No comments about Corporation Report 2020, Vol. 3 (Cyberpunk).

No comments about Home of the Brave (Cyberpunk).

2 comments about The Chrome Berets: An Official Cyberpunk 2020 Campaign Book (Cyberpunk).

1. While an interesting read, this module does not stand up to actual game play. It COMPLETELY lacks any of the proper themes and moods of CyberPunk.



2. The module takes a lot of effort to run; it is not like some modules that virtually run themselves; a lot of the game-mechanics details are left up to the GM and just about everything is based on roleplaying, not dice rolls. While the feel of the game is not strictly Cyberpunk in the sense of "dark future," it fits right in to pseudo-modern campaigns (which is what I run).
   
   It's an excellent scenario for people who are serious about roleplaying their characters, specifically if they are military types. It also gives a good idea of what the third world/periphery is like in CP2020. Just like the editorial says it provides a pretty good unit combat system (for people involved in military actions); however there are no new skills or roles and the limited new equipment is not very impressive.
   
   If you have characters with global-political involvement, or characters with aspirations for military command, it is a must-have. Otherwise you can do without it.

1 comments about Solo of Fortune (Cyberpunk Ser).

1. As a supplement to the main source book this is one of the earliest, and one of the best. Unlike many later books which were purely about information, this was presented as a magazine format which provided information in a less confronting manner. There are many adventure hooks, new weapons and new technologies discussed. It was regular referred to in the other supplements to Cyberpunk and rightly so. I highly recommend it for any with the sourcebook.

2 comments about Ravengers (Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.).

1. Let me start by saying Im a huge fan of the Cyberpunk RPG, and the entire genre in general. I really wanted to like this book, but it wasnt that great. It was shallow, seemed poorly thought out, and the majority of the characters were utterly disposable.



2. I have played Cyberpunk RPG since 91'. This is the first book I have read from the series and it sucks. It captured the attitude of your average gangers pretty well and I can't complain about the description of the enviroment. The only problem is that it still sucked.

5 comments about Cyberpunk Handbook:: The Real Cyberpunk Fakebook.

1. Light and humorous description of the computer underground. Totally the book to get if you are not so serious about hacking and cracking, but are mystified by this offbeat cyberculture. Hell, this book is also cool for a Master CyberPunk, so to bolster the stereotype. Learn how the typical cyberpunk dresses, what gadgets they buy, what terms they use, and even what food good lil cyberpunks like to eat. Piercings and extreme hairdos optional.



2. I am a hacker..A hacker gave me this book...I read it.. loved it....good informational book....also trySecrets of a super hacker by the knightmare



3. when i first started to learn hacking a close haxor friend of mine (grimreaper) gave me this book iv had it ever since and read it everyday it is a great book and u should buy it right now!



4. Cyberpunk really is dead.. the appearance of the official handbook clinched it. If you want to learn how to hack, don't buy this book. If you want to become a phone phreak, don't buy this book. If you want to become a cypherpunk or a coder, don't buy this book. If you're familiar with the genre of cyberpunk as literature or have had contact with subcultures that could be considered cyberpunk, get this book if you want to get a chuckle or two, or try to recognise some of the folks who posed for this book. If you're looking for net.culture to be lampooned nine ways from Sunday, get this book.



5. This book is a neat tribute, in a funny way, to the "Cyber" culture in mainly the cities and the expanding "Internet" in the early 90s. Still worth reading for all its inspirational stuff, taken with a realistic grain of salt.

No comments about Cyberpunks.

5 comments about Synners.

1. This was only the second cyberpunk novel I've ever read and I rather enjoyed it. Cadigan created truly believable characters. She showed that whether a person is "good" or "bad," that person is still human and has flaws. It was nice to see fictional, genius computer hackers with flaws. Today's culture seems to have a too high percentage of fictional computer hackers that are god-like perfect.
   
   Cadigan also created a story that, while not impossible to put down, compels the reader to continue. She draws the reader in, shows them the pros and cons to a new technology, and leaves the rest to the reader, allowing the reader to decide its worth.
   
   Even though the book has universal themes, I wouldn't recommend this to others that didn't read sci-fi. If you like sci-fi I would recommend giving this book a try. Keep in mind though that Cadigan doesn't give a thoroughly convincing argument to the technology's validity; I'm not sure that was her main focus.



2. To tell you the truth, I couldn't make heads nor tails out of this book. The language is too far away from even modern, and the characters are confusing. I love sci-fi, even the new computer-oriented (some call it cyberpunk) stuff like "Snow Crash", but "Synners" is just strange. Ala the Emperor's New Clothes..."Oh my, how strange! It must be good!" No, sorry, it's just strange. I actually came here (to Amazon reviews) to see if anybody else had made sense of it. I thought I might read farther if I understood it better. I'm only to page 18, and I doubt I'll finish it.
   Doug



3. Pat Cadigan's "Synners" - excellent, highly complex, cyberpunk sci-fi by an author I now very much want to read more of. Perspective switches between different characters in different narratives and I'm sure I missed a lot by only reading this in bits interspersed with a lot of other things. Synners are those who take imagery from the brains of others and turn them into a consumable form through a new form of surgical cuber modules. The idea is similar to that I first saw in one of William Gibson's "Kings of Sleep", one of the short stories in the Burning chrome collection, or the performers with cybered creative skills in Joan D. Vinge's "Cat's Paw", but "Synners" takes the idea further, developing it into a complex plot with a sideline of studies in Self and Consciousness.



4. Yeah and if you thought the review's title was ridiculous...
   
   It's not so much that the book is confusing or that the characters could use a bit more depth, it's that from the get-go, the writing is cliche. Pat Cadigan, who hit a home run with Mind Players, tries way too hard to be -- captial "C" -- Cyberpunk in this book. It's possible that because I've only just read Synners while I read my first 'cyberpunk' book in the early 90s I've lost the ability to be impressed by attempts at 'hard edged' writing that tries to use slang like 'stone home' and 'hot-wire' to indicate a machine or drug centric society on the edge of destruction; but there's just so many sentences that seem oh so dutifully crafted to fit into what cyberpunk is Supposed To Be.
   
   I give it two stars because underneath the cliche there are interesting ideas; it's just too bad one has to wade through so much over-eager writing to see them through.
   
   If you really want to read an engaging book of speculative fiction by Pat Cadigan that bucks the cliches of cyberpunk and strikes out on its own read Mind Players.



5. It is interesting to see the language Cadigan was using in this book, circa 1990 : war porn, food porn, etc., being used in exactly the same way now.
   
   A cyberpunk ahead of her time, for sure. Apart from that, an interesting tale of what happens when things go bad in a network sense, especially if you are too closely connected, particularly organically.
   
   While her books never blow you away, it seems, she is consistently good, and real.
   
   [...]

5 comments about Cybernetica.

1. Cybernetica by writer and editor Michael J. Cavallaro, is an original science fiction novel depicting the possibilities, if not probabilities, of a futuristic concept of technological mind control. Providing the read with an intricate and enthralling plot, Cybernetica tells of the intertwining stories of the assassination of a famous actresses, a couple of con-artist paired together for an important investigation, an "in-book" of modern technology which enables neurotransmissons to communicate with computer interfaces, and the ethical issues of a biologically enhanced bodyguard. Engaging its readers from the very beginning with an ever-intriguing plot, Cybernetica is very highly recommended to all readers with an interest in science-fiction for a remarkably gripping, vivid, and intimate depiction of future people's lives and conspiracies.



2. I just finished Michael Cavallaro's first novel, Cybernetica. It is a fast-moving, thoroughly engaging novel. The story was enticing and interesting, creating both an "inner" and an "outer" landscape into which the reader is enveloped as the story progresses. In this way, it reminded me of a kind of mixture of a 21st century Blade Runner (an outer landscape with interesting appeals to all the senses) and the Matrix (an inner landscape involving cyber realities and machinations leading to moments of surprise and revelation).
   
   It really was an enjoyable novel, the kind that takes you away for the time you are amongst the pages; and the kind which you find yourself re-visiting as daydreams in the time before re-opening the pages. I would recommend to anyone, not just sci-fi fans. I'm looking forward to his next work.



3. "Cybernetica" is a fast paced science fiction novel. The author Michael J. Cavallaro incorporated all of the elements of a good story into one action packed adventure. He incorporates science fiction, suspense, technology, espionage, and of course his character development is excellent. I was able to jump right into the story. His descriptions of the places and events happening are very well written. I could "see"
   what he was writing.
   
   The story takes place in the future when the government has managed to sneak its way into our minds through a technological process referred to as "Sublimation." People who are unable to be affected by this technology are said to have "Blindsight." They live on the fringe because the government cannot touch their minds.
   
   I loved how the science fiction technology gets incorporated into the thriller/espionage aspects of the story taking the plot to a higher level. The characters have extra abilities. The corporate and
   government corruption are also all taken to a higher level because of the additional capabilities brought about by the technology that is included in the story. I highly recommend this novel to science fiction fans
   and to espionage fans who are looking for something "a little more" in their stories.
   
   Five out of Five spaceships
   
   Reviewer: Paige Lovitt for Multiverse Reviews



4. Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (1/07)
   
   "Cybernetica" is a futuristic novel that depicts a city unlike anything that exists today. It begins with two men, Jake Radigan and Billy Hawkins, attempting to steal a man's vehicle by deceiving him. However, it turns out this man knew their intentions and had a huge surprise in store for them. He knew of Jake's past experience as a stringer and coerced him into helping him with an assignment. Jake and Billy have a condition known as blindsight and are therefore basically considered outcasts in their society. In this society, everyone is monitored through sublimation, which is a computer network that tracks their thoughts and their movements. There is imminent war and one faction known as the drifters is suspected of having interfered with the network that controls sublimation.
   
   Those in power are obviously not pleased since their ability to monitor their citizens is no longer as effective. So Jake and Billy agree to find out what is going on and to try to end it. Along the way, they face many exciting and dangerous adventures in their quest to learn the truth. There are also many surprises about who is really behind what is happening in "Cybernetica." This book really got me thinking about both the wonders and the dangers of technology. In this instance, people lost all of their freedoms when the technologies available were used for the wrong reasons. Just because technology is at our disposal doesn't mean it is right to use it. It is also important to never let one group or individual get too much power or there may be no turning back without a major incident occurring.
   
   One suggestion for the author is to have this book proofread again. There were far too many misspelled words as well as extra words that should not have been there at all. I did find this to be somewhat distracting.
   
   "Cybernetica" is a book that gives readers a clear warning about maintaining a balance of power. In many ways society is better off with less technology. It is pretty scary to think that in the future our thoughts and actions will be able to be controlled and that by the time we realize it, it may be too late.



5. This is some hard core science fiction! The details were extremely technical, but obviously well understood by the author because he did a very good job of making it easy and fun to read. I loved the idea of this world that has evolved in the story and was unable to set it aside until I found out how it all ended. Very well done, and for all science fiction fans, a must read!

No comments about Cherry Poptart #8 (Special Cyberpunk Issue, Comic: Volume #8).