Book Review: Shifta by Miles Joyner
Strong Continuation With Even Darker Real World Stakes. This is one of those tales that feels like it could be all *too* real, set in a "near future" that is effectively the actual present and building off Book 1 of this series in so many ways while adding even more depth to all aspects from our primary characters to the various motivations of everyone, new and old alike, to the all-too-real yet also perfectly placed within this story real world politics that will likely annoy some - possibly to the point of desiring defenestration - but are worked so well into the story here that it really does fit while also making this a book that makes you actually think quite a bit.
If you're looking for a more pure "turn your brain off and enjoy the spectacle" kind of action thriller... this ain't really that. There's a lot of elements of that here, maybe even enough to keep your interest.
But this is absolutely a book with strong ideas - balanced ideas, on the most political of points it raises, but still quite strong - but with those ideas baked into the story in such ways and with characters genuinely believing them and acting according to them that the ideas never actually come off as preachy so much as all too real.
That those ideas - and even the broad strokes of exactly how they are implemented within this tale - are all too real and plausible in the so-called "real" world should scare the ever loving hell out of *all* of us. This is one of those cautionary tales not of where we could be, but where we *are*, and how it is only by whatever "grace of God" type system you believe in that we have not actually seen these exact kinds of things play out within our world... at least in the US.
Overall a strong, fast paced action thriller that is great for those looking for a shorter, quicker read as it packs quite a bit of tale and some really heavy punches in its sub-300 page length - but also one that will both leave you breathless and thinking quite heavily.
Very much recommended.
This review of Shifta by Miles Joyner was originally written on September 21, 2026.
