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surreptitiously's review against another edition
4.0
"The thing is that it's all possible, especially if we're willing to trade away our rights for convenience, for the illusion of security. our very own bright and shiny dystopia is only ever one totalitarian government away."
hank's review against another edition
4.0
I am a Beukes fan, but this was probably my least favority of hers. The world building was excellent but I couldn't get a handle on the characters. There were lots and they all seemed the same at the beginning. By the time I had them all untangled the book ended. What I like about Beukes writing is, pardoxically all of the diverse characters she manages to weave into a coherent story. This, one of her earlier books, shows her potential but doesn't quite blend it all together.
Even with my tepid remarks, this is a good cyber-punky story filled with gene tech and robot dogs. 3.5 stars rounded up because as usual I don't think Beukes gets as much love as she deserves.
Even with my tepid remarks, this is a good cyber-punky story filled with gene tech and robot dogs. 3.5 stars rounded up because as usual I don't think Beukes gets as much love as she deserves.
meghan111's review against another edition
4.0
Near-future dystopia set in South Africa, about a society in which corporations control access to privileges, in which smartphones are outfitted with an ability to give their users Taser-like shocks when directed to by police, and where biohacking nanobots are injected experimentally in trendsetting underground artists, to create buzz around the nanobot's abilities to enhance human abilities and prevent illness. Following several young people, including a photographer, a DJ, an activist, and a corporate employee, this novel left me intrigued and impressed by its social commentary and writing. It was originally published nearly a decade ago, but seems still just as futuristic and relevant today.
mehitabels's review against another edition
4.0
This was a random e-book I found, mostly out of desperation to finally finish [b:The Shining Girls|16131077|The Shining Girls|Lauren Beukes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352227705s/16131077.jpg|21956898], and is really more of novella. But my gods, I wish she would flesh it out into a really long book, or preferably, a series. Delish future world, with the horror of technology embedded into life and persona, the meaninglessness of art and the ignorance of poverty. It felt very much like the beginning of Spider Jerusalem's world (and if you don't know him, go find [b:Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street|22416|Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1 Back on the Street (Transmetropolitan, #1)|Warren Ellis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320606005s/22416.jpg|23442]).
So a collision story between an artist, a techie, a revolutionary, and a douche bag. Fantastic. One to buy for the collection.
So a collision story between an artist, a techie, a revolutionary, and a douche bag. Fantastic. One to buy for the collection.
dansquire's review against another edition
3.0
I really like Lauren Beukes' writing, and have read quite a few of her books. This one is not bad, but not her best either – it doesn't feel like it has quite as tight a story as some of the others, the focus is a bit more nebulous. Four narrators is probably a bit too much. As I said, I think she's great, but if you've never read anything by her before I would definitely recommend reading The Shining Girls or Zoo City first.
zimb0's review against another edition
5.0
An astonishing work, blending futurist musings inspired by actual events. The closing essay alone is a must read, it's contents transcending the novel, making it 5 stars.
dontpanic42's review against another edition
3.0
I went back to read this book after having read Beukes' last two novels and absolutely loving them. I was disappointed. It's filled with great ideas, but the execution is rough, and too many things fizzle out in an unsatisfying way. It's a fun enough read, I suppose, but doesn't hold a candle to the more capably (maturely?) executed Shining Girls or Broken Monsters.
melledotca's review against another edition
3.0
Very Gibson-esque in style, though a couple of decades on, and clearly set in Africa. Really didn't feel like it had that much of a plot, and the ending certainly left lots of open ends, facilitating a sequel, etc.
philibin's review against another edition
3.0
(2.5 Stars)
I really liked Zoo City, so I decided to go back and read This Author's back catalog. This is her earliest published book. I was not as impressed with it as I was with Zoo City.
The Good: This is a cool concept. It is very reminiscent of William Gibson's Sprawl, a cyber punk-ish dystopian hell-scape set in Cape Town, and packed with all the baggage that implies. The future-tech is believable enough to be scary, and the story is a well thought-out abstract.
The Bad: To be honest, I listened to this book as an audiobook, narrated by Nico Evers-Swindell. Maybe it was his accent, but I had a hard time differentiating between the characters. There was not much nuance between cadence, or tone, and even though the chapters start with who's story arc you are hearing it from, they all just melded together in my mind and I had to rewind several times to keep track. As far as the book itself, my only negative about it was that some parts of the story seemed to ramble, and my mind would drift. The story was interesting, but not very engaging. And the characters seemed a little flat.
I will read Lauren's next book, because this one was not bad, it was just not as good as Zoo City. I've already mentioned Gibson, his readers should like this book. Also readers of Rudy Rucker, and anyone who likes the cyberpunk/shadowrun/netrunner style of books. At it's heart, this book recognizes the embrace of technology, while not trusting it... especially in the hands of bad actors and powerful governments.
I really liked Zoo City, so I decided to go back and read This Author's back catalog. This is her earliest published book. I was not as impressed with it as I was with Zoo City.
The Good: This is a cool concept. It is very reminiscent of William Gibson's Sprawl, a cyber punk-ish dystopian hell-scape set in Cape Town, and packed with all the baggage that implies. The future-tech is believable enough to be scary, and the story is a well thought-out abstract.
The Bad: To be honest, I listened to this book as an audiobook, narrated by Nico Evers-Swindell. Maybe it was his accent, but I had a hard time differentiating between the characters. There was not much nuance between cadence, or tone, and even though the chapters start with who's story arc you are hearing it from, they all just melded together in my mind and I had to rewind several times to keep track. As far as the book itself, my only negative about it was that some parts of the story seemed to ramble, and my mind would drift. The story was interesting, but not very engaging. And the characters seemed a little flat.
I will read Lauren's next book, because this one was not bad, it was just not as good as Zoo City. I've already mentioned Gibson, his readers should like this book. Also readers of Rudy Rucker, and anyone who likes the cyberpunk/shadowrun/netrunner style of books. At it's heart, this book recognizes the embrace of technology, while not trusting it... especially in the hands of bad actors and powerful governments.
izellemckelvie's review against another edition
5.0
I'm very impressed by this novel. It creates a truly funky dystopia with Cape Town as a background. Somewhere between satire and science fiction.