Pat Cadigan

For someone who isn't great with computers, I've read a decent number of cyberpunk novels. Pat Cadigan's prose isn't quite as slick as Gibson's, but it is more accessible than Stephenson's. She's funny and clever. I'll admit, I spent at least the first third of the novel trying to figure out who everyone was and what the heck was going on, but it was brilliant once I did. What really got me were the similarities between the "dataline" and Facebook (and other apps)--the way information is fed show more through the newsfeed and how it is being monetized. I also dug the notion of a "synner" as someone who synthesizes. show less

A wild, lyrical, unforgettable classic. I have no idea how this never got on my radar until now. There is something here that is more than just a genre novel, a poem, some other thing that communicates a feeling, an impression of the same hallucinatory effect the characters themselves are experiencing. I did not appreciate while in the midst of the book some of the non sequiturs, the random lyrics and images, out of place phrases, the lack of many concrete environmental descriptions. But by show more the end the tapestry weaves back together and all those strands and odd details come back and provide an almost shocking sense of unity to the entire narrative. A hypnotic ride through a fully realized cyberpunk world, with a payoff worthy of the journey. show less

Good cyberpunk by and about women, which is a refreshing change of perspective from a very male dominated sub-genre.
Fair warning to crunchy cyberpunk fans, this deals almost exclusively with artificial reality and the nature of our perception of reality self, to the detriment if not outright exclusion of many of the genre's other tropes. I would say a good three quarters of this novel takes place within various 'layers' of artificial reality. A concept treated in an interesting, almost show more spiritual, sense.
Good enough of a read that I'll pick up the sequel. show less

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3130009.html

I approached this with some trepidation, having bounced off Synners a few months ago - but actually I really enjoyed this tale of a woman with three identities, or possibly three women sharing bodies, or possibly a woman struggling for mindspace with two artificial personalities, each with different parts of the picture trying to work out what is going on. I found it very engaging and even funny in places, as well as a serious exploration of what show more might happen if personalities can be uploaded and downloaded freely (or, well, for a fee or some other consideration). Cyberpunk doesn't usually do it for me, but this hit the mark. show less