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scheu's review against another edition
2.0
There's a lot of great ideas here. Anyone who thinks a lot about the corporate takeover of Earth should look at this book. However, all these ideas are looking for a story and neither they nor I could find it.
flajol's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others by Munroe - found it more difficult to get into.
mandocal's review against another edition
4.0
The ending was too abrupt, but other than that it's a well-crafted story.
bananafishpie's review
3.0
Great premise about the perils of capitalism and rampant advertising, but a very slow read to start.
rdebner's review against another edition
4.0
A future dystopia that is not all that far off. It reminds me of Margaret Mead's quote: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it‰ЫЄs the only thing that ever has." It reminded me a little of William Gibson's Spook Country, while having been written before it -- it's like what the latter should have been, if Gibson weren't so caught up in being the harbinger of cool. Come to think of it -- the coolhunters make an appearance there, too. I hope that Mr. Gibson gave Mr. Munroe credit.
malkav11's review
4.0
Almost cyberpunk of the now - sharing cyberpunk's dystopian future where corporations have taken control of everything, virtual reality is core to society's ongoing business, and life is cheap. But Munroe's vision isn't the clean, cold lines of chrome and neon, nor does it really share 80's style punk culture. Instead it cheerfully extrapolates from the excesses of modern corporate culture - pervasive, obnoxious advertising, security systems that are allowed to kill, the IMF replacing government, etc. The virtual reality requires direct brain upload, and people are migrating to this new world by the thousands, leaving reality somewhat depopulated and technology like cloning and genetic engineering declasse. Labor laws have been repealed and bicycles banned as safety hazards (while cars continue to get larger and more tanklike).
The story follows several misfits, including a geneticist animal grower named Vicky, a washed up and indebted coolhunter named Doug, an elderly parent trying to find the little boy she had made from her DNA named Eileen, and a mysterious man named Paul. It gradually becomes clear how these various strands tie together, but there's more time spent exploring the setting than strong forward plot movement, and ultimately none of the threads quite reach the expected resolution. It's a wildly imaginative read, but don't expect it to be a thriller.
The story follows several misfits, including a geneticist animal grower named Vicky, a washed up and indebted coolhunter named Doug, an elderly parent trying to find the little boy she had made from her DNA named Eileen, and a mysterious man named Paul. It gradually becomes clear how these various strands tie together, but there's more time spent exploring the setting than strong forward plot movement, and ultimately none of the threads quite reach the expected resolution. It's a wildly imaginative read, but don't expect it to be a thriller.
the_original_shelf_monkey's review
4.0
http://shelf-monkey.blogspot.com/2008/05/quickie-reviews-sunday-may-19-2008.html
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