Idolon

Budz applies the "if this goes on" motif to video screens, leading to a technology called "philm" that can coat walls and even human skin. His depiction of a world where cosmetic changes can occur in moments is interesting; I never developed enough sympathy for the characters caught up in the intrigue surrounding a new development of philm technology to really like the book.

I really liked this book. Butz managed to do a near-future setting without it feeling a) dated or b) overly disconnected; I am not a big fan of antiheroes, acrimony, and angst. I like to have at least one character I can root for.

Budz was remarkably successful in creating a world that was gritty without being depressing, and I liked that. But the really interesting thing about Idolon was the philm. Philm, the book's central conceit, is downloadable imagery which can be displayed on, well, pretty much anything -- your house, your floor, yourself. Budz has a lot of fun talking about the high-tech skin grafts people get, the "casts" of identical philms people join, the various identity issues implied by the need to constantly change your show more looks, and so on. It's a great conceit. My only complaint is that he doesn't stick with it through the ending and instead goes and visits transcendent-land for a while, which leaves me sitting on the landing drumming my nails and checking my watch. But it was still a damned good tale overall. show less

I picked this up thinking "wow, seems like yet another stephenson/gibson clone" but was intrigued enough by the idea of a world where everyone wears electronic skins and can redefine what they look like with little more than a thought.

As such, I stepped into the novel expecting to be disappointed... but I wasn't. While the pacing wasn't quite as gripping as some of the cyberpunk I've read, the story was compelling, the world interesting, the "science" more believable than most, and I quickly grew to like the characters enough that I was reasonably happy following any of the threads even before it was apparent how they linked together. And surprisingly for cyberpunk, the ending didn't feel disappointing.

Overall, better than the last show more Gibson novel I read! show less

http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2007/04/the_2007_philip.shtml

Our setting is Santa Cruz, California, about a hundred years from now; everyone (at least everyone we meet) has had their skin covered with a nanotechnology gimmick called "philm" which allows its wearer to look like anybody they please. Our viewpoint characters are a detective trying to solve a murder, a man who tests out experimental new philms, his cousin who has got more involved with the seedy side of the philm business than she would like, and an illegal immigrant who appears to have become impregnated by her philm. Appropriately enough for a Dick nominee, the backdrop is very reminiscent of Blade Runner, which is not to accuse Budz of unoriginality: the ideas in show more here fizz and pop.

They fizz and pop just enough to help you through the many neologisms (you don't "wear" philm, you "ware" it; anyone fancy a fajizza take-away? - in fairness I found this aspect of the book much less intrusive than the neologisms in Living Next Door to the God of Love or Spin Control), and to distract from the fact that several important questions in the plot are not very satisfactorily resolved - what are the virgin pregnancies all about? What are the mysterious images of fish and dragonflies generated by the expermiental philm meant to be? Is the religious cult of the Transcendental Vibrationists actually meant to be a serious statement about belief (as Budz has hinted in interviews) or just a front for unscrupulous philm developers (as it seemed to me reading the book)? And while the characters were all credible and believable, I didn't find any of them truly engaging. I finished Idolon feeling that it was a very good book, but not quite a great one. show less

The premise: ganked from BN.com: In a world where image is everything, where the past is more real than the present, the rich can reprogram everything -- and cast themselves in the starring roles. Everyone else is nothing but an extra....

As part of the supporting cast, Pelayo survives as a test subject for the latest electronic skin and philm technology, which brings past trends and famous people to vivid life on his body. His cousin Marta works at a cinematique offering cheap skincense, image grafts, and nanimatronics. That’s where she meets Nadice, an indentured worker smuggling illegal ware to escape an exclusive resort specializing in kitschy environs. But Nadice is hiding something far more contraband: a forbidden pregnancy she show more can’t explain but is determined to protect. When Marta tries to help, both women disappear.

While Pelayo searches for his cousin, homicide detective Kasuo van Dijk investigates a mysterious death that may involve a new kind of e-skin -- mass-mediated ware that will lead him to Marta, Nadice, her employer -- and a diabolical plan to deliver humanity kicking and screaming into a frightening new age of information....

My Rating: Worth Reading, with Reservations

I'm glad I finally got around to reading this book and I hope to read more by this author. While there's no doubt that some of the tech explanations went over my head and therefore affected my enjoyment of the book's resolution (as I spent a lot of time scratching my head and going "Wha…?" and then rolling with it), I was fascinated by the story and the characters. I was fascinated to learn what was happening and why and what the implications were for humanity. The book is a murder mystery, an SF thriller, and even a religious commentary, with a strong technological slant. It's fascinating, even if it did occasionally go over my head. Next time I read Budz's work, I'll know to slow down a bit. :)

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. The book is complex enough that even after finishing, I'm not entirely sure I know what happened or why, so it's easy not to spoil this for you. The full review is in my blog, and as always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Mark Budz's IDOLON

Happy Reading! show less

Started February 18; restarted in April. Everyone and everything has an eskin, which "philms" them to look like someone or something else (usually from classic film). An intriguing premise for a smart book. I found it a little hard to follow. The characters tended to blend together for me, but that might have been the point, as the skins eventually go quantum, with all separate skins becoming different states of the same skin.

This had loads of interesting ideas and a jam-packed plot. Sadly, it had so many ideas and so much plot that it didn't hold any tension for me. The end didn't come together.

It also had a honey of a continuity error, when a suit turns into a red evening dress.