Scan barcode
A review by tome15
Repo Virtual by Corey J. White
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.