Incredibly underrated, though not for everyone, April 29, 2002
Reviewer: W. A. Norris (Laramie, WY United States)
This is one of the gutsiest SF novels I know of. Bruce Sterling has set his novel in one of the most incredibly detailed, well thought out futures ever developed. He's thought about his world geopolitically, economically, ideologically, and on a host of other levels, including how people live on a day to day basis. His people have internalized genuinely different ideas because of the world that has shaped them. In this sense it is most like some of the best Heinlein novels.
The world Sterling creates alone would make this worthwhile reading, but his characterization is strong and unconventional, and he tells an extremely interesting story that travels all over the world. This isn't really a fast-paced pageturner, and it isn't immersed in hard-science details about how things work in the future--it's more like real life for most of us, where technology is part of the background, and just works. So if those are the kinds of things you value in a SF novel, this may not be your book. But the traditional virtues of plot, characterization, and setting make this an outstanding novel.
Reviewer: W. A. Norris (Laramie, WY United States)
This is one of the gutsiest SF novels I know of. Bruce Sterling has set his novel in one of the most incredibly detailed, well thought out futures ever developed. He's thought about his world geopolitically, economically, ideologically, and on a host of other levels, including how people live on a day to day basis. His people have internalized genuinely different ideas because of the world that has shaped them. In this sense it is most like some of the best Heinlein novels.
The world Sterling creates alone would make this worthwhile reading, but his characterization is strong and unconventional, and he tells an extremely interesting story that travels all over the world. This isn't really a fast-paced pageturner, and it isn't immersed in hard-science details about how things work in the future--it's more like real life for most of us, where technology is part of the background, and just works. So if those are the kinds of things you value in a SF novel, this may not be your book. But the traditional virtues of plot, characterization, and setting make this an outstanding novel.
In my opinion, this is one of the most accessible cyberpunk books ever written. Highly recommended for readers in mid-teens and up.
Excellent near future SF novel. Probably Sterling's best novel.
cyberpunk - early novel by the author
Seeing this on today's posted books brought back a reush of memory. I read this back in my teens and twenties and really into cyberpunk, but I think I read it at least four times. I found it interesting and compelling, though at the time I couldn't tell you why. Today I can - the main character was sympathetic and interesting (though not always intelligent) caught up in chain of events much larger than herself and her family. I also remember the minor character, Steppin Razor as well and the trick with the gene tinkered yogurt to engage his abilties.
Plus it was at least a little funny with her husband and the supertechnology sun tan lotion.
Plus it was at least a little funny with her husband and the supertechnology sun tan lotion.
a very interesting look at point of view in a post national corporate global environment. follow one woman thru a chain of related events that leads from home to hell and back home but very very much changed. a story of awakening and cruel survival. morality. enforcment. and PR. thoughtful and intelligently presented. i enjoyed the story for its own sake as well as for the underlying theme.
