The Minders by John Marrs

*spoiler-free*

After loving The Passengers and Keep It In The Family, The Minders was hard not to pick up. Set in a not-too-distant future, the book imagines a Britain under attack from relentless cyber attacks. In response, the government comes up with a radical plan: instead of storing top-secret information in vulnerable digital systems, they implant it into the DNA of five individuals who are carefully chosen for their unique neurological condition, synaesthesia.

What immediately impressed me about the novel was its sense of world-building. Marrs structures the story around the perspectives of the five “Minders,” making them normal and relatable within this story, combined with the chapters surrounding government and project officials. As each chapter changed to the next character, there was always a cliffhanger to push you into the next. The narrative rhythm is fast, sharp, and addictive, which makes it very easy to read.

The concept itself is also one of the book’s greatest strengths. Marrs is never short on bold ideas, and the notion of implanting state secrets into the DNA of ordinary citizens was very interesting to read about. The incorporation of synaesthesia adds another fascinating layer, allowing these characters to process and perceive the information in ways that ordinary people could not.

Another aspect I appreciated was the range of characters Marrs introduces as each of the five Minders comes with a distinct and often tragic backstory. It took me a little bit of time to adjust to each character to remember their story, but these varied perspectives gave the book both emotional weight, and I found myself invested in several of their personal journeys even apart from the central conspiracy.

The only small setback I experienced with this book was that not everything felt plausible to me. With five different points of view competing for space, some storylines inevitably feel rushed or underdeveloped. This resulted in not every Minder receiving the same depth of characterisation, but this didn’t affect the book largely.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and exploring the sci-fi world more. If you are a fan of Black Mirror, I’d recommend this book as it explores the dark side of technology alongside human nature. I’m looking forward to reading more of Marrs’ books also, I think The One will be next on my list!

4/5 stars