Bruce Sterling, one of the founding fathers of the cyberpunk genre, now presents a novel of vivid imagination and invention that proves his talent for creating brilliant speculative fiction is sharper than ever. Forty years from now, Earth's climate has been drastically changed by the greenhouse effect. Tornadoes of almost unimaginable force roam the open spaces of Texas. And on their trail are the Storm Troupers: a ragtag band of computer experts and atmospheric scientists who live to hack heavy weather -- to document it and spread the information as far as the digital networks will stretch, using virtual reality to explore the eye of the storm. Although it's incredibly addictive, this is no game. The Troupers' computer models suggest that soon an "F-6" will strike -- a tornado of an intensity that exceeds any existing scale; a storm so devastating that it may never stop. And they're going to be there when all hell breaks loose.
Heavy Weather
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Why hack computers when you can hack nature? Sterling's Storm Troupe lives in a post-greenhouse world ravaged by monster storms and finds itself hacking the ultimate storm: the F-6 tornado. No one in the Troupe, not even it's brilliant, driven leader, guesses the real nature of the F-6 or the shadowy forces unleashed in its twisting fury. Not until it is too late...
From Publishers Weekly
Cyberpunk prophet Sterling, whose last book was a nonfiction exploration of computer hackers and the law (The Hacker Crackdown), returns to SF with a near-future thriller. In 2031, the world suffers from "heavy weather"-tornadoes and typhoons caused by a runaway greenhouse effect. While most people wisely try to avoid the storms, one group of counterculture techno-enthusiasts calling themselves the Storm Troupe chases them through the badlands of Texas and Oklahoma. Led by the visionary scientist Jerry Mulcahey, the Troupe studies the storms with an array of high-tech equipment, trying to document what Mulcahey believes is coming soon-a superstorm, the "F-6," a tornado far more powerful than any ever seen and which might even prove unstoppable, a perpetual violent disturbance ravaging the landscape. When Mulcahey's lover, Juanita ("Jane") Unger, drags her brother Alex (who suffers from some strange disease as well as an irritating anomie) from an illegal Mexican clinic back to the Troupe's camp, tensions are ignited among the Troupers. But those plot threads are abruptly dropped when the F-6 hits, and the Troupe pulls together to fight the elements. Some similarities between this book and Sterling's previous fiction are evident: the Troupe uses the word "hack" as computer users do, saying they "hack" heavy weather, and they've got a similar case of technophilia, but it lacks the scope and the big, innovative ideas that gave novels like Islands in the Net their power. This one has some sharp moments and intriguing characters, but it never offers that exciting sense of vision.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By J. Fugett
Format:Paperback
Like others, I bought this book because of recommendations that put Bruce Sterling in the same category as authors like Neal Stephenson and William Gibson. I hope Amazon was paid handsomely to make that comparison, because it can't possibly be less true. The characters are two-dimensional and predictable. The women, typical of most of the sci-fi I've seen, are cliched and ultimately dependent on their men, although Sterling seems to think that bitchy catfights = feminist empowerment. I've saved the worst for last, however: the dialog. Sterling's dialog in Heavy Weather is painful to read. "Mega tasty?" Who *says* that? He has achieved the literary equivalent of MovieOS--a non-geek attempting to approximate what "real" geeks do, what they enjoy, how they talk. It's fake and cloying and makes me, a geek, shout "DUDE. Shut. Up." at almost every page. Save your money and buy some real cyberpunk literature. This isn't it.
Format:Paperback
Bruce Sterling has delivered quite a powerhouse of the imagination here. This book is a mostly strong mixture of cyberpunk elements along with textbook sci-fi storytelling techniques, in which real scientific research lies at the core of fantastical plot elements. We are given an environmentally devastated near future in which the weather has gotten extremely heavy due to the runaway greenhouse effect, with a team of cyberpunks seeking the ultimate tornado. Sterling has obviously done his homework on meteorology and the possible effects of climate change, as his speculations into potential heavy weather are both fantastic and plausible. This book also displays a very bright writing style with a real flair for outlandish similes and allegories. For example: "...kicked over cars like a giant child disturbing a convention of turtles." Just beware of the rather annoying overuse of the word "hack" without much explanation into what this activity really entails in this future society. Alas, the end of the story is somewhat of a dud given the extensive build-up, and there is a completely unnecessary evil organization appearing incongruously during the climax. But the best aspect of this book is Sterling's disturbingly possible vision of a dysfunctional future caused by violent disruptions in nature, economy, and cyberspace. These are some disturbing speculations that offer a lot of food for thought.
Format:Paperback
I recently reread this book, and I like it much better than some of Sterling's more recent books like Holy Fire or Distraction. The plot is less meandering than the other books, but does have many intersting diversions. Sterling casually throws off some ideas and commentaries about technology and society that could provide whole books for lesser writers. The tone of the book, while describing some scary and intense events, is nevertheless wry and affectionate toward the characters. I think this one holds up well.
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3.7 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Flashy, but....
Flashy, vivid, involving novel by 1 of "cyberpunk"'s clearest, most incisive thinkers. But: Sterling & his storm chasers spend the Ntire novel waiting 4 the ultimate... Read more
Published on Sep 12 2002 by Tracy Deaton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sterling's Best Book for Hard SF Action Fans
Maybe this is controversial but I would say that this is his best book in the following sense: it has real characters that are sympathetic, it balances his tendency towards over... Read more
Published on Jan 18 2002 by Gordon Rios
4.0 out of 5 stars
A nice break from traditional cyberpunk
Bruce Sterling's Heavy Weather is a nice break from such traditional cyberpunk novels as: Slant, Shockwave Rider, and Neuromancer. Read more
Published on Nov 30 2001 by Melanie Casner
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heavy Weather
The novel Heavy Weather by Bruce Sterling has a suspenseful plot, advanced technology, and some great characters. Read more
Published on Nov 30 2001 by Jason Kozlowski
1.0 out of 5 stars
Heavy Weather
I picked up Heavy Weather after reading that Bruce Sterling's work was comparable to William Gibson. I couldn't have been more wrong! Read more
Published on Nov 17 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Splendid Meteorological Cyberpunk Novel
"Heavy Weather" is one of Bruce Sterling's finest novels. Of his recent efforts, I found it almost as satisfying and mesmerizing a tale as his critically acclaimed... Read more
Published on May 14 2001 by John Kwok
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not that heavy "Weather"
Bruce Sterling's "Heavy Weather" has an excellent concept that is just not brought off all that well. Read more
Published on Jan 26 2001 by Brian D. Rubendall
3.0 out of 5 stars
Bruce Sterling's Heavy Weather
Heavy Weather is not a bad book, but it is not one of my favorite novels. While the plot can be slow at times and is a little predictable, the concept is interesting and the... Read more
Published on Dec 4 2000 by Crystal
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Forecasting" the Future
What would it be like to chase massive storms in the year 2031? Bruce Sterling does a great job of "forecasting" what the future may hold in his book Heavy Weather. Read more
Published on Dec 4 2000 by Ryan Dowacter
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cyberpunk in Texas!
This is quite readable--a cyberpunk book that doesn't take place in a huge urban sprawl, and the data being stolen is from Mother Nature, who never gives up secrets easily. Read more
Published on April 7 2000 by Timothy Lehnerer
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