Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence is a novel set in the iconic world of Cyberpunk 2077 created by CD Projekt Red. Its author is Polish writer Rafał Kosik. He is one of the most iconic and influential Polish science fiction writers of the 21st century. He’s also a laureate of the highest sci-fi literary honors in Poland.
His latest book set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 is definitely one of the most intriguing titles telling the story of this universe. It is not a continuation of the story from the game or Netflix series, it is simply a standalone story. But is it worth reading, and will fans of the Cyberpunk 2077 universe enjoy it? Dive into my review below to find out.
Story of Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence
Similar to the Netflix series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, this story focuses on a certain group of people from different factions who believe in different ideologies. No Coincidence tells a story of a team that is hired to pull off a heist. The members of this team are Zor, Aya, Ron, Milena, and Borg. The main goal of the heist is to rob a convoy carrying a mysterious container belonging to Militech. At first, it’s not clear what they are stealing, but everyone knows it’s something important and valuable that will bring them a lot of money.
In the first chapter, we see how each team member has a specific set of skills they use. They’re all specialists in different fields. For example, we have a ripperdoc, a techie, a computer nerd, a veteran turned renegade, a dormant Militech agent, and a therapist. The group has nothing in common with each other. But it was important for someone to assemble a team with specialists in those particular fields.
During the robbery, each of them has their own tasks to perform, and we learn why they are the ones to do it. Their abilities and enhancements are secondary. The bottom line is that if they die, they can be replaced and no one will wonder what happened to them. That’s why Warden recruited them.
Every member was blackmailed into joining it. Initially, they didn’t know much about each other, but over time they learned to trust each other. However, the biggest mystery they haven’t solved is who their employer is. More specifically, not only his true identity but what’s his position in Night City, what he needs the mysterious artifact for, and why did he choose them?
They must learn how to overcome their differences, how to trust each other, and how to work together to survive. With another deadly heist coming, the task becomes more difficult. Especially when unexpected problems and unfortunate events occur around them. Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence is an action thriller with a number of science-fiction elements. It’s also a mixture of mystery, love, and a psychological story.
We need more books like this
This is not just a heist story set in a futuristic world. As in his previous books, Rafał Kosik very subtly sends a message about current world problems. The most common theme is the problem with artificial intelligence. With the current WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, has been an ever-expanding awareness of the potentially negative uses of artificial intelligence.
Kosik with his serious and very logical approach to history allows readers to enjoy the story. Most importantly, this is also a story about people and their needs. The most important thing people need is love and closeness. In a world dominated by technology, with the risk of environmental disaster and on the brink of war, people still need to feel these emotions. And that’s the reason No Coincidence will resonate with readers on many levels.
Maybe it’s a simple story full of action, thriller, and plot twists, but to me, it’s something more. For me, this is a book that uses this futuristic and fully developed world to not only give us a very satisfying story but also to warn us. Our future is very dangerous. What is happening to our world now is not good, and it is up to us to fix it.
Personally, I think we need more books like No Coincidence. The best way to raise public awareness of current world issues and the current situation is to create amazing, emotional, and moving stories set in popular universes. And the world of Cyberpunk is a perfect example of this. We have the Cyberpunk 2077 game, the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners series, and now this book.
Each of these projects had its own purpose to fulfill. The game allowed players to explore a futuristic world with a morally complex environment and the freedom to shape the story of their characters. With its open-world system, the game helped show players that even if it is a “developed” dystopian future, it is an even worse world to live in. And it was the people who made it happen.
Netflix’s series showed us the story from the perspective of a poor Night City resident with problems. We see that this world is even more corrupt and broken. The same is true of this book. Every Cyberpunk 2077 story tells us that our world is broken. We won’t fix it by making it more futuristic and developing more strange and useless technologies. And that even then, money will always rule the world.
A great entry into the Cyberpunk 2077 world from Rafał Kosik
Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence is an amazing and emotional book that shows readers a non-ideal dystopian future. The more you read it, the more you see how people living in Night City are broken, desperate to live to see another day, and how life is even more unfair.
Rafał Kosik perfectly balanced between writing a mystery with plenty of twists and turns, and smuggling a message about current issues. Of course, as a book set in the Cyberpunk 2077 world itself, this is a great story that expands that world even further. With each successive chapter, the story becomes more and more serious, and I became more involved in reading it.
I was reading Rafał Kosik’s books since I was a kid. I grew up reading them and I loved them. And I have to say that as a Polish person, I’m pretty impressed, happy, and proud that he wrote such an interesting and fascinating Cyberpunk 2077 novel. I enjoyed reading this book and will certainly read it again soon. I can’t wait to dig into the story again and find some Easter eggs and more details to make this story even more interesting than it already is.
Let’s hope it’s not the end of his journey with the Cyberpunk 2077 world and that we’ll be able to read more of his books set in this world soon.
My rating for this book:
9.5/10
Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence by Rafał Kosik is now available in hardback, paperback, digital, and as an audiobook. Will you be reading it? Let us know on Twitter or in the Cosmic Circus Discord.
The Future Of CD PROJEKT RED Games (The Witcher, Cyberpunk)
Review: Netflix’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
