eshchory

To be honest I was a little intimidated by cyperpunk but this was on my shelf and not a brick so I gave it a chance.

The beginning was a little bit Blade Runner (a good thing) and the jargon wasn’t too alien (maybe because since this book was published so many of the then strange words entered common usage)

I liked the characters, enjoyed the matrix and believed the storyline.
Most of the locations seemed dystopian, synthetic and a little distant so the Zionites and their more organic culture was a welcome variation. (Also an insight into the inspiration for the Zion of The Matrix)
But the only characters I felt any emotional connection to were Riviera, who engendered feelings of revulsion, and Dixie Flatline the ROM construct. All the others I found interesting but their well-being or mortality didn’t really concern me.
I found it difficult to understand why Wintermute, through Armitage, had been so anxious to get hold of Case. He didn’t seem to perform any great feats of hacking, most of the work was done by the Chinese program and any inspiration came from Dixie.
The storyline also left me feeling a little bereft. What should have been an ‘AHA!!’ moment was underplayed and tale seem to peter out into rather ordinary if natural conclusion.

I doubt I will continue the series but I’m sure this book will reward a reread.