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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
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
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My favourite characters in this were Sam and Gina, with Gabe pretty high on the list too. They seemed to be the author's favourites, too, which was nice. I got what she was doing with Mark and the machines, but I guess that trope is less up my alley than some others. Glad I read this but, apparently, cyberpunk is less my thing than I thought. (So are depictions of spending all your time drugged out of your mind on drugs, machines, or rock music.) Still, Cadigan does it very well.
This started off very confusing, like there was no lead up and the POV jumps around from one paragraph to the next so it can be confusing who is talking or performing the action, but as you move along you understand why it was done this way, as it's trying to convey the feeling of being "plugged in" all the time, with unlimited access to data. The book definitely picks up and by the end I found myself really enjoying the narrative. I didn't understand everything that was happening, but I understood enough to piece together what the characters were trying to achieve and the warning about the good and bad that technology can accomplish seems more relevant every day.
For someone who isn't great with computers, I've read a decent number of cyberpunk novels. Pat Cadigan's prose isn't quite as slick as Gibson's, but it is more accessible than Stephenson's. She's funny and clever. I'll admit, I spent at least the first third of the novel trying to figure out who everyone was and what the heck was going on, but it was brilliant once I did. What really got me were the similarities between the "dataline" and Facebook (and other apps)--the way information is fed through the newsfeed and how it is being monetized. I also dug the notion of a "synner" as someone who synthesizes.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first half of the book introduces two new characters per chapter. Most of them turn out to be unimportant. The characters that stick around till the end are shallow and neurotic. The reader has no reason to root for the good guys (or the bad guys).
The prose was verbose, repetitive and a little pretentious. The second half of the book is just chaos.
In terms of pacing, it was very slow moving. It kinda makes a point about media exploiting people’s addictive nature. But not well.
So… I don’t know.
4th cyberpunk book in my 20 in 2020 challenge. A much more media-focused and trippy book, it took me a couple of tries to wrap my head around. But it was definitely worth the effort as it all comes together in the last third of the book.
Not really sure what to say about this book. Apparently the publishers didn't either because the blurb on the back of my book is incredibly vague. But it's a really fun book. Good cyberpunk. It took me a while to get used to the large cast of characters, especially in the beginning when pretty much every chapter introduces new characters and some of them only ever return in minor roles. But I really liked the number of characters by the end. It made the world feel complete and connected. Also, this book has what are basically cyberpunk zombies. So, that's a win right there.