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Умрёшь в Вирте - умрёшь и в реальном мире. До выхода "Матрицы", тем не менее, ещё шесть лет.
Однажды, в предгриппозном состоянии, мне приснился сон, вложенный в сон. Это было в канун дня рождения забавного заикающегося математика по фамилии Доджсон, он же Птица Додо, он же сами знаете, кто. Как же я тогда испугался... И несколько дней, пока болезнь не протащила меня через кризис к выздоровлению, был не вполне уверен в том, что не предстоит проснуться ещё раз.
Книга, несмотря на психоделическое, абстрактное и саморазвивающееся наполнение (дополненное автоматическим письмом ближе к концу), построена на этом самом ощущении, которое предлагается вообразить или вспомнить. Фраза-эпиграф и фраза-эпилог, во всяком случае, очень толсто на это намекают.
Оказывается, я за годы забыл, что отдал главный герой Вирту в обмен на застрявшую в нём любовницу-сестру. Впрочем, вышло вполне равноценно, плюс-минус требуемый коэффициент.
Кстати, никому не рекомендовал бы начинать читать Нуна с этой книги, хотя она и дебютная.
Какой ещё киберпанк?..
Однажды, в предгриппозном состоянии, мне приснился сон, вложенный в сон. Это было в канун дня рождения забавного заикающегося математика по фамилии Доджсон, он же Птица Додо, он же сами знаете, кто. Как же я тогда испугался... И несколько дней, пока болезнь не протащила меня через кризис к выздоровлению, был не вполне уверен в том, что не предстоит проснуться ещё раз.
Книга, несмотря на психоделическое, абстрактное и саморазвивающееся наполнение (дополненное автоматическим письмом ближе к концу), построена на этом самом ощущении, которое предлагается вообразить или вспомнить. Фраза-эпиграф и фраза-эпилог, во всяком случае, очень толсто на это намекают.
Оказывается, я за годы забыл, что отдал главный герой Вирту в обмен на застрявшую в нём любовницу-сестру. Впрочем, вышло вполне равноценно, плюс-минус требуемый коэффициент.
Кстати, никому не рекомендовал бы начинать читать Нуна с этой книги, хотя она и дебютная.
Какой ещё киберпанк?..
I'm about a third of the way through and I don't care to finish it. It started off mysterious and interesting but now I just don't really care about the plot at all. There's some world building that just doesn't seem to matter, at least not yet. There's a semblance of a plot, but I don't care about the main characters pursuit to rescue his sister to rekindle their incentuous love affair.
The idea of a drug administered by special and rare feathers where the people who take them have a shared hallucination seems cool but so far it hasn't really added anything to the story. It's all so kaleidoscopic that I feels like I'm listening to rambling random nonsense most of the time. A being made of drugs?
What's with the shadow girls and the robo cops? They can read minds and fry brains but the story seems to want to focus on people forcing feathers down each other's throats. There's a more interesting story set in this world but this isn't it. I feel like I'm missing something. Is this a sequel to a previous iteration?
The idea of a drug administered by special and rare feathers where the people who take them have a shared hallucination seems cool but so far it hasn't really added anything to the story. It's all so kaleidoscopic that I feels like I'm listening to rambling random nonsense most of the time. A being made of drugs?
What's with the shadow girls and the robo cops? They can read minds and fry brains but the story seems to want to focus on people forcing feathers down each other's throats. There's a more interesting story set in this world but this isn't it. I feel like I'm missing something. Is this a sequel to a previous iteration?
Drug-soaked cyberpunk, in a surrealistic haze of scene and plot. There are some pretty cool sections, and the end chunk does get a bit of momentum behind it, but this is probably just one of those cases where I really don't connect well with hazy / dreamy / surreal sci-fi stories, outside of some bizarro.
What is Vurt? Vurt is a dream in a feather that anybody can share. It is also a book about a dreamer running around with the Cthulhu-like junkie on his back, looking for his sister/lover (one person). So yeah, it is complicated.
Jeff Noon keeps being compared to Philip K. Dick, but I don't think that is a good comparison. Yes, both of their worlds are crazy and unique, but meanwhile, P. K. Dick is a genial, schizophrenic storyteller; Jeff Noon is more like a melancholic poet, sad but still full of colours. If something, I would compare him to Irwine Welsh because Stash Riders are nothing but junkies looking for their next fix.
This was my second read of Vurt, and I felt the same tingling in my brain as my first time. I read this way back in the past as a young (maybe too young) vurt-hungry boy, and I can see how many topics affected me. I always loved New Weird - almost poetic stories in extraordinary words where sci-fi and fantasy mix freely. Of course, I could complain about the fragmentation of the main story, about new characters appearing when it is most convenient or about the weird motivation of the incestual main character. Still, I just cannot keep out nostalgia from my rating. I'm sorry people, but these five stars are personal.
Jeff Noon keeps being compared to Philip K. Dick, but I don't think that is a good comparison. Yes, both of their worlds are crazy and unique, but meanwhile, P. K. Dick is a genial, schizophrenic storyteller; Jeff Noon is more like a melancholic poet, sad but still full of colours. If something, I would compare him to Irwine Welsh because Stash Riders are nothing but junkies looking for their next fix.
This was my second read of Vurt, and I felt the same tingling in my brain as my first time. I read this way back in the past as a young (maybe too young) vurt-hungry boy, and I can see how many topics affected me. I always loved New Weird - almost poetic stories in extraordinary words where sci-fi and fantasy mix freely. Of course, I could complain about the fragmentation of the main story, about new characters appearing when it is most convenient or about the weird motivation of the incestual main character. Still, I just cannot keep out nostalgia from my rating. I'm sorry people, but these five stars are personal.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a literary masterpiece; if your mind is ready for it. It's a cross between A Clockwork Orange and Neuromancer, and crosses the realm between virtual and real so completely that you forget which one matters. Not only is this a thought-provoking piece of speculative fiction, but an impressive piece of storytelling. There are outrageous characters that you'll actually care about, albeit flawed, and a bizarre feeling you should never open that door, while seriously wanting to step right through. Brilliant.
dark
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
one of the best books I've read in the last 5 years.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes