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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
The perception-shifts in this book are still the most jarring feature of this book (Like the ones in Halting State), however, the book is still quite enjoyable with a skeptical eye towards the future of Technology.
Still a rather enjoyable book, however, I would not like to cross [a:Charles Stross|8794|Charles Stross|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1355510574p2/8794.jpg], he has a creative and twisted mind.
:)
Still a rather enjoyable book, however, I would not like to cross [a:Charles Stross|8794|Charles Stross|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1355510574p2/8794.jpg], he has a creative and twisted mind.
:)
(2.5 Stars)
I didn't hate this book, but I also didn't love it. Charles Stross builds a rich and *almost* believable world full of espionage, sex, and spam's detrimental effect on internet traffic and AI. I was expecting another Halting State, but this wasn't it.
Charles Stross is great for giving background information and relevant associations.... But he tends to go one and on and my mind starts to wander, and I keep reading, but my retention buffer has filled and I sometimes need to re-read parts of it to keep it in mind. It isn't uninteresting, but it also isn't captivating.
Like I said, I didn't hate this book, but it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be.
I didn't hate this book, but I also didn't love it. Charles Stross builds a rich and *almost* believable world full of espionage, sex, and spam's detrimental effect on internet traffic and AI. I was expecting another Halting State, but this wasn't it.
Charles Stross is great for giving background information and relevant associations.... But he tends to go one and on and my mind starts to wander, and I keep reading, but my retention buffer has filled and I sometimes need to re-read parts of it to keep it in mind. It isn't uninteresting, but it also isn't captivating.
Like I said, I didn't hate this book, but it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be.
I thought this book was fascinating but too short for the author to really explain his ideas. The ending seemed abrupt.
The book is a basic detective story taking place in near-future Edinburgh. It was fun and entertaining but it won't blow your mind. I especially liked the way author makes use of many concepts from current Internet popular culture: he knows what he's talking about and it didn't make me facepalm all the time.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Stross is a very uneven author for me. His Laundry Files series is one of my favorite collections from the past few years. Rule 34, though, is one of those books where things just don't come together. It is told in second person, which didn't engage me well. Also, it jumps from one character's perspective to another, which is just fine (and can be amazing), except I had a hard time caring about most of the main characters. There is one character that I have no idea why he was there, as I don't think his presence added anything at all to the story.
I love the near-future extrapolations and the book is dense with fascinating ideas, which is worth 3 stars, but as far as pacing, character development and plot goes, it fell short for me.
I love the near-future extrapolations and the book is dense with fascinating ideas, which is worth 3 stars, but as far as pacing, character development and plot goes, it fell short for me.
The use of second person drew me in more than I have experienced before. It seemed that I was looking through the characters' eyes. It felt more like a first person video game than watching actors on a stage. It took some effort to adjust to the style, but it was worth it. Very interesting viewpoint on the future of humanity living in a world immersive technology and limited resources.
Given the way our world seems to be spiraling out of control, Rule 34 looks like a plausible and very scary future.
A loose follow up to the excellent Halting State, Rule 34 features some of the secondary characters from that book and the same setting. But don't let that put you off. It could easily be read before reading Halting State. The connections aren't even clearly stated until about halfway through the book.
It also has a lot of the elements that made Halting State so enjoyable for me to read. Not least of which naturally is the Edinburgh setting and the refusal to dumb it down for people who won't get the local references.
I went to Edinburgh University and not only had lectures in Appleton Tower, but also used the computer science lab in there too. It was the place I learned to hate Apple Macs and appreciate Unix workstations. So the brief section that occurs in the building stirred up some memories.
However, I have to say I found this story less engaging than the previous one. In part I think it's just down to the fact there were fewer sympathetic viewpoint characters. A significant amount of time was spent seeing the world from a rather odious position.
The other problem was the ending, which was... abrupt. There was no real effort made to tie up the plot elements. Technically there was resolution, it just wasn't very satisfactory and I certainly didn't feel that any of the characters had progressed during the story.
For all that, its a fascinating exploration of a pretty credible near future where technology is ubiquitous and society is rapidly adapting to it.
It also has a lot of the elements that made Halting State so enjoyable for me to read. Not least of which naturally is the Edinburgh setting and the refusal to dumb it down for people who won't get the local references.
I went to Edinburgh University and not only had lectures in Appleton Tower, but also used the computer science lab in there too. It was the place I learned to hate Apple Macs and appreciate Unix workstations. So the brief section that occurs in the building stirred up some memories.
However, I have to say I found this story less engaging than the previous one. In part I think it's just down to the fact there were fewer sympathetic viewpoint characters. A significant amount of time was spent seeing the world from a rather odious position.
The other problem was the ending, which was... abrupt. There was no real effort made to tie up the plot elements. Technically there was resolution, it just wasn't very satisfactory and I certainly didn't feel that any of the characters had progressed during the story.
For all that, its a fascinating exploration of a pretty credible near future where technology is ubiquitous and society is rapidly adapting to it.