Neongrau

Winner of the Kurd Laßwitz Award as Best German Science Fiction novel 2023 

Neon Gray. Game Over in the Neurosubstrate.

Who controls this game called life and who is just a pawn?

Hamburg in the year 2112: the city is repeatedly flooded by heavy rain, a slum of floating containers has formed in the inland delta and above it all towers a gigantic stadium. Fans from all over the world travel to the"Tournament of Legends" to watch the famous glam gamers play. Go[Stuntboi] Kazumi is also enthusiastic about VR gaming, but still prefers to perform stunts on a retro skateboard. A fall seems to spell the end of Go's career, but then Go is offered a job in the stadium - with the Rahmani siblings, the most famous gamers in Germany! From then on, events come thick and fast and Go's world is turned completely upside down: a bomb attack, illegal flash arenas, tech activists, cyber drugs, artificial intelligence - and then there's this girl ... 

What fascinated me was the writing itself - this precise way of observing,the certainty in the choice of words, the musicality of the sentences. I rarelyfind anything like that. I felt reminded of William Gibson, only, let's say,fresher, more modern.'

-- Andreas Eschbach on Neon Grey

Near-future sci-fi meets coming-of-age

Themes: Queerness, VR,gaming, AI, friendship, self-discovery

December 2022

528 pages

English sample available

More praise for »Neon Grey«

'NEONGRAU is a brilliantly written, feverishly pulsating, rapidly developing story whose maelstrom intensifies right up to the last page. There's no time catch your breath, breathing totally overrated, just call in CPR team - and GO!' -- Horst Illmer

'Aiki paints a bleak picture in parts as far the world is concerned, but interpersonal relationships shine all neon colours there are to make up for it. The grey combines two elements into one and shows - anyone can even grey.'-- Sarahs Lesereise