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A review by perilous1
Dream Park by Larry Niven
3.0
Dungeons and Dragons meets Disneyland...somewhere in the mid 21st century.
For the most part, this is a speculative murder-mystery, too clean to really be considered 'noir.' While there's plenty of gamer frolicking, there's nothing too graphic...particularly by today's standards 25+ years after this book was initially written. (I've decided the emphasis on an earthquake having destroyed much of California in the mid 1980's can best be explained away by considering this story to be set in an alternate future reality.)
The prose is solid and the chosen metaphors are consistently vivid--as are the general descriptive details of the holograms and gaming 'area'. For me, the downside was that I generally would prefer to participate in a role play game rather than to read about one taking place. There were a large number of characters to keep track of, matters being complicated slightly by out-of-character personalities and their in-character versions. It was difficult for me to connect to any of them, or even feel particularly concerned about their fate —- in-game or out. The one shining exception being the dwarf woman, Mary-Martha (Mary-em). Her characterization was full-bodied and somehow managed to sidestep the cliché.
While not stunning, it was an entertaining read with plenty of timeless gamer relatability.
For the most part, this is a speculative murder-mystery, too clean to really be considered 'noir.' While there's plenty of gamer frolicking, there's nothing too graphic...particularly by today's standards 25+ years after this book was initially written. (I've decided the emphasis on an earthquake having destroyed much of California in the mid 1980's can best be explained away by considering this story to be set in an alternate future reality.)
The prose is solid and the chosen metaphors are consistently vivid--as are the general descriptive details of the holograms and gaming 'area'. For me, the downside was that I generally would prefer to participate in a role play game rather than to read about one taking place. There were a large number of characters to keep track of, matters being complicated slightly by out-of-character personalities and their in-character versions. It was difficult for me to connect to any of them, or even feel particularly concerned about their fate —- in-game or out. The one shining exception being the dwarf woman, Mary-Martha (Mary-em). Her characterization was full-bodied and somehow managed to sidestep the cliché.
While not stunning, it was an entertaining read with plenty of timeless gamer relatability.