Hyperthought (Paperback)

by M. M. Buckner (Author) "WE LOSE OUR lives even as we live them..." (more)
Key Phrases: hospital wrapper, mes dieux, musketeer uniform, Lord Suradon, Jin Sura, Rebel Jeanne (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
In the late twenty-first century, Earth is wracked by brutal storms and toxins, and people have moved underground and poleward. The northern hemisphere is run by the .Coms, while the southern is free. Jolie runs Extreme Tours, taking the wealthiest commies to the surface, where the former tunnel rat somehow feels at home. When she introduces her friend Jin to Dr. Merida, she sets off quite a chain of events. First, Jin's father, head of Pacific.Com, arranges financing for Merida's experimentation--on Jin. Soon enough, Jin is to hear the underlying sound of the universe and understand his role in it. Rebellion breaks loose in the northern .Coms, and Jolie is caught up rescuing whom she can. In the midst of this, though, she goes to rescue Jin. Together they flee across the surface, playing one .Com against another, racing for survival as nanocytes in Jin's brain give him astonishing visions. This is one successful adventure story and a neatly packaged allegory on thought and the future. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
One of the best debut novels I've read in a long time. -- Allen Steele

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Ace (January 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441010237
• ISBN-13: 978-0441010233
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,204,411 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading, September 3, 2003

By	John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Silver Lake, OH) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There's a very good book in here struggling to get out. It very nearly makes it.

To readers of this sort of literature (that is, dystopian cyber-nanotech-SF), the world of this novel will be familiar in feel if not in detail: the northern part of the world is under the control of corporate .Coms, who lord it over the working classes, and the southern part is free, though living underground in the aftermath of some sort of destructive conflagration.

Jolie Sauvage is an engaging enough heroine as far as she goes. A young guide who takes rich aristos on tours of the uninhabitable surface, she surprises herself by falling for Jin, a northern actor and the son of a major .Com exec. Her narrative can be a bit taxing at times; she knows about six French phrases and uses them repeatedly throughout the novel. But she's a pleasant enough companion.

There's a good idea lurking in this "hyperthought" stuff, too. It never quite comes out where we can see it (and evaluate it), but it's there and it works for dramatic purposes.

The timbre of the novel reminds me of Octavia Butler (which I mean to be a good thing; Butler is a very powerful writer). If you liked _Parable of the Sower_, you'll probably be drawn into M.M. Buckner's aesthetic sensibilities as well.

This is a fine debut novel. Here's hoping Buckner follows it up with something even better.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Light Reading, September 16, 2004

By	Whoop2Do "Whoop2Do" (Gaithersburg, MD USA) - See all my reviews

Actually 3.5 Stars.

Based on the reviews, I imagined I would really enjoy the experience of reading it. And I did *but* upon completion, I felt somewhat disappointed. I didn't feel as if anything had actually happened. I certainly enjoyed the novelist style of writing and the novel flowed well enough, but I never felt any of the characters beyond the heroine were more than 2-dimensional props to assist or hinder her progress.

Perhaps most disappointing were the shallow descriptions of the titular "Hyperthought". Indeed, it seemed almost an Afterthought, a plot device to get the heroine to jump thru the appointed hoops.

Not bad, but don't expect a "meaty" thought-provoking read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, August 13, 2003

By	William Black "buddman921" (La Vergne, TN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a very fast paced book with lots of action. At under 200 pages it is a very fast read. I do think that the breivity of the book does sacrifice character development. The only character we get to know is Jolie and we only get a small glimpse into her past. I was never sure what made her tick and the character (not unlike real women) seemed inconsistent. I would have liked to have a more indepth look into the characters and into how society had transformed from present day into the bleak future Buckner paints. This is a good sign though. My idea of a good book is one that leaves you wanting more and yet there is no sequel to ruin the mystique.