Customer Reviews

A very fine anthology--well chosen - By: , 09 Nov 1998
I enjoyed this collection of cyberpunk writing immensely. McCaffery chose a fine collection of cyberpunk examples, ranging from the well known to the less known, from fiction to non-fiction ssay. The ordering is near perfection--the arrangement allows the pieces to speak to each other, & of each other (a very cyberpunkean move). Given the above reviewer's apparent distress concerning certain aspects of the book, & some misguided reductions of cyberpunk (basically just SF without hairy aliens; & his basic misunderstanding of the interpolation that occurs within the genre--i.e. his rantings re: Acker & hackdom), I hope this doesn't dissuade you from purchasing this very worthwhile book--it's wonderful. Especially exciting is the "Cyberpunk 101" section where various books & films are listed & shortly (and bitingly witty--see the one for Ballard's _Crash_) are recommended & briefly summarized.

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Learn cyberpunk fiction in 21 days: Guaranteed!!! - By: , 10 Sep 1997
Ian Davis's Review of: Storming the reality studio
How to explain this book... The young persons guide to modern Sf,
Nahhhh...
Cyberpunk sampler....no that's not it...
Ah ha! Got it!!!
The cyberpunk catalouge! That's good...

This book is, & i'm quoting from the cover, "A casebook of post-modern & cyberpunk fiction"...

Eeeep!

Whenever I hear the words "post modern" & "fiction",in the same sentence it makes my ears sweat. I don't like the term..not one bit...

But this book over came part of that fear...and take note when I say part..because it still needs something...like better content.

Don't get me wrong..I liked the book. It has some very good art & stories..including some rare art from J. O'Barr.

But a high proportion is shit, pure pseudo SF shit at it's most dismal. It has excerpts from many a book...that's why it's like a catalouge.On how the editor Larry McCaffrey, has compiled this tome I have a theory.

McCaffery sitsin his office. One man, a well dressed excec from a large publisher sits across from himin one chair, & a semi-serious Sf readerin another. They take turns choosing stories. the reader picks stories that best represent authors with a grasp of the field, & the exec looks at a list of books that sit unsoldin one of his wharehouses.

I say this because that is how the book feels. some excerpts from novels have all the rightin the world to be there. A "cyberpunk" book WITHOUT Neuromancer would be ludicrous. But to include bizzre poems & little picture assembled by a first year art student, is not at all good, espescially when you include books like "Empire of the senseless". The book lacks any coherent structure, except for the flimsy Fiction, non Fiction division.

The last thing that makes me cringe is whenever McCaffery writes. He seems to think Cyberpunk is this incredible Post-MTV & MuchMusic art form, butin reality it's still Sf, just with better stories, & no talking fur covered aliens.

But you might think a hate it. Nay! I liked about 65% of it very much & another 10% quite a bit, but that last %25 wretch! Lets say what's good...

Some of the stories are quite good, printing exerpts from hard to find & little known books, like IMP plus & MetroPhage. these are really good examples of the "cyberpunk" genre. And the short stories are pretty well done. The best parts however liein the rarest.

J. O'barrs graphics short storie is easily one of the best examples of the comic as fiction I have ever seen.

The inteview with Cyberpunk-papa William Gibson is quite interesting, & available here & here alone, as far as I've looked. Some of the essays are very nice, if you have read the books they refer to. The non-fiction peice on Japan's love of Cyberpunk is impressive, especially about the earliest stories from that countryin the vein of "cyberpunk".

Two last good notes.

One part, the comaparison between the textin Kathy Ackers "Empire of the sensless" & Gibsons "Neuromancer", is quite effectivein showing Acker as the low grade writer she is, demonstrating how she lifts whole sections right out of Gibsons book, only changing the name of the characters.

And finally the explanations of what several authors think is "Cyber", are interestingin their different viewpoints.

So should you get it? If you are a purist for everything Cyber, Yes If you want rare fiction, also yes If you jack-all about Cyberpunk Sf, maybe If you hate bad poetry, No! If you want to read 5 page snippets from books, Yes

Allin all, a new revised edition removing crap like Acker & the poety would be very good, & instead of cramming it with commercials for other books, more whole short fiction would be great.

Allin all, an average book, you might like it, you might hate it. I, on a whole, semmed to like it, despite it's many problems.

Try it for a taste of the best (and very worst) of "Cyberpunk" Sf