Day Zero by James Swallow and Josh Reynolds

October 22, 2020

Bike messenger and wannabe troublemaker Olly Soames is the newest recruit to DedSec’s Resistance movement, but when a stranger is shot dead in front of him, he realizes that danger is closer than he thinks…

Sarah Lincoln is an aggressive young politician with questionable methods and big ambitions, and when a string of murders unfolds in her borough, it may be the opportunity she has been looking for to make a name for herself…

Ex-MMA fighter turned leg-breaker Ro Hayes is in deep with the vicious Clan Kelley, the most brutal organized crime firm in the city’s underworld, and her survival rests on uncovering a dead man’s secrets…

And for Danny, Ro’s estranged brother and former soldier, his new career with private military contractor Albion is leading him down a very dark path, toward choices he may never be able to take back…

Four lives are drawn into a murderous conspiracy that threatens to destroy Dedsec and plunge the city of London into chaos. Something very bad is going down in London town…

I’ll admit it, I’m a casual gamer at best. I pootle around on my PS4* dipping in and out of titles as the mood takes me. It turns out I’m all about 3rd person open world gameplay; Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed, Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last of Us and Spiderman are all great fun and I go back to them again and again. It was only a few years ago that I discovered the Watch Dogs series and added it to my list of must have games. When I heard there was a prequel novel, Day Zero by James Swallow and Josh Reynolds, being released to tie-in with a third game in that franchise I was keen to learn more.

From the trailers of the game I’ve seen, I reckon the authors have totally nailed it when it comes to the book’s narrative tone. Explosions, gun battles, chases unfolding at breakneck pace; it’s all good clean fun.

The cast of characters are a motley bunch. We have a morally conflicted mercenary who is having more and more trouble discerning the difference between the good guys and the bad. Danny is used to following orders, but when those orders include treating friends and family like criminals have the authorities gone too far? Meanwhile Danny’s sister, Ro, is in deep with the local crime lords. Used to using her fists to solve problems, she finds herself involved in a conspiracy that Ro can’t punch her way out of.

The hacktivists who make up the London branch of DedSec attempt to rage against the corporate machine. They are always on the lookout for new talent and Olly Soames is their latest recruit. He has no problem with a bit of politically themed graffiti maybe even the odd cryptocurrency scam or two but Olly hasn’t made his mind up about moving things to the next level. Is he ready to take on a private army? The streets of London are at stake and Olly has to decide if he is prepared to go to war to save them.

There are also a host of mildly psychopathic West End gangsters who could be straight out of a Guy Ritchie film. The Gentlemen springs to mind immediately. I’m always happy when gangsters have suitably descriptive names as is the case here. Billy Bricks and Bloody Mary being prime examples.

The original Watch Dogs was set in Chicago. Watch Dogs 2 in San Francisco. For Watch Dogs: Legion, and this prequel novel, events move to London. Ever the melting pot, it is a perfect location for all the running about blowing stuff up. With the exception of autonomous murder drones and spider-bots buzzing around all over the place, it all sounds reassuringly like the London we all know and love.

As an aside, and I might be wrong, but I suspect there might even be the odd hint or two regarding gameplay in Legion for the eagle-eyed readers amongst you.

I suppose the ultimate objective of a tie-in novel is to interest the reader in the game or movie it is linked to. Day Zero does an excellent job of that. The authors have created a cheeky, cheery Cockney near-future tech thriller that acts as an ideal gateway to the game that is set to follow.

Day Zero is published by Aconyte and is available on Kindle now. The paperback edition is released on 12th November. It’s well worth checking out, especially if you are planning on immersing yourself in Watch Dogs: Legion when it is released.

Hmm, about some musical recommendations to accompany this novel? Well, I’m sure when the Legion is released, the soundtrack for that will be great. The music for Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2 would certainly suggest that will be the case. In the interim however, there are a few other options I can suggest. The soundtrack to the previously mentioned The Gentlemen by Chris Benstead is pretty damn good. Or perhaps The Gangs of London soundtrack by Aria Prayogi and Fajar Yuskemal, is also a good fit. The final option, if you feel the need for something a bit more full on, then pretty much anything from Celldweller’s hardcore industrial back catalogue is the way to go.

*Hopefully soon to be replaced by a PS5.

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