Shunt by Jason Arsenault is a vision of a future world seen through the eyes of Jade Hilt; a young woman whose little brother was murdered in circumstances for which she feels some accountability. This is a dissonant world divided into Commonwealths of East and West, torn by an ongoing war of convenience, and an overcrowded population struggling to deal with the extinction of species and resources. An apparent solution to all of these problems seems to have been found by a mega-corporation called PrimaCore, where the adage 'opposites attract' seems to have precipitated their spinal shunt technology, which results in opposites being attached through online neural links; the premise being that opposing personalities will balance the two individuals connected beneficially. As Jade adjusts to her newfound confidence and emotional stability, gained through her new spinal shunt, she watches as human nature takes its inevitable course; a journey into a future of unimaginable dangers and hazards we may not survive.

Jason Arsenault’s Shunt is quite a ride. This is a story containing fresh ideas and concepts that will provoke the imagination of the reader in new directions. I became particularly engaged with the idea of trying to picture what my surrogate shunt partner would be, and how that connection would change my life. Shunt not only tackles new frontiers, but does so with genuine characters that have real grit; one of my favorites was Manne, who not only carried a subsurface layer of danger, but also a sense of inevitable doom mixed with ongoing hope for a better future, wrapped in intelligence beyond belief. I would highly recommend Shunt for those looking for fresh adventure on a global scale, with a number of diverse subplots and a thrilling climax that I didn’t foresee. Congratulations to the author on a great book.

In Shunt by Jason Arsenault, you can run from your emotions but can't hide from them. With more than a billion users worldwide, PrimaCore Industries is known for providing moderate to satisfactory relief for all types of suffering through their implants. Their customers usually uplink their disturbing emotions, which are then released inside an anonymous opposite surrogate. However, Jade, who got the implants to reduce the pain she felt over the loss of her brother, decides to locate her surrogate as she is having vivid memories of her deceased little brother, which could only have come from his murderer’s perspective. From a sociopathic priest to a soldier who despises being empathetic, an overweight cop, and even drug addicts, each character in Shunt has an internal battle to face or switch with another through an uplink.

I love it when a book successfully projects a world with a completely different way of life. This is what I love about sci-fi, and Shunt is a brilliant example. While reading the book, I was contemplating the idea of exchanging temperaments with others, and it was greatly entertaining. Different problems and scenarios that could arise from the concept are brought to light through the characters, including a conflict of interest and thought-provoking dilemmas. If you don't like stories with a broad view that switches between several main characters, you might not find the book enjoyable. Nevertheless, Jason Arsenault's narrative will appeal to readers who love large stories with several themes, like sociopathy, drug addiction, corruption, war, LGBTQ+, murder, futuristic technology, Catholicism, politics, and much more. I immensely enjoyed the creative concepts and the climactic, action-packed narrative in Shunt.