Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
A dark vision of the near future. Teenage orphan Kai, an assassin for hire, lives on his wits in Downtown, the slum district of Portobello, inhabited by gangsters, criminals and freedom fighters. Perpetually under siege from its far wealthier, more powerful and technologically advanced neighbour Nebula, Portobello, a city built on a peninsula, is crowded with refugees and more of prison camp than a metropolis. In Nebula, scientists are experimenting with genetically modified humans, but when twins Phoebe and Phoenix escape from the lab and disappear into Portobello, the head of security, devious Mendel, hires Kai to hunt them down...
Is As Good As Dead in Downtown appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 15 and up.
Parents should know this dark dystopian story features a teenage assassin protagonist dealing with violence, murder for hire, and living in a slum under siege. The setting depicts organized crime, refugees in prison-like conditions, and genetic experimentation on humans.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, no sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include human trafficking, murder, captivity, and death of parent (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens will find an action-packed dystopian thriller with a morally complex assassin hero who must track down genetically modified twins in a grim cityscape.