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4.0étoiles sur 5
Primordial brain-soup for the cyber-swimmer, Mai 10 2004
Why is this book classed into the cyberpunk genre? I have no idea, because it is pretty distant from the likes of Gibson or Stephenson. If you've been turned off by the amoral bladerunneresque computer-noir of the typical cyberpunk novel, you won't find it here. What you will find is an epic comprising the 150+ year journey of a man through the social and technolical changes spawned by advanced biology, human-machine integration and life extension therapy.In the universe of this book, there are two factions vying for control of mankind's destiny. First is the Shapers, who disdain machines and focus on the biological sciences and improvement of man through genetic engineering. The other is the Mechanists, who utilize computers and machines to enhance and extand their capabilities. While it isn't the most stellar prose in terms of plotting or characters, it is chock-full of gooey, sweet ideas. He admits to writing in a "crammed prose" style in the introduction; but unlike Gibson, he does so without putting you to sleep. After the novel there are a set of short stories also set in the Shaper/Mechanist universe. These are excellent. Other reviewers liked them more than the novel itself, and I'm inclined to agree. One of the reviewers on the back cover calls Sterling "better than drugs," and I have come to appreciate the comparison: I feel like I'm having idea-flashbacks even now. This is good stuff!
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5.0étoiles sur 5
Superb Sci Fi Reminiscent of Heinlein and Gibson, Juil 29 2003
I became interested in Bruce Sterling's writing because he co-authored a book with my favorite sci-fi writer, William Gibson, called "The Difference Engine" about an alternative history of Victorian England. Sterling's Schismatrix Plus shows that he is truly Gibson's equal as a science fiction writer, capable of inventing a complete alternate universe. The Schismatrix novel, and the short stories that accompany it in this edition, take place in the future, where human beings have migrated to space stations and circumlunar colonies within the solar system. The schism at the heart of the universe is between two sects; the Shapers, who are genetic engineers; and the Mechanists, who believe in cybernetics. The Schismatrix novel follows the character Abelard Lindsay through his several hundred years of life, first starting out as a Shaper revolutionary, then after his exile becoming a pirate, and eventually the father of a new sect called Posthumanism. The book is reminiscent of Heinlein's "Time Enough For Love" -- we follow Lindsay through his several re-creations of himself much like we do Lazarus Long in Heinlein's work. The book has an eery beauty to it; the posthuman universe, although melancholy, is not without charm. Central to the work is a distrust of ideology -- the blood feuds in the work between the various sects are extremely destructive of the characters' personal relationships; but Sterling's message is still positive -- all narrow sects are doomed in the end by the shock of the new future, and all old revolutionaries are outdone by their descendants. The short stories that accompany the novel are also very good; and they are helpgul in explaining, in shorthand, the universe of the author. Sterling does not coddle the reader -- his universe is believable in part because he does not explain its cleverness in long narrative passages -- you discover it as you go. This makes the book's many turns seem as shocking as they are to the characters themselves. An excellent work, a must for any modern sci-fi collection.
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4.0étoiles sur 5
It'll draw you in and make you wonder, Mai 23 2003
This is the type of book which you have to become a part of. You can't hope to read it and understand it. In some cases, I had to stop and reread passages one, two, even three times a piece. But once I dove into the meat of the book, needless to say I was entranced. I could easily see this book embodying the future (or is it vice versa?). I was not turned off by ridiculous technologies or superhuman beings. Instead, this book chooses to reflect upon basic human values, virtues, modes of thought and reason, and instrinsic drives and how they could easily push apart our race and fill us with ambition. The Shapes and the Mechs are beautfully crafted factions, each with real potential and dissidents. If you're looking for a book that will push you, that will make you think, that will drive you to wonder at the possibilities the future holds, I suggest clicking the add to cart button above right now.
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