1 comments about OGL CyberNet: Cyberpunk Roleplaying.

1. Picked this up the other day as I enjoy and collect high tech, futuristic, type rule sets. The book isn't bad, nice high quality hardback and semi-glossy color pages, but the content needs some serious editing. There are lots and lots of mistakes, unclear rules, statements relying on information that hasn't appeared yet (and sometimes doesn't appear), and grammar problems. On the other hand, Mongoose Publishing has an active website and has started to address some of these issues. However, for the price they are putting on this ruleset, it should have been cleaner, even on the first run.

5 comments about The Hacker and the Ants.

1. Only four years ago an artificial intelligence engineer and an evolutionary biologist collaborated on a speculation of how computers and humanity will combine, becoming thinking robots. Beyond Humanity:CyberEvolution and Future Minds was met with a fanfare of resounding silence. Well done with strong evidence and good presentation, the book challenged traditional thinking about the separation of machines and humanity. It should have gained greater notice than it did. A pity, for this book should have raised immense discussion.

   Now, Rudy Rucker has turned the same ideas into a speculative fiction account of a programmer ['hacker'] using evolutionary processes to make robotic creatures biological. As with all evolutionary processes, his program gets out of hand and the creatures run amok, out of control. Only another robotic biological is capable of dealing with them.

   If Rucker ever produced 'his best book' this is the one that qualifies. Many of his other works are loaded with a sloppy kind of mysticism that seems horribly inconsistent with his profession as a mathematics professor. This book seems to merge an audited biology course with his math skills in producing a plausible scenario of the future. That he makes this future so near makes the book even more compelling. Having railed against 'WHITE LIGHT' and SAUCER WISDOM, it was gratifying to find a work of his that tends to redeem his worth as a novelist. The writing, as always, falls below the worth of his concepts. Still the book made an entertaining afternoon. If you haven't the patience or courage to confront BEYOND HUMANITY, you might try this as an introduction to the possibilities of artificial intelligence.




2. I'll start by saying what's wrong with this book. Rucker must have had a really bad marriage as he uses his wife in his books rather negatively. But even with this he writes a fantastic book. I can look at the technology that he describes and almost see it in use today. No magic but solid tech. And the story fits so well with the genre of both cyberpunk and today's news. I really wish this book was in print for others to read.



3. In this book, perhaps more than his others, Rudy Rucker takes the common themes of Cyberpunk literature (the frightening/enlightening possibilities of technology) to unique and fascinating ends. For those looking for a taste of just-over-the-horizon technology in an all too familiar environment, you will find much to like here. There is the dependence on visual stimulation and passive entertainment, whose destruction brings about blood-thirsty mobs. There is the shift away from real-world social interaction and towards anonymous techno-societies that makes communication increasing awkward when not accompanied by digital interfaces. Finally there are the ethical and logistical problems involved in giving increasing control and autonomy over the machines that do not necessarily share our moral qualms.
   
   In the end, however, the writing fails to live up to the ideas. The first hundred pages are awkward at times, excruciating at others. Once the meat of the plot begins, the overall writing seems to improve, but the dialog still seems stilted and the pacing is jumpy. Although I had hoped to attribute these factors to the stylistic choices made by many modern sci-fi writers, it became obviously that the writing simply wasn't up to par.
   
   If you want high quality Rucker, you will be better off with his later *ware tetrology.



4. While most definitely not your garden-variety science fiction, The Hacker and the Ants looks positively pedestrian when compared to some of Rucker's earlier work (e.g. White Light). This is the story of Jerzy Rugby, (a nod to Stephenson's "Hiro Protagonist"?), a computer programmer who has been ruthlessly downtrodden by life. When one of Jerzy's software creations goes horribly (and absurdly) awry, we are swept away in a bizarre plot that offers up intense romance, hideous conspiracy, and a pet robot named Studly. What else could a reader ask for?
   
   Rucker skillfully mixes the real and the surreal, to create an interesting hybrid. The overt and persistent normal-guyness of Jerzy's personality cast against the array of strange happenings adds a nightmarish tint to the story; this is an average man trapped in an increasingly absurd and hallucinatory narrative from which he cannot wake. At points, however, the story goes a little too far over the top (for instance, with names like Jerzy Rugby, Bety Byte, and Krystal Kattle) exposing the seams of the novel.
   
   That is, of course, the ultimate shortcoming (or genius, depending on your point of view) of all of Rudy Rucker's work. Just as obviously, this reminds us that Rucker is not for everyone - for those who are more straightforward thinkers, this sort of style is an acquired taste, at best. But, if you are one of those who enjoy the absurd and at-least-slightly-surreal, I'd recommend the book (and the author) strongly.



5. But the hero seems "ethically challenged"...?
   This cyber da Vinci is a software developing genius
   but takes a fall at his bosses wishes.
   At lot of times Rudy Rucker is on the money in his
   futures and he seems in 1994 to see Silly Valley today
   better than Steve Jobs does? AI hasn't quite kept up, but
   virus technology hasn't made him a liar either.
   Rudy Rucker earns his sci fi bucks the hard way.

No comments about Snow Crash (SFBC 50th Anniversary Collection).

5 comments about Freeware.

1. In this novel Rudy Rucker creates an original, twisted world where moldies (artificial life forms) and humans live amongst each other. Rudy creates a surfer/stoner dialect that could quite plausibly be a future lingo, like our generic, hip, MTV influenced lingo. Although I love Rudy's world and writing style I must admit this book was somewhat of a letdown. It was very captivating at times but those times were often followed by idle narrative. Plus the novel jumped around. It's like when you're watching a captivating sitcom, and right at the climax "to be continued" appears; tune in next week. The plot would then start a new chapter with a new character's story. Rudy would be careful to work in each character into the overall theme of the book though. I think if Rudy cut out all the idle, boring parts (that would be about half of the book) it would be a good novel. Some of Rudy Rucker's other books got better reviews so I would recommend you read those books.



2. I've never thought of Rucker as a great writer, but he never wants for interesting ideas. While his characters tend to be fairly broad and cartoonish, the bright colors of his invented slang and weird technology make for a nice pleasant brain buzz.
   
   In "Freeware", Rucker continues his little AI saga begun in "Software" and "Wetware". The boppers (the little AI robots featured in the first two novels) are all dead, but their spirit (or at least their core software) lives on in the "moldies", who are basically big pieces of self-aware floppy plastic infected with a stinky fungus. Of course what Rucker immediately wants to investigate is: Can you have sex with a moldie? The answer, of course, is yes.
   
   The plot meanders through the backstories of its various characters (which also help shed light on the events which have occurred since "Wetware"), shows off the interesting abilities of the moldies (some of which require some suspension of disbelief), showcases exciting new fictional mind-altering drugs, and eventually comes to the Big Reveal, which I found fairly interesting. Although this sort of thing (I'm not going to say WHAT sort of thing) has certainly been done before, I don't think it's ever been done in quite this fashion.
   
   One major complaint I have about the book is its rather abrupt ending. Rucker wraps things up here in about two pages, as if he was in a rush to finish. A bit more denouement would have been nice.
   
   Basically, if you've read and enjoyed the first two "Ware" books, you're likely to find this enjoyable as well. Anyone who HASN'T read the first two books is advised to start with the first book, "Software", which is a rather short (150 pages) and breezy read.



3. With all the predictions and future strangeness this comes off as Sodom and
   Gomorrah: the characters are mostly seriously morally challenged ( bright like Molly).
   It comes off with the feeling that it was written by a person on pot having a dream that turns rapidly into a nightmare.
   The ideas of using
   aperiodic tiles as computers has so far not had anything but virtual fruit like this.
   Written before the current quantum computing doctrines came in
   and AI went out of fashion, this novel has a genealogy of humans and moldies
   and some sexual content that might be too much for a lot of people.
   The two other novels I've read by Rudy Rucker were much better than this one.



4. Evolution continues rapidly in Rudy Rucker's freeware. From bops, big bops, little bops through meatbops we have yet another life form appearing in freeware, and it is sentient mold.
   
   These moldies, being more organic, can interact with humans differently, and in some cases very closely.
   
   More of the burned out beach bum and borg style can be found here.



5. At his best, Rudy Rucker demonstrates that he can write truly engaging cyberpunk science fiction tales that are heavily infused with his knowledge of mathematics (In real life he is a professor of mathematics as well as a science fiction writer.). I honestly don't know what to make of "Freeware", which is the third of his "ware" novels chronicling the evolution of both humanity and self-replicating AI life. Here he introduces us to "Moldies", a plastic-derived AI life form that has developed an uneasy truce with humanity and colonized the Moon after the "bop" AI life forms were killed off by a virus. Alas "Freeware" isn't as funny as Neal Stephenson's "Snowcrash", though Rucker often tries to be, mixing up fast-paced action sequences with lots and lots of kinky sex. (I'm not troubled at all by the sex, but I've seen it done with more realism and finer literary technique from other science fiction writers.). So hardcore fans of Rucker's work may find "Freeware" quite enjoyable; for me it's a bit of a disappointment.

No comments about Cyberpunk Live & Direct (Cyberpunk).

2 comments about Blackhand's Street Weapons 2020.

1. This book has just about every weapon you can think of in the Cyberpunk 2020 universe. Everything from dinky home-made nomad knives and crossbows to the highest high tech rail guns and pulsars. You'll find it all here. The descriptions of each weapon and the game stats are all there too, which makes this book a must for gamemasters that want a single reference for all those weapons that pop up in all of those books.
   
   You also get a bonus gun that's a pretty nifty design. It's no 'borg killer or anything. Just a regular (well... not so regular) slug thrower. While it should not be the ony reason to get this book it is a nice little bonus.
   
   Unfortunately for me this book does have a downside, and that is the illustrations. Now the illustrations themselves are excellent. It's just the way they present them and how many you get. For a book with literally hundreds of weapons in it you only get about 30 illustrations, and they are all put together on a couple of pages in the middle. NOT next to the data entry of that weapon. While they do give you a page reference it's not the same. What would have made this book the absolute coolest ever is if they had as many illustrations as possible, each set next to the corresponding data. People like me enjoy visualizing the gear and it's hard to when there is no reference.
   
   Aside from the lack of illustrations the book is a nice single source reference for the weapons of Cyberpunk 2020. If they could have afforded to put more time and resources (and thus more pages) on the book it would have been awesome.



2. If you are serious about GMing CP2020 campaigns, this books is very important. Not only does it compile all of the information on just about every gun, knife, or explosive in the CP2020 world (very useful for quicker reference, or if you don't own all the sourcebooks), but it even has a new gun unavailable in other books.
   
   The kicker, though, is in the very back, where a 'new rules' section details how weapon kickback and soforth can be handled. So your friend's dinky little scantily-clad lady character INSISTS on wielding a handgun that's twice the size of her head? Put the punk in her place!! With the new rules not only will she not be able to control that monster, but it's liable to break her arm. Also, some expanded ammo types are listed in the ammunition section.
   
   The one downside is as another reviewer mentioned; the illustrations of the weapons are rather lacking.

No comments about Chromebook 3 (Cyberpunk RPG).

1 comments about Blurred Line.

1. Think about these questions: What do you believe would happen if humans were aware that the androids they created, indistinguishable from humans, to the naked eye at least, were running around without the confines of programming to limit them? What if the androids were better than their human creators? What if an advanced A.I. was developed with absolutely no encouragement or help from mankind? What if the net, the backbone of the human world, revealed itself to be sentient?
   
   Kat is an android. She is a Summerstone prototype, GenEight. Doctor Melanie "Mel" Chauvin, Head of Research and Design at Summerstone, created her. However, the military took Kat and one other GenEight away from Mel. So Mel is surprised when her new intern, Jane, is Kat in disguise!
   
   Kat wakes up in the middle of a field. The military had wiped her memory, as well as her higher functions. Kat was not supposed to ever wake up. But Kat has overcome her programming. She adapts to her situation, blends in with the humans, and is on a journey to find out what happened to her.
   
   Summerstone is the most powerful company within the "Big Ten". These companies employ over 75% of the entire world. They actually own the military and the governments. They send a contract killer after Kat and anyone else that get in their way. The public must not find out that the androids are evolving. If they do, the Big Ten will fall and the economy of the entire world will crumble.
   
   **** A very good debut novel. This is one other main character who is referred to only as "I". He spends most of his time plugged into a terminal at a virtual reality bar, conversing with the sentient net. Author Cavan Terrill created a realistic scenario based on the hypothesis that someday machines may out grow their human creators. Many books and movies have been made on this, but this novel is the first time that I have seen anyone use the bases and NOT have the machines trying to take over the world or kill off the humans. Cavan Terrill clearly shows that there is another option. Perhaps the androids, the machines, simply want to be considered a new race. The possibilities are mind-boggling. This is an author to keep an eye on! ****
   
   Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

5 comments about Battle Angel Alita, Volume 2: Tears Of An Angel (Battle Angel Alita (Graphic Novels)).

1. If "Battle Angel Alita" merely introduced us to the amazing cyber world of Yukito Kishiro, then "Battle Angel Alita: Tears of an Angel" builds upon that world and, more than likely, sets in motion the plot.

   After her victory over the all-powerful "King of the Maggots" in the first manga volume, Alita now faces her toughest challenge yet: love. Yes, love. While that phrase usually sounds cliched, it applies perfectly in this second manga volume. Alita has it tough to begin with, but when things start to spiral down even further, she must make a choice that could end up destroying her.

   Like before, the artwork is beautiful and very detailed. And, like before, "Tears of an Angel" is riddled with violence and blood and gore that sticks it in the section of mature readers who have very strong stomahchs. The story is a superb, miniature masterpiece, and it undoubtedly adds to the internal conflict of Alita trying to find her identity.

   This second volume is also featured in the "Gunnm" two episode OVA anime series ("Gunnm" is the original name of the "Battle Angel Alita" series.) Like before, I advise you to read the manga before watching the series, as comparisons will most likely decrease the enjoyment of the manga. But with that said, enjoy "Tears of an Angel". Along with the first volume, the second volume is a superb triumph.




2. the love story in this book is beautiful, it's wonderful, and i luv it because of this. it's sad, rythmatic, and stays this way through the entire book. it DOES end a little suddenly, tho, but don't they all?



3. As is true of almost any tale of cyborgs the question of the difference between mechanical consciousness and mechanized humanity is one of the driving forces behind the Battle Angel Alita series. At what point does a combination or brain, spinal column and hardware gain or lose its human nature. In this second stanza in the series, Alita, who was brought back to life in the first volume, re-finds her capacity for love when she meets Hugo, a human boy. Hugo's goal is to make his way from the traps of the Scrapheap to the upper city of Tiphares.

   Hugo and Alita seem made for each other, despite the gulf of artificiality that separates them. But Hugo, despite being a complete human is willing to steal the spines out of their original possessors if it brings him closer to the day he can go to Tiphares. This gruesome sideline, and the ghouls he works for gradually eat away at his own humanity until it is clear that he and Alita are really going in opposite directions. Alita will discover her spirit as Hugo gradually loses his soul.

   In the meantime, we get a close introduction to the grim nature of life below the city in the sky. Hunter Killers take heads for bounty, people feed on scraps while anything good is sent to Tiphares, and black market ops farm the neighbors for profit. For such as Hugo and Alita there is really no escape, only a dark struggle that can only lead to insanity and death if the dreamer refuses to waken.

   Balancing what is almost a post-apocalyptic vision, is Yukito Kishiro's wonderful artwork. He has the same eye for detail that made 'Ghost in the Shell' such a compelling spectacle. The cover art made me wish, for the second time that this series had made it as a feature film or OAV series. If you have been feeling drawn deeper into the world of manga, Alita is a great introduction to Japanese science fiction.




4. In this second poignant volume of Battle Angel Alita, Alita falls in love with a young street urchin named Hugo. Hugo's dream is to make enough money to move to Tiphares, the mid-air city where all your dreams can come true. Unknown to Alita, Hugo is making his money by assaulting and stealing body parts from cyborgs, a crime punishable by death. A character from the first volume, Zapan, who was humiliated by Alita, finds out about Alita's feelings for Hugo and begins to conspire a plot that will destroy Alita's heart. Will Alita's next bounty be Hugo?
   
   This manga was fantastic. While I compared Battle Angel Alita to Ghost in the Shell in my review of the first volume, there really isn't a comparison. Alita operates in a more savage world, where laws don't function unless bounty hunters enforce them. It is a place where your fellow man will let you die on the street without lifting a finger. It's such a horrible world that Alita's love stands out in even starker contrast to the evil that surrounds her. Yes, there are scenes of "ultra-violence" but what makes that different from our world? The thing I like about Alita is that there are horrible scenes of graphic violence but there are also scenes of philosophic thought and tenderness. Just like real life. Horrible beauty.



5. Tears Of An Angel shows another side of Alita that you don't get to see in the first graphic novel. The cyborg "Battle Angel" is in love. However, the person she's in love with lives a dangerous life. The ending may or may not suprise you. It's basically a sad love story. Tears Of An Angel is a great and I hope you enjoy it.

No comments about Night's Edge (Cyberpunk).