THE HAWK ENIGMA

A war veteran’s precognitive dreams place him in a fight for the latest AI technology in this techno-thriller.

A man nicknamed Voodoo fought in the Iraq War as an “enabler,” or target finder. His shooting skills earned him the respect of hardened soldiers like Stu Slater and Eric Francisco, men he still counts as friends today. Life is tough for Voodoo, however, with nightmares of war and his wife lost to cancer. He copes by throwing himself into work with the San Diego, California–based Directorate, a military research lab. When his fellow vets ask to meet up, Voodoo is stunned to learn that they want him to join a rescue mission in Tokyo, Japan. In a recent dream, a voice said for him to “rise and face the eastern threat.” It turns out that scientists Dr. “Taka” Hawkins and Dr. Kenzo Ichikawa, who were working on something called the “God Algorithm,” are missing. Dr. Naomi Shimoda, the third scientist involved in the research, now fears for her life. When Voodoo and company reach Tokyo, they come up against the yakuza and a shadowy financier. Hancock’s debut is a smart, emotionally deft adventure that moves at an assured pace. The narrative toggles among flashbacks to Voodoo’s youth as a river rafting guide, his time in Iraq, and the present. The Iraq sequences are fantastic, showing both the humanity and horror found in wartime. The rafting scenes portray a group of friends whose identities, once revealed, add emotional weight to the finale. Deeply affecting is Voodoo’s rationale for his life: “This desire to fill a void pushed him to achieve incredible things. It also prevented him from finding satisfaction.” The occasional moments of violence are spectacularly cinematic (“Voodoo stabbed his index finger into the man’s eye. It slid into the socket and Voodoo felt a pop”). The final page leaves Hancock’s hero refreshed for the next installment.

A meticulous, inventive, and sharply written debut.