Not so funny; didn't like the anarcho-capitalist undertone ( )

Not for me ( )

A story wholly submerged in a spaghetti soup of random buzzwords and pop references most of which used so laughably incorrectly that I can't even bear a grudge against the author because it's clearly not malicious - like those hacking scenes in films where everyone is having a good laugh about it. Amusing plotholes and shamelessly lifted ideas abound. This guy just doesn't care - I salute you, good sir, this book is so ridiculous that it's almost fun. ( )

Was on my currently reading list for awhile, but finally started reading it about a week ago. Sorry it sat on the list for so long. Good read :) ( )

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, other than it was described as a mash-up of all sorts of things. One of the things NOT mentioned was that this was a scathing satire on the direction in which our society is heading. For that reason alone, it was a fantastic read/listen.

One thing for sure, the official blurb of the book doesn't even come close to describing it. In one respect, it's a lot like [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One|Ernest Cline|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406383612s/9969571.jpg|14863741], in that the story is driven by a ton of movie, game, TV, and societal references. Star Trek, Star Wars, Terminator, Blade Runner, Night of the Living Dead, a ton of book/written quotes, a ton of humorous digs at big business and the massive conglomerations we see today, and it's all extremely well-written.

At first, I was having a hard time getting into the story, unable to figure out how it all fit together. There are multiple storylines, multiple characters, and multiple locations, both in the real world and in virtual worlds. I'm glad I stuck with it; Nick Cole brilliantly ties it all together. The lead-in to the climax is extremely long: he starts tying the plot points together at nearly the 80% point. But oh, what a climax!

If you like the excitement of online gaming, LARPing, the threat of intelligent machines taking over the world, a la "Terminator", the intense action of space battles and the "smarts" of computer geeks, this book is for you! ( )