The Sapiens Run Trilogy is the story of a teenager named Cass that takes place in the year 2055. She grew up in a Sapiens enclave, a community for people who do not believe in cybernetic enhancements. People who get such enhancements are called “subs,” to imply they are subhuman. Her father is an important member of the movement and normally Cass would go to a college approved by the Sapiens movement, but she gets permission to go to a regular college. Cass is surprised when she learns that her roommate Shelby is a sub, a fact that she hides from her family for fear that they won’t let her go to the college of her choice.
After some fights and a lot of awkwardness, Cass and Shelby realize that they actually like each other and a relationship begins. During break the two go with friends for a vacation where Cass has a bad accident. To save her life, doctors use cybernetic implants. Cass tries to keep her family from discovering that she is now a sub but the girls stumble onto some chilling secrets and have to go on the run.
This book set was a nice surprise. The main characters were likeable, the premise of the story was good, and there was plenty of action to keep it moving. It was fun imaging a world where people had smart tattoos and cool implants and it was not hard to believe that there would be those who opposed these types of things. This set was composed of three books that were included together: Cyber’s Change, Cyber’s Escape, and Cyber’s Underground. They were kind of short, so it was nice that they were presented as one. The narrator did a good job.
The story was not perfect. While we had cybernetic implants, a surprising amount of daily life and descriptions of the world was the same a today. Some of the secondary characters seemed to act a bit inconsistently. There were a surprising number of world class hackers that showed up along the way just when the Cass and Shelby needed them. The hacker friend who miraculously makes things happen has become a trope. Even so, this is a fun story that people will enjoy.