Scan barcode
annaswan's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting and sort of strange, sort of a PI/auditing procedural. I look forward to more.
kir's review against another edition
I became immersed enough that I had to force myself to put the book down past midnight as I had to get up for work that morning.
tiggum's review
Generic, dull and full of dumb sci-fi words in place of ordinary English. I'd probably have read and forgotten it as a teenager, but these days I'll skip straight to forgetting it.
tome15's review
3.0
This is another 3 1/2 star book. Judged as a first novel, it is probably a four-star book. But judged by the standard of the work of China Mielville, with which it wants to compete, it doesn't come anywhere near. The book is well plotted and some of the characterization is very interesting. But on the negative side, the style that makes Embassytown an award-winner, the stylistic polish and original energy, is lacking.
snowcrash's review
3.0
An interesting book, written just as the Internet and networks were becoming known in popular culture. I thought it had more to do with augmentation, as in human/machine interface. But it is more of a political thriller, set on an interstellar Earth that has (very cold) Chicago as its capital.
The author posits a society that runs on paper, but paper with special capabilities. Embedded fibers, textures, and smart verification methods make for highly verifiable documents. Not super secure, as characters can still move around with them. It could be a potential future for us if hacking servers gets too easy.
I will look to see if the next books are more political thriller or sci-fi. The main character is called a toxin or change agent, which could open up a lot of interesting stories.
The author posits a society that runs on paper, but paper with special capabilities. Embedded fibers, textures, and smart verification methods make for highly verifiable documents. Not super secure, as characters can still move around with them. It could be a potential future for us if hacking servers gets too easy.
I will look to see if the next books are more political thriller or sci-fi. The main character is called a toxin or change agent, which could open up a lot of interesting stories.
spoth's review
I might revisit someday, but for now it's a Did Not Finish at 10%. Part of the problem is I had just finished Marge Piercy's A Woman on the Edge of Time, and the contrast between the inventiveness of the future society in that book, versus the vaguely 1980s society in this book, was a little too immediate. I'm not sure exactly how far in the future Code of Conduct is set, but so far you could change just a few details and have it comfortably take place in some generic Western country. If a character shows up in a position of power, or in a military role, so far he's guaranteed to be a white male. The exception is our heroine Jani who shows encouraging signs of badassery and down-to-earthness, but even she gets dragged around by the arm and put in impractical heels and dress by her powerful boss/ex-lover. The book has not shown signs so far of planning to confront/explain some of these issues - my guess is it'll be a good adventure story, but that's not what I'm in the mood for.
stringreads's review
1.0
DNF - fulfilling the steriotype of the albino mad scientist, complete with "ungodly" pink eyes (did the author not even read a wiki on the condition).
I am sick of media that only shows albinism as an indicator of evil. No mad scientist, no evil assassin, no assistant in the pit of despair. My son deserves more than a negative trope.
I am sick of media that only shows albinism as an indicator of evil. No mad scientist, no evil assassin, no assistant in the pit of despair. My son deserves more than a negative trope.
mizzelle's review
4.0
#tbrchallenge Military science fiction with an interesting twist. Rather than the usual type, the heroine Jani Killian is a documents technician, trained to spot inconsistencies in paperwork. Her brain augment helps her in combat situations, but has a whole host of psychological and physiological side effects conveyed quite well. But eighteen years ago, on an alien world, Jani Killian did the unthinkable. Escaping barely with her life, doctors remade her until she was barely recognizable. A good chunk of the book is how her body is adapting (or not) to all those changes. Some she understands, and some not.
Killian discovers the hard way about trying to outrun that past, when an old flame asks her to investigate some touchy political and personal affairs. Killian is relentless in turning up the truth, but she also finds out what happen to her eighteen years before. Mixed into the Earth political intrigue is the reopening of diplomatic contact with the idomeni culture and how that ties into Killian's past and future.
Having lived near DC all my life, I appreciated the levels of bureaucratic finagling Killian goes through trying to solve her paper mystery.
I also appreciated the new covers for the re-released ebooks from BookView Cafe showing Jani Killian. Much better than a big space gun and a body part, because they either couldn't find the right model or didn't think it'd sell well.
Killian discovers the hard way about trying to outrun that past, when an old flame asks her to investigate some touchy political and personal affairs. Killian is relentless in turning up the truth, but she also finds out what happen to her eighteen years before. Mixed into the Earth political intrigue is the reopening of diplomatic contact with the idomeni culture and how that ties into Killian's past and future.
Having lived near DC all my life, I appreciated the levels of bureaucratic finagling Killian goes through trying to solve her paper mystery.
I also appreciated the new covers for the re-released ebooks from BookView Cafe showing Jani Killian. Much better than a big space gun and a body part, because they either couldn't find the right model or didn't think it'd sell well.
More...