5 comments about Budayeen Nights.

1. This book brings together all the short stories set in Effinger's wonderful "Budayeen"---a sort of French Quarter of New Orleans, set in a nameless Arabic city of the twenty-second century. The stories are, as is usual in a short-story collection, rather uneven in quality, but Effinger just about couldn't write dull or bad---I just liked some better than others. With introductions to the stories by his longtime friend Barbara Hambly, this book belongs in any Effinger fan's collection. Among other things, it's got the only fragment we're ever going to get of the projected new Marid novel _Word of Night._



2. This posthumous collection of short stories are all linked to Effinger's remarkable late '80s cyberpunk trilogy, set in an unnamed Arab city in the 22nd century. When Gravity Fails (1987), A Fire in the Sun (1989), and The Exile Kiss (1991) were a remarkable set of books which combined pulp crime with cerebral implants in an Islamic setting. Most of the action in those books took place in the Budayeen, a red-light district heavily modeled on New Orleans' French Quarter. The hodgepodge collected here by Effinger's ex-wife (the author Barbara Hambly) is, regrettably, a far cry from those fine works, and will be more of interest to the completist than the average reader.

   Things kick off with Effinger's most famous work, the Hugo, Nebula, and Sturgeon Award-winning short story "Schrodinger's Kitten". I personally didn't care for the story, which centers on quantum mechanics. Next is "Marid Changes His Mind", a story first published in Asimov's, and actually comprises the first two chapters of A Fire in the Sun. It's fine, but I'm not really sure what the point of including it is. This is followed by "Slow, Slow Burn", a story about Honey Pilar, who is mentioned several times in the trilogy as the world's premier virtual reality porn star. Originally published in Playboy, it's OK, but doesn't really have anything to do with the Budayeen.

   "Marid and the Trail of Blood" was specially written for a vampire anthology, and feels like a bit of a throwaway story. It's got Marid and the Budayeen, and implants, but doesn't have a whole lot of vigor or imagination behind it. Next is "King of the Cyber Rifles", which is probably the best of the stories. While set the same world as the trilogy, that's it's only connection. A lone sentry mans a pillbox on the Persian frontier, operating a web of sophisticated weaponry against border-crossing guerilla insurgents. It's a very good story that stands out from the rest of the book. What comes after is an annoyingly tantalizing thirty page entry. It's the first two chapters of what would have been the follow-up to The Exile Kiss. Titled, "Marid Throws A Party", it's quite nice, but obviously will never be completed. Again, why include this?

   "The World As We Know It" is the other strong story of the collection, and first appeared in the Futurecrime anthology. It's intriguing, because it's set well after the trilogies, and Marid is a rather down at his heels outcast detective. The story concerns people living in "Consensual Realities", sort of like living in a giant Star Trek holosuite. Unfortunately, after this is "The City in the Sand", an atrocious story published thirty years ago. It's apparently the first Budayeen-set story, but the city is very different from what emerged in the trilogy. This doesn't matter so much as the sheer awfulness and pointlessness of the story, which is about a dissolute expatriate who sits at one of the cafes all day in a Proustian stupor. Last and least is a seven page story fragment called "The Plastic Pasha". Apparently the last thing Effinger worked on before his death, it concerns Marid's younger brother-again, why is this here?

   In the end, while I quite enjoy Effinger's Budayeen trilogy, I have to question why this collection exists in the form that it does. I suppose it's nice to have all these fragments in one place, but I really question the value (and ethics) and including unfinished work taken off a dead author's computer. It's not the best introduction to his work, and doesn't do him a great service.




3. What isn't obvious about the Publishers Weekly review of BUDAYEEN NIGHTS posted above is that this was a *starred* review! Not only is it rare for a sf/fantasy collection even to be reviewed in PW, but to receive a starred review is . . . well, kudos to Golden Gryphon for publishing this long-awaited collection from George Alec Effinger. In fact, anything from GAE is long-awaited! According to the story notes, George contributed directly to the compilation of this collection, it's just sad that he wasn't with us long enough to see its publication, his first book in like ten years.

   Here's what critic/reviewer/editor/author Claude Lalumière had to say about BUDAYEEN NIGHTS on the Locus Online website (www.locusmag.com) in his feature article on the Best of 2003:

   "The book that wowed me more than any other in 2003 is BUDAYEEN NIGHTS (Golden Gryphon) by the late George Alec Effinger. BUDAYEEN NIGHTS serves as a beautifully evocative postscript to Effinger's trio of Budayeen novels (WHEN GRAVITY FAILS, etc.). The stories featuring the novels' protagonist, Marîd Audran, are the most effective, but the whole book is wondrously sensuous, seductive, witty, and thrilling. Effinger's creation, the Muslim underworld of the Budayeen, is one of my favourite settings in SF, and revisiting it for this final outing was a moving experience."

   And I quoted Claude because I agree -- this book is wondrous, seductive, witty, thought-provoking -- just what one would expect from the writings of George Alec Effinger. If you're a fan of GAE, of the Budayeen novels, this book will not disappoint.




4. I loved the Trilogy of Marid Audran. Sadly this book is just some confusing short stories of the Budayeen. I was hoping there'd be more from the "4th" book. Save yourself some heartbreak. This a quick read like the other 3 books. If you haven't read the other books (gravity, fire, and exile) buy those instead.



5. I have to disagree with Brian Starrett's comments below about BUDAYEEN NIGHTS. Brian is disappointed because this book wasn't the fourth Budayeen novel that he so eagerly desires. What it is, is a collection of short stories, all of which take place in, and involve characters from, the Budayeen.
   
   According to the story notes (which precede each story, and were written by Effinger's ex-wife, author Barbara Hambly), one story, "Marîd Changes His Mind," is actually the first two chapters of the planned fourth Budayeen novel, but unfortunately this is all Effinger ever wrote of that book before his death. Also, according to the story notes, the story entitled "The World As We Know It" actually takes place after the proposed FIFTH Budayeen novel. In this story, Marîd is in hiding from Friedlander Bey's enemies, the same enemies who caused Bey's untimely demise. So there is some consistency between the stories, and, of course, you'll see a lot of the same characters from the novels in these stories as well.
   
   The story that leads off the collection, "Schrödinger's Kitten," won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and the Japanese Seiun Award (Japan's equivalent of the Hugo Award), all for best short story of the year. Not too shabby . . . And a couple other stories were nominated for these same awards. So you will certainly be entertained with the quality of the writing in this collection.
   
   Please don't let Mr. Starrett's disappointment in not finding the non-existent fourth Budayeen novel dissuade you from reading and experiencing these wonderful tales of the Budayeen.

5 comments about Ex Machina: Tri-Stat Cyberpunk Genre.

1. Having been an avid roleplayer for over 18 years, games have come and gone, some good, some bad, but most are about the same. This book, and the system that governs it is simply different. The boys and girls over at Guardians of Order (the publisher), really must know what they are doing, because when I started to read the Ex Machina book and the Tri-stat dx system core book, it was like a breath of fresh air was put back in my gaming enthusiasm. Honestly speaking, my desire to game anymore has been diminishing for about 5 years now do to the same old storylines and boring systems that I have been using form the beginning, but the Tri-stat system is so unbelievably flexible and simple, and that it takes away all the limits that are imposed upon other cookie-cutter systems. Not to mention, that once coupled with the inventive and wonderfully written ideas and settings that are contained in this particular tome, you have a combo that really is exciting.
   
   The Ex Machina book is loaded with information and comes with four, yes thats four, different settings to run your cyberpunk dreams. Keep in mind that these are just examples and you can easily create one of your own, if properly motivated. Excellent writting, unique points of view, and vivid descriptions make this book a home run for anyone looking for a change to a better way of doing things. Buy this book and support a company that obviously is more interested in thier work than the bottom line, as they give the core rules for free on thier website!



2. If you break the book up into two sections with the first being the rules and the second being story, I give it a 1 for the first and a 4 for the second. The rules system is heavily weighted towards stats with no balance in numbers, A super master in one skill can be beaten by a novice as long as the novice has higher stats. In addition, just about everything costs character points. Want a car? It'll cost you. Also, as a cyberpunk game, it should be saying something about programming and using the net beyond what it does. It says nothing past a few pages of hacking and virtual usage. Finally, to quote the game itself, "cyberpunk is about brand names". You expect "Zeise" eyes and "Kono" monoblades. You get none of this. No brand names, no special equipment, it's all up to you to build it. Very poor in my opinion.
   The second part is almost all story in 4 different 'worlds' and while it is an interesting read, it falls down due to the first part being incomplete.
   I'm not sorry I bought it, but I would rather not have paid as much as I did.



3. This whole system (Tri-Stat dX) is a great open rules system, what the other reviews may say about rating it a 1 don't do it justice, it is a critically acclaimed system used for Silver Age Sentinel's and BESM (Big Eyes Small Mouth) Game systems, it is worth looking into just for that, what makes this book a definate buy, is the settings, which are inventive, and breath new life into the cyberpunk genre, not all of them are for the faint of heart, and are very gritty, most being negative-utopia's. I recomend this to anyone who is into the cyperpunk genre.
   5 out of 5



4. Ex Machina Review:
   Ever look at Cyberpunk games and think, ?Oh ma Gosh! Like, gag me with a spoon, like, this is so like yesterday.? Let's face it, the genre is so Big Hair, Culture Club, Japan Inc, Duran Duran, Ramones, and leg warmer'd out it's just sad. I look at Cyberpunk and I think; ?why is there an image of Richard Simmons sweating to the Replicants in my mind??
   
   So why am I looking at a new Cyberpunk game, when I have this bias that the genre is, in essence, a deader horse than the Japanese economy? Largely because this game seems to agree ? this is the cyberpunk genre, and you will recognize it fairly quickly upon opening the book, but it is the genre as we see it in today's science fiction, and not trapped in the 80s like older competing games and some of the other new rivals. Nor is it, thankfully, like another current competitor has been described to me; so obscure that you just can't wrap your head around what's going on and how to play it.
   
   The book is split into sections for the genre history, the game rules, running and playing the genre, and finally ? four complete and separate settings with entirely different themes. Most of the past Cyberpunk RPGs gave you a single predetermined setting around which the entire game revolved, so this itself is something of a notable step in a new direction.
   
   There may be sixteen chapters to Ex Machina, but I'm going to cover it by the major sections.
   
   The Genre Section:
   In the genre section we get a ten page introduction into the history and themes of the Cyberpunk genre, starting in its pre-roots of the seventies, moving into the labeling of the genre around the time of Gibson's Neuromancer, and eventually wrapping up with the modern 'post-Cyberpunk' genre.
   
   There is some coverage of how the genre has been forced to change with times ? after all much of what 80s Cyberpunk considered radical is part of the mundane reality of today's world ? Wireless, Hand held Computers, Sprawl, the Net, Genetically modified foods, Globalized Mega Corporations, lessoning of nations and nationality ? or are experimental but real such as Cloning, optical computers, synthetic but real diamonds, single molecule machines, and Neural interfaces. Modern Cyberpunk still looks to the dark side of tomorrow, but the tomorrow of today is not the tomorrow of yesterday.
   
   From there we get a bit on the dX game engine Guardians of Order uses as one of its two house systems, the usual 'what is roleplaying' commentary, and a brief intro on each of the four settings. These intros wet your taste for what is to come, although the IOSHI entry is so vague as to leave at least me completely confused yet throughly intrigued ? seeming to talk about skill chips and split patents rather than the society thus resulting.
   
   Tri-Stat rules for the Cyberpunk genre:
   Tri-Stat has managed to solidly establish itself as -the- dominant cinematic rules light RPG. All past Cyberpunk games have been neither of these two factors, which brings us to a natural point of suspicion about this new RPG - are we looking at a bag of apples trying to be oranges?
   
   I'm going to try and show that while it may be the ideal game of apples, it has managed to conquer the realm of oranges as well - that this has ended up as the the best take on a Cyberpunk rules set I've seen to date despite some problems I did end up having with it. As for my ability to compare, I had R. Tal's Cyberpunk 2013 within days of its release, I had a similar jump on for Cyber Hero, Shadowrun, GURPS Cyberpunk, and even ICE's Cyberspace. I went through the 80s, and for Science fictions fans, the Cyberpunk genre was our pet rock and I admit I was there with everyone else.
   • Tri-stat has a very simple core - you have three stats, Body, Mind, and Spirit. In any task you roll two dice and hope to get under a number determined by your value in those stats plus whatever skill is relevant. Further rules allow for opposed rolls, degrees of success, and so on. Injury is a hit point system, and damage is always going to be ACV plus 25, 50, 75, or 100 percent of some number - barring critical hits, where ACV is more or less your 'base to-hit' number.
   • Characters are built on points without classes or levels, and a defects system exists to give you more points by defining weak points in the character.
     
     The skills list is large, and has specializations to give it further focus - if you know law, you could then specialize into a field of law. Guns, a type of gun. Etc.
     
     Characters get their real game mechanical depth from a system of 'attributes' which functions as a combination of perks, powers, special gear, and other unusual abilities. On first glance many of these will seem out of place in the Cyberpunk genre. Attributes such as Mind Control, Healing, and Creation (creates objects) for example, on the surface take leaps of logic to fit in. However note that what you are looking at here is a 'game effects' system ? where you take attributes and assign to them a special effect. Mind Control might have limits to be a drug induced effect, while Healing and Creation might represent nanites. Caution should be used by a GM with the attributes section. Tri-stat does not 'game balance' its meta system all that thoroughly and you can easily build game breaking concepts ? such as a Special Attack with both Accuracy and Autofire combined with Combat Technique: Accuracy. Taking both types of accuracy thus enables a character to Trick Shot an Autofire attack and possibly do hundreds of points of damage every round reliably if the attack's base damage is high enough (such as being to deliver 10 hits every round of a 20 point attack ? the second lowest setting). This may be seen as a system buster by some ? a reason to avoid tri-stat ? however this lack of strong built in balance also allows you to simulate many more unusual concepts. Provided you have a GM who pays attention and players willing to compromise, the balance issues can be easily governed and you will be able to reap the benefits of so open a game engine.
     
     The attributes section also contains a list of tri-stat dX attributes not found in Ex Machina ? many of these, such as Teleport and Pocket Dimension are obvious, but others such as Computer Scanning and Owns Big Mecha seem as if they really should have been in the list. Computer Scanning I could understand from looking it up in Silver Age Sentinels ? it is something of a short cut to getting data out of machines that runs right past the difficulty of breaking into a secure system. Owns Big Mecha however, seems to me the ideal way of representing vehicles, and without explanation for its cut I was left a bit confused.
     
     An explanation for that does come somewhat in the templates section. Templates are prebuilt packages to shorten the work of character creation, and one of them -The Teleoperator- suggests using Item Of Power to represent vehicles. The templates are used to give us professions, non humans (such as androids, bioroids, AIs, and so on), and cyberware. I'll cover cyberware under gear, as for the other templates each is built as a list of things you apply to the character, a total point cost, and notes on customization. The list includes all of the 'basic assumptions' of the genre as classic Cyberpunk understands it, with more templates in the four settings for less common ideas.
     
     Finally in character generation we have the earlier mentioned defects. GURPS and Hero players will know these as disadvantages. In tri-stat they -usually- each come on a scale of one to three and are bought either for specific attributes or the character in general. Some of them are specific as in GURPS, such as Phobia, and others are more general like in Hero, such as Restriction. The chapter begins with a discussion on their role in the game, and guidelines for the limits of how many of them you can get (normally from 3 to 5). Taking them will normally give your character 1 to 3 more points each, and given that the norm of Ex Machina is a 75-100 point character, they will not be a major part of your point total ? viable characters can thus be made without them, much like in Mutants and Masterminds rather than what you see in GURPS or Hero.
   • Combat ? or, is this Video Game Cyberpunk?
     I've heard it said that tri-stat doesn't offer enough tactical options to make for exciting game play in combat. On the list of facts that agree with this the game has only three stats which all play equal importance in combat accuracy and damage, only four stages for damage (25, 50, 75, or 100% of maximum), and movement does not require a play mat ? in fact with fast enough characters it can become awkward. Countering the claim however is a list of maneuvers and modifiers about as long as that seen in d20. It is a hit point system, but there are optional rules for tracking impairment from injury. Armor stops damage, and there are no hit locations though called shots can be used to target specifics. On the downside the team attack from Silver Age Sentinels is not in this game, but it really doesn't fit the genre anyway. The system is cinematic and not exactly all that gritty. It's lethality will vary depending on gear and attributes chosen. It is probably not as lethal as R. Tal's Cyberpunk 2013/2020, but more lethal than Shadowrun 1.0 (but not 3.0).
     
     Consider the average character will have around 80 health points [(Body + Soul) x 5], and that the average gun does 13-14 damage per hit [ACV 8 + 62.5% of 8 or 10]. It will take about 7 hits to kill.
     The 62.5 I got from assuming that most hits will do 50% or 75% of max, only every now and then will you get 25% or 100%, and very rarely a crtical (200% once every 64 attacks).
     
     On the other hand, a character with martial arts is likely to do the same damage (massive damage level 1), and if they have a cyberarm, 5 more than that per average hit. A ranged character could in theory also get massive damage to reflect a marksman, and without such melee is more than likely going to be the most lethal option present.
     
     To the rescue on this built in lack of danger to combat comes the shock system ? whereby if you take more than a certain amount of damage in a single hit you go into shock for a while and become a sitting duck. Coupled with this is a system whereby the same amount of damage will cause you to start bleeding out and eventually die if you do not get medical attention. On downside of that is once you start bleeding you will ALWAYS need surgery or eventually die.
     
     Even with the variety of maneuvers, the shock system, and the options for injury there are still very few variables to track, so it does play fast, and you will rarely get bogged down in book lookup during combat.
     
     Now consider the classic test from Shadowrun 1.0 ? can Mary Joe NPC kill herself? If a typical human takes a light gun, puts it to her head and shoots, what will happen in Ex Machina? In the real world this is usually instant death. In Ex Machina Mary is likely to have a Health of 40 and do 12 damage ? assuming she can hit with a total attack aimed called shot (a roll of -4 or less on 2d8 - so she can only shoot her head if she rolls a 2 unless the GM gives her a difficulty modifier or assumes no roll needed). Even with a critical hit she will still be alive. She will however, critical or not, exceed her shock value and thus begin to bleed out - hitting zero in 28 rounds (~ 2minutes 20 seconds). In addition if you use the optional injury rules she will have trouble not going into 'shock' and thus being unable to act for a few rounds while bleeding out. Otherwise if she makes a shock roll she will still be free to take actions during this time ? such as drive to a hospital and get patched up. The saving grace on this comes if she has, as suggested on page 84 for henchmen, the "Not so Tough" defect. If she had it at 3 BP, even a non critical could kill her in one shot given the rules for Catastrophic damage. So Mary Joe can commit suicide, but only if she is a henchman will she go down fast.
     
     The choice to use or not use the injury rules will play a large role in how deadly the system plays out. If you want gritty and brutal use them. People won't die instantly, but they will wear down very fast. You could also consider lowering the points given to PCs, or assuming the Massive Damage attribute is common to anyone who makes heavy use of guns. The system at its default is fairly cinematic and non lethal to PCs and major NPCs, but turn on the right options and you can make it deadly.
   • Gear
     The technology chapter starts with looking at the hard science versus dramatic and technology advancement level of your setting and using this to consider what is likely to be easy or hard to find, if at all. Next we get information on setting up background technologies ? power sources, the state of biomedicine, and nanotechnology. Then come the goods. Ex Machina traces gear not with cash, but in an abstraction through the Gadgets attribute. Each rank in Gadgets lets you have a number of gadgets ? minor and major. Minor gadgets are things somewhat hard or expensive to get, and major gadgets are things usually illegal, restricted, or otherwise very difficult to acquire. Normal everyday stuff is Mundane, and your character can have as much of that as you can explain away. In Ex Machina, you do not have to track how many pairs of underwear you bought, or even your cellphone / PDA, but you do have to track your gun, your wheels, and your grenade launcher. This is another aspect of the cinematic nature of the tri-stat system and honestly ? it is a welcome relief. Most newer modern and future age games are moving on to abstract wealth systems, but players of older Cyberpunk games are all too used to tracking their Japan Inc. dollars for every little toothbrush (more than likely you didn't actually go that far down, but officially you were supposed to)... The gear present in the book is fairly standard stuff for the genre today. If you haven't updated your understanding of Cyberpunk since the 80s, some of it will seem advanced ? such as having cellphones so cheap your character can strap a few thousand onto himself as a fashion statement, or having a Net that allows for wireless access. Yeah, its about time the future caught up with 1995. You get a good solid list of toys for your characters here, but you will need several ranks in gadgets to get more than a small selection. A lot of things which are Mundane are simply not listed, so a downside is that you don't have a style and fashion list like many other Cyberpunk RPGs did. The vehicles section, after giving us a list to buy in the normal manner presents an optional system for buying them as 'items of power,' and notes this can be used to for powered armor suits as well ? and then gives a few examples of such. That one is is probably most likely to see use among the anime crowd, but it is nice to see the idea handled.
     
     I'll step back for a second and look at Cyberware ? unlike other gear cyberware is acquired as if it were a template of attributes. You pay points for each bit of cyberware that has an actual game effect. Biotech works much the same. By contrast Wetware ? skills and personas on chips or copied into implanted hard drives are handled using the Gadgets method of other gear. Nothing in the system makes the acquisition of Cybernetics dehumanizing (about time too), nor does anything prevent the adaptation of subtle or minor cyberware. Tri-stat's attributes are something of a meta-system for building powers, and you can thus put in just about anything. The text of the chapter also covers designing new Cyberware, customizing what you have for 'off-brand' goods, the medical process of installing cyberware and biotech, fire sharing your wetware, recording your memories and uploading your mind.
   • Networking ? or, the bane of Cyberpunk gaming
     Nearly every system for handling networks in past proved to be a failure for players. Usually on the end of leaving the group sitting around while the GM handles some video game like abstraction for the one or two members who operate in a cyberspace written by people who've never been online.
     
     Ex Machina does present such a system for those who want it, but it also presents a second system rooted more in researching passwords, doing online research, stealing personal data chips, and doing actual 'hacking.' This can be done at the keys or neurally, and either way it works through skill checks to find and manipulate data while avoiding detection and security. There's no iconic interface, no game of Pac-Man.
     
     The second system is that iconic system created by early Cyberpunk authors who had no computer knowledge, and yet now popular with the public imagination of gamers ? even as the rest of the world gets online and finally realizes how silly it was. It works as a massive 3D world laid over the real world where you wander around with your avatar battling other avatars and will seem familiar to fans of the 80s RPGs. Game effects wise it reminds me of the method used in Cyber Hero ? you use a dimension hopping power placed into a device and an assume an alternate form with a new set of abilities once there. The system in Cyber Hero was amazingly unpopular with Hero fans of the day, but this system looks to be handled a little better. It still suffers the classic problem of sidelining the other players ? unless you run the VR side by side with the real time (as in how it works in the IOSHI setting). Me, I intend to use the first system, the one based on advancing actual real understandings of computer technology into a neural interface.
   
   GMing the Genre:
   Chapter 12 of the book discusses GMing Ex Machina, and begins with the usual stuff about being interesting, making campaigns and adventures, handing out experience, and thinking of themes. There's a very activist stance taken here ? the book not only suggests you cheat and make house rules, it declares that doing so is the only way to be a good GM; ?If you want your players to think you are the best Game Master in the world, you only have one option: cheat, and cheat often. ... there are no rules about 'being fair'? (p. 145). Most of us know better than to say something like that ? the world is full of a variety of different styles and some of them fudge the rules, some don't. Whether or not they do is not the best way to judge their success. Beyond that, the other advice is good. If you find yourself liking Ex Machina or any other RPG from Guardians of Order and this statement on rules is a little heavy handed for you this company is probably going to end up being a frustrating experience. Whenever rules are incomplete or fail in some test the usual response is to suggest ignoring them without explaining their normal application or even how best to judge when to do this. Unfortunately the same response tends to follow when the rules -are- working, but you don't understand them... It's a good rules set, and a design group with good ideas, but they have a frustrating way of presenting themselves. If you're a Dramatist GM this is perfect for you ? it works great if the goal is an engaging story -above- all else. If you're a Gamist it might work for you if you have a good sense of when to change rules for gaming action / challenges, but can blow up on you if you misjudge it or are inconsistent. The Simulationist GM however, is likely to find this stance very difficult ? the perspective would seem to be that modeling a system to accurately simulate the needs of the genre is the wrong approach, that Simulationist gamers are in error in their style choice.
   
   One actual issue I do see with the game is in the advancement system. It is slow, possibly painfully so. Roughly speaking you will get about 1.1 character points every 4 sessions. It will take about a year of weekly play to go up by 1/7 of your character's original points, with that total you will be able to perhaps buy about 3 ranks of attributes assuming the average costing attribute. From a GMs point of view ? you should thus make sure starting characters have enough points to completely capture the character concepts from day one, and assume points from experience only work to address how that concept changes, albeit slowly. That, or up the amount of experience you give out ? a common solution chosen by GMs of other tri-stat games if the online forums for them are indicative of any real world trends. Most people online give an advancement point or two per session and not every few sessions. I think I've seen as high as five in Silver Age Sentinels threads. As play of Ex Machina spreads the online community will probably come up with a norm for this issue, and I look forward to seeing the readers of this review in those discussions when they do come about (in other words, I'm telling you to get involved).
   
   The next 5 pages of this 12 page plus 2 page art spread chapter cover GMing the Cyberpunk genre in particular as opposed to GMing in general. How to handle a genre has always been a strong point of tri-stat games ? with long and detailed essays on the topic ? and this book is no exception. We begin with an essay on what it means to be marginalized, to face prejudice, to refuse the system or try to reform it, and how protagonists become empowered. A very common complaint about Cyberpunk gaming is that it captures the Cyber and the Punk, but misses everything the two words combined stand for. This essay is where Ex Machina seeks to help you run a Cyberpunk game and not a Cybered Punks game. After this we get essays on overcoming human limits, getting style down, and examining core elements of the genre. You get to look at grunge, the value of an information culture, branding, corporate power, the lack of clear evil, shifting cultures, lost data (I read a New York Times article on this just the other day in fact ? a prediction that the information age will actually lose mass amounts of data from conflicting storage standards and decaying media ? but the note in Ex Machina is more about the ease of digital secrets getting around when you do something as foolish as drop your keychain drive by accident ? as any resident of the Silicon Valley can attest, the plot that begins with ?you find a memory chip sitting left on the table in the cafe by the last guy...? is not all that absurd, in fact that chip is sitting on my desk right now), and the general ubiquitous nature of tech. A sidebar covers organized crime and the section ends in a short inspiration list.
   
   Finally we get 3 pages on new ways to handle your gaming fix. Here the book covers setting up a website, using email, running a game in email or chat, lan-party gaming (have the players bring their laptops), convention gaming, keeping things simple, sharing Gming, and even going freeform. This is all handled with a series of short essays that more wet your tastes than give you the full tools to do what they suggest. It is still a very handy section though ? and the information it imparts should lead you in the right direction for whatever fix you choose.
   
   The Four Settings:
   The book jumps right in, with the next four chapters each giving us one setting. Now don't think you're being shortchanged a complete setting here ? this stuff starts on page 158 and the book goes out to page 343 before it finishes with the settings. At two columns and a small typeface you're getting more out of each of these than most Cyberpunk games gave in their core rules for their one single setting. Each of these settings comes from a different author and thus has a different writing style ? from not only each other but the main book as well. This can at times be a good thing or a bad thing depending on which writer you find clearest or most organized to your way of thinking.
   • Heaven Over Mountain
     The premise here is a giant biotech beanstalk going from ground to orbit, with cities all along the way. The Tower of Babel made real in Columbia. We start with a history of the project which at times reads like a Libertarian manifesto ? but this is fiction, and in fiction we make an assumption and go with it ? such as the idea that corporate openness would end oppression and corruption. Aside from that little cheap shot from the political scientist in me the premise is really novel and I found myself really liking this setting. It isn't very dystopian however, unless you consider the presence of Chinese, still under what looks like the same government, to itself be a nightmare. After the history we get a layout of the elevator, from the basic manner in which it works to a guide to the cities along it ? each with its own distinct theme, and then a little bit about space beyond and the problems society has faced in making use of it. From there we get notes on major players in the setting and how they work together or against each other's interests, a little bit on the nature of living in an artificial world, and some current events you can use. After that we get a look at campaign themes from the point of view of being visitors, residents, specialists on hire, or drifters (people living on the outside of elevator). Finally we have some game elements specific to this setting ? a chart on the status of different technologies, some elements of biotech, a few near space vehicles, and optional rules for culture shock and stress
     
     Heaven Over Mountain is likely to be more of a social game of intrigue and culture themes than an action game. You can stage action along the elevator, particularly with specialists and drifters, but it is not the focus of the setting. This one is the setting for exploring the idea of alienation in a future perhaps outpacing the people occupying it. It lacks much of the dystopian character of Cyberpunk, there's no great failing in the society, mankind has not been forced to give up its soul to a dark future, in fact it looks as if the elevator is going to eventually lead to a capitalist's paradise. That said, shake it up a bit and you can find a campaign in there. After all, not telling us the horrible truth and injustice behind it all doesn't mean it isn't there ? just that you won't have players coming in and meta gaming a foreknowledge of it.
     
   • Underground
     Underworld is entirely the 'dys' side of dystopia ? this isn't paradise lost, its hell found. The idea is that a US acting on a fear of terrorism has taken over every 'rogue state' it could find and orbitally blasted anyone complicit in aiding those states (read as: anyone who asked questions). Then in the guise of democratization they moved in American megacorps for reconstruction and put the locals under their thumbs. Special economic zones were created to promote capitalism (Wait, weren't we talking about democracy? What does capitalism have to do with that? - or so the European might ask... before the US bombed his cities out of existence for raising the question). Left to their own devices, the corps have turned these special walled off cities into 'workers paradises' (read: life is cheap, and you're cheaper). In many ways what this gives you on the inside is something like what 80s Cyberpunk gaming often delivered ? roving street gangs, remote corps, nameless scenery people, and PCs as bottom feeders in a game of survival.
     
     The Underworld is essentially a corporate run prison labor camp, and if you think that idea is absurd you have not been paying attention to how the prison system already works in the USA and how we already structure some of our overseas worker camps (particularly in Latin America at present). Underworld simply takes that and couples it to our current idea of security over freedom and extends the two out to their logical end point.
     
     The whole world is not this way, in fact outside of these 'secure economic zones' the world might be a paradise of luxury for any ally of the US (or not), and soon to be occupied and converted over or bombed out of existence for anyone else.
     
     The setting presents this basic picture, then moves on to a number of people living within it at different levels ? showing us first the type and then a sample or two. We get worker drones, drifters, corps, security, media, organized crime, gangs and so on.
     
     The biggest complaint I have over this setting deals with timeline issues. The Underworlds have been in place for decades, six to be exact, one note even mentions great grandparents of current adults having been born in them ? but the power corps used to make them was put into law by the current president. He head of security in Underworld 9 (the location we focus on, built over a city in occupied / liberated Thailand) has held his position for four years, during which time he put down a major revolt that happened seven years ago... There's a lot of this sort of thing in Underworld, and it jars at times even if none of it is actually major or relevant to the likely PCs.
     
     Outside of the that the setting is novel in its utter desperation and hopelessness. There is no way out of Underworld ? not even in a body bag (in fact you're more likely to be eaten than recycled). This is a setting about pure survival on the margins.
     
   • IOSHI
     The name of this setting is likely to result in it being claimed by the Sailor Moon meets Akira crowd, but with luck the rest of us will be able to stake a hold on it as well ? because at least to me, this one looks to be the diamond in a pack of gems for those who can wrap their heads around it.
     
     The introduction to IOSHI is perhaps the most confusing bit of text in the entire book; ?The development of human knowledge is strictly limited by the sophistication of the techniques used to organize and convey that knowledge. Thus, oral tradition gives way to writing, private collections to libraries, digital libraries to the web, and finally the worm to IOSHI ('the well')? (p. 247). My response to that amounts to ¿Que? It is not helped by the intro blurb at the beginning of the book; ?IOSHI conveys knowledge in the traditional fashion: datajacked into a two-level personal library stored on a chip in one's brain. It serves as a significant boon to anyone who can afford personal or professional access. ... IOSHI is a patented technology. Getting to the state of art isn't just a matter of money; it's a matter of legal entanglement... usually a few hundred corporations own very small pieces of you? (p. 11). This all very nice and interesting in a confusing sort of way, but it still doesn't tell me what the setting is about. This one will take reading in depth, and I will try to give you the theme in plain terms.
     
     The basic premise seems to be a post-national world defined by interest groups and mobile workforces rather than nations and loyal wage slaves. The philosophy, or discourse behind this is a socio-economic construct called 'Sparta.' A person might move thirty times in a month, work for dozens of different corporations and never seem ill at ease about any of it. Life is online in every sense, with an iconic net (IOSHI) overlaying the physical world and itself seeming more real that reality ? the apartment next to you might be a foreign place listed as far aw
   
   
   
   • Plain and simple, this sistem rocks! A bit difficult at start, due to massive details on each stat and its usage, but when you get it, a whole new world of opportunities lies at your feet! I was a big fan of Cyberpunk 2020, but now i would NEVER came back to that sistem, now that i know of Ex Machina.
     A little defect: there is no charachter sheet, you gotta do it yourself. Do'h! :-/
   
   
   

3 comments about Shadowrun 03: Find Your Own Truth (Shadowrun).

1. This book could not have been better written, nor could there have been a better finish to what has to be my favorite trilogy of novels. Robert N. Charrette has a great perspective on the Shadowrun world and should be held in high esteem if you are a player in the RPG. I would recommend the reading of this series to anyone who is interested in the Shadowrun universe.



2. Book three to Robert Charrette's Secrets of Power trilogy is easily the best novel in the series. Like the previous two novels the only character that I really cared about was Dodger, the elven decker. Charrette's main character Sam remains whiny and obtuse, unable to inspire me with any interest in his fate.
   Charrette's writing style has improved slightly in this third book. Though it is still of junior high reading level, his technique is getting slightly more polished. The ending is a little odd, and leaves Sam's fate unclear. Having burnt out his magical powers correcting the problems his own stupidity caused, he is left with a good singing voice and lots of fringed leather jackets. Oh boy, what a trade. It would have been a lame end had I even remotely been interested in the character of Sam. I did like the ending with Janice.
   If you like Shadowrun, read the books. If you like pulp science fiction that doesn't require a large intellectual commitment, read the books. If you are looking for deep thought provoking science fiction, move on to Asimov, Heinlein, or Niven and let these slide. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy these books. Every couple of years, when I need something to read that is light and undemanding I dust these off and have at them again.

   If you are happy with entertaining pulp then this is for you.




3. I found this, the third book in the Secrets of Power series, to be the best. Although I enjoyed all three they did get progressively betters. As to the ending, it was excellent because it answers the question being posed. What is the secret to power? The answer is, knowing when to wield it and when to let it go. Check out the series, the best of the Shadowrun novels.

5 comments about Battle Angel Alita, Volume 5: Angel Of Redemption (Battle Angel Alita (Graphic Novels)).

1. Wonderfully written, and beautiful artwork. Truly Yukito Kishiro is a master at his work. Not for the faint of heart though, for the book is gory and touches the inner reaches of the soul. As the series progesses, Alita must go through many challenges and question the human spirit. Kishiro is very intelligent and explains all the aspects of his work in scientific detail. A must-read for all anime lovers!



2. Of the earlier "Battle Angel Alita" series, volumes one and two were excellent in all areas, and volumes three and four were still good but a step down in the quality of story-telling. This volume, number five, "Angel of Redemption", raises the quality of the plot back to where it should be.

   The story of "Angel of Redemption" takes place two years after Alita's motorball stint, when she has gotten over her loss of Hugo and has regained her life with Ido and other friends. But as we all know, Alita's past won't let her live in peace for long. With teriffic pacing and use of an exceptional story, Yukito Kishiro creates beautiful scenes where an old enemy of Alita resurfaces and where she ultimately discovers loneliness and abandonment.

   Kishiro's art is still as good as ever, filled with spectacular atistry that immediately draws the reader into the story. The high violence and gore factor is also still here, so this is still a series for mature audiences. The pacing and quality of the story returns from the slight slump of volumes three and four, back to the level of volumes one and two.

   There is, however, one thing that makes volume five totally unique, and in a few ways better, than volumes one and two. The first two volumes don't have very powerful cliffhangers, so while the stories in these volumes are teriffic, they don't give the reader something to look forward to in the next volume. Volume five does have a powerful cliffhanger (although it's not a major plot twist kind of cliffhanger), and the reader will desperately want to know what will happen in volume six.

   If you've read the first four volumes, you won't be disappointed by volume five. If you haven't read the first four volumes but enjoy beautiful art, beautiful story-telling, and can stomach high levels of violence and gore, then "Battle Angel Alia" is for you.




3. With the conclusion of the battle with Jashugan two years elapse in which Alita builds a different life entirely, as a musician at the Bar New Kansas. Even though she protests to Doc Ido that music and fighting have much in common, it is obvious that this time of peace and growth has been important to Alita. She has friends, things to do, and a sense of belonging that has eluded her before. It is a precious time, but one not destined to last.

   Perhaps this manga should have been titled Angel's Karma. A moment in Alita's past, her shaming of Zapan that is coming back to haunt her. The hypersensitive hunter killer is unable to move beyond his hatred of Alita, and in a fit of rage accidentally kills his girlfriend. Now insane, carrying Sara's head around in a jar, Zapan is heading for Alita. She joins forces with Sara's father, and the two confront the killer and take him out. Kind of.

   Reality, even manga reality, is too harsh to allow such a simple solution. A berserker body that Doc Ido discovered at the same time he found Alita has fallen into the hands of Desty Nova, a Tipharian like Doc, but a lunatic as well. Nova has decided to restore the shredded functions of Zapan's brain hand install him in the berserker. He has equally ugly plans for Ido and Alita finds herself facing a one-cyborg apocalypse.

   This story is a tragedy with a grain of hope life a mustard seed held in its core. The fate of everything Alita cares about is at risk, and the beautiful cyborg is called on repeatedly to may incredible sacrifices. Ending Zapan will be, at best, a Pyrrhic victory, and Alita will gain a flash vision of a height that she may never be able to attain. And yet, almost within reach, is a promise of things to come.




4. The plot: A deranged ex-fighter Zapan from Alita's past hates Alitain a psychopathic way. When he sees Alita's picture on TV, as she competes in an athletic event, he has a fit of insane rage and accidentally kills his girlfriend. Two years later, Alita has found peace and a group of friend who she loves. She doesn't fight and works by playing music in bars which she enjoys. Zapan catches up with her and in defeated by Alita and other fighters... or so they think. A mad scientist/MD heals his brain and naturally it ends up in a powerful cyborg body. He is still out to get Alita and she fights to protect the city and people who have turned her out on account of the crazy cyborg that is out to kill anyone it meets and keeps inquiring after her.
   
   The plot here is a strong point, particularly Alita's relationships with Ito's adopted children and with the community. Zapan's relationship with his girlfriend, told in flashbacks, also unfolds nicely. She saw good in everyone and is the only person who sees good in him. We are told that Zapan is Alita's karma and in a sense each of them takes the other's safehaven away. The ending has a message of hope despite the fact that Alita has everything (except one of her arms - she is a cyborg so loosing limbs doesn't kill her).
   
   The art is all black and white and done in a realistic style. Layouts are well done and the story flows from frame to frame well. Lots of this book (like all books in the series) consists of fighting scenes. This would normally bother me, but in this case it didn't, mostly because there were little plot points in there revealed in visuals not dialog.
   
   I recommend this book if it at all appeals to you. I hadn't read previous books in the series (well I had read the first book, but this is a few series later), but there was enough info for me to follow the plot. The drawback to the book is that the sequel to it is kind of blah. On the other hand most plot points are rounded up at the end of this book so it won't kill you to stop while you're ahead. This is also a good choice for public libraries because it is clean and holds together well.



5. The quality that I got the book and the time it got to get all the way to Eygpt was... awsome.

1 comments about Postmodern Sublime: Technology and American Writing from Mailer to Cyberpunk.

1. Great position about postmodern literature/kulutural/philosophical strategies. I think this book is a part of antimetaphysics thinking; "thinking between".

5 comments about Wired (Shomi).

1. My Wife received a bag full of samples at a recent romance writer's conference. In it, there was a book called "Shomi." Having no idea what that was, and trying to help my Wife, I thought I'd try it and fill her in. It was supposed to be the "next big thing." So I began reading Wired. When I reached around page 30, the sample ended. I never read samples. They are a cheap marketing ploy. In this case, however, since I didn't know I was reading a sample until it cut off, I fell victim to the ploy. Yep, that's right, after a hearty "What the hell..." I ran to my computer, found the book on Amazon, and ordered with expedited delivery. I was totally hooked.
   
   Wired is a Cyberpunk re-telling of "The End of Eternity" by Asimov. Liz Maverick does a good job with the cyberpunk genre, and the story is quite compelling, but there is a major flaw. The characters, particularly when interacting with each other, act in an almost completely unbelievable fashion. Normally, as one who does not like character driven stories, this would not be such an issue. In Wired, however, the story is clicking along, I find myself being drawn into the universe, and then the character does something completely unbelievable. For example, early in the book, after two strange guys who clearly pose a danger to her (or at least one of them does), each of these men do something such as blow on her ear or such, and she swoons with the attraction to the guy she thinks is out to kill her. Come on! A burgular breaks into your house and whispers into your ear; you (a) get hot with the prospect of sex, or (b) reach for your Glock? If you answered (b), you will not like the heroine of this book. If you answered (a), seek help.
   
   Aside from being jarred out of the moment by unbelievable actions/thoughts of the characters, there is the occasional misused profanity. The "F-word" where the "S-word" should be, I guess because the "F-word" is more "edgy." Unfortunately, it just sounds like a 50 year old trying to be "dope to the max with his homies." Also, as a minor point, there are technological incongruities (ie. Her cordless phone is interfered with by her Wi-Fi network, when it actually works the other way round, since the phone transmitter is far more powerful than the WiFi transmitter. In reality, she would have noticed no difference on the phone, but her computers would have been knocked off the network. I don't hold this too much against her. After all, the father of cyberpunk, William Gibson, the man who coined the term "cyberspace" knows nothing about computers by his own admission.)
   
   I had great hope for this book from the first 30 pages, and I have to admit that the story kept me going right to the end. I would probably have chosen to give this 3 stars rather than 2, if not for the fact that the characters detract from the story so much. So much potential, so little result.
   
   I think I'll put the SHOMI line aside until it matures a bit. I would, however, still consder trying it again in the future.



2. I enjoyed some of the author's Crimson City contributions, but I think this one is much better written. It must be difficult to write a novel successfully with time switchbacks and not lose the reader! I also got a kick out of the main character who sounds suspiciously like me. Had to go throw out some black clothing after reading it. :) Anyway, if you like cyberpunk, try this one.



3. Every person's life impacts numerous others in countless ways. Change a single action or circumstance and the ripples change reality as we know it. This is what's known as a parallel universe. Now imagine you are the focus of that change. Two men are manipulating you like a pawn on a chess board, changing your experiences to achieve their own outcome. Reality shifts and as you desperately try to cling to your sanity. Who can you trust, except yourself?
   
   L. Roxanne Zaborovsky, a reclusive freelance computer programmer, alienated from her family, her closest friend having moved on without her, finds herself unaccountably compelled to visit the local 7-Eleven in the middle of the night. Her anxiety builds with each step, and just as she is debating returning home, she finds herself sandwiched between two ominous men each claiming her for himself.
   
   They are Wire Crossers, people who manipulate reality to alter fate each with their own desired outcome. Both are after a code Roxy has yet to write and their goals are diametrically opposed. Roxy is the Major, the key player in the game. Those whose lives she impacts are Peripherals.
   
   One of the men is already known to her. He is Mason Merrick, the ex-boyfriend of a former roommate, who Roxy once had a crush on. The other is Leonardo Kaysar who will stop at absolutely nothing to foil his adversary. Though she is attracted to both men in different ways, neither can be trusted, for with each Splice of wire, each shift in reality, she is becoming painfully aware that she is completely expendable.
   
   When predestiny goes out the window, free will is the only option. Can agoraphobic Roxy muster the courage to take control of her fate and become the woman she'd always wanted to be?
   
   Cyberpunk meets Romance in this thrilling action debut from Dorchester's new Shomi imprint. Unlike the typical romance, Roxy's adventure is told in the first person allowing the reader to experience the adventure right along with the cagey heroine. Her confusion and epiphanies will become one's own. Enjoy the twists and turns as Roxy's final fate comes down to the WIRE. This is a book you won't want to put down!
   
   Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch for PNR Reviews



4. The back cover blurb of "Wired" sounded intriguing. The front cover art made it look as if it were a tie- in to some kind of underground animation, something like AEON FLUX. (Seriously, they look like cartoon characters.) So I bought it--new--and regretted it.
   
   Roxanne is a traumatized young woman, but we're not sure why. A routine trip to a 7-11 turns into a nightmare--and a joke, as the men literally fighting over her have some of the worst dialogue I have ever had the misfortune to read. People do *not* talk like that. They're supposed to be cagey manipulators of times and events, and they sound like frat-boy groupies.
   
   Roxanne herself never seems to *do* anything. A supposed "Major" factor in this conflict, she instead twitters and flutters like a cliched Southern belle with the vapors, and her work, which is the focus of this conflcit, remains vague and just this side of PopSci glitz.
   
   It was the "romance" that killed this story dead for me: neither man is at all appealing. They seem more focused on each other than Roxanne (which wouldn't be a bad thing), but they display shocking levels of violence and callous disregard for people, with highly questionable ethics and humanity. They fight over Roxanne not because of personal feelings for *her*, but to keep the other guy from winning. She is a pawn, a tool, and the incredibly forced semi-happy ending is just insult to injury, and completely unbelievable in relation to what's gone on through the story.
   
   Roxanne had a chance to dump them both and let them destroy each other--it would've been a much stronger book if she had. Other characters exist to pat Roxanne on the head and say, "There, there, dear, it's all in your head, you poor traumatised thing. Here, buy a sexy dress and go on a date, you'll feel better."
   
   The book was an insult to my intelligence, an insult to women who *have* endured the horror of abusive relationships. I have seldom been so angry after reading a book. This one fails on every level.



5. Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
   
   What if life were made up of an infinite number of interconnected strings that with the slightest knot or twist can change everything as we know it? In Wired, computer programmer L Roxanne "Roxy" Zaborovsky's life is about to be turned upside down and inside out as a result of those strings.
   
   While making a late night venture to the local convenience store, two men suddenly appear out of nowhere, fighting over Roxy! Now she is about to find out nothing in her life is what she thought it was and it's about to change even more. Who can she trust? Rough and rugged Mason Merrick, a man from her past she has strong attachments to, or debonair Leonardo Kaysar who always knows exactly what she wants to hear?
   
   With all this jumping through time, Roxy is not sure where she is or even who she is anymore. All she knows is that both of these men are after the same thing, a piece of computer code she hasn't even written yet. But with things about to come down to the wire, she'll learn just what she's really made of.
   
   Can we really change who we are and who we once were? Do the most inconsequential of details really make a difference in the long run? And what is everything we thought we knew was wrong? Wired is all about possibilities and this is a huge part of what makes the story so incredibly fascinating. Who hasn't wondered at some time in their life if they could change everything around them and make a brand new life?
   
   Wired is confusing initially, as we try to figure out what exactly is happening, alongside of Roxy. However, as soon as the circumstances are explained to her, we too in turn come to understand how things work in the world Liz Maverick has created. From then on, events fall into place and it is quite easy to follow the wires belonging to Roxy and everyone in her life. Wired has a fascinating concept behind it, very unique, quite unlike anything I've read before. The way the story ends, it's quite apparent Liz Maverick has more in store for Roxy and company in future books.
   
   I also liked the whole conflict between the two men who are currently in Roxy's life - Mason and Leonardo. I get tired of the old fall back plot of the heroine having to choose between two men, feeling this is overused in today's romance novels. However, in Wired, the idea works extremely well. The two men represent exact opposites in Roxy's world... who she was and who she can become. It's just a matter of deciding which is which. As she waffled over which man can be trusted, so did I. While I thought I knew who was the good guy and who was the bad, I changed my mind several times along the way.
   
   What a fascinating, fast paced adventure ride Wired is! We are sucked right in to the action immediately as one seemingly simple decision sets Roxy on the path to her new life, though she's not aware of how fateful that choice is at the time. I for one am... dare I say it... Wired to see what Liz Maverick will do next.
   
   © Kelley A. Hartsell, September 2007. All rights reserved.

5 comments about Battle Angel Alita, Volume 4: Angel Of Victory (Battle Angel Alita (Graphic Novels)).

1. After giving us the excellent volumes 1 and 2, "Battle Angel Alita" and "Tears of an Angel", Yukito Kishiro gave us what many consider the worst volume in the series, "Killing Angel". Volume 3 dealt with Alita's new life after the tragic events of volume 2, and while it wasn't a complete blashemy against the series, the storytelling quality didn't live up to the first two volumes. With volume 4, "Angel of Victory", Kishiro improves upon "Killing Angel", but considering what he worked with, the storytelling quality still wasn't where it should've been.

   "Angel of Victory" is actually a continuation of "Killing Angel", a continuation meaing that the two volumes can be seen as parts of each other. The story deals with Alita trying to prove herself the best motorball champion while coming to terms with the sudden changes in her life. By now, her character is very well fleshed out and we really do care for her in many ways. However, the story in "Angel of Victory" still deals with motorball, something that doesn't have anything to do with Alita trying to discover her lost past, the reason we fell in love with her in the first place. The story in "Angel of Victory" is far better than the one in "Killing Angel", as it has several well-planned events and even a brief glimpse of Alita's past. But as a whole, the story isn't want we expected from the "Battle Angel Alita" series. If volumes 3 and 4 had been placed together into one volume, they might've been seen in a better light, but as it stands the two volumes are nothing compared to the first two volumes.

   Graphically, Yukito Kishiro's artwork is amazing. There is so much detail that some artwork appears like it's come straight from a photo. If it had to be compared to something, Kishiro's artwork would resembled a polished version of Hayao Miyazaki's "Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind" series, and even then the comparison is unfair.

   All in all, "Angel of Victory" is far better than "Killing Angel", but it's not the best in the series. Still, "Angel of Victory" does set up some small plot details later on in the series, so it's not completely useless. If read with the entire series on hand, "Angel of Victory" (and "Killing Angel", for that matter) will be more appreciated. But alone, volume 4 doesn't live up to the first to excellent volumes in Kishiro's wonderful series.




2. This was the first Battle Angel Alita book I ever read, borrowing it from the library. But, since I read 1,2, and 3 AFTER this, I've liked the motorballs better. I think this is a kewl book, I wish I'd happened to read #1 first, tho, but this all works out. I loved it! Simply, Alita is finishing what she started with motorball, what with racing and winning, winning, losing, whataver. Her showdown with Jashugan kinda leaves u, uh... confused (at least it did me V_V) and it never says more. THE REASON I GAVE THIS A 4-STAR RATING IS BECAUSE... the index page (copyright, idex, etc.) is the one of TEARS OF AN ANGEL! what's up with that?? i just realized that one day, looking to see what part it was. and that {is odd.}



3. This is the fourth Alita collection, although it is officially the last of part three of the series. As such, it marks the culmination of Alita's identity quest into the world the motorball. What Alita has discovered is that use of her special cyborg battle training skills can trigger sudden flashbacks to the days before Doc Ido reassembled her as Alita. These come as peak experiences when the doughty fighter must push her body to withstand what no biological body could.

   We get to see to of these battles. The first Alita uses to test both herself and the cyborgs with whom she is considering teaming. This is an opportunity for both melee battles and some fine humorous moments when things do not quite happen as planned. The second struggle is the final confrontation with Jashugan. This we know will end up in a one-on-one confrontation between titans. The reader is entitled to, and gets, all the action art and surprises of which Yukito Kushiro is capable. Who wins isn't important at the transcendent moment, only that both have used up all that they had.

   I'm probably going to go on and on about the art for this series until I run out of manga to review. Yukita Kishiro has the kind of graphic style that makes the frames magnetic. The story, the diversity of characters and the introspective twists are an important part of this manga, and keep it from ever being a simpleminded hack and disassemble story. Something deeper is going on, and we see it evolve one small piece at a time.




4. Yeah, I was kinda confused because this is the first volume I read... but, on the other hand, I don't think that picking up the story from the beginning would have saved my opinion of it. Kishiro Yukito is a talented artist, yes, but I found this story to be really trite and [weak], and kinda gratuitous. If thats your thing, go for it but, I'm assuming that everyone wants to read quality, right? If so stay away from this and pick up something better.



5. The plot: Alita has risen to the top in a sport called . Basically it consists of racing through an obstical course with wheels for feet (all characters are cyborgs, so they just pop the foot off and pop wheels on) until the motorball, a bowling ball sized goal carried by the contestants, has done a certain number of laps. Whoever has the ball at the finish line wins. To make things more interesting racers are armed and try to knock other contestants out of the race to improve their odds of winning. Most of the contestants get killed in the course of each race. The bottom line: we see lots of Alita fighting as usual.
   
   The racing and fighting has another plus for Alita. Some of the techniques she uses to battle other contestants revive memories of her distant past and her origins. This is very important to her since they are the only clues she has, and important for people who are reading through the entire series.
   
   Meanwhile little subplots are playing out: Alita's trainer is having flashbacks to his former motorball glory days and is living way too vicariously through Alita. Because she will soon face the champion motorballer who defeated him, he goes to extreme lengths to get her the best gear - an extremely sharp knife that can cut through diamonds. Meanwhile the champion is having brain trouble (every so often his brain just shuts off) as the result of an old motorball injury. Alita's friend Doctor Ito is treating him, but both know that it is only a matter of time.
   
   The problem that I had with this book is that it mostly follows two motorball races, and so much of it just shows different contestants skating around. Whenever it leaves the motorball court it gets interesting. Alita's flashbacks contribute to the series overall and the sideplots are great. Still so many pages of the book cover just racing - heavy on graphics and low on plot.
   
   I preferred other books in the series Alita to this one. Probably I am biased against the book for being so much about a make believe sporting event. If the movie Death Race 2000 spoke to your inner soul you will enjoy this. Likewise if that movie didn't appeal to you this book probably won't either.

No comments about The Matrix Trilogy: Cyberpunk Reloaded.

1 comments about Ascendancies: The Best of Bruce Sterling.

1. Bruce Sterling fans will find nothing new here, sadly. But the selection of his best works will be a pleasant reread. While newcomers to Sterling's works can get an excellent synopsis of why he is so highly regarded. The stories in this book originally appeared in sundry magazines, scattered over 20 or so years. The diversity of topics speaks to a versatile writing ability.
   
   As to what is be the best story, this might not be a useful question. Readers' tastes will vary widely enough to make difficult any sort of consensus judgment. My personal favourite would be the Dinner in Audoghast, for its piognant evocation of a lost culture. It also differs strongly from the cyberpunk flavoured tales for which Sterling is renowned.

5 comments about CYBERPUNK: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier, Revised.

1. I bought this book because I was interested in human aspects of these stories (RTM especially), more than the technical side. I found it very satisfying, and more. I could have not imagined it is so detailed and even ... entertaining.

   Reading this book I've felt again that nice atmosphere I first met while reading the superlative Cliff Stoll's "The Cuckoo's Egg". Indeed, those of you who have luckily read it too, will find Stoll himself here in an important role in the chapter about RTM...




2. The tales in this book are old ones now. Mitnick's escapades continued on to more infamous heights than this book, as the new epilogue explains. Having grown up working with Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) computers, the descriptions of Mitnick's hacking on PDP-11 and VAX systems was like a dark-side of my high school days. Having worked at Radio Shack just after graduating college, I knew a lot of "phreakers" who worshipped the people mentioned in the book.

   I teach classes for computer professionals in UNIX. One of the courses is a 2-day class in unix security, and the "Morris worm" is one of the case studies we discuss. We don't go into too much detail in the class on the subject, and I usually recommend this book for those who want to go further.

   The other reason I recommend this book to students in my class is the story (in Kevin's section) of Susan Thunder. The concept of "social engineering" is one that transcends computer model, operating system version, etc. Many computer types just don't understand it, in the same way they don't understand office politics. If you fall into this category, or if you have an interest in the social side of hacking/cracking/phreaking, Hafner and Markoff do an excellent job of presenting these concepts.




3. First off, John Markoff does NOT tell an unbiased story, especially regarding the Mitnick case. Kevin Mitnick, preferring to keep a low profile, has not promoted his own story, and as a result he has had his name slandered by mediawhores like Markoff. Markoff traveled extensively with Tsutomu Shimomura, the security expert who eventually (and with much government aid) apprehended Mitnick. It is quite clear whose side he is on as he repeatedly demonizes Mitnick as a fat, malicious, juvenile person with no self-control and no respect for anyone else. This typecasting is quite understandable though, once you know that Markoff has a share in the Miramax movie Takedown that details Mitnick's capture. Nobody wants to see such unfair treatment happen to a real, sympathetic person. (Takedown, incidentally, is more slanderous than Cyberpunk and from which the real Kevin Mitnick, whom it is based on, is not getting a dime).

   But apart from my distaste for Markoff, this book still failed to be a interesting read. I enjoy reading about the early history of hacking, etc, so I bought it with high hopes. The only reason I didn't put it down was because it was my only reading material on a six hour bus trip. The Internet revolution was fascinating and the people involved in it were interesting, dynamic people. But to hear Markoff tell it, everyone was petty, whining, insecure, and one-dimensional, with no other motivation than to cause trouble for others. He hasn't got a gift for writing novels with well-rounded and interesting characters that the reader can actually sympathize with and care about.




4. Although Markoff is an exceptional writer and the book is both easy to read and entertaining, the content is presented as factual when the truth is that these guys definitely wrote the book with only part of the whole story at their disposal. One of the main "cyberpunks" depicted in the book is Kevin Mitnick, who claims that he has never even met John Markoff. How can the book fairly and accurately speak to the topic of hacking during the early days of the Internet revolution when they never did any investigations with real "hackers"? The story is told only from a law enforcement point-of-view. I am sure that the Rodney King story is told differently by King than the LAPD. Same goes for this case.

   Like many works today that seem to be written for financial reasons, it seems very one-sided and sensational.




5. I have read this book a number of times over the years (I picked it up when it first came out) and have always enjoyed reading it. Even though it does only scratch the surface of the hacker culture, it's definitely an entertaining read. I know that I've heard that many of the things that were written in here (especially about Kevin Mitnick) have been termed libelous and untrue by some people. I can't vouch for what's fact and what's not in this book. I can only say that it does give a good idea what hacking was like in the good 'ol days.
   If you like this book, you might want to try Steven Levy's book "Hackers", which really (I think) gives you a better understanding of the spirit of most hackers, and covers the history of hacking from the early days of MIT, up until now. Cyberpunk doesn't, but it's still definitely worth reading if you enjoy a good story.