Conrad Metcalf is a private dick in a dystopia where asking questions is outlawed by the government. Individual evolution is sped up so infants, called babyheads, rebel like out of control teenagers, smoking, swearing, taking drugs and hanging out in gangs. Animals have been genetically engineered so they can do menial work but they also commit crimes and one of them is gunning for Metcalf. Smart, dark and funny. ( )

Good book. Screwtopian noir blessed with a rock of a protagonist to offset the strange future the story is set in. The setting is rife with the twisted mistakes wrought by humanity in the name of "progress", nightmares which evoke a lot of what our current media mention science and society are moving toward today. I won't reveal specifics, but "coming soon" could be some scary, twisted, and odd stuff. Conrad, our flawed hero, helped rein in the madness for me with his no-nonsense view of things. He's a part of his whacked-out world, knows it, and "keeps it real" by demonstrating that grit and determination trump all.

The story's okay. As others have said, the strangeness can sometimes block the tale. What I enjoyed most about "Gun" was the dialogue and the setting. The plot, to me, was secondary. I've had the same feelings with other, more traditional noir stories, so I'll call this one a success for Lethem.

A la "tweet": Surreal cop story, 60% D. Hammett / 40% P.K. Dick. Loose, fun, and interesting. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" on grown-up drugs. ( )

Fantastic dialogue. Follows all the conventions of noir, except of course for the inclusion of karma points as a means to control society, the monstrously adult babies, and the bad-mouthed, gun-happy kangaroo. ( )

Months after first reading this I'm still talking about it and recommending it to people, so I suppose that's a good thing, eh? It took me a while to get into it, especially as the main character didn't seem too likable at first. But by the end of the story I was rooting for Conrad and booing the bad guys, so I suppose that's another good thing, eh?

Would recommend for fans of detective stories, dystopias, and kangaroos. ( )

This is an interesting concept. I enjoy both Hard Boiled detective fiction and Science fiction, so a blending of the 2 should be fantastic. Unfortunately, while interesting and well written, there are parts of this book that drag and seem to lost focus. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, or wouldn't recommend it to others. This book takes place in the far future where questions and the printed word are outlawed and only people that are licensed to do so can ask any question at all. A murder takes place and an innocent man is taken down. When our hero, the private-I, digs around he discovers corruption that goes all the way up the chain. All told a good, not great detective / Sci-fi novel, that makes for an interesting read, but ultimately lacks a good finish. ( )