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Rudy Rucker

Nozomi Oomori

Freeware Paperback – January 1, 1998

by Rudy Rucker (Author)

4.5 19 ratings

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Rudy Rucker has seen the future. . .and it is extreme. The Godfather of cyberpunk--a mad scientist bravely meddling in the outrageous and heretical--Rucker created Bopper Robots, who rebelled against human society in his award-winning classic Software. Now, in 2953, "moldies" are the latest robotic advancement--evolved artificial lifeforms made of soft plastic and gene-tweaked molds and algae, so anatomically inventive and universally despised that their very presence on the planet has thrown the entire low-rent future into a serious tailspin. So the moon is the place to be, if you're a persecuted "moldie" or an enlightened "flesher" intent an creating a new, more utopian hybrid civilization. Of course up there, there are other intergalactic intelligences to contend with--and some not so intelligent--who have their own agendas and appetites.This is scientific fabulation at its most brazenly inventive--funny, cutting-edge and deeply informed. No writer alive puts it all together like Rudy Rucker.Artificial life forms made of soft plastic and gene-tweaked mold and algae, moldies are evolved robots in the year 2053--anatomically inventive and universally despised. In a sleazy, low-rent future, sexual fraternization with moldies is strictly taboo--a societal sin that is of no concern whatsoever to Randy Karl Tucker. A Kentucky boy who has seriously strayed from the Heritagist religion1s stern teachings about the evils of artificial life, Randy feels a definite something for Monique, moldie bookkeeper and maid at the Clearlight Terrace Court Motel But Monique1s sudden and inexplicable abduction from the planet--coupled with unsettling revelations about Randy1s own dubious origins--is dragging the degenerate flesher and all those around him into an ugly, conspiratorial mess. . .even as it pulls an unsuspecting humanity ever-closer to a stunning encounter with intergalactic intelligence.

Print length

262 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Eos
Publication date

January 1, 1998
Dimensions

4.25 x 0.5 x 6.75 inches
ISBN-10

038078159X
ISBN-13

978-0380781591
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Thought-provoking, highly original, and at timesextremely funny. . .Freeware is the real stuff, 180 proof and as smooth as silk." -- -- SF Site

About the Author

Rudy Rucker is a world-class mathematician and two-time winner of the Philip K. Dick Award. He is the author of the cyberpunk classics Software, Wetware and Freeware, as well as numerous other novels, including The Hollow Earth and The Hacker and the Ants. in addition to writing sf and popular mathematics books, he teaches computer science at San Jose State University in California and has co-authored a number of software programs, including an adaptation of James Gleick's Chaos and, more recently, a freeware flicker-cladding simulator known as CAPOW! He lives in Los Gatos, California.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Eos (January 1, 1998)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 262 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 038078159X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0380781591
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.25 x 0.5 x 6.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,142,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,588 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 19 ratings

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Rudy Rucker
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Rudy Rucker has written forty books, both pop science. and SF novels in the cyberpunk and transreal styles. He received Philip K. Dick awards for for the novels in his "Ware Tetralogy". His "Complete Stories," and his nonfiction "The Fourth Dimension" are standouts. He worked as a professor of computer science in Silicon Valley for twenty years. He paints works relating to his tales. His latest novel "Juicy Ghosts" is about telepathy, immortality, and a new revolution. Rudy blogs at www.rudyrucker.com/blog
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Nozomi Oomori
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KEVIN M. OCONNOR

A delightful tale of a world shared by humans and A-life.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 8, 1999

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I loved this book. It's light in style and narrative structure, and rucker doesn't take himself at all serriously. Rudy Rucker is a brilliant mathmetician and science fiction writer, and his protagonist, Randy Karl Tucker, is an uneducated redneck, whose primary passion is for sex with artificial life forms that smell of cheese. Other characters include a down-to-earth California surfer girl who, along with her stoner mathmatician husband, runs a fleabag sea-side resort in the autonomous nation of California, the head of a corporate empire who made his fortune selling burgers made from the cloned flesh of his half-human wife, and a delighful host of "moldies," artificial life forms with the power of gods, short lifespans, and generally no other ambition than to buy enough of the expensive high-tech goo of which they're made to form a child to perpetuate their own software.
This book is an absolute gem.

7 people found this helpful

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C. Richard

Weirdly Entertaining for the Most Part

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 2, 2014

This is the third book in the Ware Tetralogy. Some of the characters from the two previous books continue on in this one - like Stahn, "Sta-Hi".

First, this book is kind of weird. The robots have "evolved" into creatures with bodies made of imipolex plastic that is infused with molds and algae. Sort of an unexpected result of the attempt to shut them down in the previous book. The "moldies" as they are now called, smell pretty bad, but they sexually "turn on" some humans - called "cheeseballs". If this concept upsets you, then this book is not for you. The sex is not super graphic, but it is made clear what goes on - and on.

Many moldies live on Earth and seem to fill servile roles for the most part. There are many on the moon as well who live apart from the humans there. Some humans like the moldies, while many do not.

It is hard to summarize what goes on in the book. Some of it seems a little pointless, but the book is entertaining for the most part - though to me the sexual parts with the moldies and cheeseballs did go a bit far. We may see the point of some of the action here when we get to the fourth book in the series.

The last part of this book concerns aliens arriving in the form of cosmic rays. Apparently, the rays carry information that can be decoded and downloaded into a moldie body and the alien can then interact with humans and regular moldies. Sort of a cool concept in many respects. The moldies figure out the decoding and try it out, but things soon go awry.

Some of these aliens are friendly and even spiritual, but one of them makes a big problem. All but one of the aliens is killed by humans - maybe an over reaction, but maybe not. The one called Shimmer survives - she comes from a place where they experience time as 2 dimensional and this seems to save her. Another cool concept, this 2-D time thing - Shimmer explains it in some detail. Food for thought here. She seems benevolent, but the book ends before we can be sure.

The fourth and last book of the series remains; it is called Realware. The series is a bit weird, but it has been entertaining and has provided some food for thought. I do have to see how it ends. I'll let you know how it looked to me when I get done with the last book. Should be soon.

That's all for now.

One person found this helpful

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Joseph Culbert

Stuzzy

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 22, 2006

I've never thought of Rucker as a great writer, but he never wants for interesting ideas. While his characters tend to be fairly broad and cartoonish, the bright colors of his invented slang and weird technology make for a nice pleasant brain buzz.

In "Freeware", Rucker continues his little AI saga begun in "Software" and "Wetware". The boppers (the little AI robots featured in the first two novels) are all dead, but their spirit (or at least their core software) lives on in the "moldies", who are basically big pieces of self-aware floppy plastic infected with a stinky fungus. Of course what Rucker immediately wants to investigate is: Can you have sex with a moldie? The answer, of course, is yes.

The plot meanders through the backstories of its various characters (which also help shed light on the events which have occurred since "Wetware"), shows off the interesting abilities of the moldies (some of which require some suspension of disbelief), showcases exciting new fictional mind-altering drugs, and eventually comes to the Big Reveal, which I found fairly interesting. Although this sort of thing (I'm not going to say WHAT sort of thing) has certainly been done before, I don't think it's ever been done in quite this fashion.

One major complaint I have about the book is its rather abrupt ending. Rucker wraps things up here in about two pages, as if he was in a rush to finish. A bit more denouement would have been nice.

Basically, if you've read and enjoyed the first two "Ware" books, you're likely to find this enjoyable as well. Anyone who HASN'T read the first two books is advised to start with the first book, "Software", which is a rather short (150 pages) and breezy read.

One person found this helpful

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albemuth

energetic, imaginative & fun..

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 6, 2000

..what else can you ask from a science fiction book? Good characterization, plausible sciences & other stuff you can find in any boring science speculation book scribbled by engineers.
Rudy Rucker belongs to the GREAT freewheeling tradition of imaginative writers; forget Kim Stanley Robinson and Arthur C. Clarke, think van Vogt, Charles Harness and Barrington Bayley - he invents his science (that's why it's called fiction, eh?) and bounces off to the nomansland like some mutant kangaroo. This is stuff you can barely find on the shelves today as franchise poop is being pushed on all the fronts. Rucker knows his science but isn't limited by it - he writes straight from his subunconscious pool, winging it with gusto and joy. Engineers beware, this works on dream-logic and grabs you by the jellyfish.

4 people found this helpful

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Victor Vorski

nice story, sci-fi this is not

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 7, 2000

Verified Purchase

Science fiction needs the integral component of science. Rucker's universe leaves a bad taste in my mouth of breaking most of the laws of physics, without much more than babbly pseudo-future-science jargon, hand waving.
It's a nice enough story but file under fantasy. Two notches below masters like Sterling, Di Filipo, Stephenson.
Oh did I mention most of the book is in annoying future-surfer speak, and obsessed with sex?
Like not quite gnarly enough dude....

3 people found this helpful

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qfg02041

ソフトウェア３部作完結。

Reviewed in Japan 🇯🇵 on September 20, 2002

Verified Purchase

ロボットが意志を持ち反逆する古典テーマも、昔AUTODESK社で働き今はサンノゼ州立大コンピュータサイエンス学部・ラッカー教授のスラップスティックな手に掛かれば「ソフトウェア」となり、２作目はそのロボットが生物に興味を持ち始めて「ウェットウェア」、そして最後は全てをアナーキーな混沌に突き落とす（あれ？ロボットの人権の話じゃないんですか？）「フリーウェア」と、ここんとこ聞いた最高のうまい三題噺となっている最終巻。買わなきゃ。
それにしても３冊とも「ラッカー」で検索できないのは困るな。皆さんも翻訳者の「黒丸尚」さんの名前で検索して下さい。在庫切れの嵐ですけど。

8 people found this helpful

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Freeware Paperback – January 1, 1998

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