I’M READING AS FAST AS I CAN (JAN/FEB 2021 EDITION)
Not fast enough, apparently - I didn’t finish a single book in January, though I can blame this partly on (1) several vicious work deadlines and (2) moving to a new flat.
Anyway, it’s not like they’ll revoke my library card or Goodreads account, so no matter.
The Peripheral by William Gibson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
After spending the 00s foregoing futuristic cyberpunk in favor of the Blue Ant trilogy set in the (more or less) present day, William Gibson returned to futuristic SF in 2014 with this novel, which actually features two dystopian futures simultaneously: a near future in which the American economy is essentially dominated by meth manufacturing and a fictional version of Walmart, and an early 22nd Century future in which most of the global population has been wiped out by an event called “the Jackpot”. Gibson develops these worlds around what is essentially a standard noir plot device - person witnesses murder and now someone wants her dead.
In this case, the person is Flynne, a former pro gamer in near-future rural America who subs for her brother Burton who is supposed to be providing drone security inside a new multiplayer game developed by a company from Columbia. The game is where she witnesses the murder, and as it happens, it’s not a game at all.
To say more would be to give away too much, although personally I found spoilers helpful because Gibson is one of those writers who explains as he goes. Consequently, as he alternates between Flynne’s plot line and another - in which London publicist Wilf Netherton is dealing with the disastrous results of a stunt by his performance-artist client Daedra - it takes a good 100 pages or so before it might occur to you that these stories are taking place 70 years apart. Also, like most of his work, he blends lyrical be-bop prose with a plethora of tech jargon and detailed aesthetics, which takes some effort to decode. So it’s a lot easier to follow if you know in advance what exactly is going on.
Suffice to say this is probably the weirdest Gibson novel I've read - not just in terms of the visionary tech stuff, but also the core concept of using computer data to interact with past timelines, the way different parties make use of this capability and the impact this has on the past when you have ridiculous amounts of money to throw at it. It’s frustrating yet strangely rewarding (if not ultimately satisfying), although a huge amount of disbelief suspension is required. Maybe the upcoming Amazon TV series will be easier to follow.
The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’ve never read Jacobs before, despite his prominence as a best-selling pop culture journalist. And while the prospect of taking the Bible literally for one year sounds like a cheap shot at fundamentalists, I already knew going in (via Mr Allen Young’s review here) that Jacobs took a more thoughtful, educational and insightful approach to the project.
To be sure, it’s also comedy gold, although much of that comes in the form of the social awkwardness Jacobs encounters with strangers and family members alike - which is also the kind of comedy that generally makes me cringe. That said, much also comes from Jacobs trying to find innovative ways to comply with commands that are especially tricky to follow in the modern age (stoning adulterers, for example).
For me , the most interesting aspects are (1) the educational aspects - Jacobs (who describes himself as a liberal-leaning secular Jew) wisely has a team of spiritual advisors to guide him, and he does a lot of research into historical backgrounds, why such commands and laws existed, and why most believers don't follow them today - and (2) the impact his experiment has on his own life. I won’t give away the outcome, but suffice to say Jacobs doesn’t go full fundamentalist or wrap it up with a hip “religion is all bullshit” punchline.
As with all things religious nowadays, what you make of this will depend on your current religious beliefs (or lack thereof) and related sociopolitical views, and your open-mindedness therein. For me, it’s an interesting and useful project, and I give credit to Jacobs for approaching this project respectfully and with a reasonably open mind, instead of going for obvious low-hanging fruit of insult comedy. I think it also serves as a good prompt for believers to reflect on why we believe what we do, the difference it makes to us and whether we could (or should) up our game in how we apply those beliefs in our daily lives.
View all my reviews
Putting the “fun” in “fundamental”,
This is dF
This entry was originally posted at https://defrog.dreamwidth.org/1656613.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Anyway, it’s not like they’ll revoke my library card or Goodreads account, so no matter.
The Peripheral by William Gibson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
After spending the 00s foregoing futuristic cyberpunk in favor of the Blue Ant trilogy set in the (more or less) present day, William Gibson returned to futuristic SF in 2014 with this novel, which actually features two dystopian futures simultaneously: a near future in which the American economy is essentially dominated by meth manufacturing and a fictional version of Walmart, and an early 22nd Century future in which most of the global population has been wiped out by an event called “the Jackpot”. Gibson develops these worlds around what is essentially a standard noir plot device - person witnesses murder and now someone wants her dead.
In this case, the person is Flynne, a former pro gamer in near-future rural America who subs for her brother Burton who is supposed to be providing drone security inside a new multiplayer game developed by a company from Columbia. The game is where she witnesses the murder, and as it happens, it’s not a game at all.
To say more would be to give away too much, although personally I found spoilers helpful because Gibson is one of those writers who explains as he goes. Consequently, as he alternates between Flynne’s plot line and another - in which London publicist Wilf Netherton is dealing with the disastrous results of a stunt by his performance-artist client Daedra - it takes a good 100 pages or so before it might occur to you that these stories are taking place 70 years apart. Also, like most of his work, he blends lyrical be-bop prose with a plethora of tech jargon and detailed aesthetics, which takes some effort to decode. So it’s a lot easier to follow if you know in advance what exactly is going on.
Suffice to say this is probably the weirdest Gibson novel I've read - not just in terms of the visionary tech stuff, but also the core concept of using computer data to interact with past timelines, the way different parties make use of this capability and the impact this has on the past when you have ridiculous amounts of money to throw at it. It’s frustrating yet strangely rewarding (if not ultimately satisfying), although a huge amount of disbelief suspension is required. Maybe the upcoming Amazon TV series will be easier to follow.
The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’ve never read Jacobs before, despite his prominence as a best-selling pop culture journalist. And while the prospect of taking the Bible literally for one year sounds like a cheap shot at fundamentalists, I already knew going in (via Mr Allen Young’s review here) that Jacobs took a more thoughtful, educational and insightful approach to the project.
To be sure, it’s also comedy gold, although much of that comes in the form of the social awkwardness Jacobs encounters with strangers and family members alike - which is also the kind of comedy that generally makes me cringe. That said, much also comes from Jacobs trying to find innovative ways to comply with commands that are especially tricky to follow in the modern age (stoning adulterers, for example).
For me , the most interesting aspects are (1) the educational aspects - Jacobs (who describes himself as a liberal-leaning secular Jew) wisely has a team of spiritual advisors to guide him, and he does a lot of research into historical backgrounds, why such commands and laws existed, and why most believers don't follow them today - and (2) the impact his experiment has on his own life. I won’t give away the outcome, but suffice to say Jacobs doesn’t go full fundamentalist or wrap it up with a hip “religion is all bullshit” punchline.
As with all things religious nowadays, what you make of this will depend on your current religious beliefs (or lack thereof) and related sociopolitical views, and your open-mindedness therein. For me, it’s an interesting and useful project, and I give credit to Jacobs for approaching this project respectfully and with a reasonably open mind, instead of going for obvious low-hanging fruit of insult comedy. I think it also serves as a good prompt for believers to reflect on why we believe what we do, the difference it makes to us and whether we could (or should) up our game in how we apply those beliefs in our daily lives.
View all my reviews
Putting the “fun” in “fundamental”,
This is dF
This entry was originally posted at https://defrog.dreamwidth.org/1656613.html. Please comment there using OpenID.