Customer Reviews

Moon Age Daydream

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My husband gave me this book which he picked up from a comic convention, and I read it because I really liked the cover--and I like books about AIs. The futuristic language was difficult at first, but then I realized there is a dictionary at the end and after awhile I didn't need that either. But the end gets way scarier than I thought--almost like a horror movie....I generally don't like horror books, but I suppose it did make the end more intense.

First of all this is a difficult book at the beginning. The language is estranged at first due to the complete newness of the at times baffling slang and lingo, but the highly visceral and panoramic world of Moon Age Daydream soon turns out to be quite accessible when it comes to human emotions, and as much as I enjoyed the language by the end of the book (no longer even needing to look up the words in the Lexicon after about the halfway mark), I feel the strongest point is understanding the male psyche after a break up.

It seems like an intensely personal book. Once I realized that, I warmed up to the language which I at first thought cold and overly-cerebral. But in inverse proportion to the character Celesete's slow transformation from sweet high-school girl into _spoiler here_, the language seems to warm up and congeal and actually seemed perfectly natural by the end of the book.

And believe me, after the first 5 minutes of this book I thought I was going to give it the worst review ever, so I'll just give a heads up to be patient...but because this a book with a lot of edges, both stylistically and emotionally it won't be for everyone. There were some things that were quite beyond me but with whatever flaws I noticed it's a lot more original than anything I've seen in eight or nine years.

The nostalgia seems to be for all things psychedelic, especially music between early Pink Floyd up through the Cars.

The language is funky fun and the pacing is fast enough.

The end left me desiring to know more, and yet I know I missed many clues and layers. I hope to get more the second time through.

I admit I first was taken in by the novel because the title of David Bowie song of the same name. I had hoped *and* feared the book would be some sort of Ziggy Stardust type story, but it's nothing like that at all. It's a world of its own. An odd sort of a love story more than anything I'd say.

Futuristic and 60's psychedelic at the same, it's something of a Blade Runner with occult undertones. Like I've read in some of the other reviews, the futuristic language is difficult a bit at first, but if you go with the flow I don't think anyone under age 40 would have a problem with it. Later on the language and use of characters really works to the books advantage:

The main character Isabelle is an AI and as the story progresses one begins to realize her presence is everywhere...even in between the lines of the story...(hard to explain this without spoilers so I'll have to leave it at that.) The quirkiness of the language allows this demonic presence to be felt while reading it. It's almost as if the text on the pages is the "Matrix" dripping letters screen, and when you understand it...the real image of the Matrix...the real vision of "Isabelle" is revealed. This was probably my favorite thing about the book.

The book is a bit of sensory overload, but it works in a book that is a reflection of our own society and all the sensual enticements available to us at every turn. The language for all it's bedazzling imagery is actually fairly lean, and while I'm more into the "flowery" type language usually, the tightness here helps define the main character's mental state and keeps the story flowing along.

I only hope there will be a sequel but I've read somewhere that this is a standalone book. Maybe the author will change his mind though. I'd love to write a lot more about the conclusion of the book, but it will definitely ruin the ending if I do.

Because this books seems to be just that, which really took me by surprise since I expected a fluffier book than it is.

At first I hated it because I didn't know it was written in futuristic slang. Then I got into it anyway because the writing is tight and fast and yet still somehow poetic. Then I fell in love with the AI character Isabelle, and then I realized there were some really freaky subtexts going on which I can't even get into without major spoilers. Definitely pick this up if you are sick of the usual sci-fi and want something with some edge.

This was a great book, good action and a lot of naughty stuff, plus also a lot of interesting hints into a magical world.. and some cool sci-fi stuff. Thank god for the dictionary in the back though. :) I will read it soon again! Yey!

This book to me was a little like Phillip K. Dick, but more evil, neurotic, and heavier on the magick. Rarely have I seen the amalgam of ancient magick/demonology mixed so well with modern "magick" (i.e. computers, technology.) What I loved most was the theme, that whether through magick or technology, we become willing slaves to our own creations. The devil is in the machines/automatons we use to make our life easier, safer, or more fun.

This book is not a love affair with women, but a love affair with technology, power, and beautiful superficialities--at least on the surface. Underneath the surface story about a motley crew of the book is something of a modern satire. Still, characterization comes first in this heady little book, so while dealing with some serious topics, for the most part this is a light-hearted romp--until the end where it becomes dark and suspenseful. The ending twist was satisfying, and I quickly handed off the book to a friend to read.

I should note I ordered the hardback version and was well-impressed with the entire design of the book. Generally I prefer trade paperback as it is easier to tote around town, but this book has many details that just 'feel right' in the context of hardback. Some books will never be the same on Kindle and this is one of them.

This book never gets bleak due to the deadpan humor of the narrator, but perhaps because I recently got out of a breakup myself, I found the book rather haunting through much of it, hypnotizing with emotional and archetypal language that flows so easily through the futuristic slang.

While I agree with some other reviews I've read of this book and its touches of P.K. Dick and the Clockwork Orangey style of it, I personally noted that Shaun Von Dragen is more optimistic about humanity than those two authors despite superficial similarities.

There was even a touch of Lovecraft too, which made it that much more spooky to me because I don't know exactly how this book ended up in my collection.

Though not easy to pigeonhole, this book seems more like dark-fantasy than hard sci-fi, but it's a fascinating world however you categorize it.