Customer Reviews

If(Sid_Vicious == TRUE && Alan Turing == TRUE) { ERROR_Cyberpunk(); }

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is freaking awesome! I could really identify with Sabrina -- the main character in the I Sin Every Number half of the novel -- and the problems she was having.

Yes, to apreciate this book you should probably have a little experience with experimental fiction (Burroughs, Barthelme, Acker) before going in. There are chapters here that were obviously generated by computer programs, but Christ you don't have to read each word of them before going on to the next "straight" portion of the novel; just let your eyes skim and wander through the text and get the feel of the semi-poetic nature of the machine-based prose that Sabrina was seeing on her computer screen. I believe the author was attempting to immerse the reader in Sabrina's world so they could see the scary messages she was getting. It's a cool idea! If you tried to read every word of the experimental stuff, of course it would be tedious, but when it gets too much just continue on to the next "story" chapter.

This novel is avant-garde, adventurous writing at its best. The characters are interesting and well-developed, and there are even quite a few humorous incidents in the book. Don't be a square. Be bold and pick up this novel and maybe a few mighty forces will come to your aid while you're reading it.

Also be sure to check out the 'Note From the Author' at the very end! I've never seen anything like it before.

The other review here dismisses the book based on the title. Sadly, I have bought a copy of this book and that writer's suspicions are completely justified. It is a combination of tedious 'cut-up' i.e. random nonsense and typical 'look at me I'm so sensitive and artistic' stuff about self-harm.

It is unreadable and frankly after a short while I stopped trying.

Actually, perhaps not.

The title is enough to give a jobbing programmer a spontaneous fistula. Matters aren't helped much by Amazon's (apparent) mistranscription.

Maybe the authors are trying for "dumb people will think it's clever; clever people will think it's a parody of dumb", cf SugarApe magazine in "Nathan Barley". The fact that CORY DOCTOROW thinks it's clever gets us half-way there, but the clever people I've shown the title to think it's just broken. So, overall, a loss.