BABYLON 2066 (The Babylon Trilogy)

Max Murphy is a man who can do it all: a licensed pimp, part-time band manager, lead guitarist, and aspiring novelist. To say that he has a lot on his plate is a gross understatement. After President Van Dyke and his friend MI56 Guard Dieter were assassinated, Murphy was recruited by the clandestine organization of E1 to help out. In twenty-four hours, Murphy needs to help Dieter’s son Oliver to escape from government spooks while still running his business. At the same time, he is needed to step in as manager and guitarist for his girlfriend’s rock band and figure out who stole his idea for a novel. But he takes it all in his stride with the help of his next drink. While going from pub to pub, Max Murphy confronts the mysteries and politics of Soho, London, in 2066.

Babylon 2066 by John Exe is the first book in the Babylon Trilogy. In the spirit of full disclosure, I did not read the trilogy in order. I read the second book first and then finished with the first. While all three books can be read as standalone novels, the stories make more sense when read in order. This look into the life and politics of the future 2066 London is an exciting spy thriller with nonstop action. Even though the dialogue can feel clumsy and unrealistic at times, this book is a real cloak-and-dagger page-turner. With the storyline happening in a twenty-four hour period, the pace of the novel is quick. But with all the action, Exe’s characters seem to thrive on a diet of alcoholic drinks.

As a sci-fi novelist, Exe has a good grasp on how the world’s future is shaping up. From regional supermalls to a potential volatile civil war in America, he has many predictions of how tomorrow will look. Neither fully dystopian nor utopian, many of Exe’s projections seem to come from well-educated guesses. L Ron Hubbard once said of pure science fiction that it “has to be based on some degree of possibility” and be without facets of fantasy. It can be argued whether Hubbard actually wrote pure science fiction, but Exe’s novel has many aspects of the political, economic, and social sciences and is based on real possibilities. This is a book for anyone looking for a fast-paced action story based on reality while set in the future. Join Max Murphy for a Jack Daniels and coke on the rocks and enjoy Babylon 2066.