Kundo wakes up

Set in dystopian future Bangladesh, Kundo Wakes Up follows the middle-aged titular character as he obsesses over the wife who left him, disappearing without a trace. This personal tragedy spirals into a mystery involving thousands of missing people, a worldwide, immersive VR game, and rumors about magic. Those who've read Hoassain's Cybermage (2021) or The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday (2019) will recognize the world with its vast populations of lost souls kept alive purely to provide a literal barrier between the wealthy and the deteriorating climate. Kundo teams up with a single mother, a dead woman, and a geriatric hustler to discover what's behind the so-called Black Road. The book frankly discusses what brings meaning and worth to life for those who have been abandoned by their loved ones, society, and even the all-powerful AI who controls the city. Hossain showcases the values of cyberpunk, where even cities become corporations to disenfranchise the majority of the world's population. But even at its darkest, the novel provides hope that people will fight, survive, and thrive.

With this fun sci-fi romp, Hossain returns to the dystopian world of The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday, in which an artificial intelligence called Karma has taken over, monitoring citizens' every move. Kundo, a once celebrated painter, stumbles across a slew of missing persons cases in his search for the wife who left him. Together with the neighbor of a missing hacker, a former city kingpin, and an infamous gamer, Kundo sets out to beat the online game that appears to be the common link between all the missing people. This unlikely crew is surprised to discover a doorway to the mythical djinn paradise, Gangaridai, within the game--and there, the devil himself offers them the chance to stay and leave their pain and misery behind. Hossain blends futuristic technology and Arabic mythology in this rabbit hole of a mystery, lacing the goings-on with references to popular video games. Gaming enthusiasts and ancient mythology fans alike should snap this up. (Mar.)