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A review by uncleanjoe
Vurt by Jeff Noon
3.5
Jeff Noon's Vurt is yet another take on the virtual reality science fiction genre. It follows the narrator, Scribble, and gang called the Stash Riders, as they try to obtain feathers, a narcotic like substance (that looks like a feather) which transports the user into a virtual reality simulation. There are different types of feathers, some are sexual fantasies while others are adventure stories, and some are so powerful that they permanently transport the user into this virtual reality. Scribble lost his sister in one such event, and is desperately trying to find the feather which could lead him back to his sister.
Noon explores many familiar sci-fi themes in Vurt, such as the addiction to virtual reality and social stratification in a dystopian future. Noon presents the futuristic Manchester as a disgusting over populated mess, with the main antagonists being the police officers set on apprehending the Stash Riders. Vurt has some unsettling elements to it, such as the protagonist's romantic relationship with his sister and the hybrid human/dog people, which I thought resembled today's furries. I appreciate Noon's willingness to unflinchingly explore a gritty and depraved future, and it adds to the overall bleakness and memorability of the story.
Virtual Reality as a drug has certainly been explored in other works of science fiction, such as Dick's excellent The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, but Jeff Noon still manages to present an original and entertaining work of cyberpunk science fiction in Vurt. Anyone who's a fan of Dick or Gibson would find plenty to appreciate in this novel, so go ahead and suck on the feather and dive in! I just really hope the furries of today don't take any ideas away from this novel and start looking into genetic splicing... 3.5/5
Noon explores many familiar sci-fi themes in Vurt, such as the addiction to virtual reality and social stratification in a dystopian future. Noon presents the futuristic Manchester as a disgusting over populated mess, with the main antagonists being the police officers set on apprehending the Stash Riders. Vurt has some unsettling elements to it, such as the protagonist's romantic relationship with his sister and the hybrid human/dog people, which I thought resembled today's furries. I appreciate Noon's willingness to unflinchingly explore a gritty and depraved future, and it adds to the overall bleakness and memorability of the story.
Virtual Reality as a drug has certainly been explored in other works of science fiction, such as Dick's excellent The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, but Jeff Noon still manages to present an original and entertaining work of cyberpunk science fiction in Vurt. Anyone who's a fan of Dick or Gibson would find plenty to appreciate in this novel, so go ahead and suck on the feather and dive in! I just really hope the furries of today don't take any ideas away from this novel and start looking into genetic splicing... 3.5/5