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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
dark
informative
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-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
DNF @ 30% for two reasons: 1) I’m really not in the mood for cyberpunk and this is thick 2)I don’t like multiple narratives and this has FOUR, and I dislike at least two of them.
Très joyeux roman de cyberpunk (se déroulant à Cape Town), à mon sens si vous voulez lire MoxyLand et ZOo City, commencez par MoxyLand :)
A fun, fast moving but still very clever piece of dystopian tech sci-fi, Moxyland is an involving tale to get caught up for, and but for the retrospective fact that what followed through Zooland and the like has been even better, you'd never guess that this was Beukes' debut novel.
The characters aren't maybe as fleshed out as perhaps they might've been but otherwise this is a smart thrill ride with that extra bit of depth coming from the South African location and this feels to me like a more accessible and obviously less dated twist on William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy(though no doubt in 30 years it'll be just as dated then.) and if that's your jam, honey or whatever spread based toast topping to get you through the day then check Moxyland out as soon as possible.
The characters aren't maybe as fleshed out as perhaps they might've been but otherwise this is a smart thrill ride with that extra bit of depth coming from the South African location and this feels to me like a more accessible and obviously less dated twist on William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy(though no doubt in 30 years it'll be just as dated then.) and if that's your jam, honey or whatever spread based toast topping to get you through the day then check Moxyland out as soon as possible.
I had picked this up at used book store several years ago, because for some reason without the urgency of a due date I'm terrible at reading things. I didn't really know what I was getting into. It doesn't say "South African [b:Snow Crash|6303927|Snow Crash|Neal Stephenson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327937330s/6303927.jpg|493634]", but that's how I described it to the people I was around when I was reading it. (Although upon further reflection, maybe it's more [b:The Diamond Age|77585|The Diamond Age|Neal Stephenson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388198679s/77585.jpg|2181158]. Definitely [a:Neal Stephenson|545|Neal Stephenson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1430920344p2/545.jpg], in any case.)
A very interesting take but the slang was hard for me to penetrate and I suspect I have more Afrikaans than most Americans (ie a very small amount more than zero). I never really got most of it, either.
It's a fairly standard dystopia, but it actually got more interesting when I read the post-script about where the ideas came from - the Lucky Strike parties were particularly bizarre/fascinating.
A very interesting take but the slang was hard for me to penetrate and I suspect I have more Afrikaans than most Americans (ie a very small amount more than zero). I never really got most of it, either.
It's a fairly standard dystopia, but it actually got more interesting when I read the post-script about where the ideas came from - the Lucky Strike parties were particularly bizarre/fascinating.
Honestly, I had really high hopes for this book, and then I spent most the time reading it being disappointed, and then by the time I finished it...I still had to give it a high rating. :p
)
It's in the somewhat near future, by 4 characters, one is an artsy photographer (Kendra) who becomes a "sponsorbaby" for a drink (she's super healthy all the time due to genetic modification, but she always wants to drink Ghost, therefor, being a walking beauty advertisement for the drink). Then there's a Tendeka who starts out being a peaceful protester type-oh, and he's gay. Lerato is an up and coming under challenged executive business type who helps protesters of her very work to add excitement to her life, and Toby, who's basically a hipster druggie. Um, Toby was by far my favorite and had an interesting voice/narrative throughout-he was entertaining and reminded me most of the writing style of Alex in Clockwork Orange (including confusing slang that's fun to decipher). Honestly, I wasn't too invested in any of the other narrators, even though I felt they were developed and written well, their stories seemed to move slowly. That's why this book did disappoint me for a while-I was really excited about the multiple narratives, and about the strange future aspect, and the general age of these characters being the same as mine living in a world that's mostly over their head-that's relate able for me! But when I only really liked one and the stories were moving slowly, eh. Even though the stories premises were interesting, they were too drawn out with too many un-important details thrown in.
However, when everything started picking up pace and interlocking, the last 1/4, it was suspenseful, enjoyable, strange, sad, exciting, and original. So, the concept, Toby and his narrative style, and the last 1/4 of the book-the main plot, is why it gets 4 stars. But, the build up wasn't done right, and most the of side plots were blah. Still, I'd recommend it, and I still think it'd make an excellent movie (they'd edit what they need to) and the visuals would be great. As would the surprise factors near the end.
)
It's in the somewhat near future, by 4 characters, one is an artsy photographer (Kendra) who becomes a "sponsorbaby" for a drink (she's super healthy all the time due to genetic modification, but she always wants to drink Ghost, therefor, being a walking beauty advertisement for the drink). Then there's a Tendeka who starts out being a peaceful protester type-oh, and he's gay. Lerato is an up and coming under challenged executive business type who helps protesters of her very work to add excitement to her life, and Toby, who's basically a hipster druggie. Um, Toby was by far my favorite and had an interesting voice/narrative throughout-he was entertaining and reminded me most of the writing style of Alex in Clockwork Orange (including confusing slang that's fun to decipher). Honestly, I wasn't too invested in any of the other narrators, even though I felt they were developed and written well, their stories seemed to move slowly. That's why this book did disappoint me for a while-I was really excited about the multiple narratives, and about the strange future aspect, and the general age of these characters being the same as mine living in a world that's mostly over their head-that's relate able for me! But when I only really liked one and the stories were moving slowly, eh. Even though the stories premises were interesting, they were too drawn out with too many un-important details thrown in.
However, when everything started picking up pace and interlocking, the last 1/4, it was suspenseful, enjoyable, strange, sad, exciting, and original. So, the concept, Toby and his narrative style, and the last 1/4 of the book-the main plot, is why it gets 4 stars. But, the build up wasn't done right, and most the of side plots were blah. Still, I'd recommend it, and I still think it'd make an excellent movie (they'd edit what they need to) and the visuals would be great. As would the surprise factors near the end.
The technology hasn't entirely held up, at least using the dates in the book, but wow, this is a terrifying and timely read in the era of President Trump. I was able to predict some of the twists, but there were some that surprised me. Overall, wonderfully imaginative writing.
One of my favorite authors. This debut book feels unfinished to me, but it still has what I like best about Beukes - she plops you right into the story and never explains anything - you just learn as you go along. As in real life, some things never get explained but those missing explanations never stopped me from completely buying into her world.