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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found it hard to connect with this book. There were moments that were endearing or moving but not enough to make the journey.
Synners by Pat Cadigan has some exciting elements, such as the surprisingly graphic results of Visual Mark's stroke hitting the web, but unfortunately the positives are dragged down by the convoluted story telling and overuse of lingo/slang.
First off there are too many characters, the story arch mostly surrounds Gabe and Gina, but instead we are introduced to too many side characters which do not actually meaningfully affect the plot enough to warrant their inclusion, in my opinion. For example we have Gabe's daughter Sam, who I thought would take a more proactive role in the story, but around halfway through the novel her and her crew retreat into the background (figuratively and literally) when they are forced to hide out from the police.
Second the futuristic lingo, and in particular the slang used, really took me out of the novel as I struggled to grasp it fully. I certainly expect a lot of cyberpunk lingo in a book like this, but it just crossed the line from immersion into annoyance for me. Therefore between the structure of the novel and the writing style I did not find Synners to be a particularly rewarding read, perhaps for truly diehard cyberpunk fans only.
First off there are too many characters, the story arch mostly surrounds Gabe and Gina, but instead we are introduced to too many side characters which do not actually meaningfully affect the plot enough to warrant their inclusion, in my opinion. For example we have Gabe's daughter Sam, who I thought would take a more proactive role in the story, but around halfway through the novel her and her crew retreat into the background (figuratively and literally) when they are forced to hide out from the police.
Second the futuristic lingo, and in particular the slang used, really took me out of the novel as I struggled to grasp it fully. I certainly expect a lot of cyberpunk lingo in a book like this, but it just crossed the line from immersion into annoyance for me. Therefore between the structure of the novel and the writing style I did not find Synners to be a particularly rewarding read, perhaps for truly diehard cyberpunk fans only.
This was the pick of the month for the #LadyVaults on #MagicalSpacePussycats and so, naturally, I read it. It was my first foray into Cyberpunk, and it was MiNdBeNdInG! This was written during the early stage of the web, and yet it is jammed full of new ideas, and ideas which really have happened. A story filled with hackers and VR, simulations and big bad corporations...definitely a little scary when compared to our world, but also very imaginative!
One element which I did like about this was the sheer amount of female characters. A lot of the time I read books by male authors when reading SFF and I think over time that has made me accept the 'token' women in the story more than I should. This book, being written by a lady, has about a 50/50 split of male/female characters, and that alone was truly refreshing.
I will say if you want to dive into this it is probably going to be a challenge for you if it's your first Cyberpunk (like me) but if you push on it does have some very cool moments. I definitely enjoyed reading this and the experience it gave me, coming waaay out of my comfort zone. Overall a 3.5* from me.
*** If you want to hear spoiler-y discussion of this book it will be featured in Magical Space Pussycats Podcast Ep. 3 which should go up next week, so keep a look out for that :D ***
One element which I did like about this was the sheer amount of female characters. A lot of the time I read books by male authors when reading SFF and I think over time that has made me accept the 'token' women in the story more than I should. This book, being written by a lady, has about a 50/50 split of male/female characters, and that alone was truly refreshing.
I will say if you want to dive into this it is probably going to be a challenge for you if it's your first Cyberpunk (like me) but if you push on it does have some very cool moments. I definitely enjoyed reading this and the experience it gave me, coming waaay out of my comfort zone. Overall a 3.5* from me.
*** If you want to hear spoiler-y discussion of this book it will be featured in Magical Space Pussycats Podcast Ep. 3 which should go up next week, so keep a look out for that :D ***
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one just doesn't age well, and really drags toward the end
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No