Neon Dust

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

In 22nd-century New York, survival is a hustle, and secrets refuse to stay buried.

Tony, once a corporate operative, knows betrayal firsthand—abandoned by the elites who molded him, he’s been exiled to the Blast, a low-income, no-exit wasteland in the heart of New Brooklyn.

Now, he scrapes by in a world of gang-controlled streets and Dust-fueled powers, finding reluctant allies among the outcasts he once scorned. Amid the despair, Tony starts to uncover a surprising strength—and a chance to feel something more than just a simmering need for revenge.

Addie, a fiercely independent journo, is determined to expose the district’s corruption and the ruthless toll it takes on its people. But as she digs deeper, her quest for justice drags her into the city’s darkest shadows—and into the grip of Dust. What starts as a mission to expose the underworld soon spirals into a harrowing journey of self-discovery, where even truth itself becomes suspect.

Together, Tony and Addie are an unlikely team in a world where loyalty is rare and survival comes at a price. But if they can trust each other, they might just be able to challenge the forces that keep the Blast under heel—and maybe find redemption in the ruins.

***Updates Friday and Saturday

There are 25+ more chapters available on my Patreon.

Discord invite: https://discord.gg/jrkHqZhdeK

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: PlumParrot

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 2,489
Views: 414,859

What readers say about Neon Dust

“Really good storyline, loving both of the main characters you can see their growth almost real time. It's a different take on the usual cyberpunk OP BS. The premise is solid and there's almost no grammer mistakes. The author has really improved from their e…”
JabelsRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Neon Dust [Progression Cyberpunk] by PlumParrot is a standout in the cyberpunk genre, blending gritty action with deep character development. Set in a vividly realized dystopian New York, the story follows Tony Santoro, a betrayed ex-corporate operative, an…”
@ugmentedRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

JabelsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Really good storyline, loving both of the main characters you can see their growth almost real time. It's a different take on the usual cyberpunk OP BS. The premise is solid and there's almost no grammer mistakes. The author has really improved from their early works. Reviews need 50 words but I don't have much else to say.
@ugmentedRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Neon Dust [Progression Cyberpunk] by PlumParrot is a standout in the cyberpunk genre, blending gritty action with deep character development. Set in a vividly realized dystopian New York, the story follows Tony Santoro, a betrayed ex-corporate operative, and Adelaide “Addie” Jones, a determined journalist, as they navigate the treacherous streets of District Seventeen—also known as “The Blast.” The narrative masterfully balances high-stakes action with moments of introspection, creating a compelling tale of redemption and resilience. With its richly detailed world-building, authentic dialogue, and a cast of memorable characters, Neon Dust offers an immersive experience that resonates with readers. It’s a must-read for fans of character-driven cyberpunk narratives.
AdjRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Early review, but it looks like this is another well thought-out, engaging story from Plum. Looking forward to seeing how it unfolds.
Cool cyber/magic setting, with an emphasis on the tech side. The plot is still emerging, but lots of hooks have been set, and a well developed set of characters.
CFBrentRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Plum Parrot is one of the best authors on Royal Road, and he is at his best while writing cyberpunk. Neon Dust is in some ways a spiritual sequel to his previous story, Cyber Dreams, which is also excellent. The characters are engaging and feel real, as if I'm actually hearing about the lives of some of these people. The system of dust and how that interacts with technology is interesting, and I genuinely can't wait for more.
Even if science fiction or cyberpunk isn't your cup of tea, I encourage all of you reading this to give Neon Dust a try. It is obvious that Parrot has put his heart and soul into this story, and that kind of passion deserves a chance. I know that if you give this story that chance, you won't be leaving, because it really is that good. I know that it's good enough to inspire changes in the stories I'm writing, personally.
Seriously, stop reading this review and start reading some chapters. Tony is a former corporate goon, a "runner" specializing in infiltration and action. He's good with a gun, with knives, with hand to hand combat, but he was betrayed by his companions because he wanted to leave the life of being a corporate goon. Addie is a Dust specialist - someone who can do things approaching the magical using the substance known as Dust - and a budding journalist who wants to right wrongs and stick up for the common person. Her father, who owns a pawn shop, takes Tony in after he is stripped of most of his fancy gear and thrown into the worst neighborhood around, left to die by his former comrades.
Will Tony choose revenge over his new friends? Will Addie find a way to right every wrong? Tune in to find out!
BradStokesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
If you haven't read Plum Parrot, he has some fantastic novels. This series just adds to his cred in the Cyberpunk genre. He makes good use of cyberpunk customers with a unique twist on the power behind the tech. It has everything you want in a small scale story that you can see blowing up into something really fun and of a great scale. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed.
EmergencyComplaintsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Disclaimer: This review is based on the entirety of book 1, which I read in advance on Patreon.
If you know Plum Parrot, you know he's got plenty of street cred as a cyberpunk author already. His newest story does not disappoint in that regard. Without getting into spoilers, it really nails down that gritty, dystopian vibe cyberpunk is famous for, with a lot of tech similarities to his other entry (which the author has hinted is on purpose). Now, for the nitty gritty of the review.
Style: There's not much to comment on here. The best styles are the ones you don't even think about. They just draw you in because they're so smooth that you can't help but keep reading. Neon Dust has got that down. Once I started reading, I went through the whole backlog in a day and was always eager to see the next chapter drop.
Story: Again, trying to avoid spoilers here. I really want to see some of the people from Tony's backstory appear on stage. It's only been hinted at what his life was like prior to his abrupt relocation to the slums of the city at the beginning of the story, but it sounds absolutely wild. Tony isn't content with his new station in life, and quickly starts rebuilding himself, finding new allies, and unraveling new mysteries.
Grammar: This is an easy one. The author knows what he's doing. Typos are almost non-existent, and the prose is clean, concise, and easy to read.
Character: The cast is diverse and well-developed. Like any good cyberpunk, the progression is tied into both the physical progression of various cybernetics and the social progression of shifting alliances, favored given and owed, and an ever-expanding bank account. Throughout the story, characters grow and are rounded out, and I don't just mean the protagonist. The world feels alive, and the actions people take can have hidden impacts that stretch well past the chapter.
C. elegansRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Perhaps “fun” isn’t the first word to come to mind when considering only the blurb. Some other equally apt descriptions like “thrilling” might be closer to the forefront of the mind. However, the story is fun. Not fun as in the amusement provoked by comedy, but fun as in the enjoyment derived from reading.
Neon Dust is far from Plum Parrot’s first story, and the experience accumulated from so many other works is illustrated by the (as far as I can tell) flawless grammar with no typographical errors or awkwardly placed punctuation. Accompanied by excellent prose that immerses you into an alternate Earth, along with boldly distinct characters, this firmly places it into a category of writing few on Royal Road can attain.
With Tony tossed into slums home to rival gangs and vast (and at the very least amoral) corporations as a backdrop, the setting borders on grimdark. But the kindness from individuals like Bert and the hope and determination from those like Addie cut through the darkness like beacons on a stormy night.
There are well-deserved moments of respite for the characters from the action and excitement of the story. Still, there’s always tension buzzing in the background, no matter how quiet, always the long shadows cast by megacorporations looming in the not-so-far distance.
Characters (excluding those who die immediately) are strikingly distinctive, with each character having their own set of defining characteristics. However, without the layers revealed as the story progresses, characters can seem a little simplistic at the start (though admittedly, this is true to some extent no matter how a character is written). The main characters also seem to bear some resemblance in their speech and mannerisms to counterparts in Plum’s other stories, some of which I like more than others.
With so much storytelling experience behind it, Neon Dust is a pleasure to read. In other words, fun.
FosterahaggisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Fantastic plotting and character. They are following in their own footsteps , providing a fast paced noir feeling to their cyberpunk collection . If you like this story, I recommend you read their other story on RR.
The protagonists are caught in a web of gangs and corporate corruption, the networks intertwined in a murky world. I have enjoyed the story, the plot works well and the protagonists have good solid feel to them. I highly recommend this story.
HammyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I read this on the author's Patreon and I loved it. It a great story with an engaging story with a grounded cast. It a nice mix of sci-fi and Dust magic. Best description I can give without spoiling. I really look forward to more in this universe.
If you like cyberpunk give this a shot.
JoeyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Only 10 chapters up so far.
Its a nice pacing in a cyberpunk world with a bit of "magic" mixed in.
The Main cast is likeable with some mysteries waiting to be Explored.
Interested in where this goes but if the quality stays like the other works of the author, expect frequent great uploads
Definitely recommend checking out the already finished Story cyber Dreams.
Im definitely hooked so far