en-US Fri, 21 Mar 2025 09:38:45 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7422382881 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 09:38:45 -0700 /review/show/7422382881 Matt gave 5 stars to Dead to Rights: A Car Warriors Autoduel Novel (Car Warriors: Autoduel Chronicles Book 5) by Jay Barnson
This was my first foray into the Car Wars universe, unless you count the old Autoduel computer game for the Apple II. However, I'm a huge fan of the Mad Max series and good ol' car movies like Death Race and Damnation Alley. I love the idea of going pedal-to-the-metal down a long stretch of badly maintained highway, machine guns blazing. It's even more fun if you add an arena-like sport to it, so now you've got all the fun drama of a scrappy team struggling to make a name for themselves. But this novel adds yet another element to an already exciting mix: a corporate conspiracy!

If you're into cars with guns and rockets, I don't see how you can go wrong with this book. The action sequences are so realistic and precisely detailed that you'll feel like it's you strapped in the gunner's seat. Barnson either really knows his stuff--or he's good enough at convincing you he does! For example: "The launcher didn't need a long barrel because the rockets achieved a spin on their own, not through rifling." Yeah, that makes sense! The book is loaded with little moments like that, and you know you'll be the hit of the party quoting these facts to your friends and family when the situation arises.

I loved the tightly paced conspiracy plot, which kept me guessing. Part of what makes it work is the setting--this isn't some barebones, generic post-apoc world where civilization has been reduced to cargo cults. It feels more like cyberpunk meets post-apoc. Sure, there's road warriors and blood sports, but you still have big corporations and political corruption, as well as fascinating high-tech concepts like artificial reincarnation. It's a great mix that offers a talented writer plenty of material to work with, and you can tell Barnson as having a great time with all of it.

But for me the biggest draw was the sharply defined and well-rounded characters, Ray and Cat. Both have rich backstories, character flaws, and understandable motivations that make you root for them as they get hit with obstacle after obstacle in their (gradually) aligning quests. Barnson deftly switches between their POVs, so by the end of the book you feel like you'd know these people if you ran into them at the garage. Best of all, both of them grow substantially over the course of the novel. I won't spoil it for you, but it's really gratifying to see how Ray and Cat evolve and benefit from their relationship in ways that neither would've ever predicted. However, even the minor characters like Mel, Voss, and Lana have distinctive personalities and enough development and involvement to keep you invested.

Barson may not be striving for literary acclaim in a book like this, but there's no shortage of clever lines and snappy dialog. I loved the "Gone Today, Here Tomorrow" promotion from Gold Cross (a reincarnation service), "The water tasted a little like dirt. Correction: his mouth still tasted a little like dirt," or Ray's observation that "the only place in the arena to be safe from Catastrophe's guns is beside her." I'll leave the rest for you to find, but I liked the way Barnson drops in these little flourishes. I never felt like the writing was padded, self-indulgent, or taking me on unnecessary detours. Instead, each chapter gives you fresh insights as it keeps ratcheting up the tension until you hit the grand finale.

All in all, I was really pleased with this book. It kept up me reading into the night and had me thinking about it during the day. If you're like me and not sure whether it's right for you, I say go ahead and pull the trigger. If you like cars, guns, conspiracies, and sharp characters, you'll have a great time. ]]> AuthorFollowing108100717 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 09:38:11 -0700