A little too much style over substance, and an attempt to force a meme on the world. I don't like it when marketing, especially an attempt at viral marketing, is built into the book.

I wanted to like it more, I just couldn't quite do it. ( )

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Very reminiscent of Mirrorshades-style [a: William Gibson|9226|William Gibson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1373826214p2/9226.jpg] with the added benefit that I didn't get lost in too much cybercant - Beukes manages to make it just weird and foreign enough to qualify as dystopian cyberpunk but still accessible to those don't read genre fiction. I'm sure earlier drafts of the novel were crammed with cool future concepts that Beukes was probably loathe to part with when it came to editing but Beukes and [a: Helen Moffett|1276006|Helen Moffett|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1294738305p2/1276006.jpg] did a good job in keeping it tight.

The plotting and particularly the denouement were efficient and plausible, so often the failing of speculative fiction novels. Well, plausible, in the sense that there were no lazy deus ex-machina plot devices to magically tie up all the loose ends.

As a Capetonian, I loved all the South-Africanisms and the inventive use of trans-literal slang such as "splinter new" from the Afrikaans "splinter nuut". Still don't know what toyota means, though.

My only criticism was that the characters struggled to find their voice. I would often have to reread a passage of dialogue to keep track of who was saying what. Having said that, the characters in [b: The Shining Girls|16131077|The Shining Girls|Lauren Beukes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352227705s/16131077.jpg|21956898] had strong, unique voices so it's not something that should deter readers from reading Beukes' other novels. ( )

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. Which is interesting, because the last two Beukes books I read, I thought they were flat-out masterpieces.

All of the elements are here. The strange, futuristic art, the reliance and prevalence of tech, the deep paranoia and subversive elements. All of it. It was like, when Beukes came to write [b:Broken Monsters|20706269|Broken Monsters|Lauren Beukes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394562848s/20706269.jpg|27869457], she took most of the elements of this novel, then found the right way to integrate them together.

Maybe because this was closer to an early William Gibson novel (never a bad thing) crossed with some Clockwork Orange. But it was more techno-thriller than I expected, I guess.

Really, my only major complaint was that three of the four main characters sounded a little too similar. Not a problem in the last two novels.

Well written, brilliantly imagined. ( )

Am I a fan of cyberpunk? I would never have guessed it, but a few highly enjoyable reading experiences of late seem to point in that direction...

I really enjoyed the world of Moxyland and hope that more of Beukes' books continue to explore it. The trial-by-fire of piecing together just what everything meant was fun, and she did a great job with keeping each separate POV fascinating in its own right. I think my main problem with it was a result of my own personal attempt to read this book amid the frenzy of the end of the semester. There was so much going on that I would have benefited more from reading it in just a few sittings than over the course of a few weeks...I found it difficult to remember exactly what was what. I almost wish, too, that it was a little longer just because I enjoyed learning about this futuristic Cape Town, but I appreciate it for its succinctness. Please return here, Ms. Beukes! ( )

I really enjoyed this novel.

The setup was pure near-future SF with nice thriller/horror undertones, kinda a mix between Stross's [b:Rule 34|8853299|Rule 34 (Halting State, #2)|Charles Stross|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1306168574s/8853299.jpg|13728393] with some vintage William Gibson, and finishing with a really nice twist. What was most scary about it was how realistic and how very *possible* it is.

But setup and plot is only part of what makes this book great. In the end, I can't help but think only wonderful thoughts about all the characters I got to live vicariously through. I've read [b:Broken Monsters|23341578|Broken Monsters|Lauren Beukes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1434675391s/23341578.jpg|27869457] and loved it for it's characters, too. Both of these are very different beasts, of course, with this one being firmly SF, but I also loved her rich and vivid treatment of her characters. They are so completely memorable, even now, and can't help but be very impressed that she pulled it off again for such a new and varied cast, here.

Any tale is going to be extremely rich and memorable in direct proportion to how well the characters are drawn, and I can honestly say that I'm blown away. I loved these guys and gals. I'm also horrified. It's not like they were shining examples of anything except being people, with all the good and the bad, but I'm still left almost speechless by the results.

And the twist.

I can't wait to keep reading everything she's put out. I'm now officially hooked. Not only are the characters brilliant, but the plots are truly fine and the implications truly scary. I wasn't able to put the novel down and I was very engrossed. Total Entertainment. :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! ( )