Nine Tenths by Jeff MacfeeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hard-boiled, thoroughly so. In an alternate version of our world in which "augments" (superheroes) exist, the narrator ekes out a precarious living as a repo man, repossessing augmented technology from superheroes, supervillains, and people who just think the stuff is cool, but can't afford to keep up the payments on it. He himself is struggling to pay for his daughter's cancer treatment, which is his motivation throughout the plot. This drives him to conceal key information from his partner, to get himself into multiple dangerous situations (causing him to be beaten up and otherwise maimed), and eventually to (view spoiler).
It's not a happy story, which made it less than completely to my taste and dropped it down to the bronze tier of my Best of the Year list. It is a well-told, well-written story, though, with a strong and believable set of motivations for a flawed yet relatable character to continue to struggle against the odds.
I never did figure out what the title refers to.
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