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3.0 out of 5 stars
Already been done, Jan 27 2003
Well, the first thing to mention about this book is the timing. It was published in 1994, I believe, a decade after Neuromancer started the cyberpunk genre. So just about every piece of science and technology Scott uses should be very familiar to readers. (Another similar flaw is that the book is set a century from now, but the computer systems aren't nearly advanced enough). The story is basically a thriller with some science fiction behind it. Trouble, a retired hacker (a la William Gibson's Case) returns to the business to track down a hacker who is using her name and reputation. She meets up with her ex-girlfriend, and they travel across the country on their mission. This isn't that bad, and Scott's settings and descriptions are interesting enough, but the whole thing ends up in an action climax and a too-happy ending that doesn't seem real at all. The virtual reality sequences are another problem. By the time Scott wrote this, personal computers were much more widespread than in Gibson's day, so she's weighed down by reality. Sometimes it's like reading about some guy using a modern computer, which is in no way exciting or interesting. She writes these scenes in present tense, but sometimes forgets and slips into past tense. The characters weren't bad, except Scott is constantly forcing out feminist and gay issues with absolutely no subtlety. Feminist and gay issues certainly have a place in science fiction, and even in this book, but the symbolism was just too obvious (hackers and homosexuals as the outcasts of society) and at the same time far-fetched (why are all the old hackers gay?). Scott seems very committed to this particular theme, sacrificing the plot of her book, and the scientific believability, to get it out there. If you've read any book by William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, or Bruce Sterling, Trouble and Her Friends will be too familiar, and it isn't worth the energy required to get through Scott's always-troublesome first 50 pages.
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