Customer Reviews

Signal to Noise

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

 

 

Right off the bat the first chapter annoyed me. The main character has a conversation with one of his co-workers that, as described, should have taken a much shorter time than is reported. Such time differentials between what would take place in reality and what is described in the novel continued to happen, and remained just as annoying.

But I can deal with continuity issues if the characters are compelling and the plot is engaging. That was not the case with this novel. The two main characters begin as flawed, self-centered, and perception driven. The way that they need to change in order to have a dynamic resolution from the story is obvious and clichéd. They are unlikable and don't have witty dialogue to save them.

The plot begins with scenes that do not seem contrived and ridiculous. Yet when the action picks up after Kat gets Jim in trouble with an online offshore casino, it goes from one unlikely event to another.

And yes, I can deal with a ridiculous and contrived plot if it seems to poke fun at itself successfully. Also the novel must have other redeeming qualities.

The one quality I liked in this novel was the picture of the techno-savvy publishing culture that existed in the early to mid nineties. The descriptions of the workplace, the parties, the attitudes, and the clothes read as accurate to me.

But this redeeming feature wasn't enough for me to finish the book. I was loathe to give any book one star, but I justified to myself by realizing that a book I felt was very good in multiple ways would receive five stars from me.

I paid fifty cents for this book after being told that there were sly references to Dave Eggers (Mike Yoke in the book) and Douglas Coupland (Canadian writer Darren Cooper!).

I want my fifty cents and four hours back.

Carla Sinclair has managed to write a dull, unbelievable story about inconsiderate, useless people. The dialogue was flat, the plot was insipid, and the ending was trite.

Jim is an editor at the ultra hip tech culture bible of a magazine, Signal. (He's a spineless pencil pusher.) Kat is an intern at a zine, and feels that the world owes her more. Her sense of entitlement throughout is appalling.
She drunkenly gambles away $200,000 on his computer never quite apologizes.

This book isn't even worth any more of a review.... just stay away from it.

This book was a BIG disapointment.

The story an characters are unlovable, unlikable and inconsiderate.

The story revolves around a cyber chick who wants to
screw the hotshot magazine king. He happens to be
addicted to online gambling. One day she jumps on his
computer and gambles away a truckload of money. She does
not even applogize to the guy for ruining his life. She
says something like, "you should have locked your computer"

Then they discover the gambling is "fixed", so, they go to
the Nevada to confront the online website losers.

This story is SO Hollywood. It seems obvious to me, it
was written to become a screenplay and movie. It is
"action packed" and totally phony.

I was really disapointed, because I thought Sinclair was
a really cool person, who had character and integrity.

I was wrong.

Once I started reading this book, I really couldn't put it down until I finished it. The main character, Jim, is somebody I started out hating because he is such an arrogant simp, but I ended up rooting for him. The other characters are great fun. I don't know if the book accurately portrays the "multimedia gulch" scene, but the book was so good I didn't care.

I loved the quirky humor and
fast-pace of Sinclair's novel. She
has included great characters and
put them into funny and tense
predicaments. I only wish it would
have been a longer read!

This was a mildly entertaining book, and a fast read, but throughout, I couldn't help but notice the author trying to copy the style of Douglas Coupland. The plot was interesting and offered plently of action and tension. On the other hand, the dialogue was downright clumsy. I'm sure that Miss Sinclair is a fine non-fiction/magazine writer, but her dialogue sounds like she spends all of her time in chat rooms.

A great novel could be written about the multimedia artists and computer industry workers that congregate around San Francisco's South Park. Unfortunately, this isn't it.

I had fun playing "spot-the friend," but before too long that got old and I was left with a not-too-original caper story marred by a few too many unbelievable coincidences and a way too pat ending. Sinclair is a decent writer, and the multimedia scene is a good setting for a book, but there was too much wrong with this sotry for my to suspend my disbelief and get involved with the characters.