Marin Bucea, a Romanian immigrant adrift on the Pacific coast in a near-future dominated by AI, reluctantly takes a job as a security guard on an automated cargo ship to avoid deportation. Blending cyberpunk and noir elements, the story explores themes of alienation, technological dependence, and the search for meaning in a fragmented, AI-saturated world.

Reader Review Summary

Set in a near-future world after 2050, the novel follows Marin Bucea, a Romanian from Balș who has migrated to the Pacific coast in search of a better life. Living day-to-day as a janitor and struggling with alcohol, Marin faces deportation and reluctantly takes a job as a security guard on an AI-controlled cargo ship. The story explores a society where artificial intelligence dominates most aspects of life, leaving humans to find meaning and autonomy in marginal spaces. The narrative is infused with cyberpunk and noir elements, and the protagonist’s internal monologue is a key feature, providing both humor and insight into his character. The book incorporates numerous cultural references, including nods to fandoms, cats, Minecraft, and even local Romanian culture, and uses footnotes to represent Marin’s interface with online information, reflecting the fragmentation of awareness in an AI-saturated world.

Readers appreciated the book’s atmosphere, which some compared to works like The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and Snow Crash, as well as its well-developed world-building. The protagonist’s humor and internal monologue were frequently highlighted as engaging, with several reviewers noting the cleverness and wit in Marin’s thoughts. The pacing, especially in the first half, was described as gripping, and the book’s ability to blend Romanian cultural elements with science fiction themes was noted positively. Some readers, even those not typically interested in science fiction, found the story accessible and compelling, and the editing quality was also mentioned favorably.

Some readers found the second half of the novel slower in pace, which affected their engagement. The integration of numerous footnotes, used to depict Marin’s mental interface with online information, was seen as disruptive to the reading flow by some, requiring frequent shifts between the main text and the notes. Additionally, the abundance of cultural references and allusions, while enriching for some, were considered potentially overwhelming or difficult to understand for readers who do not share similar backgrounds or experiences as the author. These aspects were cited as minor flaws but did impact the reading experience for certain individuals.

The book was published on May 27, 2025, and falls within the science fiction genre. It has received 21 reader ratings with an average of 4.19 out of 5, and five full reader reviews. The author, Dragoș C. Costache, is noted for previous work in noir fiction, which influences the style and narrative approach in this novel. The story also references a post-unification Romania and touches on themes such as climate change, technofeudalism, and the impact of AI on human imagination and autonomy.