Scan barcode
gamecocksara's review
3.0
I am waiting for Mike to read this so I can discuss it w/him... but I don't want to forget the following things:
1. I found the style in which the author wrote conversations a bit strange. Most (like, really... almost all of them) sentences of dialogue between characters ended with a dash - almost like each sentence ended in mid-sentence. I don't know, it was just very odd to me & I found it distracting.
2. I don't know if I would think this if I didn't live in Pittsburgh, but a lot of local references seemed forced at times. Like, there were too many of them/too many specifics? I don't know.
Overall, interesting book, albeit not what I was expecting. All the violent themes (esp w/respect to women) made me uneasy, perhaps because they seem plausible given media trends, etc. lately. So that's not a knock on the book, more just... a heads up. I finished this late at night & just felt generally uneasy about it.
1. I found the style in which the author wrote conversations a bit strange. Most (like, really... almost all of them) sentences of dialogue between characters ended with a dash - almost like each sentence ended in mid-sentence. I don't know, it was just very odd to me & I found it distracting.
2. I don't know if I would think this if I didn't live in Pittsburgh, but a lot of local references seemed forced at times. Like, there were too many of them/too many specifics? I don't know.
Overall, interesting book, albeit not what I was expecting. All the violent themes (esp w/respect to women) made me uneasy, perhaps because they seem plausible given media trends, etc. lately. So that's not a knock on the book, more just... a heads up. I finished this late at night & just felt generally uneasy about it.
jimiboy's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
salawson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
ashryn's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I enjoyed every minute of this novel. It has a similar pacing and atmosphere to many William Gibson stories, where the plot and characters unfold gracefully via the reflections of the protagonist. It is the story of a poet haunted by grief for his wife, who stumbles upon a murder.
Set post an apocalyptic event that has left many grieving, this future world is hyper connected via “adware” - neural augmentations grafted into the skull that send ads and information about wherever is nearby or focussed on. Surveillance cameras are ubiquitous, with all events recorded and available in virtual reality called the archive. The archive allows users to experience events recorded in the past as if they are there.
The mystery unravels slowly, horrifically, amid reflections of art and literature in a world where the powerful can do as they wish and everyone else goes about their lives assailed by a pop culture that might have grown out of 4Chan.
Set post an apocalyptic event that has left many grieving, this future world is hyper connected via “adware” - neural augmentations grafted into the skull that send ads and information about wherever is nearby or focussed on. Surveillance cameras are ubiquitous, with all events recorded and available in virtual reality called the archive. The archive allows users to experience events recorded in the past as if they are there.
The mystery unravels slowly, horrifically, amid reflections of art and literature in a world where the powerful can do as they wish and everyone else goes about their lives assailed by a pop culture that might have grown out of 4Chan.
davecapp's review against another edition
5.0
This is speculative gritty SciFi that's also a great detective story. The extrapolation of immersive technologies with historical video feeds as a means to revisit past events (or recreate them) takes this novel into areas unexplored by others in the field. For a first novel it's a great read, and I look forward to whatever comes next from Mr. Sweterlitsch.
a_o's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5