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The Heist of Hollow London
In games of betrayal everyone loses.
Arlo and Drienne are ‘mades’—clones of company executives, deemed important enough to be saved should their health fail. Mades work around the clock to pay off the debt incurred by their creation, though most are Reaped—killed and harvested for organs when their corporate counterparts are in medical need.
But when the impossible happens and the too-big-to-fail company that owns them collapses, Arlo and Drienne find themselves purchased by a scientist who has a job for them.
The Debt paid off, freedom from servitude, and enough cash to last a lifetime.
The Infiltrate a highly secure corporate reclamation facility in the heart of dead London and steal a data drive.
They’re going to need a team.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Arlo and Drienne are ‘mades’—clones of company executives, deemed important enough to be saved should their health fail. Mades work around the clock to pay off the debt incurred by their creation, though most are Reaped—killed and harvested for organs when their corporate counterparts are in medical need.
But when the impossible happens and the too-big-to-fail company that owns them collapses, Arlo and Drienne find themselves purchased by a scientist who has a job for them.
The Debt paid off, freedom from servitude, and enough cash to last a lifetime.
The Infiltrate a highly secure corporate reclamation facility in the heart of dead London and steal a data drive.
They’re going to need a team.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 2025
28 people are currently reading
4149 people want to read
About the author
Eddie Robson
158 books110 followersEddie Robson is a comedy and science fiction writer best known for his sitcom Welcome To Our Village, Please Invade Carefully and his work on a variety of spin-offs from the BBC Television series Doctor Who. He has written books, comics and short stories, and has worked as a freelance journalist for various science fiction magazines. He is married to a female academic and lives in Lancaster.
Robson's comedy writing career began in 2008 with material for Look Away Now. Since then his work has featured on That Mitchell and Webb Sound, Tilt, Play and Record, Newsjack, Recorded For Training Purposes and The Headset Set. The pilot episode of his sitcom Welcome To Our Village, Please Invade Carefully was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 5th July 2012. It starred Katherine Parkinson and Julian Rhind-Tutt.
His Doctor Who work includes the BBC 7 radio plays Phobos, Human Resources and Grand Theft Cosmos, the CD releases Memory Lane, The Condemned, The Raincloud Man and The Eight Truths, and several short stories for Big Finish's Doctor Who anthologies, Short Trips. He has contributed comic strips to Doctor Who Adventures.
Between 2007 and 2009, Robson was the producer of Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield range of products, and has contributed four audio plays to the series. He has also written books on film noir and the Coen Brothers for Virgin Publishing, the Doctor Who episode guide Who's Next with co-authors Mark Clapham and Jim Smith, and an illustrated adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Robson's comedy writing career began in 2008 with material for Look Away Now. Since then his work has featured on That Mitchell and Webb Sound, Tilt, Play and Record, Newsjack, Recorded For Training Purposes and The Headset Set. The pilot episode of his sitcom Welcome To Our Village, Please Invade Carefully was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 5th July 2012. It starred Katherine Parkinson and Julian Rhind-Tutt.
His Doctor Who work includes the BBC 7 radio plays Phobos, Human Resources and Grand Theft Cosmos, the CD releases Memory Lane, The Condemned, The Raincloud Man and The Eight Truths, and several short stories for Big Finish's Doctor Who anthologies, Short Trips. He has contributed comic strips to Doctor Who Adventures.
Between 2007 and 2009, Robson was the producer of Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield range of products, and has contributed four audio plays to the series. He has also written books on film noir and the Coen Brothers for Virgin Publishing, the Doctor Who episode guide Who's Next with co-authors Mark Clapham and Jim Smith, and an illustrated adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
October 10, 2025
Yo why does it seem like no one else has read this book?? My bf bought it for me on a whim since it was a BookPeople recommended read and boy did it deliver!!
The pacing on this was absolutely perfect. I was never bored and constantly flipping pages to see what happened next. Twists were well placed and added to the intrigue. Also, for such a short book, there was so much world building and character development and the plot was engaging without being melodramatic or episodic (which could happen in a shorter heist style story, where an author might fight to get everything into the novel).
The vibes were also immaculate 😁 I ~felt~ the decay of the globe described here and all facts of Robson’s “world” were dispensed appropriately. I never had questions, was never confused. Gave me Hunger Games/Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go/Ocean’s Eleven/Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows feels and I loved it!
Definitely an author to keep an eye on 💯
The pacing on this was absolutely perfect. I was never bored and constantly flipping pages to see what happened next. Twists were well placed and added to the intrigue. Also, for such a short book, there was so much world building and character development and the plot was engaging without being melodramatic or episodic (which could happen in a shorter heist style story, where an author might fight to get everything into the novel).
The vibes were also immaculate 😁 I ~felt~ the decay of the globe described here and all facts of Robson’s “world” were dispensed appropriately. I never had questions, was never confused. Gave me Hunger Games/Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go/Ocean’s Eleven/Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows feels and I loved it!
Definitely an author to keep an eye on 💯
December 30, 2025
Arlo and Drienne are clones, known as mades, who work as brand ambassadors, and whose social profile gains lead to higher payouts. However, Drienne and Arlo know that no matter what they do, at some point, they’ll be taken to the hospital, put under anesthetic and never wake again, so their originals can harvest the mades’ organs and/or body parts. (This reminds me of the idea Kazuo Ishiguro played with in “Never Let me Go”.)
One day, Arlo is taken to the hospital, while Drienne, saddened but realistic, wonders what’s next for her. Surprisingly, when Arlo wakes up, he is told he’s been purchased, because his new owner is looking to purchase more clones for a difficult plan she needs him to implement. She wants him to steal something for her. On Arlo’s advice, she buys Drienne, Loren, Nadi and Klein for their respective skills.
The heist is complicated and goes well, then it doesn’t, then it does, but there are casualties, one of which hit me hard.
This was compelling, and sadly, the idea of mades feels like a realistic evolution to the already fraught situation for a number of workers and their rights, and the respect the very wealthy and some corporations hold people.
I am always fond of heist stories, and this was fun from that respect, while Robson’s clones, how they are viewed and used, and the general callousness of the uber-rich, added an extra layer to this story.
One day, Arlo is taken to the hospital, while Drienne, saddened but realistic, wonders what’s next for her. Surprisingly, when Arlo wakes up, he is told he’s been purchased, because his new owner is looking to purchase more clones for a difficult plan she needs him to implement. She wants him to steal something for her. On Arlo’s advice, she buys Drienne, Loren, Nadi and Klein for their respective skills.
The heist is complicated and goes well, then it doesn’t, then it does, but there are casualties, one of which hit me hard.
This was compelling, and sadly, the idea of mades feels like a realistic evolution to the already fraught situation for a number of workers and their rights, and the respect the very wealthy and some corporations hold people.
I am always fond of heist stories, and this was fun from that respect, while Robson’s clones, how they are viewed and used, and the general callousness of the uber-rich, added an extra layer to this story.
October 20, 2025
In a not-terribly-distant-future, "Mades" are clones of corporate executives who live to be harvested for parts in case their xecs fall ill or are gravely injured. Mades live the lives of indentured servants - working off their debts incurred by their creation. Arlo and Drienne are Mades, and are used to being treated as less-than-human, but when the corporate entity that owns them collapses, they are presented with a unique opportunity: steal a data drive and have their debts paid off.
Eddie Robson paints a bleak future with absolute pinpoint humor. This world has been ravaged by climate change and corporate takeovers, and an entire class of people has had their rights stripped away because of who they are...oh wait, it's a direct analogy for our current world. Well played. But truly The Heist of Hollow London is a great example of why I love science fiction: the author creates a world and rules around it that reflect part of our own society and give us a different lens to view our societal ills. Robson adds a heist plot here, with a series of mishaps and characters who sometimes can't follow directions and other who don't have the context to. I enjoy Robson's brand of humor and had a great time listening to this one!
Thank you to Tor for an eARC. The Heist of Hollow London is out 9/30/25.
Eddie Robson paints a bleak future with absolute pinpoint humor. This world has been ravaged by climate change and corporate takeovers, and an entire class of people has had their rights stripped away because of who they are...oh wait, it's a direct analogy for our current world. Well played. But truly The Heist of Hollow London is a great example of why I love science fiction: the author creates a world and rules around it that reflect part of our own society and give us a different lens to view our societal ills. Robson adds a heist plot here, with a series of mishaps and characters who sometimes can't follow directions and other who don't have the context to. I enjoy Robson's brand of humor and had a great time listening to this one!
Thank you to Tor for an eARC. The Heist of Hollow London is out 9/30/25.
November 27, 2025
A heist novel in a near-future dystopia where corporate-made clones of elites are left in the lurch when the company that created them goes under.
It's one of those books that revels in details and does it well, so it really does feel like exactly the kind of thing that'd happen during a corporate collapse. The book has truly great m/f friendship, which I never run into enough.
Solid worldbuilding and entertaining heist, with a bleak bite. It's a shame this doesn't seem to be getting more attention.
It's one of those books that revels in details and does it well, so it really does feel like exactly the kind of thing that'd happen during a corporate collapse. The book has truly great m/f friendship, which I never run into enough.
Solid worldbuilding and entertaining heist, with a bleak bite. It's a shame this doesn't seem to be getting more attention.
October 9, 2025
The Vibes: Capitalism is The Ourboros 🐍
Wow. I had high hopes going in and this book did not disappoint me.
TLDR Synopsis:
Set In a Near-distant future dystopian London, A wealthy benefactor constructs a crew of 6 making them an offer they can’t refuse. With stakes this high and only one shot to pull it off, this is the day it all changes. Every. single. Thing
In a world where humanity can be sold to the highest bidder, what makes life worth living? What makes you human? What makes you ALIVE?
6 people. 1 heist. One chance to change everything. I chance to craft a life worth living. One shot at a future worth seeing.
This ended up being my favorite read of all last month and trust me- it’s HIGHLY under hyped! I’ll be reading everything I can get my hands on by Eddie Robson & you should too, because this author is a rising star. He won’t be unknown for long. Really emphatically recommend this book!
What I love:
Diverse rep of the human experience
Fast oaced
Immersive
High Stakes
Whodunnit mystery at the hear of all this
Fans of This is how you Lose the Time War by Gladstone and Amal El-Morhtar will love this as much as I did!
Wow. I had high hopes going in and this book did not disappoint me.
TLDR Synopsis:
Set In a Near-distant future dystopian London, A wealthy benefactor constructs a crew of 6 making them an offer they can’t refuse. With stakes this high and only one shot to pull it off, this is the day it all changes. Every. single. Thing
In a world where humanity can be sold to the highest bidder, what makes life worth living? What makes you human? What makes you ALIVE?
6 people. 1 heist. One chance to change everything. I chance to craft a life worth living. One shot at a future worth seeing.
This ended up being my favorite read of all last month and trust me- it’s HIGHLY under hyped! I’ll be reading everything I can get my hands on by Eddie Robson & you should too, because this author is a rising star. He won’t be unknown for long. Really emphatically recommend this book!
What I love:
Diverse rep of the human experience
Fast oaced
Immersive
High Stakes
Whodunnit mystery at the hear of all this
Fans of This is how you Lose the Time War by Gladstone and Amal El-Morhtar will love this as much as I did!
September 22, 2025
Tor offered an advance copy in exchange for a review. The blurb was promising and I said count me in.
In this near-future dystopia, a group of five "mades," cloned humans living lives of indentured servitude to the corporation that owns them, find themselves suddenly unemployed. Just as one is about to be reaped for body parts and the others are being warehoused for sale at bargain prices to other corporations, a wealthy "nat" offers them money and freedom in exchange for helping her steal a data disk from a not-yet-shuttered recycling center in the rubble of an otherwise-abandoned London.
The mades — except for Arlo and Drienne, who worked together as brand ambassadors in Shanghai — do not know one another until Mia, the wealthy nat, brings them together. Until that point they've been loners, isolated and immersed in the jobs they were bred for: IT support, HR, security, social influencers. Now, cut off from their previous lives and thrown together, they begin to learn about one another and develop personalities and interests outside the roles they were previously trapped in. This is to me the strongest element in this novel. Robson has a gift for giving life to what in other dystopian novels would be paper cutouts playing predictable roles. I was fascinated by each of them: Kline, Loren, Nadi, Drienne, and Arlo.
Robson's image of hollow London, a ghost city being torn apart for usable scraps of material and leftover tech by salvage workers working for greedy corporations, is fascinating as well, and will stick with me.
The heist is complex: it must be planned and pulled off in a world where everything and everybody is under constant, multilayered surveillance, a world where mades have no rights — and where natural humans and executives, nats and xecs, are almost as tightly controlled. The technical tricks Mia and her gang of mades design to facilitate the caper take a lot of explanation, but here Robson excels as well, making the intricate details organic to the heist itself. The info the reader needs in order to understand what's going on is embedded in the action as each character plays his or her separate part in stealing the disk, and the action is intense.
Spoiler alert: At the climax, betrayal rears its ugly head and things bog down a bit as the human side of the story gets sticky. It's a huge mess; there are casualties (including one readers will be saddened by); the prize turns out to be something other than what anyone (save Mia) expected; the surviving mades make it out by the skin of their teeth; and not quite enough attention is given to the aftermath and where the mades go from here.
Overall a very solid bit of work. I'll remember this one and talk it up with members of my book club. Other than being mildly disturbed by what struck me as a rushed ending, I'm happy to shill for The Heist of Hollow London.
One last thought: can I envision this as a movie? I can. And I'd pay to watch it.
In this near-future dystopia, a group of five "mades," cloned humans living lives of indentured servitude to the corporation that owns them, find themselves suddenly unemployed. Just as one is about to be reaped for body parts and the others are being warehoused for sale at bargain prices to other corporations, a wealthy "nat" offers them money and freedom in exchange for helping her steal a data disk from a not-yet-shuttered recycling center in the rubble of an otherwise-abandoned London.
The mades — except for Arlo and Drienne, who worked together as brand ambassadors in Shanghai — do not know one another until Mia, the wealthy nat, brings them together. Until that point they've been loners, isolated and immersed in the jobs they were bred for: IT support, HR, security, social influencers. Now, cut off from their previous lives and thrown together, they begin to learn about one another and develop personalities and interests outside the roles they were previously trapped in. This is to me the strongest element in this novel. Robson has a gift for giving life to what in other dystopian novels would be paper cutouts playing predictable roles. I was fascinated by each of them: Kline, Loren, Nadi, Drienne, and Arlo.
Robson's image of hollow London, a ghost city being torn apart for usable scraps of material and leftover tech by salvage workers working for greedy corporations, is fascinating as well, and will stick with me.
The heist is complex: it must be planned and pulled off in a world where everything and everybody is under constant, multilayered surveillance, a world where mades have no rights — and where natural humans and executives, nats and xecs, are almost as tightly controlled. The technical tricks Mia and her gang of mades design to facilitate the caper take a lot of explanation, but here Robson excels as well, making the intricate details organic to the heist itself. The info the reader needs in order to understand what's going on is embedded in the action as each character plays his or her separate part in stealing the disk, and the action is intense.
Spoiler alert: At the climax, betrayal rears its ugly head and things bog down a bit as the human side of the story gets sticky. It's a huge mess; there are casualties (including one readers will be saddened by); the prize turns out to be something other than what anyone (save Mia) expected; the surviving mades make it out by the skin of their teeth; and not quite enough attention is given to the aftermath and where the mades go from here.
Overall a very solid bit of work. I'll remember this one and talk it up with members of my book club. Other than being mildly disturbed by what struck me as a rushed ending, I'm happy to shill for The Heist of Hollow London.
One last thought: can I envision this as a movie? I can. And I'd pay to watch it.
December 30, 2025
Very interesting! I read this on a whim based on a BookPeople staff card IG story and I’m glad I did.
It includes intriguing world building about a near future dystopia that offers commentary on corporations and societal hierarchies. The set-up was good and the heist section itself was a definite page turner.
What I’m not quite as satisfied with is the ultimate reveal and how all of the information was kind of dumped at the end. It felt like there wasn’t adequate ground work laid for where the story ended up heading in the last quarter or so.
I wasn’t massively connected to the characters, but I do feel like I will think about this story for while after finishing. Was definitely worth the read.
It includes intriguing world building about a near future dystopia that offers commentary on corporations and societal hierarchies. The set-up was good and the heist section itself was a definite page turner.
What I’m not quite as satisfied with is the ultimate reveal and how all of the information was kind of dumped at the end. It felt like there wasn’t adequate ground work laid for where the story ended up heading in the last quarter or so.
I wasn’t massively connected to the characters, but I do feel like I will think about this story for while after finishing. Was definitely worth the read.
October 30, 2025
3.5
I am not into heists at all, but I want to be! That's why I wanted to give this book a chance. It was actually pretty fun. Some of the writing style threw me off but then I found the author usually writes scripts, and that explains it. This was creative and fun, but I'm still on the fence for heists.
I am not into heists at all, but I want to be! That's why I wanted to give this book a chance. It was actually pretty fun. Some of the writing style threw me off but then I found the author usually writes scripts, and that explains it. This was creative and fun, but I'm still on the fence for heists.
December 17, 2025
(The copy I read was an uncorrected advance copy, so take the following thoughts with a grain of salt)
A couple points of order: First, I was really impressed with the concept and the basic plotline. A world (not too far off from our own) that has ecperienced such deterioration into no-holds-barred "everything for sale" capitalism was a stark and often chilling examination of what our potential future could hold. The plot twist at the end was also quite unexpected but didn't feel forced.
Second: enough with the meme-speak. I know this is an uncorrected copy but words like "yeeted" are designed for online environments and social media, not published novels. It felt like a blundering attempt to ingratiate the book to the reader (me) and I was not impressed by it. It didn't help that the tone of the novek shifted from traditional storytelling to this weird shorthand you'd find more frequently on a message board.
Third: The bouncing around of perspectives suits the story and lends itself well to the type of plot being uncovered, but at the beginning it is a little jarring and made it harder to get emotionally invested at first. Also, if you are going to do perspective shifts, your characters all need to be relateable, or if not that then at least interesting or likeable - and several of them were not. I didn't care at all about Kline, nor did I really feel any type of way about Arlo or Nadi. That said, those two I was able to warm up to in the end.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I found it hard to put down in the second half. Pretty riveting stuff, as long as the above points are considered. Four stars for the very exciting premise and decent execution.
A couple points of order: First, I was really impressed with the concept and the basic plotline. A world (not too far off from our own) that has ecperienced such deterioration into no-holds-barred "everything for sale" capitalism was a stark and often chilling examination of what our potential future could hold. The plot twist at the end was also quite unexpected but didn't feel forced.
Second: enough with the meme-speak. I know this is an uncorrected copy but words like "yeeted" are designed for online environments and social media, not published novels. It felt like a blundering attempt to ingratiate the book to the reader (me) and I was not impressed by it. It didn't help that the tone of the novek shifted from traditional storytelling to this weird shorthand you'd find more frequently on a message board.
Third: The bouncing around of perspectives suits the story and lends itself well to the type of plot being uncovered, but at the beginning it is a little jarring and made it harder to get emotionally invested at first. Also, if you are going to do perspective shifts, your characters all need to be relateable, or if not that then at least interesting or likeable - and several of them were not. I didn't care at all about Kline, nor did I really feel any type of way about Arlo or Nadi. That said, those two I was able to warm up to in the end.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I found it hard to put down in the second half. Pretty riveting stuff, as long as the above points are considered. Four stars for the very exciting premise and decent execution.
September 30, 2025
I received an ARC of this book prior to release and absolutely loved this story!
For fans of action, science fiction, and dystopia, The Heist of Hollow London is a must-read. I enjoyed this book’s commentaries on corporations and humans vs. non-humans living together—and working together. Both the nats and mades have their feelings about Oakseed, and the corporation’s collapse brings these two groups together in new ways.
Arlo is a phenomenal main character who, despite everything that has happened to him, cares deeply about helping those around him. He and his heistmates offer an intriguing take on the typical heist story that is every bit intricate and methodical as it is chaotic and thrilling.
Eddie Robson’s writing is nothing short of cinematic. That is to say: I need the film adaptation of this book ASAP.
Warning: this book contains swearing, violence, and other graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.
For fans of action, science fiction, and dystopia, The Heist of Hollow London is a must-read. I enjoyed this book’s commentaries on corporations and humans vs. non-humans living together—and working together. Both the nats and mades have their feelings about Oakseed, and the corporation’s collapse brings these two groups together in new ways.
Arlo is a phenomenal main character who, despite everything that has happened to him, cares deeply about helping those around him. He and his heistmates offer an intriguing take on the typical heist story that is every bit intricate and methodical as it is chaotic and thrilling.
Eddie Robson’s writing is nothing short of cinematic. That is to say: I need the film adaptation of this book ASAP.
Warning: this book contains swearing, violence, and other graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.
October 8, 2025
A fun scifi heist story that combines the two genres really well. It throws a LOT of worldbuilding at you and doesn't wait for you to catch up, but it's easy enough to hold onto until you've got things figured out.
October 11, 2025
A very good story - if I could give it another half star I would. There were so many things that connected with our world today which added to the enjoyment of this story. I will read another by this author
December 29, 2025
could not connect to a single character. action felt so low stakes and meandering. what in the world
November 17, 2025
Absolutely shocked this book does not have more buzz. I really enjoyed it. It felt a little too close to home in the world that’s been created involving climate change, corporate greed, but because of this we see our main characters who are “Mades” who are clones for the elite. They are then sent on a heist and I am not kidding when I say the pace does not slow down until the finale which kicked me in the face. Highly recommended and thank you to Tor for my review copy:)
October 6, 2025
I LOVED this book! I had nooo idea what was going on at first, but at the same time could totally follow the gist of what was going on. Then once we met all the characters it all clicked. Wow this story is fascinating and captivating and I could not get enough. I didn't want to put it down because there were so many surprises and so much that was shrouded in mystery. I LOVE a heist, so a futuristic sci-fi was 1000% my jam. I am fascinated by the idea of the clones and what it means in so many aspects, and this story nailed those and then some. I absolutely cried during this book and raced through the ending because I could not believe all the twists. I already miss this world and these characters!
Thanks to the publisher for this ARC; my thoughts and review are my own.
Thanks to the publisher for this ARC; my thoughts and review are my own.
October 17, 2025
This is a caper story. It says so right there on the label, doesn’t it? And it does not disappoint – even though this isn’t quite the caper that the reader thinks it will be. It’s not even the caper that the crew participating in it think it will be. Which, of course, is part of the caper itself, because they are the ones being conned and defrauded along with pretty much everyone else.
We first meet Arlo and Drienne while they are sneaking into someplace they shouldn’t be – because it’s sponsored by a megacorp that is a bitter rival of the megacorp that owns them.
Which is where we start to see just how effed up the world has become in this not-too-distant future post-climate-apocalypse story. Arlo and Drienne are clones. They aren’t merely second-class citizens, although they certainly are that. They are slaves, owned by the megacorp that created them to serve as disposable, low-wage workers until they are needed as spare parts for the VIPs who provided their genetic material.
Unless they can manage to earn enough credits to pay off the ‘debt’ they owe to their megacorp, Oakseed, to pay off the costs of their creation and training. Which happens so rarely that it might as well be a fairy tale.
Megacorps like Oakseed are, at least theoretically, too big to fail. But reality doesn’t give a damn about theoretical models, and that’s exactly what happens here. Oakseed fails – and it fails big. Global collapse-size big, creating a tsunami of chaos that spreads to every single Oakseed installation and figuratively drowns every single one of Oakseed’s assets in its wake.
Including all those clones, who become part of Oakseed’s assets, just waiting for their ‘contracts’ to be sold. Or exploited, along with all that chaos.
Someone wants to make one last really big score out of Oakseed’s catastrophic fall. All they need is a crew to do the deed and a patsy to take the fall. Which is where Arlo, Drienne and a select group of their fellow clones come in.
They ARE disposable. There’s no need for them to know the real purpose that they are being disposed of for. Which doesn’t stop them from figuring it all out – and turning the tables on the whole scheme – after all.
Escape Rating A-: I picked this up because I adored the author’s earlier SF mystery, Drunk on All Your Strange New Words, and was hoping for something in a similar vein – or at least similarly good. I got more of the second than the first, even though Heist is also an SF mystery. It’s just not the same kind of mystery. Words was a locked-room mystery, while Heist is pretty much anything but.
The Heist of Hollow London is about a heist. A caper. A big job that needs just the right crew to get it done. The form of the story, of the con and the score and the planning to get it done, has a lot of familiar parts to it. We’ve seen plenty of stories like this, and if you like those sort of stories you’ll like this one too, even if the SF setting isn’t quite your jam.
But it’s the SF setting of this story that sets it apart from the usual run of caper stories, and that’s what dragged me in and kept me glued to my seat for a bit over three hours. Because that setting has one hell of a set of layers to unpack.
The first layer is the cloning. As it turns out, it’s a bit of the last layer too. But the application here is old and new at once, as the megacorps go to great lengths to convince everyone, especially the clones, that they are not slaves. Even though they most definitely are.
Then there’s the reason for the cloning, and the reason why it’s not exactly working, from a scientific/medical/mercantile standpoint. Which leads back into another layer of the story – that this takes place in a world that is very much post-apocalyptic of the climate kind. It’s a bit like the world of Down in the Sea of Angels, only much closer to the ‘Collapse’ that world is recovering from. Or it’s the post-apocalypse of The Annual Migration of Clouds and The Knight and the Butcherbird, where the world is barely surviving the ravaging of ecological disaster.
Which is where one reaches the next layer, which is a humans are gonna human kind of story, in that the way that the megacorps control their corporate fiefdoms may be short term profitable but is not long term sustainable, and when that rug gets pulled it takes a whole lot out with it.
And all of that circles back to the caper itself. Someone needs to steal a macguffin from one of Oakseed’s installations before that installation gets shut down in the collapse of the company. They put together the crew that includes Arlo and Drienne by first, buying out their contracts and second, promising them freedom when the job is completed. Or, alternatively, selling their contracts to jobs they are guaranteed not to survive if they won’t play along.
Of course they’re being conned. Anything too good to be true usually is. While it’s equally true that you can’t cheat an honest person, Arlo, Drienne and their fellow clones know they can’t win, can’t break even, and are not in a position where they can even legally get out of this game. But they can cheat the people who are cheating them. If they can figure out the true goal of this wild scheme and turn it around before it’s too late.
That they are able to turn things around on everyone who intends to use them and throw them away made the heel turns of the plot, and the plot around the plot, and their own plot, all that much more satisfying – even if or especially because parts of that turn turn out to be bittersweet.
Originally published at Reading Reality
We first meet Arlo and Drienne while they are sneaking into someplace they shouldn’t be – because it’s sponsored by a megacorp that is a bitter rival of the megacorp that owns them.
Which is where we start to see just how effed up the world has become in this not-too-distant future post-climate-apocalypse story. Arlo and Drienne are clones. They aren’t merely second-class citizens, although they certainly are that. They are slaves, owned by the megacorp that created them to serve as disposable, low-wage workers until they are needed as spare parts for the VIPs who provided their genetic material.
Unless they can manage to earn enough credits to pay off the ‘debt’ they owe to their megacorp, Oakseed, to pay off the costs of their creation and training. Which happens so rarely that it might as well be a fairy tale.
Megacorps like Oakseed are, at least theoretically, too big to fail. But reality doesn’t give a damn about theoretical models, and that’s exactly what happens here. Oakseed fails – and it fails big. Global collapse-size big, creating a tsunami of chaos that spreads to every single Oakseed installation and figuratively drowns every single one of Oakseed’s assets in its wake.
Including all those clones, who become part of Oakseed’s assets, just waiting for their ‘contracts’ to be sold. Or exploited, along with all that chaos.
Someone wants to make one last really big score out of Oakseed’s catastrophic fall. All they need is a crew to do the deed and a patsy to take the fall. Which is where Arlo, Drienne and a select group of their fellow clones come in.
They ARE disposable. There’s no need for them to know the real purpose that they are being disposed of for. Which doesn’t stop them from figuring it all out – and turning the tables on the whole scheme – after all.
Escape Rating A-: I picked this up because I adored the author’s earlier SF mystery, Drunk on All Your Strange New Words, and was hoping for something in a similar vein – or at least similarly good. I got more of the second than the first, even though Heist is also an SF mystery. It’s just not the same kind of mystery. Words was a locked-room mystery, while Heist is pretty much anything but.
The Heist of Hollow London is about a heist. A caper. A big job that needs just the right crew to get it done. The form of the story, of the con and the score and the planning to get it done, has a lot of familiar parts to it. We’ve seen plenty of stories like this, and if you like those sort of stories you’ll like this one too, even if the SF setting isn’t quite your jam.
But it’s the SF setting of this story that sets it apart from the usual run of caper stories, and that’s what dragged me in and kept me glued to my seat for a bit over three hours. Because that setting has one hell of a set of layers to unpack.
The first layer is the cloning. As it turns out, it’s a bit of the last layer too. But the application here is old and new at once, as the megacorps go to great lengths to convince everyone, especially the clones, that they are not slaves. Even though they most definitely are.
Then there’s the reason for the cloning, and the reason why it’s not exactly working, from a scientific/medical/mercantile standpoint. Which leads back into another layer of the story – that this takes place in a world that is very much post-apocalyptic of the climate kind. It’s a bit like the world of Down in the Sea of Angels, only much closer to the ‘Collapse’ that world is recovering from. Or it’s the post-apocalypse of The Annual Migration of Clouds and The Knight and the Butcherbird, where the world is barely surviving the ravaging of ecological disaster.
Which is where one reaches the next layer, which is a humans are gonna human kind of story, in that the way that the megacorps control their corporate fiefdoms may be short term profitable but is not long term sustainable, and when that rug gets pulled it takes a whole lot out with it.
And all of that circles back to the caper itself. Someone needs to steal a macguffin from one of Oakseed’s installations before that installation gets shut down in the collapse of the company. They put together the crew that includes Arlo and Drienne by first, buying out their contracts and second, promising them freedom when the job is completed. Or, alternatively, selling their contracts to jobs they are guaranteed not to survive if they won’t play along.
Of course they’re being conned. Anything too good to be true usually is. While it’s equally true that you can’t cheat an honest person, Arlo, Drienne and their fellow clones know they can’t win, can’t break even, and are not in a position where they can even legally get out of this game. But they can cheat the people who are cheating them. If they can figure out the true goal of this wild scheme and turn it around before it’s too late.
That they are able to turn things around on everyone who intends to use them and throw them away made the heel turns of the plot, and the plot around the plot, and their own plot, all that much more satisfying – even if or especially because parts of that turn turn out to be bittersweet.
Originally published at Reading Reality
August 10, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this novel of science fiction set in our possibly future dealing with clones, employment, mega-corporations, greed, and a little light burglary.
For a person who tries to be nice and honest, I love books about crime. Not serial killers, or those weird podcasts that go on about the murderer next door, but theft. The liberating of property from one person to another has always been one of my favorite genres. The score, the planning, the ensemble, the inevitable betrayal, all are milk to my cereal. I accept that the weed of crime bears a bitter fruit, according to the Shadow, but I can't help but root for the bad guys no matter what their motivation. Good reasons, bad reasons, I am there, holding the flashlight, keeping an eye out, and watching it come together, or fall apart. Add in a science fiction element, a decaying corporation in a dystopian future, with characters I can root for. Cut me in. It doesn't hurt when the story is quite good, with a future that is sadly coming much too fast. The Heist of Hollow London by Eddie Robson tells of a group of people with no hope, no future, owned by the corporations, who are given a chance to make a lot of money, with a minimum amount of risk, and strike back at those who wronged them.
Arlo and Drienne are best friends, living in Asia and working for a corporation as influencers and brand models for a very large corporation. One that is the largest ever. Arlo and Drienne have no choice as they are makes, clones who are developed to do the jobs people don't want, or the corporations don't have to pay. Makes serve a purpose as coming from rich executives, so their bodies are walking donation centers for organs, if needed. Makes also live under crippling dept, which keeps them tied to the corporation. Arlo is taken in for parts needed for a dying executive. However he is saved as the corporation has gone, spectacularly out of business, leaving thousands of makes without an owner. Arlo still undergoes a procedure, one that becomes apparent later. The chaos of the corporation breaking up has given a clever person an idea. Steal millions in crypto from a facility in London, along with secrets that can help a woman get revenge, and her freedom back. A freedom she is willing to share with Arlo and Drienne and the makes chosen to do the perfect crime.
A bit of Arsène Lupin mixed with Blade Runner, the movie Repo Men, The Island and a bit of noir. Robson gives a wink and a nod of acknowledgment with the names and aliases of the characters, Pris for one and Annie Clark for another, which is fun. The story starts a little slow, with a lot of world building, but at the end of the first chapter it starts moving and doesn't really ease up. The characters are childlike, and street smart, which makes sense being clones, and not sure of what this grand new world of not being a part of the corporation will be like, though they are all sure its going to be a lot worse. The world is a little too close to what sounds is coming, ravaged cities, no government, corporations running everything, and not doing that well at it.
There is a lot going on, with a lot of interesting mentions of the world around them that I would like to learn more about. Surprisingly violent in spots, very noir with twists and turns, and sad in that this is the world that many seem to want. I enjoyed this story, and would like to read more set here, and more by Eddie Robson.
For a person who tries to be nice and honest, I love books about crime. Not serial killers, or those weird podcasts that go on about the murderer next door, but theft. The liberating of property from one person to another has always been one of my favorite genres. The score, the planning, the ensemble, the inevitable betrayal, all are milk to my cereal. I accept that the weed of crime bears a bitter fruit, according to the Shadow, but I can't help but root for the bad guys no matter what their motivation. Good reasons, bad reasons, I am there, holding the flashlight, keeping an eye out, and watching it come together, or fall apart. Add in a science fiction element, a decaying corporation in a dystopian future, with characters I can root for. Cut me in. It doesn't hurt when the story is quite good, with a future that is sadly coming much too fast. The Heist of Hollow London by Eddie Robson tells of a group of people with no hope, no future, owned by the corporations, who are given a chance to make a lot of money, with a minimum amount of risk, and strike back at those who wronged them.
Arlo and Drienne are best friends, living in Asia and working for a corporation as influencers and brand models for a very large corporation. One that is the largest ever. Arlo and Drienne have no choice as they are makes, clones who are developed to do the jobs people don't want, or the corporations don't have to pay. Makes serve a purpose as coming from rich executives, so their bodies are walking donation centers for organs, if needed. Makes also live under crippling dept, which keeps them tied to the corporation. Arlo is taken in for parts needed for a dying executive. However he is saved as the corporation has gone, spectacularly out of business, leaving thousands of makes without an owner. Arlo still undergoes a procedure, one that becomes apparent later. The chaos of the corporation breaking up has given a clever person an idea. Steal millions in crypto from a facility in London, along with secrets that can help a woman get revenge, and her freedom back. A freedom she is willing to share with Arlo and Drienne and the makes chosen to do the perfect crime.
A bit of Arsène Lupin mixed with Blade Runner, the movie Repo Men, The Island and a bit of noir. Robson gives a wink and a nod of acknowledgment with the names and aliases of the characters, Pris for one and Annie Clark for another, which is fun. The story starts a little slow, with a lot of world building, but at the end of the first chapter it starts moving and doesn't really ease up. The characters are childlike, and street smart, which makes sense being clones, and not sure of what this grand new world of not being a part of the corporation will be like, though they are all sure its going to be a lot worse. The world is a little too close to what sounds is coming, ravaged cities, no government, corporations running everything, and not doing that well at it.
There is a lot going on, with a lot of interesting mentions of the world around them that I would like to learn more about. Surprisingly violent in spots, very noir with twists and turns, and sad in that this is the world that many seem to want. I enjoyed this story, and would like to read more set here, and more by Eddie Robson.
September 28, 2025
4 stars
This high-adventure dystopia set in future London features clones, called “Mades” who have been created as organ donors and spare parts for elite corporate executives (much like the premise of English clones raised as organ donors for the wealthy in the great novel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro). Here in Robson’s take, the Mades work as indentured servants for the corporations in the hopes of one day paying off their debt and earning their freedom – the debt being what it cost the corporation to create them. To stop them from impersonating their originals in a high-tech world where ID hinges on eye scans, all the Mades get artificial eye implants.
When one of the largest corporations, Oakseed, goes unexpectedly out of business, the tension rachets up for all their Mades who know they will quickly get sold into even worse, lower-paying work, there being a glut of Mades on the market. Four of Oakseed’s Mades get purchased by Mia Ostrander, a former developer at Oakseed who sends them forth on a high-stakes heist mission to recover a untraceable digital currency coin, called “Coyne,” she says will allow her to buy back her developer personality which got swept up as corporate intellectual property for her development work.
These four include fast friends Arlo and Drienne who both served as sales oriented, social media influencers for Oakseed, along with a trained but unhappy in her job security officer Nadi and Loren, a keenly smart and independent thinking IT specialist. Mia offers to pay off all their debt if they can steal this Coyne holding $80 from an executive locker in one of Oakseed’s still running manufacturing plants. The Made workers of the plant have been kept isolated and no nothing of Oakseed’s demise, and left overseeing them is a timid executive mostly fretting at not being able to get in touch with his seniors and afraid of violence if the worker’s find out what’s really going on.
Turns out Mia is not all she seems, and that the heist is way more complex and dangerous than she’s let on. Each of team’s Mades has to rise up, blending courage with unique personality traits and side skills acquired in their indentured work for Oakseed. In addition to carrying out the heist and hoping to come out of it alive, each team member musts wrestle with their own unique identity separate from Oakseed and what they really want if they can get the freedom they seek.
Thought-provoking and a super fun heist story! You can’t help but wildly cheer the Mades on!
Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.
This high-adventure dystopia set in future London features clones, called “Mades” who have been created as organ donors and spare parts for elite corporate executives (much like the premise of English clones raised as organ donors for the wealthy in the great novel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro). Here in Robson’s take, the Mades work as indentured servants for the corporations in the hopes of one day paying off their debt and earning their freedom – the debt being what it cost the corporation to create them. To stop them from impersonating their originals in a high-tech world where ID hinges on eye scans, all the Mades get artificial eye implants.
When one of the largest corporations, Oakseed, goes unexpectedly out of business, the tension rachets up for all their Mades who know they will quickly get sold into even worse, lower-paying work, there being a glut of Mades on the market. Four of Oakseed’s Mades get purchased by Mia Ostrander, a former developer at Oakseed who sends them forth on a high-stakes heist mission to recover a untraceable digital currency coin, called “Coyne,” she says will allow her to buy back her developer personality which got swept up as corporate intellectual property for her development work.
These four include fast friends Arlo and Drienne who both served as sales oriented, social media influencers for Oakseed, along with a trained but unhappy in her job security officer Nadi and Loren, a keenly smart and independent thinking IT specialist. Mia offers to pay off all their debt if they can steal this Coyne holding $80 from an executive locker in one of Oakseed’s still running manufacturing plants. The Made workers of the plant have been kept isolated and no nothing of Oakseed’s demise, and left overseeing them is a timid executive mostly fretting at not being able to get in touch with his seniors and afraid of violence if the worker’s find out what’s really going on.
Turns out Mia is not all she seems, and that the heist is way more complex and dangerous than she’s let on. Each of team’s Mades has to rise up, blending courage with unique personality traits and side skills acquired in their indentured work for Oakseed. In addition to carrying out the heist and hoping to come out of it alive, each team member musts wrestle with their own unique identity separate from Oakseed and what they really want if they can get the freedom they seek.
Thought-provoking and a super fun heist story! You can’t help but wildly cheer the Mades on!
Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.
August 6, 2025
This book took its time with me — and I’m glad it did.
At first, The Heist of Hollow London feels like a slow unraveling. The pacing is quiet, almost frustratingly so. I found myself twenty pages in, feeling like I’d read a hundred, not because it dragged but because it demanded attention and patience. But once the threads started to connect, the entire picture shifted — and I was hooked.
This isn’t a traditional heist book. It’s a slow-burn, character-driven exploration of autonomy, servitude, and what it means to be truly free. The mades — clones created by corporations and born into endless debt — are some of the most emotionally complex characters I’ve read this year. They’re programmed for loyalty, obedience, survival. But when the system that owns them collapses, they’re left with a rare opportunity: to think for themselves. To want more.
The mission at the center of the novel, a data heist in post-corporate London, unfolds like a mystery. The pieces are scattered. The pacing is uneven. But if you sit with it, it becomes deeply rewarding. It reminded me a little of A Darker Shade of Magic — not in plot, but in atmosphere. That same sense of shadowed city streets, of things unsaid, of agency being carved out slowly, painfully, on the edge of control.
Loren was my favorite — and I didn’t expect that. He starts off almost mechanical, rigid in his routines. But as the story progresses, we see that the structure begins to fall away. His evolution feels earned. Quiet. Powerful.
Eddie Robson doesn’t just write a sci-fi book here. He writes a reflection. On labor. On systems. On stories told to justify control. And he does it without ever having to shout.
There are some elements that didn’t fully land for me — the heist itself felt small, and some of the tech details felt extraneous. But the emotional weight more than made up for it.
If you love speculative fiction that makes you think, feel, and sit with uncomfortable questions, this one is worth reading.
At first, The Heist of Hollow London feels like a slow unraveling. The pacing is quiet, almost frustratingly so. I found myself twenty pages in, feeling like I’d read a hundred, not because it dragged but because it demanded attention and patience. But once the threads started to connect, the entire picture shifted — and I was hooked.
This isn’t a traditional heist book. It’s a slow-burn, character-driven exploration of autonomy, servitude, and what it means to be truly free. The mades — clones created by corporations and born into endless debt — are some of the most emotionally complex characters I’ve read this year. They’re programmed for loyalty, obedience, survival. But when the system that owns them collapses, they’re left with a rare opportunity: to think for themselves. To want more.
The mission at the center of the novel, a data heist in post-corporate London, unfolds like a mystery. The pieces are scattered. The pacing is uneven. But if you sit with it, it becomes deeply rewarding. It reminded me a little of A Darker Shade of Magic — not in plot, but in atmosphere. That same sense of shadowed city streets, of things unsaid, of agency being carved out slowly, painfully, on the edge of control.
Loren was my favorite — and I didn’t expect that. He starts off almost mechanical, rigid in his routines. But as the story progresses, we see that the structure begins to fall away. His evolution feels earned. Quiet. Powerful.
Eddie Robson doesn’t just write a sci-fi book here. He writes a reflection. On labor. On systems. On stories told to justify control. And he does it without ever having to shout.
There are some elements that didn’t fully land for me — the heist itself felt small, and some of the tech details felt extraneous. But the emotional weight more than made up for it.
If you love speculative fiction that makes you think, feel, and sit with uncomfortable questions, this one is worth reading.
November 9, 2025
The Heist of Hollow London really surprised me, and it came at the perfect time since I’m currently taking a speculative fiction class. It hits a lot of the sci-fi notes I’ve been studying.
In terms of characters, I really enjoyed the team dynamic, as that was a lot of fun. I was also genuinely surprised by a few of the plot twists (which is rarer for me these days). Arlo, was probably my favourite (as he's more of an audience insert), and though I was a bit confused by the rotating perspectives, by the end of the plot, I thought they all served the main story in a way that added and did not take away.
Where it loses a star for me is the first 20%, which—fair enough—has to handle all the worldbuilding. Still, even as someone who reads a lot, I found it a bit hard to follow what was going on at first. (Also, as a side note, the way the audiobook narrator pronounced Vancouver made me cringe every time—but it was still cool to see my home city pop up.)
The title heist itself is fun, and I appreciated the climate themes and layered metaphors throughout. You can tell there’s a lot of thought behind this book. Not every idea landed perfectly for me—some might click better on a reread—but it all comes together nicely by the end. However, without spoiling anything, the scene with the guy showing up at the coffee shop after the climax felt a bit out of left field, but the twists around the actual money surprised me. I also appreciated the stakes at the end. This isn't a story where everyone gets a happily ever after; however, those more tragic plot beats aren't just shoved in, which I appreciated.
My only other small complaint is that the title maybe oversells the “heist” aspect—it’s only about 30% of the book—but I still really enjoyed it and will definitely read more from this author.
In terms of characters, I really enjoyed the team dynamic, as that was a lot of fun. I was also genuinely surprised by a few of the plot twists (which is rarer for me these days). Arlo, was probably my favourite (as he's more of an audience insert), and though I was a bit confused by the rotating perspectives, by the end of the plot, I thought they all served the main story in a way that added and did not take away.
Where it loses a star for me is the first 20%, which—fair enough—has to handle all the worldbuilding. Still, even as someone who reads a lot, I found it a bit hard to follow what was going on at first. (Also, as a side note, the way the audiobook narrator pronounced Vancouver made me cringe every time—but it was still cool to see my home city pop up.)
The title heist itself is fun, and I appreciated the climate themes and layered metaphors throughout. You can tell there’s a lot of thought behind this book. Not every idea landed perfectly for me—some might click better on a reread—but it all comes together nicely by the end. However, without spoiling anything, the scene with the guy showing up at the coffee shop after the climax felt a bit out of left field, but the twists around the actual money surprised me. I also appreciated the stakes at the end. This isn't a story where everyone gets a happily ever after; however, those more tragic plot beats aren't just shoved in, which I appreciated.
My only other small complaint is that the title maybe oversells the “heist” aspect—it’s only about 30% of the book—but I still really enjoyed it and will definitely read more from this author.
July 20, 2025
An Advance Reader Copy was provided to me by Netgalley.
Vibes: Heist, dystopia, personhood, evil corporations, power dynamics, instability, friendship
Initial response: :squealing, jazz hands, laying awake thinking about the world-building implications:
Considered response: A fun heist novel, yes. But when you open the loot bag, it's filled with the unpleasantness of slavery, subsistence work, organ removal, enforced conformity, and a society set up to not effing care about any of it.
The team (pulled together by a shadowy boss with unclear motives) are "mades" - clones fully owned by a corporation, living shitty half-lives. Two are street-level "brand ambassadors" - wear the clothes, draw attention to them, get views/orders. One works security at grocery stores and clubs, one is a systems tech, one works in HR. Their job? Get into a company-owned salvage warehouse, find a particular locker in the 'valuable salvage' area, steal the data disc in it, profit!
The entire heist goes like clockwork - until it doesn't.
Go preorder this immediately. Trust me.
Vibes: Heist, dystopia, personhood, evil corporations, power dynamics, instability, friendship
Initial response: :squealing, jazz hands, laying awake thinking about the world-building implications:
Considered response: A fun heist novel, yes. But when you open the loot bag, it's filled with the unpleasantness of slavery, subsistence work, organ removal, enforced conformity, and a society set up to not effing care about any of it.
The team (pulled together by a shadowy boss with unclear motives) are "mades" - clones fully owned by a corporation, living shitty half-lives. Two are street-level "brand ambassadors" - wear the clothes, draw attention to them, get views/orders. One works security at grocery stores and clubs, one is a systems tech, one works in HR. Their job? Get into a company-owned salvage warehouse, find a particular locker in the 'valuable salvage' area, steal the data disc in it, profit!
The entire heist goes like clockwork - until it doesn't.
Go preorder this immediately. Trust me.
September 15, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
If you like a sharp, fast-moving heist story with a sci-fi twist, this one is a treat. The world is a corporate-controlled dystopia where “mades” - artificially created people - are treated like indentured servants, and the book uses that setup to explore ideas of personhood, liberty, and freedom without slowing the action.
I loved the multiple third-person POVs, each with a distinct voice, and every character was surprisingly lovable for a story that isn’t trying to be cozy. The heist itself is fun and satisfying, and the ending wraps up neatly while leaving me eager for more adventures with this crew.
Recommended for: It’s not as mind-bending as Blake Crouch’s books, but it has a similar page-turning readability and just enough found-family warmth to balance the grit. A really enjoyable read that I’d happily recommend to anyone who loves sci-fi capers with heart.
I received a gifted copy from Tor in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.
If you like a sharp, fast-moving heist story with a sci-fi twist, this one is a treat. The world is a corporate-controlled dystopia where “mades” - artificially created people - are treated like indentured servants, and the book uses that setup to explore ideas of personhood, liberty, and freedom without slowing the action.
I loved the multiple third-person POVs, each with a distinct voice, and every character was surprisingly lovable for a story that isn’t trying to be cozy. The heist itself is fun and satisfying, and the ending wraps up neatly while leaving me eager for more adventures with this crew.
Recommended for: It’s not as mind-bending as Blake Crouch’s books, but it has a similar page-turning readability and just enough found-family warmth to balance the grit. A really enjoyable read that I’d happily recommend to anyone who loves sci-fi capers with heart.
I received a gifted copy from Tor in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.
November 15, 2025
Started out with some really interesting future tech and a look at where corporations & culture may take us in the near future. I would have liked to have seen more of this speculation or a deeper dive into it. There's also some cool stuff with . The heist part is decent, but by the last 75-100 pages I was just trying to finish it as I'd lost caring - recognizing that this wasn't a book for me. The last 15 pages are a complete disappointment Can't recommend and won't be reading again.
January 3, 2026
A little SF, a lot of heist, some action, gentle humour, and some surprises for the reader.
This is one of those books that upon reflection is better than you thought it was while reading.
That said, I was a bit disappointed not to find out who Mia was, what she was up to, what she really wanted, and what she had hoped/expected to happen. And I would have liked a quick look at the part of London that isn't hollow yet, the part where Mia keeps two helicopters.
Good mix of characters: caring Arlo, problem-challenged Drienne, big capable Nadi, burned-out emotionless Kline, and perhaps-a-little-stereotypical Loren.
And the heist rolls out cleverly.
I'll read future Robsons.
This is one of those books that upon reflection is better than you thought it was while reading.
That said, I was a bit disappointed not to find out who Mia was, what she was up to, what she really wanted, and what she had hoped/expected to happen. And I would have liked a quick look at the part of London that isn't hollow yet, the part where Mia keeps two helicopters.
Good mix of characters: caring Arlo, problem-challenged Drienne, big capable Nadi, burned-out emotionless Kline, and perhaps-a-little-stereotypical Loren.
And the heist rolls out cleverly.
I'll read future Robsons.
October 6, 2025
4.5 A new author for me just discovered this scifi author and love the writing style. This is a standalone and awesome plot.
The mades are clones used to heal the humans they belong to, but during the crash of the company Arlo and other mades are bought and form a team for a great heist that means their freedom. These clones act like high enhanced humans so they don't consider themselves humans and they are faster, stronger and cleverer (depends of each) They have wishes and goals and some even emotions they just need the freedom to act. Going to check the author's previous books. Awesome plot twist in the end that switches heist into something else.
The mades are clones used to heal the humans they belong to, but during the crash of the company Arlo and other mades are bought and form a team for a great heist that means their freedom. These clones act like high enhanced humans so they don't consider themselves humans and they are faster, stronger and cleverer (depends of each) They have wishes and goals and some even emotions they just need the freedom to act. Going to check the author's previous books. Awesome plot twist in the end that switches heist into something else.
August 28, 2025
This book is not one you can rush through. The characters are unique and have their own story to tell. You have that future / science fiction / dystopian vibe. But part of the story is also about the lives of these people and that they are people and not just assets to an owner. I’m gonna say Arlo was my favorite he was the one I could identify with the most. He was shy and timid in a way but also loyal to his friends. This book is for sure worth the read.
December 17, 2025
A dystopic world in the future where there are "mades" (genetic replicas) and "nats" with a social structure that resembles our present times (haves, havenots). Five mades are bought and are ordered to steal something from a factory in London. As the title says, a heist. Some of the characters are very likeable and so you want to know what happens. You just need to plow through the weirdness of the setting and some invented words.
December 25, 2025
Big disappointment! The particulars of the near future trade in tropes that lack dimension compared to recent takes on very similar ideas (Turton’s The Last Murder at the End of the World, Beauman’s Venomous Lunpsucker, Alien: Earth). The pacing is terrible and the ultimate reveal of the story’s twists comes so late in the game and is delivered in such an expository way that I found no interest or joy in it.
January 4, 2026
It's been a while since that nice Eddie Robson had a book out, and I enjoy his work so of course had to buy this new one. We're in sci-fi territory, with a strange premise that quickly becomes interesting. What happens when everything changes for clones made as back-ups for mega company employees if that company surprisingly collapses? A good interesting thriller with sci-fi elements, that has something to say.
December 31, 2025
3.5ish -Well that was a fun little story involving scams within scams. Having read Never Let Me Go earlier this year it was interesting to see the author use the concept of a "made" having to work off the debt of their having been created in case someone richer needed a body part. Less philosophical perhaps but there are still bits of poignency interspersed with the the caper part of the plot.
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