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ashryn's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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
4.0
billymac1962's review against another edition
5.0
The sequel to When Gravity Fails. 'Nuff said. Excellent.
jasonabbott's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
montresaur's review against another edition
5.0
In my opinion, probably the best of the three Marid Audran books. When Gravity Fails had a great setting in its debauched futuristic casbah, but it was slightly marred by the central plot (A SERIAL KILLER! WHO COPIES OTHER SERIAL KILLERS BRAINS! WITH TECHNOLOGY! Wow, never seen THAT in cyberpunk) and the protagonist, who--while engaging and very likable--wasn't really that far removed from the standard "cool disaffected outsider" lead of most of these kinds of books, despite the Arabian highlights slapped on the template. Marid's improved by the third book, The Exile Kiss, but the cool setting is shunted aside for an interminable number of pages in favor of a less interesting "desert survival" adventure that really drags that volume down.
So it's the second book, A Fire in the Sun that proves to be the high point of the series. The underdog hero of the first book is forced into a position of authority and responsibility (two, in fact, as both an important member of a cartel with more power than most nations; and as a member of the city police force), which forces him to adapt and mature in an interesting way; as well as finally making him more than just another cyberpunk rebel protagonist, but a lead character as distinct and interesting as the setting he inhabits.
The plotting improves too, as the crimelord character Friedlander Bey is revealed to be something rather more sophisticated than a mere gangster; the secret of his longevity is revealed to be much more terrible than a standard technobabble handwave; and a secret regarding a deeper relationship between Bey and Audran turns out to be much more complicated and nuanced than the predictable twist teased near the start of the book.
Definitely the apex of the Budayeen trilogy, and highly recommended to fans of the genre.
So it's the second book, A Fire in the Sun that proves to be the high point of the series. The underdog hero of the first book is forced into a position of authority and responsibility (two, in fact, as both an important member of a cartel with more power than most nations; and as a member of the city police force), which forces him to adapt and mature in an interesting way; as well as finally making him more than just another cyberpunk rebel protagonist, but a lead character as distinct and interesting as the setting he inhabits.
The plotting improves too, as the crimelord character Friedlander Bey is revealed to be something rather more sophisticated than a mere gangster; the secret of his longevity is revealed to be much more terrible than a standard technobabble handwave; and a secret regarding a deeper relationship between Bey and Audran turns out to be much more complicated and nuanced than the predictable twist teased near the start of the book.
Definitely the apex of the Budayeen trilogy, and highly recommended to fans of the genre.
branch_c's review against another edition
3.0
Somehow didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first in the series. It was very similar in style and substance, and especially in setting, and I think it was the uniqueness of that aspect that impressed me so much about When Gravity Fails, and of course it seemed less innovative when repeated here. The tone was also similar, but maybe slightly less confident in this volume. The story wasn’t bad, but just didn’t engage me as much. I’ll still probably get to the third book in the series at some point.
tasharobinson's review against another edition
3.0
The second in the Marid Audrian series has a lot of the things I liked about the first — the unfamiliar setting of a 22nd-century Muslim country where people can have their brains wired, and chip in personalities or knowledge by plugging cartridges into their heads. More specifically, these books largely take place in a criminal quarter mostly devoted to nightclubs and strip clubs and bars, and mostly populated by down-and-out hustlers trying to get by. But this time around the story felt more kludged together in a way I found awkward — there's a lot going on here, from a string of mysterious murders to a woman who claims the protagonist's boss fathered her child, plus subplots about the protagonist's slow religious revival, the slave his boss gave him, his relationship with his alcoholic mother, a murderous American, a child-buyer crippling kids to make them street beggars, and so much more. Marid careens between them without much of a plan, and it gets him into a lot of extremely predictable trouble. For instance, he confronts a ruthless, murderous villain about a plot that villain is involved in, pretty much with an "I know everything, by the way" attitude. And then seems completely surprised when the villain takes him into a back room and tortures him. And then the villain doesn't kill him, apparently for no reason other than because he wants the story to continue. I spent half this book thinking, "Wait, why would anyone do that?" and "But it's obvious who the culprit here is…" And half the time, when something goes terribly wrong, it's because Marid just didn't follow up on something he meant to do or was told to do, and it's entirely unclear why. Given how much time we spend intimately in his head, I was pretty frustrated with how little we understand about his choices on a really fundamental level.
elusivity's review against another edition
2.0
Now that Marid is set up as the single character with never-before-done brain modifications, are these ever used to any particular purpose? Not really. He chips these "moddies" and "daddies" much as everyone else in the story does, with their run-of-the-mill modifications. So what's the point of having him set up--in the first book--as THE GUY who refused to modify his brain because he feared losing his original personality?
The plot meandered here and there. There was some assassin or other killing people, involved in some dark plot or other. There was police corruption as part of life in the Budayeen. There was some plot against Papa. All nonstarters. The supposed climax was anticlimactic. The entire time I couldn't figure out whether this was intended to be a mystery--too straightforward and no unfolding truths, character exploration--no characters complex enough nor character growth, or social commentary--too unfocused to make any cogent point. Rather, it was a tepid mishmash of all of these, to no convening purpose.
I gave it TWO STARS, because Effinger is a good writer: personalities are mostly distinct, the cyberpunk Arabesque background realistically evoked. However, given this is a world where you could change your personality with software, wouldn't it be nice to explore a little bit what it means to be a human and an individual? Or if not that, could we have more fun with the trope of being able to acquire ANY PERSONALITY you want and ANY KNOWLEDGE you could buy, just by jacking data sticks straight into your brain?? Sigh.
Worth a flip-through if you've not much to do. Nowhere near as good as WHEN GRAVITY FAILS.
The plot meandered here and there. There was some assassin or other killing people, involved in some dark plot or other. There was police corruption as part of life in the Budayeen. There was some plot against Papa. All nonstarters. The supposed climax was anticlimactic. The entire time I couldn't figure out whether this was intended to be a mystery--too straightforward and no unfolding truths, character exploration--no characters complex enough nor character growth, or social commentary--too unfocused to make any cogent point. Rather, it was a tepid mishmash of all of these, to no convening purpose.
I gave it TWO STARS, because Effinger is a good writer: personalities are mostly distinct, the cyberpunk Arabesque background realistically evoked. However, given this is a world where you could change your personality with software, wouldn't it be nice to explore a little bit what it means to be a human and an individual? Or if not that, could we have more fun with the trope of being able to acquire ANY PERSONALITY you want and ANY KNOWLEDGE you could buy, just by jacking data sticks straight into your brain?? Sigh.
Worth a flip-through if you've not much to do. Nowhere near as good as WHEN GRAVITY FAILS.
soulofaqua's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
No one likes the protagonist which is ironic given how much more likeable he and most whom he surrounds himself with have gotten since the gritty first instalment. There is considerably less edge to this book making for a more pleasant read of what is still a very unpleasant world.
On top of which character development no longer gets in the way of plot coherency.
On top of which character development no longer gets in the way of plot coherency.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Torture, Sexism, Death, Addiction, Slavery, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Trafficking, Blood, and Murder
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
4.0
I love science fiction that travels outside of American culture and shows us the future through very different perspectives. Effinger's cyberpunk Budayeen series certainly does that. It immerses the reader in a Muslim/North African/Arabic setting in a future where every world government has fractured into smaller states.
In this Budayeen series, we meet Marid Audran, a street smart guy living in the poorest of the poor sections of the city. It is a landscape populated by crime lords, transsexuals, and people who can pop computer chips into their brains to change their personalities. It is a wild ride.
It's a cross between cyberpunk and a pulp crime novel, neither of which are particularly my cup of tea, but Effinger's world building and mash up of the two genres is very entertaining. I recommend, but start with When Gravity Fails, the first book in the series. (I have no idea what the titles have to do with the stories. They sound far more traditional sci fi than what these books are.)
In this Budayeen series, we meet Marid Audran, a street smart guy living in the poorest of the poor sections of the city. It is a landscape populated by crime lords, transsexuals, and people who can pop computer chips into their brains to change their personalities. It is a wild ride.
It's a cross between cyberpunk and a pulp crime novel, neither of which are particularly my cup of tea, but Effinger's world building and mash up of the two genres is very entertaining. I recommend, but start with When Gravity Fails, the first book in the series. (I have no idea what the titles have to do with the stories. They sound far more traditional sci fi than what these books are.)