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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
I need to open by saying this book was odd. I'd never heard of it prior to a recommendation by a book club member and, honestly, I don't know whether I'd pass that recommendation on. At varying points reading it I'd love it and then proclaim it as strange and not really my thing. The latter feeling won.
The prose is slick, it's like modern noir or something and there are some amazing throwaway sentences and phrases. Seriously, he's got a way with metaphor. He also had a really nice way with establishing and maintaining mood. I also liked some of the concepts he was playing with - I liked the harsh reality of the situation with the spares and, when it was introduced, the idea of The Gap was interesting as well.
But. There's always a but.
The plot was not so much coherent as jumping from one idea to the next, it was like at each "part" of the book the author had a better idea about what to write a book about and just retrofitted it into what he was writing at the time. It would have been fine for me if those things had been foreshadowed (I guess they sort of were?) but honestly it didn't flow. It was like deus ex machina at every plot point (here's looking at you, Ratchet!) there was very little of the main character's decisions driving the plot either. He was sort of dragged along behind it, which can be interesting, but the whole lead up to Maxen being the big bad didn't feel like it built enough for me? And Vinaldi taking him out and then revealing that he had been in cahoots with Maxen the whole time (and then inexplicably killed him off?)... it was just weak. The character choices, the links between plot events, none of it worked for me.
I can see why people like it, the mood and feel of it is right up there on the cyberpunk/noir scale, but it was odd and in the end I didn't much more than say I didn't mind it and that I liked the writing style, if not the story told.
The prose is slick, it's like modern noir or something and there are some amazing throwaway sentences and phrases. Seriously, he's got a way with metaphor. He also had a really nice way with establishing and maintaining mood. I also liked some of the concepts he was playing with - I liked the harsh reality of the situation with the spares and, when it was introduced, the idea of The Gap was interesting as well.
But. There's always a but.
The plot was not so much coherent as jumping from one idea to the next, it was like at each "part" of the book the author had a better idea about what to write a book about and just retrofitted it into what he was writing at the time. It would have been fine for me if those things had been foreshadowed (I guess they sort of were?) but honestly it didn't flow. It was like deus ex machina at every plot point (here's looking at you, Ratchet!) there was very little of the main character's decisions driving the plot either. He was sort of dragged along behind it, which can be interesting, but the whole lead up to Maxen being the big bad didn't feel like it built enough for me? And Vinaldi taking him out and then revealing that he had been in cahoots with Maxen the whole time (and then inexplicably killed him off?)... it was just weak. The character choices, the links between plot events, none of it worked for me.
I can see why people like it, the mood and feel of it is right up there on the cyberpunk/noir scale, but it was odd and in the end I didn't much more than say I didn't mind it and that I liked the writing style, if not the story told.
I've come to count on Michael Smith for imaginative, quite bizarre stories that are well written with an interesting main character. This story is set in the future and is about Jack Randall, an ex-soldier in the war in The Gap. You don't actually find out what this means until the last quarter of the book. After his wife and daughter were murdered, Jack was quietly sent out of New Richmond to a Spares farm, where important people keep their genetic clones handy in case of accidents. You never know when you might lose your leg, or need a new heart. Jack risks the wrath of one of the most powerful companies in the U.S. when he goes on the run with 6-1/2 spares. Desperate, he returns to New Richmond, where he and his family used to live. He makes contacts with old friends and gets into an all-new set of crises, which will eventually lead him back into The Gap. Very good story with sympathetic characters, and a great, realistic ending. Be warned, there are parts with extreme and grotesque violence.
Once again, Smith delivers with a book that defies genres. It's a strong sci-fi story with threads of humor and big chunks of horror blended together with mind-opening psychological components dealing with life, relationships, and whether a person can ever escape their past and live in the present.
I've read nearly all of his works and this book is an excellent part of his bibliography.
I've read nearly all of his works and this book is an excellent part of his bibliography.
I'm giving Spares three stars because its batshittery was on par with the crazy I tend to enjoy in urban fantasy, and I did indeed inhale this book. the main character is not admirable, though he does admirable things; the story is fascinating yet mad, the characters are pretty expertly layered assholes who spend a lot of time under the influence of something or another; the setting is futuristic enough to almost be dystopian-but-not-really. Honestly, well-played. Smith's use of language is by turns hilarious and too real, and there were several spots where I couldn't help but laugh at the self-deprecating honesty falling out of his protagonist's head. The language he uses to describe the drug-fueled madness is inventive and entertaining; I mean this guy can describe shit. It's fantastic. The inexorable advancement of a divide between the haves and have nots is stark here as well, and is almost its own character with its own arc, and that's kind of amazeballs.
Now, that isn't to say that it wasn't problematic. It was handed to me by a good friend, and I wanted to love it, so that also made it easier to forgive things like the fact it's called Spares and the blurb is clearly leaning toward making you think it's all about clones (think Never Let Me Go but without all the schooling and faux-civilization), but when the reality train begins to derail, the idea of the Spares is kind of left by the wayside in favor of following the code-reality-world-subconscious batshittery. The women in the book are very much madonna-whore icons; literally innocent spares, innocent family that Jack treated poorly, bereaved mothers, or whores, strippers, addicts, women kept by the mob, and PUA targets. The woman with the most screen time is indeed a sympathetic upscale whore, who is a great character, but come the fuck on. Women can and generally do earn a living without even one blow job, even in shitty circumstances. I KNOW THAT SOUNDS CRAZY, BUT TRUST ME. Right, they're also serial murder victims, who for some reason just recently began though the perpetrator is not new around here. The magical crazy dimension business requires high levels of suspension of disbelief as well as being ok with not knowing what the actual fuck is going on, only vaguely understanding said fuckery because honestly there cannot be a good explanation other than FUCKED UP ALTERNATE DIMEEEENSIIIION (a la Stranger Things & company) which is fine, but FYI. Finally, how do you know a guy is a real bad guy? Physical and sexual violence against children, of course! :\ That's just fucking gross and lazy, but fortunately we're not subjected to it for any length of time outside of a flashback towards the end of the book.
Anyway, here's the thing. The interplay of Jack and his nemesis-turned-partner-turned-nemesis-turned-idkwtf is a kind of amazing thing. The climax of the story comes in waves and is for lack of a less purple word, riveting, though Jack is saved by all manner of deus ex machina which we can't help but forgive if we're going to go ahead and give the alternate dimension fuckery a pass as well. So I don't know. 3-4 stars. Something. I don't know that I want to read this again and be subjected to the crooked ass narrative, but the character interactions and the idea of the dehumanization of the socioeconomically powerless and poor are strong enough to leave an impression.
Now, that isn't to say that it wasn't problematic. It was handed to me by a good friend, and I wanted to love it, so that also made it easier to forgive things like the fact it's called Spares and the blurb is clearly leaning toward making you think it's all about clones (think Never Let Me Go but without all the schooling and faux-civilization), but when the reality train begins to derail, the idea of the Spares is kind of left by the wayside in favor of following the code-reality-world-subconscious batshittery. The women in the book are very much madonna-whore icons; literally innocent spares, innocent family that Jack treated poorly, bereaved mothers, or whores, strippers, addicts, women kept by the mob, and PUA targets. The woman with the most screen time is indeed a sympathetic upscale whore, who is a great character, but come the fuck on. Women can and generally do earn a living without even one blow job, even in shitty circumstances. I KNOW THAT SOUNDS CRAZY, BUT TRUST ME. Right, they're also serial murder victims, who for some reason just recently began though the perpetrator is not new around here. The magical crazy dimension business requires high levels of suspension of disbelief as well as being ok with not knowing what the actual fuck is going on, only vaguely understanding said fuckery because honestly there cannot be a good explanation other than FUCKED UP ALTERNATE DIMEEEENSIIIION (a la Stranger Things & company) which is fine, but FYI. Finally, how do you know a guy is a real bad guy? Physical and sexual violence against children, of course! :\ That's just fucking gross and lazy, but fortunately we're not subjected to it for any length of time outside of a flashback towards the end of the book.
Anyway, here's the thing. The interplay of Jack and his nemesis-turned-partner-turned-nemesis-turned-idkwtf is a kind of amazing thing. The climax of the story comes in waves and is for lack of a less purple word, riveting, though Jack is saved by all manner of deus ex machina which we can't help but forgive if we're going to go ahead and give the alternate dimension fuckery a pass as well. So I don't know. 3-4 stars. Something. I don't know that I want to read this again and be subjected to the crooked ass narrative, but the character interactions and the idea of the dehumanization of the socioeconomically powerless and poor are strong enough to leave an impression.
This is one of only a few books that I've felt compelled to finish in one sitting. It is well-written with a good plot and a fitting ending. However, most of the stuff about The Gap (and especially the nonsense about cats and doors) made my suspension of disbelief take a nosedive.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Found the concept of the flying mega malls wonderful, like a smash-up of Howl's Castle and a cities in the sky trope. Best written droid character I've run into since Rogue One.
The layers in this book are what sets it apart from the typical sci-fi drivel. Furthermore, the detail in the background creates a very realistic backdrop for the story to unfold.
(spoiler alert.)
The concept of cloning, in this case, is further twisted by the concept of this "extra space," a spillover from our forays into virtual reality. Overall, a must-read.
(spoiler alert.)
The concept of cloning, in this case, is further twisted by the concept of this "extra space," a spillover from our forays into virtual reality. Overall, a must-read.
I read Only-Forward and was pretty excited to read this book but it is just not as good by a mile. Strange because it has very similar elements, but it wasn't funny in any way, it was a guy who I honestly think has no talent and should have been dead a few pages in, and it was kind of boring. You do get some interesting subplots regarding PTSD and addiction, questions of exploitation and human value, but not done well enough to keep the story together.
If you are interested in the concept of the Spares, they are a very small plot device in the book so I wouldn't recommend that you read this based on an interest in the idea of clones. You are not going to get what you want out of it. I guess I wouldn't recommend this book at all really based on my rating. Shame, because as I said, I really loved Only-Forward and these books share a lot in common. I think part of it is that I never for a second believed that main character was competent or able in anyway. Of course he is going to fail because every step he took was nonsensical. Seems like the only thing he could do is fail. In fact, that is all he did, anything that went right was done by someone else. Honestly, dude is just not up to any task. Can't even go to a bar and drink without screwing it up. Would have loved to follow any other character in the book than him. It took me two weeks to read a 300 page book for a reason.
If you are interested in the concept of the Spares, they are a very small plot device in the book so I wouldn't recommend that you read this based on an interest in the idea of clones. You are not going to get what you want out of it. I guess I wouldn't recommend this book at all really based on my rating. Shame, because as I said, I really loved Only-Forward and these books share a lot in common. I think part of it is that I never for a second believed that main character was competent or able in anyway. Of course he is going to fail because every step he took was nonsensical. Seems like the only thing he could do is fail. In fact, that is all he did, anything that went right was done by someone else. Honestly, dude is just not up to any task. Can't even go to a bar and drink without screwing it up. Would have loved to follow any other character in the book than him. It took me two weeks to read a 300 page book for a reason.
MMS doing his trademark blend of SF and outright batshit crazy. It's a testament to his writing ability that he sucks you in with the story so effectively that it takes you most of the book to realize just how weird the world is, and just how little he respects traditional genre boundaries. The beautifully dry humor is only on show in the early part of this book, unlike his later novels, and some of the exposition is a little stretched, but still an excellent read.
I love Michael Marshall smith, he is a great imaginative writer. This is a 90s sci fi, with twists and turns and you won't guess where it's taking you. The story has some really imaginitive concepts, the City New Richmond is like a floating cloud city for the rich come crashing down to earth so the real people moved in. And the Gap is this weird space leaking into our world, of all the gaps, all the things never perceived, and we went to war with it, like a really bad trip gone really wrong. And then there's the Spares, the innocents, who get whisked into the story, and find out just how hard life is.
The protagonist is the typical white guy with no personality and is a total loser, like cheat on my wife junkie and work as a crooked cop loser. And this is where the book doesn't stand up well. It fits really into the post cyberpunk era, but this character is actually pretty detestable the more you learn about him. If you can stomach that and want to read the classics of this era, then read this.
The protagonist is the typical white guy with no personality and is a total loser, like cheat on my wife junkie and work as a crooked cop loser. And this is where the book doesn't stand up well. It fits really into the post cyberpunk era, but this character is actually pretty detestable the more you learn about him. If you can stomach that and want to read the classics of this era, then read this.