Jeff began publishing his own magazine, The Inner Swine (www.innerswine.com). Find out more about the author at www.jeffreysomers.com.