The Sprawl Trilogy

The Sprawl trilogy is a creation of William Gibson, and consists of the books Neuromancer (1984), Count Zero (1986) and Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988). The first book of the trilogy is considered one of the most important science fiction books ever published, having won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, and having virtually created the cyberpunk genre.

The background of the events in the novels is as follows: After a limited third world war, the structure of society has changed dramatically. Governments are becoming less and less relevant, and corporations are taking their place. Wars have been replaced by industrial espionage, and all battles are fought in cyberspace.

Neuromancer

The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.

When a book begins with this phrase, you're certain that you're in for something special...

The story begins with Case, an ex cyberspace ace, now unable to work, spending his last remaining money searching in vain for a cure to his medical condition, which prevents him for accessing cyberspace. One day Case is approached by Molly, with an offer he can't refuse. In return for the cure he seeks, Case must provide his services to Molly's employer.

Even though the universe in which Neuromancer takes place is completely alien, it is thoroughly convincing. The social-political status, the technical jargon, everything appears natural when reading the book, without seeming strange or out of place.

A friend said this novel is better described as Noir, and he was probably right – apart from the extreme presence of technology, Neuromancer is a book of mystery, filled with antiheroes, hidden agendas, and generous doses of cynicism and cruelty.

Count Zero

The second book of the trilogy loosely follows the first, without common characters or obvious patterns, apart from the fact that it takes place in the same universe.

The main characters are Bobby, a wannabe cyberspace cowboy, with the nickname Count Zero, Turner, a mercenary specializing in industrial espionage and sabotage, and Marly, a specialist in arts, hired by an A.I. to find a rare artifact.

As the separate stories come together, it is revealed that big things are happening in cyberspace, and the cause-effect relationship with the events of the first book begins to appear.

Mona Lisa Overdrive

The third and final book of the series comes to conclude the writer's vision on how technology could have evolved (or still can) in the future. The novel is in the form of parallel stories, just like the previous one.

We follow the story of Kumiko, daughter of a senior Yakuza member, whom her father sent to London to protect from his rivals, of Slick, an ex convict who spends all his time in an abandoned factory creating art in the form of giant machines, of Angie Mitchell, a big-time movie star with a great secret, who is doing through detox, and of Mona, a hooker whose boyfriend and resemblance to Angie get her into big trouble.

Just like in Count Zero, the stories converge near the book's end, also bringing together characters and storylines from the previous books.

Neuromancer 8/10

Count Zero 6/10

Mona Lisa Overdrive 7/10

The Space Merchants

"The Space Merchants" is a science fiction novel by Frederik Pohl and Cyril Kornbluth, published in 1952.

The plot takes place in a new America, which has crossed over from Democracy to Consumerism. House representatives and senators are appointed by influential corporations, and in the center of the whole system is advertising, the primary function of which is to create new consumer needs, depending on the products being marketed.

The book's main character is Mitch Courtenay, a high ranking executive of the largest advertising firm, whose life is turned upside down when he is put in charge of the campaign to promote the firm's largest project yet: Venus. His goal is to convince enough people to participate in the expedition that will establish the first human colony on the second (and extremely inhospitable) planet of the solar system.

The authors take a critical look at the sinister methods advertisers had begun to employ already in the 1950s, and where these might lead to, and a more serious look at the over-exploitation of our planet's natural resources.

"The Space Merchants" must have been a ground breaking novel when it was published, but I do not think that it is as interesting now as it must have been then.

6/10

Snow Crash

"Snow Crash" is the title of a cyberpunk novel by author Neal Stephenson, first published in 1992. A "Snow Crash", the book's protagonist explains, is the term that defines such a catastrophic computer software failure, that leaves the computer in a state where only static, or "snow", can be seen on the monitor.

In the near future governments and laws are essentially abolished and corporations have taken over everything, from public safety and hospitals, to religion and highways. And then, there is the metaverse, the virtual world wherein people meet and work together from all over the earth – programmers, businessmen or even tourists.

Hiro is a hacker, and according to his business card, the greatest sword fighter in the world. His associate, Y.T., is a teenage courier, whom he met during the time he was delivering pizzas for the Mafia's pizza restaurant franchise. One day someone in the metaverse tries to infect Hiro with a really unique virus, setting in motion a chain of events that will pit him and Y.T. against forces that have very dark intentions for mankind.

I enjoyed the book a lot, not so much because of the main plot, as much for the convincing universe and the clever and humorous writing.

8/10

Redshirts

Redshirts is a humorous science fiction novel by John Scalzi. Released in 2012, the novel was awarded the Hugo Award the following year, and is essentially based on a 'joke' related to the Star Trek TV series.

According to this joke, the extras that accompany the protagonists of the series on an away mission, if they are wearing the red uniforms of security personnel, they probably will not make it through the episode, but will die, in a frighteningly stupid way. These are the so-called "redshirts".

Scalzi’s book follows ensign Andrew Dahl, who has been transferred to the Universal Union’s flagship, the Intrepid. Soon Dahl befriends other ensigns that have also been transferred to the Intrepid, and together they begin to notice that something is wrong with the ship. It seems that anyone who accompanies bridge personnel on away missions has a very good chance not to survive the experience, and subsequently, the crew that have been able to survive on the Intrepid longer are the ones who manage to avoid away missions. As the newest onboard, Dahl and his friends are the ones most often chosen for away missions, so they must quickly solve the puzzle of what is going on, if they want to their life expectancy to exceed a few months.

This is a funny, lighthearted book by Scalzi, which I think is mainly oriented to those familiar with Star Trek, but will probably appeal to anyone who likes humorous books.

6/10

The City and the Stars

The City and the Stars is a novel by Arthur Clarke, published in 1956, and based on the author's first novel, Against the Fall of Night.

The story takes place a billion years into the future, in the last remaining city of Earth, Diaspar. Diaspar is a huge and magnificent city, fully automated and self-sufficient, whose residents are free to occupy themselves with whatever they please. In addition, it is the only place of the planet not turned into desert after hundreds of millions of years of geological evolution. The city's population is stable in a very unique way – people's personalities are stored in the city's central computer, which at random intervals regenerates them, so as to continue their lives for a few centuries, and then again return to storage for a few more millennia.

The novel follows the life of Alvin, an extremely rare case in the history of the city. He is one of very few people that have ever exited the computer's memory to live for the very first time. In addition, he is possessed by an insatiable curiosity, and he is determined to find out what is outside the city walls, even though all his friends tell him that he seeks something that does not exist. Undeterred, he will continue his search, to discover the truth about humanity's past, present and future.

An interesting novel that manages to remain fresh despite its age, with the classic grand visions of the author, but a somewhat weak ending.

7/10

The Man in the High Castle

"The Man in the High Castle" is a science fiction novel by Phillip Dick. It was published in 1962, and the following year it won the Hugo award for best novel. It is considered one the classics of the alternative reality genre, and was the author's first big success.

The book describes a different world, in which the forces of the Axis won the second World War, and consequently Germany and Japan have all but divided the world between themselves. The Japanese controlled territories are under a regime of peaceful assimilation, whereas Nazi occupied territories are constantly being torn down and rebuilt, and the Nazis have also begun to explore outer space.

The plot begins to unfold in the western United States, which are under Japanese control. There are several main characters, well described, and with believable personalities. The novel is a collection of parallel stories, connected by means of their leading characters, the I Ching, and a book written by a mysterious author.

The I Ching is an ancient Chinese method used to predict the future, made popular by the Japanese, and practiced everywhere in the Japanese controlled territories. It provides predictions of high accuracy, and the only thing necessary to benefit from it is to actually take the time to consult it.

The book-in-a-book is written by an American, and it describes a different world, one where the allies won the War. It is forbidden in Nazi territories, and its author states that anyone offended by it can come and find him, in his High Castle.

Reading this book does not feel like reading a story with a beginning, a middle and an ending. It's more like peering through a window to this alternative reality, a window that is opened at the beginning of the book and closed at the end. As the pages were running, it looked as though it was not possible that the author could resolve all the open points in the short space remaining. And indeed, the finish is quite bizarre, completely unexpected, and in my opinion very satisfying.

One of the best of the classics, highly recommended!

9/10