Think of William Gibson and you instantly think of Cyperpunk. Â If you are a geek and you haven’t read Neuromancer then you are a soulless geek at best, a jock in geek clothing at worst.
Gibson literally wrote the book on Cyberpunk.
So when I read that he had a new book coming out and it was not of the Cyberpunk persuasion I will admit that I wondered why.
I mean he has Cyberpunk completely sewn up, any book he writes, as long as it is remotely as good as Neuromancer will be a hit. Â Which admittedly is an unfair limiting of his ability as a writer, this book illustrates that point fortunately.
So with no data ports embedded in people’s skulls, no cybernetically enhanced super dolphins and no ocular implants I decided to see if Pattern Recognition would be as engrossing as the author’s masterpiece.
It is.
Pattern Recognition follows Cayce Pollard who is kind of a marketing savant.  She can look at a logo or advertisement and tell you instantly if it will work or not.  She is also a footage-head, someone obsessed with particular snippets of footage that have been leaked to the internet from a mysterious source with no information regarding their origin or meaning.  People obsess over these brief treasures and endlessly debate over them on forums and chat sites dedicated to the footage.
The book plays out in present tense which I found a little off putting at first but soon got used to it. Â A lot of the book is also set online and in emails which was pretty cool and familiar, only one reference to Netscape dates the storyline as the computer aspects are all kept fairly vague.
Brand recognition is featured heavily throughout the novel too, which until I realised how tied it is to the central character felt a little forced on to me.
I don’t know if I’ll be so bold as to suggest that this is better than Neuromancer, but it is an extremely engrossing novel that has you rushing towards the end of the book (the ending btw is very satisfying and I would happily revisit the characters).
Also if anyone knows where I can get a Curta Calculator cheaply I would be quite appreciative
Reading one of the reviews of the Steven Gould novel Jumper it said it was nice to see that an old idea can still be taken to new places. Â It is this observation that most resonates with me when I think about how much fun Jumper the book was. Â Being able to teleport oneself to anywhere in the world isn’t a new concept in science fiction, something that Gould himself in an act of pure class says at the end of the book. Â Doesn’t mean it isn’t a cool concept though.
When I saw the movie Jumper I really enjoyed it, it was a pleasant distraction and a cool idea. Â It also had one of the coolest posters based on the opening scene in the film which in my opinion didn’t pull it off quite so well as the poster. Â
The thing is though, the book is not the movie, not by a long shot. Â The names are the same, the first half hour generally follows some of the novel and the concept of ‘jumping’ is obviously there but they are two completely different beasts. Â A lot like the comic and the film version of Wanted.
It doesn’t worry me to be honest, there is the novel which is brilliant and then there is the movie which was enjoyable enough, I will address this further though in a second as I went back and watched the movie again since finishing the book the other day.  It is a testament to the casting that I easily pictured the actors from the film in the roles except for Sam Jackson who’s character is a completely different entity.
The book focuses on the aspects of the storyline that most interested me from the film anyway, how Davy survives and builds his life after he runs away from home.  This was a much more interesting story than the stuff that was added into the film.  It’s certainly a lot more fleshed out in the novel and I think his backstory is stronger.  Secondary characters also benefit from the novel especially Millie who is introduced in a completely different way and Davy’s father is built upon too, helping to create a much more vivid world.
Something that did strike me though, especially considering I was reading this around the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the US is the plot involving terrorism. Â In a bittersweet irony the World Trade Centre does get a mention in a sequence involving a terrorist being dropped off the edge to scare him. Â I can’t help but wonder if the story would have been the same in the post 9/11 world.
So as I mentioned before that I went and watched the film again, pretty much straight after reading the book and it really served to show up the soft points in the film. Â The book doesn’t have the annoying Griffin character or any other jumpers, there is no secret army that Davy’s Mum is a part of and in fact her story line is a lot better in the novel. Â Some of the really cool effects though from the film don’t make it into the book (the bus scene for instance) but the whole ‘how does jumping work’ is not satisfying to me in the movie, not well enough explained and is actually slightly different to how it works in the book.
Maybe a simpler concept film would have worked better, the book never tries to over complicate itself and it’s in this strong basic story telling that the book really works.
Well I finally finished the first book in The Saga of Seven Suns and it was an exhausting run. Â Originally when I began reading it I misplaced the book and I wasn’t really paying much attention to it anyway so I was confused over all of the characters and locations.
When I finally found the book again I just started reading those chapters over and putting a lot more focus into the novel. Â I also happened upon the prequel comic book which explain a lot of the background which possibly made the reading of the massive 720 page long book a little easier.
It is all worth it though, even though I have another six equally long books to follow I am suitably intrigued by this incredibly complex world that Kevin J Anderson has developed. Â Ironically enough I didn’t discover the glossary or guide to characters that was located at the end of the book until I had in fact reached the end.
If space opera is your thing and the idea of a large book and a seven part series doesn’t intimidate you then I highly recommend this book. Â I will warn you though as Adam already did to me, don’t get too attached to anyone because death can come swiftly and suddenly to anyone in the Saga of Seven Suns!
I think I’m going to get away from space opera a bit and might read Jumper next (although I’m also reading a web designer textbook at the same time).
The Road is one of the books that everyone you know who’s read it demands that you must too because it is so very good.
The thing is that in this case they’re pretty much spot on, the book is that good. Â A literary science fiction novel focusing on a father/son relationship. Â It is a very powerful book.
Forget that the world is over, forget that there are roving bands of cannibalistic killers. Â The book is about the relationship between the boy, who has never experienced anything but the apocalyptic nightmare and the man, his father who will do anything to protect him.
The picture that Cormac McCarthy paints of the world after the apocalypse is vivid in its cold starkness, there is nothing left alive and everything is covered in ash and refreshingly the world isn’t recovering.
The survivors (outside of the boy and the man) resort to some of the most horrible things in order to stay alive, it’s like all beauty was removed from the world and also from their souls. Â I’m not going to give anything away lest it lessen the impact of such encounters but they will stay with you afterwards.
This is a very tight and personal story, it’s quiet and moving with the backdrop of the end of the world. Â I will warn you though that this book does not contain answers, you will think long and hard on its contents. Â There is no big bright bow to wrap everything up neatly in the end.
Go read it now.
From one award winning novel to another, if you’ve been following the twitter feed you might know that I’ve been getting off the computer earlier in the evening of late in order to re-read Watchmen. Â I will post about it sometime in the coming days. Â It is just as good the second time round.
Originally the film Jumper snuck up on me, I didn’t know anything about it until I saw the ads on TV for it (there were plenty of those too). Â Then I didn’t get a chance to go see it, I admit I was more than a little hesitant with Vader himself Hayden Christensen playing the lead and all of the bad reviews it was getting.
I know, I know I judged it on unfair grounds. Â Christensen was quite good in My Life as a House which makes me question Lucas’s direction in Star Wars (what!? No!? The shock!) and I very rarely listen to reviews. Â If anything I should have been convinced by the very cool poster that has him standing in long coat on top of the Sphinx (I know I’m shallow and easily bought by a cool poster or trailer).
So I avoided it until this weekend and threw it on in front of pizza bought on the other side of town and bundled in the foil sun shade thingies (how Macgyver of me). Â What I got (apart from lukewarm pizza - which was still very yummy thank you for asking) was a reasonably rewarding movie that made me think a little and reinforced the idea that I want to read the novel after the recommendation of Captain Incredible originally.
The effects were all pretty cool, but it is the ideas behind it that really spark the imagination, being able to go anywhere you want. Â I do also like the idea that the main character accepts and uses his powers pretty much straight off instead of not wanting to believe it, or hating his powers or whatever.
Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson and Samuel L Jackson were all quite cool, Jackson’s white hair is interesting and if he wants mofo white hair he can have mofo white hair.
They are talking about a sequel and I for one would be quite happy to see one, in the meantime I’m tracking the books down (there’s a sequel to the novel also).
Think of William Gibson and you instantly think of Cyperpunk. Â If you are a geek and you haven’t read Neuromancer then you are a soulless geek at best, a jock in geek clothing at worst.
Originally the film Jumper snuck up on me, I didn’t know anything about it until I saw the ads on TV for it (there were plenty of those too). Â Then I didn’t get a chance to go see it, I admit I was more than a little hesitant with Vader himself Hayden Christensen playing the lead and all of the bad reviews it was getting.
