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aligeorge's review
A friend from work gave me this one to read on the basis I said I like dystopia. This is not something I'd have picked up otherwise, and I'm not sure how I feel about it hence no rating. Vurt is a combination of rave culture, drugs and cyberspace set in an alternate/future Manchester. It's quite postmodern in style, has lashings of bestiality and incest, and not a huge amount happens. Basically the main character, Scribble, is looking for his sister Desdemona, who has been lost in a kind of alternate reality you can only get to by taking a particular strain of drug (people take various colour coded feathers to get different highs). The world building is thoroughly uncompromising, nothing is really explained, and please look elsewhere if you want any development of your female characters beyond their age and hotness. I found it a bit of a slog, essentially - but there were some good bits and interesting use of language. Also like I say I kind of knew from the outset it might not really be my bag.
williamstome's review
3.0
Vurt felt like a mishmash of Philip K. Dick stories narrated by a character from Clockwork Orange. I liked it overall, but wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, the plot structure, or some of the themes (i.e., bestiality and incest, which didn't seem to add much beyond shock value).
mimooo's review against another edition
5.0
EXTREMELY questionable and ~edgy~ 5 stars. but in the end GOOD because f*** the police and ride or die. inception is a shitttyyyyyy ass version of vurt. paprika is kind of gettjng closer. the most comparable thing is the kunihiko ikuhara cinematic universe . in that there’s sooo much f’d up again QUESTIONABLE shit but the core story is really wholesome…… like literally this is about some kids dealing with trauma and abuse all alone (cept for each other) in a police state, some thru drugs some thru writing some thru bravado some thru friendship some thru hotwiring cars, finding escape in fantasy but also facing the final boss when it matters because you love your homies. beetle is a great character btw reminds me of mike pemulis and other bad influence heart of gold trash boys, brid too. angel. and mandy. they deserve a blue feather but for real, u know? ACAB. this is for you mandy, beetle, brid, the thing, tristan, suze…..keep the faith. hope all u dogpeople are running free!
nb. i really don’t want to get into the whole alice in wonderland connections which make me sick because of lewis carroll being a disgusting creep but here we are
one last thing the writing is really good. like he’ll be saying this crazy or funny shit and then suddenly something just so heartfelt like a sucker punch to the gut. not to mention the puns. lmao. some might say shame for such a great writer to be writing about [redacted] but i say… oh what the hell!!
nb. i really don’t want to get into the whole alice in wonderland connections which make me sick because of lewis carroll being a disgusting creep but here we are
one last thing the writing is really good. like he’ll be saying this crazy or funny shit and then suddenly something just so heartfelt like a sucker punch to the gut. not to mention the puns. lmao. some might say shame for such a great writer to be writing about [redacted] but i say… oh what the hell!!
the_only_red_thistle's review against another edition
challenging
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
sequana's review against another edition
2.0
Um..err..um...
So what I do know is Scribble is desperately missing his sister Desdemona, She is lost in Vurt and apparently the only way to get her back is to going into Vurt from a Yellow Feather.
This did mess with my head, but overall I had a sense that I would never really understand it all, and to be honest I didn't. I reckon if you were a hardcore raver in Manchester, during the time this was written you are going to get this book.
I always felt like I was watching this from a far I could see what was going on but missing the finer points due to my distance.
So what I do know is Scribble is desperately missing his sister Desdemona, She is lost in Vurt and apparently the only way to get her back is to going into Vurt from a Yellow Feather.
This did mess with my head, but overall I had a sense that I would never really understand it all, and to be honest I didn't. I reckon if you were a hardcore raver in Manchester, during the time this was written you are going to get this book.
I always felt like I was watching this from a far I could see what was going on but missing the finer points due to my distance.
Spoiler
One thing I am really confused about is the world of Vurt at the end Milo is watching Alex and Jo's sleeping forms whilst they are in the Vurt. OK so this turned out to be a Vurt trip anyway, however I cannot get my way round how something can be lost in the Vurt how a whole person can be put there if it is only the mind that goes in. There are transactions if something is left in Vurt then something of equal value comes out of Vurt, HOW??tits_mcgee's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
A trippy punk fever dream drenched in trauma, with a quick rhythmic pace and some mad ideas. Totally weird, and totally original.
Welcome to an alternate version of Manchester, a seedy dystopian city with grim housing estate flavoured world building and some batshit crazy inhabitants. If you start to feel like you want to escape the nightmare, don't worry, everyone else does too! Now try Vurt, a mysterious bird feather with the ability to send you to Vurtual realities, it's a bit like playing a video game while taking experimental hallucinogenics.
The plot is a give-me-my-sister/lover-back-you-twat kind of deal. Scribble is our protagonist and he lost his sister/lover to the Vurt, where she was swapped for a freaky lovecraftian octopus. Yeah you read that right. I liked the plot; just like taking Vurt, it grabs you by the throat and throws you into a series of strange situations, you never know what to expect and it was a delight being kept in the dark.
The world building was a unique one, Noon gives us shadow people, mental abilities, robot dogs, and of course Vurt landscapes, but all the while it feels familiar and real. As a British bloke I felt fully at home among the chaos and the council estates. Nothing was over explained either, which complemented the druggy atmosphere. I think under-explaining was the smart choice.
Overall a solid, unique reading experience. A bit on the fast paced side which is fine but not my usual preference. But I did really like the book, and I can't wait to read more Noon.
8/10
Welcome to an alternate version of Manchester, a seedy dystopian city with grim housing estate flavoured world building and some batshit crazy inhabitants. If you start to feel like you want to escape the nightmare, don't worry, everyone else does too! Now try Vurt, a mysterious bird feather with the ability to send you to Vurtual realities, it's a bit like playing a video game while taking experimental hallucinogenics.
The plot is a give-me-my-sister/lover-back-you-twat kind of deal. Scribble is our protagonist and he lost his sister/lover to the Vurt, where she was swapped for a freaky lovecraftian octopus. Yeah you read that right. I liked the plot; just like taking Vurt, it grabs you by the throat and throws you into a series of strange situations, you never know what to expect and it was a delight being kept in the dark.
The world building was a unique one, Noon gives us shadow people, mental abilities, robot dogs, and of course Vurt landscapes, but all the while it feels familiar and real. As a British bloke I felt fully at home among the chaos and the council estates. Nothing was over explained either, which complemented the druggy atmosphere. I think under-explaining was the smart choice.
Overall a solid, unique reading experience. A bit on the fast paced side which is fine but not my usual preference. But I did really like the book, and I can't wait to read more Noon.
8/10
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
5.0
I associate Vurt with Snow Crash because they came out around the same time. I was very fortunate to borrow Vurt from a friend who had a British copy of it he'd received from a friend in London. I loved the cover and had no idea what to expect. I started reading it, fell asleep, woke up the next morning and called in sick to work so I could read the book cover-to-cover all at once. It was an amazing reading experience and one of the best roller coaster rides of a book that I ever had. Snow Crash, in comparison, seemed to wish it was Vurt.
At the time of Vurt's publication I was neck-deep in text-based virtual worlds - MUDs and MOOs - and many of the people in my real life had crossed over from my virtual life. I was also an active member on the FutureCulture list-serv. We were all doing a lot of thinking about what it meant to have a virtual life and a real life, where the two might meet/meat, and where we thought all of it was going. I'm still close to many of the people I know from then whether I've actually met them in the flesh. I've known lots of these people going on 15 or so years. For me, Vurtcaptured the feel of that time and the not-so-secret desire to be liberated from flesh to play in dreams.
The writing and pacing of this book are pretty flawless to me. Vurtgrabs you by the collar and shoves you into its world running as fast and furious as it can with you bumping along behind. Noon has a very visual writing style, a knack for cyberpunk imagery. The book doesn't differentiate one world from the next as you careen with Scribble, our hero, on his search for the gateway to his sister. You might not approve of the lifestyle choices, but these people are complex and real and I feel like I know them all. All of this remained true on my second read so many years later.
I've recommended this book to lots of people and have given away many copies. One of my favorite reads.
At the time of Vurt's publication I was neck-deep in text-based virtual worlds - MUDs and MOOs - and many of the people in my real life had crossed over from my virtual life. I was also an active member on the FutureCulture list-serv. We were all doing a lot of thinking about what it meant to have a virtual life and a real life, where the two might meet/meat, and where we thought all of it was going. I'm still close to many of the people I know from then whether I've actually met them in the flesh. I've known lots of these people going on 15 or so years. For me, Vurtcaptured the feel of that time and the not-so-secret desire to be liberated from flesh to play in dreams.
The writing and pacing of this book are pretty flawless to me. Vurtgrabs you by the collar and shoves you into its world running as fast and furious as it can with you bumping along behind. Noon has a very visual writing style, a knack for cyberpunk imagery. The book doesn't differentiate one world from the next as you careen with Scribble, our hero, on his search for the gateway to his sister. You might not approve of the lifestyle choices, but these people are complex and real and I feel like I know them all. All of this remained true on my second read so many years later.
I've recommended this book to lots of people and have given away many copies. One of my favorite reads.
emilio_breastevez's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25