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Aug 13, 2011Cepros rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
The best part of this book (by far) is the world that he created. It's fantastical, but you don't have to take too far of a leap to imagine that this world very possible could be our future. There are computerized contact lenses that "project" images - if you're bored walking down the same old street, you can just use your contacts to make it seem as though you're walking through Hogwarts. It's as if everyone in the world is constantly playing a virtual reality game, and the book examines the battle between an increasingly digitized world and the value of reality (particularly in terms of books - watch out if you're reading this on a kindle because Vernor Vinge is judging you). Often, though, Vinge creates this world to the detriment of other aspects of the novel. There is definitely a plot; however, it lags in some places and, at times, seems very removed from the action we are actually seeing. There are also a lot of loose ends that don't really get tied up, which makes me wonder if the author might do more with this story. A lot of passages are also bogged down with technical jargon (which might not be so much of a problem if you've got a firm grasp on that stuff). However, for people like me, with only a basic knowledge of technical terms, some of it was a bit daunting. At points, I found myself wondering if a certain word was real or if it was a made-up futuristic term. I used the dictionary more than once. Final verdict - definitely worth a read, if only for the setting, because it's absolutely fantastic. You also might have to keep reading despite the protagonist, who is a complete jerk at the beginning. All in all, it's a well-written, very knowledgeable look into what the world will be like in the not-too-distant future.