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frasersimons
God this is boring. I’m sorry but it is. It’s stuff citizenry ought to know about but not in this format. I do not think it could be presented in more boring a fashion. Just a summary of the screw ups would be preferable, I think. Instead, it’s all presented through the lens of the “whistleblower” in such granular detail it reads like absolute fiction.
I’m sure the idea is that so much is remembered and there are so many details and photos that it makes a better case for the information, proving it to be true. While that may be true, as in the back it says there are many, many source that are not named, and throughout mind you, there are sections where the author inquired to the people and recorded the various responses. So, yay, perhaps it’s true and people should know, especially considering Canadians know little to know about CSIS and special operations, or about how they’re a bunch of idiots that seem to not be all that well trained in their tactics and break the law indiscriminately. That’s useful information!
What isn’t is what every single co-worker liked to wear and their mannerisms and what they liked and didn’t like and who they hooked up with, inflating the book by an order of magnitude. The interactions must rely on recollections or else be fiction and that actually deflated the relevant information substantially for me.
It’s not poorly written it’s just a terrible terrible choice in how to present it. It’s this man’s story, I get it. Figure out what’s interesting and pertinent and then right the story or write an article. 360 pages this should not be, not by a long shot, imo.
I’m sure the idea is that so much is remembered and there are so many details and photos that it makes a better case for the information, proving it to be true. While that may be true, as in the back it says there are many, many source that are not named, and throughout mind you, there are sections where the author inquired to the people and recorded the various responses. So, yay, perhaps it’s true and people should know, especially considering Canadians know little to know about CSIS and special operations, or about how they’re a bunch of idiots that seem to not be all that well trained in their tactics and break the law indiscriminately. That’s useful information!
What isn’t is what every single co-worker liked to wear and their mannerisms and what they liked and didn’t like and who they hooked up with, inflating the book by an order of magnitude. The interactions must rely on recollections or else be fiction and that actually deflated the relevant information substantially for me.
It’s not poorly written it’s just a terrible terrible choice in how to present it. It’s this man’s story, I get it. Figure out what’s interesting and pertinent and then right the story or write an article. 360 pages this should not be, not by a long shot, imo.
I find the characters wonderfully complex; none are paragons and each lens brings nuance and perspective. Though some parts were overlong, I was happy to spend more time in this fiction. The drama culminates so well, just like the last book. And the ending is another kicker. Already can’t wait for the next one.
I'm back! After work being soul crushing for the last stint, it's eased up so I can actually have time to do things I want to do, like reading books and designing games!
Virology is the sequel novel to Escapeology, which I enjoyed immensely. It picks up virtually right after the first one, Shock, a hacker is in a weird/bad/interesting state. He'd melded with Emblem, is hunted by virtually everyone. And Amiga, the cleaner, is on the run with the hornets, a group of J-Hacks who kind of remind me of a Shadowrun group--if they were written well and it wasn't all about striking at corps and taking jobs and stuff.
What you need to know is that basically, they're all together and being hunted and there's more bad guys than the last one. Good news is that combined with these things, such as Zen, infecting people with virads in order to spread and infect more people to terrible ends. All of these bad folks are well written and I loved that the women were allowed to just be plain bad people, not used as specific plot devices or sexual scenes, or embodying one specific idea.
In addition to that, so too do the J-hacks. Where in the first book they were secondary or tertiary characters, now they feel more fleshed out and like a more cohesive family. One that Shock and Amiga, the main characters latch onto and have lots of great interactions with.
The novel plays out like it could be a very good action flick, great characters and motivations and gun play, and fight scenes, etc. But it also has the same underlying focus on being marginalized people, for various reasons depending on the character. And the exploration of what addiction looks like and does to a person on a case by case basis, without the stigmatism and tropes generally used in first and sometimes second wave cyberpunk books.
It's clean Ren has experience with this and the writing is quick, snappy, and versatile, suiting the perspectives of each character well. Helping separate them by syntax was very helpful because it felt like a lot more going on with the characters this go around.
Some people couldn't get through Escapelogy because of how harsh the world was to Shock, a trans character, simply because for them, it hit a bit too close to home. I think if that is the case you could jump into Virology well enough and not have that same experience. And also, I quite liked that character development by the end of the first book, when Shock's identity played a huge role in the end game, and the oppression he faced.
In short: is good, you should read it. More good cyberpunk, yes! Although I'd probably label it as post-cyberpunk as I would argue it subverts some pretty shitty tropes established in first wave. And I like to think having a well done trans character also struggles against the initial conventions. Whatever you label it as, I recommend it!
Virology is the sequel novel to Escapeology, which I enjoyed immensely. It picks up virtually right after the first one, Shock, a hacker is in a weird/bad/interesting state. He'd melded with Emblem, is hunted by virtually everyone. And Amiga, the cleaner, is on the run with the hornets, a group of J-Hacks who kind of remind me of a Shadowrun group--if they were written well and it wasn't all about striking at corps and taking jobs and stuff.
What you need to know is that basically, they're all together and being hunted and there's more bad guys than the last one. Good news is that combined with these things, such as Zen, infecting people with virads in order to spread and infect more people to terrible ends. All of these bad folks are well written and I loved that the women were allowed to just be plain bad people, not used as specific plot devices or sexual scenes, or embodying one specific idea.
In addition to that, so too do the J-hacks. Where in the first book they were secondary or tertiary characters, now they feel more fleshed out and like a more cohesive family. One that Shock and Amiga, the main characters latch onto and have lots of great interactions with.
The novel plays out like it could be a very good action flick, great characters and motivations and gun play, and fight scenes, etc. But it also has the same underlying focus on being marginalized people, for various reasons depending on the character. And the exploration of what addiction looks like and does to a person on a case by case basis, without the stigmatism and tropes generally used in first and sometimes second wave cyberpunk books.
It's clean Ren has experience with this and the writing is quick, snappy, and versatile, suiting the perspectives of each character well. Helping separate them by syntax was very helpful because it felt like a lot more going on with the characters this go around.
Some people couldn't get through Escapelogy because of how harsh the world was to Shock, a trans character, simply because for them, it hit a bit too close to home. I think if that is the case you could jump into Virology well enough and not have that same experience. And also, I quite liked that character development by the end of the first book, when Shock's identity played a huge role in the end game, and the oppression he faced.
In short: is good, you should read it. More good cyberpunk, yes! Although I'd probably label it as post-cyberpunk as I would argue it subverts some pretty shitty tropes established in first wave. And I like to think having a well done trans character also struggles against the initial conventions. Whatever you label it as, I recommend it!
This book gives you exactly what you'd expect from the back of the book. It's a cyberpunk action thriller. The protagonist, Riko, wakes up with time missing and has to unravel the mystery of what's happened to her.
It's gritty, it's vulgar all the time. And it's extremely fun. Riko is fleshed out very well. She's a walking, talking mess of contradictions and her humanity shines through brilliantly in a world filled with high-tech cybernetics, nano machines, and augmented reality. She gets beat down, she reacts believably, sometimes shedding her rough exterior when warranted and her internal monologue always satisfied me and never de-protagonized her.
There's some very human moments that come to mind easily, while always maintaining that she's come from the streets and worked her way up for her street cred. The fiction has great pacing and shifts between these moments and some great action sequences seamlessly and leaves some questions open for the next book. This felt like a great blend of 80s cyberpunk made relevant again with both updated tech but also a female protagonist. It could easily make a great action movie (with Angelina kicking ass).
I need to reiterate it's pretty great having a believable, conflicted bad ass woman that's depicted really well in cyberpunk fiction. It's sometimes hard to come by and It's a small thing that makes a lot of impact on the fiction.
I also loved that she was bi-sexual, but in the way that clearly wasn't there just because men find it hot. There's no obligatory woman on woman action that comes with the tag sometimes, and her thoughts about what she likes in people always originate outward from physical appearance. It really does make a huge difference for the story for me.
It's gritty, it's vulgar all the time. And it's extremely fun. Riko is fleshed out very well. She's a walking, talking mess of contradictions and her humanity shines through brilliantly in a world filled with high-tech cybernetics, nano machines, and augmented reality. She gets beat down, she reacts believably, sometimes shedding her rough exterior when warranted and her internal monologue always satisfied me and never de-protagonized her.
There's some very human moments that come to mind easily, while always maintaining that she's come from the streets and worked her way up for her street cred. The fiction has great pacing and shifts between these moments and some great action sequences seamlessly and leaves some questions open for the next book. This felt like a great blend of 80s cyberpunk made relevant again with both updated tech but also a female protagonist. It could easily make a great action movie (with Angelina kicking ass).
I need to reiterate it's pretty great having a believable, conflicted bad ass woman that's depicted really well in cyberpunk fiction. It's sometimes hard to come by and It's a small thing that makes a lot of impact on the fiction.
I also loved that she was bi-sexual, but in the way that clearly wasn't there just because men find it hot. There's no obligatory woman on woman action that comes with the tag sometimes, and her thoughts about what she likes in people always originate outward from physical appearance. It really does make a huge difference for the story for me.
Really enjoyed this. Police procedural that centres a practicing Muslim man, Esa, with Rachel, an athlete who’s thoughtfully navigating multiple intersections. CPS, a community policing effort with those two as partner, gets called in to investigate a childhood friend of Esa who is found murdered in the Algonquin woods. It turns out that this friend was a police officer embedded at a mosque where some of its members are planning a terrorist attach in Toronto.
There are so many things about this that make for a fantastic book. For one: it’s thoroughly researched and inspired by the Toronto18. Failings and successes of the police in those events allows for a highly compelling drama. It explores the differences in interpretations of the Qur’an, including historical contexts that are provided by Esa, as he has to navigate these really personal aspects to the case. It allows the reader to be educated about really politically fraught topics, which is needed. There is so much misinformation around Islam and Muslim culture in general. It made for really great reading. Plus, it paralleled the mandate of CPS, showcasing why diversity in action literally makes people better at their jobs. In this case it allowed for the police to solve what was going on. The ending just reinforced how real that struggle is too. Throughout Esa takes so much bullshit from coworkers.
Another subversion of the procedural genre is with Rachel too. She’s not just athletic, she’s an actual athlete. She eats all the time, stands up for what’s right, and routinely her views and thoughts lead to breakthroughs that are a team effort with Esa. It’s a very great pairing. And she serves as the a foil for people who aren’t aware of cultural issues and dynamics in the work place.
Love this series. Fantastic.
There are so many things about this that make for a fantastic book. For one: it’s thoroughly researched and inspired by the Toronto18. Failings and successes of the police in those events allows for a highly compelling drama. It explores the differences in interpretations of the Qur’an, including historical contexts that are provided by Esa, as he has to navigate these really personal aspects to the case. It allows the reader to be educated about really politically fraught topics, which is needed. There is so much misinformation around Islam and Muslim culture in general. It made for really great reading. Plus, it paralleled the mandate of CPS, showcasing why diversity in action literally makes people better at their jobs. In this case it allowed for the police to solve what was going on. The ending just reinforced how real that struggle is too. Throughout Esa takes so much bullshit from coworkers.
Another subversion of the procedural genre is with Rachel too. She’s not just athletic, she’s an actual athlete. She eats all the time, stands up for what’s right, and routinely her views and thoughts lead to breakthroughs that are a team effort with Esa. It’s a very great pairing. And she serves as the a foil for people who aren’t aware of cultural issues and dynamics in the work place.
Love this series. Fantastic.
