I always appreciate books that have the action stacked so that it tips the reader toward drama, and this book does it in a lovely way, from several viewpoints. What I thought drove this tipping were very cool ideas – the arcology, or near self-sufficient city living in one immense building, the evolving culture of that community, and the salient quotes on justice and power that opened each chapter. Written in the Eighties during the rise of corporate mega-powers and in the wake of the Watts riots and Mono Lake’s precarious situation, it predicts 9-11, our dependency on computer technology, and our need to interact well with our environment.
This is a very strong story. My largest piece of evidence? I enjoyed it even though there is so much to despise! First things first, this book is dedicated to Robert Heinlein. What was I saying about influences, paying respect, and stealing? This book veers into out-and-out brown-nosing (As an example, “Heinlein never received any royalties for his fabulous ideas.”) and libertarian rants. Second thing, there is a list of characters in the very beginning – which is needed because it is damn hard to tell them all apart after a while. Third thing, this story features Heinlein’s Competent Men – gobs of them – as well as Heinlein’s Incompetent Women. As far as I can tell, the women only exist to betray the men, provide partners for lots of sex and drinking parties, and to be rescued.
Thoughtful, but break-neck plotting and huge ideas makes this a page-turner. It reminds me well of Chip Delaney’s exhortation to “Make your image the ornament on your page.” This book is proof how powerful that advice is and how beautifully it works.
This is a very strong story. My largest piece of evidence? I enjoyed it even though there is so much to despise! First things first, this book is dedicated to Robert Heinlein. What was I saying about influences, paying respect, and stealing? This book veers into out-and-out brown-nosing (As an example, “Heinlein never received any royalties for his fabulous ideas.”) and libertarian rants. Second thing, there is a list of characters in the very beginning – which is needed because it is damn hard to tell them all apart after a while. Third thing, this story features Heinlein’s Competent Men – gobs of them – as well as Heinlein’s Incompetent Women. As far as I can tell, the women only exist to betray the men, provide partners for lots of sex and drinking parties, and to be rescued.
Thoughtful, but break-neck plotting and huge ideas makes this a page-turner. It reminds me well of Chip Delaney’s exhortation to “Make your image the ornament on your page.” This book is proof how powerful that advice is and how beautifully it works.
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