This is my first time reviewing anything with the actual guts to post what I written, I'm not entirely happy with the review but I decided to stop procrastinating and fucking post the damn thing. So all criticism is welcome and I hope you enjoy my review of...
Imagine, dear reader (and thanks for taking the time out to read this btw) a disgruntled hung over geek perusing the sci-fi section when my father says I can get a book. As long as it's in the 3 for 2 deal.
Suddenly I see a book with a bright, electric orange stripe running across the bottom cover and black silhouetted characters with their faces replaced by the lost image symbol. Complimented by the 3 for 2 Waterstone's deal.
Holy shit what's that? No image icon? Outside the internet!?
The first visual impressions of Moxyland is that it jumped out to my eye and dragged me in, like a spring operated fish hook heaving me across the ground leaving eye goo across the bookstore carpet.
"WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON? WHO'S REALLY IN CHARGE? YOU HAVE NO. FUCKING. IDEA."
One initial nitpick I have with this book is a lack of blurb; blurbs can make or break a book really in my view - it's a book's sale pitch to a would-be reader - and all it offered was the above statement in fuck off boldprint.
And some mixed praise from GQ and websites I'd never heard of.
It's rather unhelpful because; No I haven't read the book, I can't even begin to speculate who or what's in control. Kind of feels like the back cover is shouting at me for not reading it - alienating me rather than informing me.
Which is all a bit nonplussed because by the opening chapter it's fairly clear that Corporations are in full control, nicknamed the 'corporati' by the characters.
Actually the slang used is dominating, an internet 1337speak slant in the vein of A Clockwork Orange given through the almost sickeningly hip and streetwise characters. Not to say that's a bad (well not a terrible) thing because the book is trying its best to be hip and down with the kids - I kind of took a small sense of glee that my parents would find some phrases impenetrable.
The setting is a not so far into the future Cape Town dystopia of socio-economic control almost like... yeah, right about now but with bells and shit.
The story is given through the viewpoint of four characters:
Kendra, an art school dropout who despite being a dropout still manages to get an exhibition space (mostly though her cock on/off boyfriend, sorry 'BF', that she comes across as cringingly obsessed with) that has herself injected with nano machines turning her into a walking advert for a drinks company.
Toby, a witty prick that lives off his trust fund (that gets cut off in his opening chapter leading to him playing videogames for a living) while vlogging off his jacket that acts as a streaming... webcam... thing.
Tendeka, a revolutionary that's frankly a bit clueless.
A sassy programmer chick called Lerato (probably specialising in Cbitchbitch and Visual Promiscuous) working for the 'Corporati'.
They interact in various levels but I can't shake the feeling that these characters are kind of forced and aren't fed much of a motive. I can't say they're 2D because they aren't but I couldn't find myself connecting to anybody but the dick vlogger jacket guy Toby. We find out he's an English Literature student with random classics lying around his flat, which makes sense him blogging and vlogging and all. It's a nice little add to his character filling him out in my mind's eye than the other protagonists. Tendeka is a passionate idiot at war with the machine in an ineffectual half arsed Che Guevara wannabe way. Which I fully understand, him being frustrated at a controlling corporate government system, but then it's thrown in that he's gay. For no real reason. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a homophobe but why the fuck is this pertinent?
It's as if the writer thought to herself he needed padding out and how do you do that!? Oh! Of course make him gay, makes me think of the fan fiction written by smelly Goths.
Turns out that Lauren Beukes is actually a journalist (who looks like she might have been a goth - from the pic's I've seen anyway) which sort of surprised me because I presumed she was an art school dropout like Kendra (write what you know and all that) but when I finished the book, had a cup of liquor coffee and reflected upon what I'd just finished it made a LOT of sense: These characters seem more like the kind of people you'd meet as a journalist, but as a journalist you're only there for the spectacle - A revolutionary is just that: a revolutionary. A sexy programmer: is just that. The asshat with a deeper side: is just that. The art school dropout that occasionally throws a strop - is just that. The book lacks enjoyable well crafted characters.
Mind you, not many artists have signed up to have nano machines fine tune their body and illuminate a corporate logo under their skin so they become a walking advertisement.
Which is why I feel bad berating Moxyland because it is full of great and fairly well executed ideas. People's money exist on their mobile phone SIM (consequently without it a person is barely a citizen), houses programmed to a users perfect environment, cigarettes designed to suit and be healthy for the smoker, art made from biological material, football bombs, intelligent barb wire... I could go on but there's only so much I can explain the little enjoyable bits that don't matter all that much. Also it's fair to say not all these idea's are incredibly original, indeed it's be easier to say these are predictions that anybody could make with a knowledge of modern technology and its planned advances but its well placed and its matter of fact delivery makes the world believable unlike the characters.
I guess it's not all that bad, it is well written, paced well enough to keep me interested (however can be a tad predictive in places) and if Lauren Beukes can get off her ass and create better characters than cocky shells I'm sure I'd enjoy it. In saying that it is her first novel so I suppose I'll say "watch this space".
One last thing; the top right of the back cover has a piece of advice I'm presuming is for the shelf stacker says
FILE UNDER:
Science Fiction
-Digital Natives
-Corporate Wars
-Future Tech
-Teenage Riot
Digital Natives? What the fuck is that? Something native to 1's and 0's? Corporate wars? It doesn't even happen in this book (well almost but it's only ever hinted at). Future Tech I'll give to them and Teenage Riot? What!? Is that a fucking genre? What magical book shop has a section called Teenage Riot, Teenage Riot? Christ it makes me sick to type it. Maybe I'm misreading and it's meant to summarise what's in the book... but it's not, there's a bit of protest but no real riots in this book and why teenage? It paints the picture of spotty teens fighting with police. Which I wouldn't want to fucking read.
Moxyland
by Lauren Beukes
by Lauren Beukes
Imagine, dear reader (and thanks for taking the time out to read this btw) a disgruntled hung over geek perusing the sci-fi section when my father says I can get a book. As long as it's in the 3 for 2 deal.
Suddenly I see a book with a bright, electric orange stripe running across the bottom cover and black silhouetted characters with their faces replaced by the lost image symbol. Complimented by the 3 for 2 Waterstone's deal.
Holy shit what's that? No image icon? Outside the internet!?
The first visual impressions of Moxyland is that it jumped out to my eye and dragged me in, like a spring operated fish hook heaving me across the ground leaving eye goo across the bookstore carpet.
"WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON? WHO'S REALLY IN CHARGE? YOU HAVE NO. FUCKING. IDEA."
One initial nitpick I have with this book is a lack of blurb; blurbs can make or break a book really in my view - it's a book's sale pitch to a would-be reader - and all it offered was the above statement in fuck off boldprint.
And some mixed praise from GQ and websites I'd never heard of.
It's rather unhelpful because; No I haven't read the book, I can't even begin to speculate who or what's in control. Kind of feels like the back cover is shouting at me for not reading it - alienating me rather than informing me.
Which is all a bit nonplussed because by the opening chapter it's fairly clear that Corporations are in full control, nicknamed the 'corporati' by the characters.
Actually the slang used is dominating, an internet 1337speak slant in the vein of A Clockwork Orange given through the almost sickeningly hip and streetwise characters. Not to say that's a bad (well not a terrible) thing because the book is trying its best to be hip and down with the kids - I kind of took a small sense of glee that my parents would find some phrases impenetrable.
The setting is a not so far into the future Cape Town dystopia of socio-economic control almost like... yeah, right about now but with bells and shit.
The story is given through the viewpoint of four characters:
Kendra, an art school dropout who despite being a dropout still manages to get an exhibition space (mostly though her cock on/off boyfriend, sorry 'BF', that she comes across as cringingly obsessed with) that has herself injected with nano machines turning her into a walking advert for a drinks company.
Toby, a witty prick that lives off his trust fund (that gets cut off in his opening chapter leading to him playing videogames for a living) while vlogging off his jacket that acts as a streaming... webcam... thing.
Tendeka, a revolutionary that's frankly a bit clueless.
A sassy programmer chick called Lerato (probably specialising in Cbitchbitch and Visual Promiscuous) working for the 'Corporati'.
They interact in various levels but I can't shake the feeling that these characters are kind of forced and aren't fed much of a motive. I can't say they're 2D because they aren't but I couldn't find myself connecting to anybody but the dick vlogger jacket guy Toby. We find out he's an English Literature student with random classics lying around his flat, which makes sense him blogging and vlogging and all. It's a nice little add to his character filling him out in my mind's eye than the other protagonists. Tendeka is a passionate idiot at war with the machine in an ineffectual half arsed Che Guevara wannabe way. Which I fully understand, him being frustrated at a controlling corporate government system, but then it's thrown in that he's gay. For no real reason. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a homophobe but why the fuck is this pertinent?
It's as if the writer thought to herself he needed padding out and how do you do that!? Oh! Of course make him gay, makes me think of the fan fiction written by smelly Goths.
Turns out that Lauren Beukes is actually a journalist (who looks like she might have been a goth - from the pic's I've seen anyway) which sort of surprised me because I presumed she was an art school dropout like Kendra (write what you know and all that) but when I finished the book, had a cup of liquor coffee and reflected upon what I'd just finished it made a LOT of sense: These characters seem more like the kind of people you'd meet as a journalist, but as a journalist you're only there for the spectacle - A revolutionary is just that: a revolutionary. A sexy programmer: is just that. The asshat with a deeper side: is just that. The art school dropout that occasionally throws a strop - is just that. The book lacks enjoyable well crafted characters.
Mind you, not many artists have signed up to have nano machines fine tune their body and illuminate a corporate logo under their skin so they become a walking advertisement.
Which is why I feel bad berating Moxyland because it is full of great and fairly well executed ideas. People's money exist on their mobile phone SIM (consequently without it a person is barely a citizen), houses programmed to a users perfect environment, cigarettes designed to suit and be healthy for the smoker, art made from biological material, football bombs, intelligent barb wire... I could go on but there's only so much I can explain the little enjoyable bits that don't matter all that much. Also it's fair to say not all these idea's are incredibly original, indeed it's be easier to say these are predictions that anybody could make with a knowledge of modern technology and its planned advances but its well placed and its matter of fact delivery makes the world believable unlike the characters.
I guess it's not all that bad, it is well written, paced well enough to keep me interested (however can be a tad predictive in places) and if Lauren Beukes can get off her ass and create better characters than cocky shells I'm sure I'd enjoy it. In saying that it is her first novel so I suppose I'll say "watch this space".
One last thing; the top right of the back cover has a piece of advice I'm presuming is for the shelf stacker says
FILE UNDER:
Science Fiction
-Digital Natives
-Corporate Wars
-Future Tech
-Teenage Riot
Digital Natives? What the fuck is that? Something native to 1's and 0's? Corporate wars? It doesn't even happen in this book (well almost but it's only ever hinted at). Future Tech I'll give to them and Teenage Riot? What!? Is that a fucking genre? What magical book shop has a section called Teenage Riot, Teenage Riot? Christ it makes me sick to type it. Maybe I'm misreading and it's meant to summarise what's in the book... but it's not, there's a bit of protest but no real riots in this book and why teenage? It paints the picture of spotty teens fighting with police. Which I wouldn't want to fucking read.
