This book was okay, but I really would only recommend it for fans of Ghost in the Shell.

The entire book is written from the perspective of Batou, which is interesting. I was surprised at how well the writer was able to communicate his character given that the author isn't one of the writers on the show.

Speaking of the show, it's important to point out that this book is in the GitS movie universe as opposed to the series universe. The technology is substantially different. This novel talks about the technology, specifically e-brains, very frequently. Too frequently, in fact. I started to get the feeling that the discussion of technology was just filler because it wasn't really adding to the story.

It's definitely a hard-boiled story that does provide a great gritty feeling throughout urban cityscapes. That was certainly my favorite aspect of the book.

Actual noir. A good man, reason for life gone, becomes a not so good man. Goes looking for his dog and getting really lost.

You can see my review on my website. Long with the Ghost in the Shell series as a whole.
https://nerdylifeofmine.com/2021/01/2...

I had read this novel a few already, and never really seem to remember what happens in the story. So I have a vauge Idea of what, the story is about when I reread it.

The story takes place a little bit before the events of Ghost in the shell 2 innocence. Batou while shopping for dog food for his beloved dog has an incident at the store parkings lot. Then when he returns home, the dog leaves and gets dognapped. Batou has to go look for him.

This is a interesting read. A lot of complex thoughts on the mature of intelligence, and the nature of the soul. Enough action to make it interesting. Do watch the movie after reading the book.

Fun, thought-provoking adventure.

Despite a horribly muddled and overly complex third act, I adored this book. The first half is a wonderful exploration of Batou's character and the nature of a cyborg consciousness, something that is never so explicitly described in the GiTS film universe.
Although this isn't the strongest book on the whole, it's clear that Masaki Yamada is a strong writer with a vivid imagination and solid scientific chops as well, particularly his use of trivia-as-a-metaphor. Batou's digressions into the mechanics of cyborg consciousness, or studies of animal intelligence and psychology, were some of the highlights of the book.
The conversation between Yamada and Oshii following the novel is an added bonus, and it serves to flesh out the themes of the novel and of Innocence, the film.

A quick read, but good. Tightly focused on Batou in a story that preceeds the Innocence film. Afterward discussion between the author and Mamoru Oshii is a nice bonus.