The book is set firmly in the cyberpunk genre (for those of you just tuning in cyberpunk marries the atomsphere and story beats of Noir with high flying sci-fi). I'm on the record as being a big fan of cyberpunk but Spin State did not sit well with me. The main character is Catherine Li, a tough, jaded soldier with a dark secret past. Which is standard for the genre. Why then did I find her so unlikable? To me, she seemed less "hard ass" and more "high strung." And rather than existing in a state of moral ambiguity, Li just seems confused.
The setting had the same problem. Spin State's universe is a place of dirty deals and corruption. Of slums and harsh lives. Once again, standard for a Noir setting. But I found atmosphere annoying rather than cool. The author goes out of his way, clumsily, to hammer home the cynical nature of the world.
Spin State is kind of like this except that it's bad.
The plot itself is about a murder investigation that quickly gets tangled up. Everyone has an ulterior motive, and mysterious clues pile up quickly. This is pretty standard for detective stories. It's one of the reasons I like Noir. But in Slip State it simply makes the story feel muddled and bloated.
What it all comes down to is that Slip State just isn't written very well. There are all sorts of little things in it that nag me. Like when Li yells at an idealistic rich kid for trying to help poor miners. Or everytime Li is verbally or physically attacked by a cop technically under her control and does nothing to reprimand him. Li's ambivalence towards people who try and kill her in general. So while I'd like to recommend Spin State I really can't. It receives 4 stars out of 10.
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