I enjoyed this one. ( )

User Friendly is funny ... to the point of being just plain stupid. Stupid jokes. Stupid puns. Stupid. And the science fiction is virtually non-existent. I could barely detect any. It's a book of short stories, essays, speeches, and rap. Yes, rap. That's stupid, in and of itself. The essays were the best, I guess. User Friendly is reader friendly, but that's about it. Lightweight BS. Not worth the $2.95 I paid for it, used. I feel ripped off. Not recommended. ( )

Warning: dude has rape issues and not much empathy with the ladies. After a couple of stories, in my horrified fascination I started to keep track, omitting essays and “raps.” First two stories: both have rape as plot point with bonus in one of them where the male protagonist achieves sexual success through confidence obtained by his violent retribution against the woman who surreptitiously recorded their sexual encounter (she's the rapist, see?). Next: rape threat as plot point. Next: no women involved, but offscreen rape of another character helps drive male protagonist’s damage. Next: planet where women must always agree to sex with anyone, including their fathers, as plot point which ends up being hi-larious reproductive coercion of man by woman per feminist conspiracy. Next: childless unfulfilled woman punished for being too good at her job/not good enough to be a mom, but no rape. Next: female protagonist, no rape (though she does it all for love). Next: rape for fun reference, no female characters. Next: no onscreen female characters, no rape, though you’ve got to love "You can't find out whether slapping a hysteric will calm him down by asking him: you have to try it and see what happens." Science: you’re doing it wrong. (Not unrelatedly: the movie Hysteria was in fact pretty funny even though it flirted with my embarrassment squick a number of times.) Next: female POV character authorizes her doppelganger to fuck her husband, then realizes it was rape, but it’s okay because he really loves her. Next: posthumans, no rape. Total: 7/11. Ugh. ( )

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