Sometimes when you read a book you get to the end and read it all over again because its great. This is not one of those books. I read it again because I hadn’t a clue what happened in its short span.

The Needle Need is set in a dystopian New York in the near distant future and follows the life of Alex in two parts. The first part when he was young and stole a cure, a hypodermic full of nanites that can cure all ailments and given only to the elite in the city. He steals it to try and cure his ailing mother, but arrives too late to do so. Then we catch up with him sixteen years later as the repercussions of the event catch up with him. Having never got rid of the needle, it is then discovered and from there events take a turn for the worst.

There is not that much to say on the story. It reads like the first few chapters of something much larger, indeed there are more books in a series after this. Other than the protagonist, the characters seem to be used more as plot devices to move Alex’s story along than characters in their own right. The descriptions given are suitably dystopian and if the idea was to make you feel miserable and ground down, well it worked. But most of the twists the story tries to wedge in come out of nowhere and make little sense.

If you are looking for a taster of the work and enjoy the style, then perhaps it might be for you, but even having read it twice, it’s not for me.