I do wonder if the nineties references that were so nostalgic for me might not be annoying for younger generations, people who really don't get what it was like to live in a time where technology basically changed things at the speed of light
I had not thought of that. And that is a very good point. So teens reading this will be what? 16? 18? And ten years ago Facebook didn't exist. But they were so little then, they would have grown up with it. So that's an excellent question. Will this resonate with readers? Or will they instead think of it like, "Oh wow, what if there was no Facebook?" and such?
Do you think this would have worked as well had the authors placed the characters farther into the future with some sort of software that doesn't actually exist, but keep the same premise? Or would that turn it into just a typical SF story with future/past cliches?
Hah, you know what I just thought of? The Butterfly Effect with Facebook.
But like you, I'm not sure projecting a future technology on current times would have the same impact. I think for teen readers who basically have never known a time without Facebook, it's a chance to show a world without it, maybe? I don't know. I can't wait to see some teen reviews, though!
However, I'm imagining if I wee 17 and reading my LJ from my mid-30s. (Not that there was an LJ -- or even a Net -- when I was in my mid-30s.) I'm not actually sure I would be able to track all the subjects and referents, and of course the cast had changed drastically.
Casts definitely change... but getting tantalizing clues of people you'll meet in the future and what your relationships with them are would be quite tempting in the present. If you read this, you'll have to come back and let me know what you think!
It's definitely worth checking out. Though based on all the clues I gathered, I'm pretty sure the year for this story is 1996, so it doesn't sound like the cell phone you were referring to would be in the running... :)
In 1996 I was ten years old, so my awareness of what technology was and was not available may be limited, but I remember we had a car phone the size of a three-ring binder--the cell phone small enough to fit in your pocket definitely doesn't sound right.
I can't remember much else than that--'96 was the year my grandmother died after battling ovarian cancer for several years, so of course that loss dominates my memory of that particular timeframe.
Yeah, the whole tiny cell phone bit never rang true to me (HA!), but maybe they fixed it for the real publication, you know?
Sorry to hear that 1996 was such a bad year for you. Mine growing up was 1992, when my grandfather died (my grandparents raised me, so it was like my father had died).
Hmmmm...I've been on the fence as to whether or not read this one. Even after reading your review, I'm still not sure. Loved Asher's debut, Thirteen Reasons Why though. :)
If you decide you want to give it a go, try getting it from the library. It's a fast read, and then if you love it, you can always grab yourself a personal copy!
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I had not thought of that. And that is a very good point. So teens reading this will be what? 16? 18? And ten years ago Facebook didn't exist. But they were so little then, they would have grown up with it. So that's an excellent question. Will this resonate with readers? Or will they instead think of it like, "Oh wow, what if there was no Facebook?" and such?
Do you think this would have worked as well had the authors placed the characters farther into the future with some sort of software that doesn't actually exist, but keep the same premise? Or would that turn it into just a typical SF story with future/past cliches?
Hah, you know what I just thought of? The Butterfly Effect with Facebook.
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But like you, I'm not sure projecting a future technology on current times would have the same impact. I think for teen readers who basically have never known a time without Facebook, it's a chance to show a world without it, maybe? I don't know. I can't wait to see some teen reviews, though!
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However, I'm imagining if I wee 17 and reading my LJ from my mid-30s. (Not that there was an LJ -- or even a Net -- when I was in my mid-30s.) I'm not actually sure I would be able to track all the subjects and referents, and of course the cast had changed drastically.
Still, does sound interesting.
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I can't remember much else than that--'96 was the year my grandmother died after battling ovarian cancer for several years, so of course that loss dominates my memory of that particular timeframe.
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Sorry to hear that 1996 was such a bad year for you. Mine growing up was 1992, when my grandfather died (my grandparents raised me, so it was like my father had died).
*hugs*
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