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tome15's review against another edition
4.0
White, Corey J. Repo Virtual. Tor, 2020.
In an interview, Corey J. White denies that William Gibson’s Neuromancer was an “inspiration” for Repo Virtual but says that Gibson’s novel was a “touchstone” for it. That seems to be a distinction without a difference, because the influence of Gibson is everywhere present in White’s novel. Set in a future multicultural South Korean city dominated by big tech corporations, the world of the novel certainly resembles Gibson’s Chiba City with echoes of his Sprawl. His hacker JD is a less conflicted character than Gibson’s Case, but they are both denizens of a tech underworld with some dangerous antagonists. The central caper of White’s story is a burglary to steal (perhaps repossess) a computer virus from a corporate mogul. The virus turns out to be an emergent strong AI that takes part in its own kidnapping. Along the way there is some lively discussion of the Turing test and what it takes to qualify as a person. There is also some fun future tech. I especially liked the robotic police dogs. They are not always good dogs.
In an interview, Corey J. White denies that William Gibson’s Neuromancer was an “inspiration” for Repo Virtual but says that Gibson’s novel was a “touchstone” for it. That seems to be a distinction without a difference, because the influence of Gibson is everywhere present in White’s novel. Set in a future multicultural South Korean city dominated by big tech corporations, the world of the novel certainly resembles Gibson’s Chiba City with echoes of his Sprawl. His hacker JD is a less conflicted character than Gibson’s Case, but they are both denizens of a tech underworld with some dangerous antagonists. The central caper of White’s story is a burglary to steal (perhaps repossess) a computer virus from a corporate mogul. The virus turns out to be an emergent strong AI that takes part in its own kidnapping. Along the way there is some lively discussion of the Turing test and what it takes to qualify as a person. There is also some fun future tech. I especially liked the robotic police dogs. They are not always good dogs.
mpeterke's review against another edition
4.0
This was something new and fresh. As I know this is a debut novel for the author I don't want to be too harsh with my criticism. Especially because the wordbuilding was absolutely unique and I liked it really much. The action was fast-paced as well and I also really liked the different viewpoints used to tell the story. My only problems were with the dialogs but still, this was one of the best cyberpunk novels I read in a really long time. Solid 4 stars.
metallib87's review against another edition
3.0
Corey J, White, the author behind the Voidwitch Saga, brings an exciting and interesting cyberpunk world for readers to enjoy. Augmented Reality and other virtual technologies take center stage in this heist/escapism novel, and the main characters are full of idealism and philosophy, which are both questioned heavily in this book, which I particularly enjoyed. This title is chock-full of cyberpunk and science fiction tropes, but does just enough to stand out on its own. In addition, White does a great job of finding ways for the reader to feel they are connected with the characters by the difficulties of living in a world controlled by a company who controls the virtual, and real world as well.
White, does an excellent job with the pacing of the novel, but at times, the book lost focus slightly, or the clarity of the story was much better in the second half of the novel than the first. I felt that the age of the characters in relation to the story, allow this title to be accessible by teens and adults alike. The actions scenes were fantastic and full of energy and the conclusion was a good ending. There is also good LGBTQ representation in this novel, so keep that in mind. This title comes out April 21st, 2020.
All in all, this is a welcome addition to modern science fiction readers, and public libraries alike. An enjoyable story, not too dry, and some unique takes of questions of self-identity and what truly matters to you.
White, does an excellent job with the pacing of the novel, but at times, the book lost focus slightly, or the clarity of the story was much better in the second half of the novel than the first. I felt that the age of the characters in relation to the story, allow this title to be accessible by teens and adults alike. The actions scenes were fantastic and full of energy and the conclusion was a good ending. There is also good LGBTQ representation in this novel, so keep that in mind. This title comes out April 21st, 2020.
All in all, this is a welcome addition to modern science fiction readers, and public libraries alike. An enjoyable story, not too dry, and some unique takes of questions of self-identity and what truly matters to you.
eric_robert_campbell's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nathuffman97's review against another edition
3.0
A neat book, which in some ways felt derivative but then in other ways felt really unique. Kind of like [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)|Ernest Cline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571._SY75_.jpg|14863741] except like, good, because I didn't really like that book. The book summary kind of pitches it as a cyberpunk heist but I didn't feel like that was exactly accurate-- there was a heist at the very beginning and one at the very end, but the meat of the story in the middle was more about AI ethics and ecofuturism. I really liked the casual diversity that White brings in, and it was neat to read a scifi book not set in future America (normally, Chicago, NYC, or SF, even if not explicitly named as such...). The philosophy of AI bits were interesting too, even though I guess they felt a little shoehorned. I think the biggest disadvantage of the book is that I didn't feel a real connection to any of the characters. I guess I liked Enda the best, but the whole thing moved so fast that I never really felt like I had an emotional investment in any of them. The ending was satisfying, but not thrilling, and I feel like White didn't spend enough time inside the virtual world that he put so much effort into creating. There was maybe too much worldbuilding for such a relatively short book, something just had to give. Fun but not exceptional.
earthheartspages's review against another edition
4.0
3.75/5 Cyberpunk capitalist future with a baby AI and mellow queer characters doing a heist and rebel against the system? YES please.
I enjoyed this book a lot! The city feels very like walking through the cities in Altered Carbon (Netflix series) and you feel the weight and depression of the corporation ruling everything. The VR aspect reminded me of Ready Player One but was not played out extensively so it's just a nice nod to it.
I love the characters.
the non-binary revolutionary punk sibling.
The gryffindor queer protagonist with a philosopher hot professor boyfriend (my favourite kind of OTP okay?)
The super young funny hacker
The master-assassin queer badass woman with zero f***s to give.
The story is a heist and the aftermaths of it. What if you do give the very important piece of tech to the corporation or the chaotic cult leader? What are AI rights? Where does a person begin?
The concept is amazing, but I feel like the execution was lacking some punch behind it. The stakes in this feel underrated most of the book. The plot has for some reason two climaxes and I felt pretty annoyed by it. It took away some tension from the final showdown, which was unfortunate..
As always I have some issues with the AI in this. His character kinda still stays shallow. I GET that he is super young and still developing an identity and I LOOVE how the philosophical discussions shape him. I just don't feel a lot of emotions from Mirae and that's a bit of an issue for me.
Overall I think this book is a good sci-fi heist, but not great.
I enjoyed this book a lot! The city feels very like walking through the cities in Altered Carbon (Netflix series) and you feel the weight and depression of the corporation ruling everything. The VR aspect reminded me of Ready Player One but was not played out extensively so it's just a nice nod to it.
I love the characters.
the non-binary revolutionary punk sibling.
The gryffindor queer protagonist with a philosopher hot professor boyfriend (my favourite kind of OTP okay?)
The super young funny hacker
The master-assassin queer badass woman with zero f***s to give.
The story is a heist and the aftermaths of it. What if you do give the very important piece of tech to the corporation or the chaotic cult leader? What are AI rights? Where does a person begin?
The concept is amazing, but I feel like the execution was lacking some punch behind it. The stakes in this feel underrated most of the book. The plot has for some reason two climaxes and I felt pretty annoyed by it. It took away some tension from the final showdown, which was unfortunate..
As always I have some issues with the AI in this. His character kinda still stays shallow. I GET that he is super young and still developing an identity and I LOOVE how the philosophical discussions shape him. I just don't feel a lot of emotions from Mirae and that's a bit of an issue for me.
Overall I think this book is a good sci-fi heist, but not great.
abracapocus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
medium-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
4.75
nanothread's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Meh. The idea of the book is good but the execution is lacking. The only interesting plot point was given away in the blurb.
megan_unthank's review against another edition
4.0
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Macmillian-Tor/Forge for allowing me to receive this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Repo Virtual
by Corey J. White
"I hate money, I despise it. It has twisted a beautiful and creative species and turned us into a ravenous, all-consuming virus."
"The city of Neo Songdo is a Russian doll of realities — augmented and virtual spaces anchored in the weight of the real. The smart city is designed to be read by machine vision while people see only the augmented facade of the corporate ideal. At night the stars are obscured by an intergalactic virtual war being waged by millions of players, while on the streets below people are forced to beg, steal, and hustle to survive.
Enter Julius Dax, an online repo man, and a real-life thief. He’s been hired for a special job: stealing an unknown object from a reclusive tech billionaire. But when he finds out he’s stolen the first sentient AI, his payday gets a lot more complicated."
▷ Representation: JD is black, queer, and has a chronic knee injury; Troy is black, queer, and has vitiligo; Enda is a sapphic trans woman; Soo-Hyuan is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns; other queers, disabled and POC in the story as well.
I have not read very much cyberpunk but now I want too! I thought this was such as interesting take on a heist plot and the world and ideas presented were so interesting. I loved that the trope of the evil AI was turned on its head and given this fresh look. The conversations on humanity and acceptance were powerful and really loved all the different identities that were explored and celebrated without the book being centered around what their identities were.
I would like to note one of the queer protagonists is blackmailed to investigate a crime by a man with documents that would out her as a trans woman, but it also is focusing on her past as a spy, which is talked about being the main reason it would be deadly for the information to be leaked.
If I was to blurb this it would be a modern take on the cyberpunk genre with a flare of Ready Player One but for adults!
Characters 7
Atmosphere 7
Writing 6
Plot 7
Intrigue 7
Logic 8
Enjoyment 7
RATING SYSTEM CREATED BY BOOK ROAST
1-2 REALLY BAD 3-4 MEDIOCRE 5-6 GOOD 7-8 REALLY GOOD 9-10 OUTSTANDING
Overall 7.00
4 Star Rating
Repo Virtual
by Corey J. White
"I hate money, I despise it. It has twisted a beautiful and creative species and turned us into a ravenous, all-consuming virus."
"The city of Neo Songdo is a Russian doll of realities — augmented and virtual spaces anchored in the weight of the real. The smart city is designed to be read by machine vision while people see only the augmented facade of the corporate ideal. At night the stars are obscured by an intergalactic virtual war being waged by millions of players, while on the streets below people are forced to beg, steal, and hustle to survive.
Enter Julius Dax, an online repo man, and a real-life thief. He’s been hired for a special job: stealing an unknown object from a reclusive tech billionaire. But when he finds out he’s stolen the first sentient AI, his payday gets a lot more complicated."
▷ Representation: JD is black, queer, and has a chronic knee injury; Troy is black, queer, and has vitiligo; Enda is a sapphic trans woman; Soo-Hyuan is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns; other queers, disabled and POC in the story as well.
I have not read very much cyberpunk but now I want too! I thought this was such as interesting take on a heist plot and the world and ideas presented were so interesting. I loved that the trope of the evil AI was turned on its head and given this fresh look. The conversations on humanity and acceptance were powerful and really loved all the different identities that were explored and celebrated without the book being centered around what their identities were.
I would like to note one of the queer protagonists is blackmailed to investigate a crime by a man with documents that would out her as a trans woman, but it also is focusing on her past as a spy, which is talked about being the main reason it would be deadly for the information to be leaked.
If I was to blurb this it would be a modern take on the cyberpunk genre with a flare of Ready Player One but for adults!
Characters 7
Atmosphere 7
Writing 6
Plot 7
Intrigue 7
Logic 8
Enjoyment 7
RATING SYSTEM CREATED BY BOOK ROAST
1-2 REALLY BAD 3-4 MEDIOCRE 5-6 GOOD 7-8 REALLY GOOD 9-10 OUTSTANDING
Overall 7.00
4 Star Rating
vermilious's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0