Sunset, Water City - (The Water City Trilogy) by Chris McKinney

About the Book

"Year 2160: It's been ten years since the cataclysmic events of Eventide, Water City, where 99.97 percent of the human population was possessed or obliterated by Akira Kimura, Water City's renowned scientist and Earth's former savior. Our nameless antihero, a synesthete and former detective, and his daughter, Ascalon, navigate through a post-apocalyptic landscape populated by barbaric Zeroes-the permanent residents of the continent's biggest landfill, The Great Leachate-who cling to the ways of the old world. They live in opposition to Akira's godlike domination of the planet-she has taken control of the population that viewed her as a god and converted them into her Gardeners, zombie-like humans who plod along to build her vision of a new world. What that world exactly entails, Ascalon is not entirely sure, but intends to find out. Now nineteen, she, a synesthete herself, takes over this story while her father succumbs to grief and decades of Akira's manipulation. Tasked with the impossible, Ascalon must find a way to free what's left of the human race"--

Book Synopsis

In the powerful conclusion to the sci-fi noir Water City trilogy, faith, power, and tech clash when our nameless protagonist passes the responsibility of saving the world to his teenage daughter. For fans of Phillip K. Dick and The Last of Us.

Year 2160: It's been ten years since the cataclysmic events of Eventide, Water City, where 99.97 percent of the human population was possessed or obliterated by Akira Kimura, Water City's renowned scientist and Earth's former savior.

Our nameless antihero, a synesthete and former detective, and his daughter, Ascalon, navigate through a post-apocalyptic landscape populated by barbaric Zeroes--the permanent residents of the continent's biggest landfill, The Great Leachate--who cling to the ways of the old world. They live in opposition to Akira's godlike domination of the planet--she has taken control of the population that viewed her as a god and converted them into her Gardeners, zombie-like humans who plod along to build her vision of a new world.

What that world exactly entails, Ascalon is not entirely sure, but intends to find out. Now nineteen, she, a synesthete herself, takes over this story while her father succumbs to grief and decades of Akira's manipulation. Tasked with the impossible, Ascalon must find a way to free what's left of the human race.

Review Quotes

Praise for Sunset, Water City

A BookBrowse Best Book of December 2023
CrimeReads Best Speculative Crime Fiction of 2023
CrimeReads Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of Fall

"A rewarding [series] that's brought to an imaginative conclusion here."
--Toronto Star

"McKinney completes a pivot from futuristic detective narrative to a work set in a full-on post-apocalyptic landscape (or seascape). It's a haunting conclusion for an ambitious series."
--Tor.com

"A thrilling finale . . . Read this trilogy if you've ever wondered what a Philip K. Dick novel would feel like underwater--that sounds like a joke, but this is impeccable scifi noir and a stirring series for our times."
--CrimeReads

"McKinney's narrative is so compelling that it's well worth entering his speculative world."
--Beth Kanell, Stories That Matter

"McKinney nails the landing in the wrenching conclusion to his 22nd-century sci-fi noir trilogy . . . As in prior entries, McKinney's worldbuilding is top-notch, and he successfully launches more rattling­--and gratifying­­--surprises than most would expect from a series finale. This brings a superior series to a sharp, startling conclusion."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Few SF trilogies are as ambitious as this one: it began--in 2021's Midnight, Water City--with the world struggling to recover after a near miss with an asteroid. For McKinney, that catastrophe was merely the jumping-off point, and this satisfying conclusion to a magnificent trilogy offers a real treat for SF fans."
--Booklist

Praise for the Water City Trilogy

"Binge-worthy . . . The noir tone of the trilogy is sure to appeal as much to detective novel readers as it is to science fiction fans--and its commentary on class, climate, and the morality of truth is absolutely on point."
--Paste

"This distinctive novel brims with delightful innovations, razor-sharp social commentary and richly wrought characters, all set against a teeming underwater city."
--Newsweek

"An impressive feat of world-building, blending speculative but coherent takes on environmental issues and the future of tech, politics and the economy . . . There's no denying McKinney has a fantastic imagination that's running in high gear here, making this series well worth checking out."
--The Toronto Star

"This gritty noir set in a sci-fi landscape is a real page-turner."
--Buzzfeed

"After reading Water City Trilogy, a sci-fi triptych out of Hieronymus Bosch, you may never look at your phone the same way again. A powerful parable about the illusion of free will and the poison of ego couched in a fast-paced, wisecrack-filled detective story, the novels jolly you along the road to environmental and technological disaster. It's a swell ride, exhilarating, the prose crackling."
--The Hawai'i Review of Books

"Many writers use crime fiction to reveal hidden elements of society or expose the abuses of those in power . . . And that sense of powerful people concealing crucial secrets from the general public is very much on display in Chris McKinney's Midnight, Water City--a novel which makes the most of its slow-burning narrative of detection."
--Tor.com

"Eventide, Water City is sci-fi, neo-noir at its finest. Chris McKinney doesn't just build a world--he conjures up a glimpse at what the world could be if we're not careful."
--Eli Cranor, author of Don't Know Tough

"Midnight, Water City is futuristic crime reinvented. A weird, smart blast of sci-fi noir, this narrative places readers in constantly shifting terrain. Politically engaged, environmentally conscious, and packed with action, this novel shows an all-too-plausible future. Chris McKinney has arrived, and his mixture of classic genre themes and innovation make his distinctive voice one that demands attention."
--Gabino Iglesias, author of Coyote Songs

"Combine[s] brilliant worldbuilding and sophisticated plotting . . . McKinney keeps readers guessing about the story's direction for much of the novel, and sticks the landing with a near-perfect conclusion. Sci-fi thriller fans will anxiously await the series finale."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

About the Author

Chris McKinney was born and raised in Hawai'i, on the island of Oahu. He has written nine novels, including The Tattoo and The Queen of Tears, a coauthored memoir, and the screenplays for two feature films and two short films. He is the winner of the Elliott Cades Award and seven Kapalapala Po'okela Awards and has been appointed Visiting Distinguished Writer at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.