Thomcat
8/27/2016
Not good.
Many reviews mention taking around 100 pages to get into it, and I agree. A rewrite of this (or serious editing) may help - not sure.
This story really isn't cyberpunk. Most of what we see here could be done with today's smartphones and perhaps a VR headset. In the near future of this novel, the tech is pretty believable.
Speaking of the archive, this is the one idea I applaud. To commandeer ALL the recordings from a particular city and use them to build up a giant interactive version of that place is seriously cool - and again not horribly far from possible.
Unfortunately, the archive is put to a very scummy use, just like most of the other technology. This book describes a serious dystopia, and that part wasn't fun to read. Also in that category is the graphic violence, much of it against women.
Finally, this book ends up as a mystery. I don't read them that often, but it seems like the author has hit most of the plot twist options here.
Overall, one good idea just isn't enough. I didn't like this book.