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Station #1
Station : La Chute
Après sept ans de Guerre Logicielle entre les intelligences artificielles rebelles de la Totalité et l’humanité – dirigée par les dieux du Panthéon, des consortiums qui se manifestent très rarement à leurs adorateurs –, la Terre n’est plus qu’un gigantesque champ de ruines. La plupart des humains ayant échappé au conflit vivent à bord de Station, un immense complexe spatial.
Jack Forster a combattu les IA de la Totalité pour le compte du Panthéon, secondé par Hugo Fist, une marionnette virtuelle, un logiciel de combat ultra-sophistiqué installé en lui. Considéré comme un traître parce qu’il s’est rendu à la Totalité, Jack revient des confins du système solaire pour laver son honneur et trouver sur Station les réponses aux questions qui le taraudent depuis sept ans.
Mais le temps presse : le contrat de licence de Fist arrive bientôt à échéance ; au-delà, c’est la marionnette qui prendra le contrôle, effaçant irrémédiablement l’esprit de Jack, le condamnant au néant.
Jack Forster a combattu les IA de la Totalité pour le compte du Panthéon, secondé par Hugo Fist, une marionnette virtuelle, un logiciel de combat ultra-sophistiqué installé en lui. Considéré comme un traître parce qu’il s’est rendu à la Totalité, Jack revient des confins du système solaire pour laver son honneur et trouver sur Station les réponses aux questions qui le taraudent depuis sept ans.
Mais le temps presse : le contrat de licence de Fist arrive bientôt à échéance ; au-delà, c’est la marionnette qui prendra le contrôle, effaçant irrémédiablement l’esprit de Jack, le condamnant au néant.
480 pages, Paperback
First published June 18, 2015
About the author
Al Robertson
6 books92 followersI'm the author of SF novels Crashing Heaven and Waking Hell, as well as award-nominated SF, fantasy and horror short stories. I'm also a poet and occasional musician. When I'm not working on my own projects, I help companies communicate more clearly. I was born in London, brought up in France and am now based in Brighton.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
February 9, 2017
I love my Cyberpunk. I love Post-Cyberpunk even more. This here is a very well-crafted Hard-
SF novel that is a surprisingly easy read.
I can blame most of the ease and the goodness squarely on the interactions between Jack and Fist. Jack's been screwed over by the Pantheon's contracts and Fist, his erstwhile puppet, his slaved AI, is scheduled to legally take over poor Jack. The war between the Totality (The post-mortality humans who had given themselves godlike virtual powers) and the Pantheon (The machine legal entity and alien that has quashed the chaos and the squabbling of the egos) ended with the Totality forced into civilized behavior and low men on the totem pole always seem to get stuck with the shaft.
That's where Jack, the stand-in for what might be loosely called a Hard-Boiled Detective, but isn't, or isn't really such, has been saddled with a huge debt to the now defunct corporation that had given him the extremely good use of a virtual puppet, an excellent hacking machine, but after the contract defaulted, he was left in debt to the last surviving entity, and since he had no funds or collateral, the puppet will soon own Jack's body and mind. Leaving Jack... nowhere.
If someone told me this was going to be a strange and f-k'd up twist on the story of Pinocchio set in a time and place where the shades of the uploaded dead haunt the overlay-mesh, the virtual view of reality, where gods play long games in the ubiquitous and utterly pervasive servers that humanity lives within, then I'd have said... "Wow. That sounds freaking amazing." (No one did.)
Of course, if I had been given the spoilers that follow this little setup, or at least the idea that Jack and Fist find common ground in the short time they have left, that they hunt down the people behind the conspiracies, to get out from under the machinations of gods and aliens, and that they don't always remain in hard place, but manage to hold their own against amazing odds, then I'd have absolutely no reason to worry about whether I'd enjoy the tale.
As a matter of fact, I was AMAZED. It's full of awesomely tight storytelling, great conversations, fast plotting, and of course so much happens that propels this story into the stratosphere that I was left with my jaw dropping through most of the tale.
But let me add a small caveat: Out of all SF, I appreciate and love near-singularity or post-post cyberpunk tales the most out of the entire genre. Anything that sparks my imagination and revs my engines this much is going to be an automatic "Hey You Guys!" But don't let that fool you overmuch.
This one is tight and sharp as hell and a pure delight to glide through. It really ought to be on the short list for anyone's "must awe" list. I've still got Jack and Fist in my head, playing around and learning to live and trust one another. It's a classic. These are truly wonderful characters that won't even be outdone by the huge action scenes and surprises. So what do I say to that? I say Rock ON. :)
I can't believe that this is Al Robertson's debut. Something tells me that he's going to be on my "must read immediately" list from now on. :)
SF novel that is a surprisingly easy read.
I can blame most of the ease and the goodness squarely on the interactions between Jack and Fist. Jack's been screwed over by the Pantheon's contracts and Fist, his erstwhile puppet, his slaved AI, is scheduled to legally take over poor Jack. The war between the Totality (The post-mortality humans who had given themselves godlike virtual powers) and the Pantheon (The machine legal entity and alien that has quashed the chaos and the squabbling of the egos) ended with the Totality forced into civilized behavior and low men on the totem pole always seem to get stuck with the shaft.
That's where Jack, the stand-in for what might be loosely called a Hard-Boiled Detective, but isn't, or isn't really such, has been saddled with a huge debt to the now defunct corporation that had given him the extremely good use of a virtual puppet, an excellent hacking machine, but after the contract defaulted, he was left in debt to the last surviving entity, and since he had no funds or collateral, the puppet will soon own Jack's body and mind. Leaving Jack... nowhere.
If someone told me this was going to be a strange and f-k'd up twist on the story of Pinocchio set in a time and place where the shades of the uploaded dead haunt the overlay-mesh, the virtual view of reality, where gods play long games in the ubiquitous and utterly pervasive servers that humanity lives within, then I'd have said... "Wow. That sounds freaking amazing." (No one did.)
Of course, if I had been given the spoilers that follow this little setup, or at least the idea that Jack and Fist find common ground in the short time they have left, that they hunt down the people behind the conspiracies, to get out from under the machinations of gods and aliens, and that they don't always remain in hard place, but manage to hold their own against amazing odds, then I'd have absolutely no reason to worry about whether I'd enjoy the tale.
As a matter of fact, I was AMAZED. It's full of awesomely tight storytelling, great conversations, fast plotting, and of course so much happens that propels this story into the stratosphere that I was left with my jaw dropping through most of the tale.
But let me add a small caveat: Out of all SF, I appreciate and love near-singularity or post-post cyberpunk tales the most out of the entire genre. Anything that sparks my imagination and revs my engines this much is going to be an automatic "Hey You Guys!" But don't let that fool you overmuch.
This one is tight and sharp as hell and a pure delight to glide through. It really ought to be on the short list for anyone's "must awe" list. I've still got Jack and Fist in my head, playing around and learning to live and trust one another. It's a classic. These are truly wonderful characters that won't even be outdone by the huge action scenes and surprises. So what do I say to that? I say Rock ON. :)
I can't believe that this is Al Robertson's debut. Something tells me that he's going to be on my "must read immediately" list from now on. :)
July 29, 2015
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/07/29/a...
Cyberpunk and I don’t always make the best bedfellows, but when I read the description to Crashing Heaven I just knew I had to check it out. Published in the UK, I’d initially decided to either get it shipped from overseas or wait patiently to see if it’ll eventually get a release date this side of the Atlantic. To my happy surprise though, I later discovered on the publisher website that it was actually available in the US in audio format. I very excitedly requested a review copy.
What I got was exactly what the description promised, a novel that hits relentlessly hard, fast and without mercy. I could sense the influence of William Gibson and classic cyberpunk in its bleak narrative about a future of an abandoned Earth, AI wars, and people living in augmented reality. After spending years in prison, protagonist Jack Forster is a soldier who returns home with two things: a reputation as a traitor for surrendering to the Totality, and a virtual puppet named Hugo Fist tethered to his mind. Designed as a weapon to fight the enemy, Fist is a combat-AI which would eventually expire and take Jack’s personality and effectively his life with it.
All Jack wants to do is to clear his name, but upon his return to Station, he discovers that while he was away, two of his old friends have met with suspicious deaths. One of them is a former lover, spurring Jack to get to the bottom of this mystery and find those responsible before his time runs out.
The story can be a bit confusing, though to be fair, I have a history of being frustrated with cyberpunk. While Crashing Heaven may be a much easier read than a lot of other books in the genre, I still found many of its ideas abstract and hard to follow, such as trying to imagine Fist as a puppet that mostly exists inside Jack’s head but which can also be “pulled” out to manifest in a form similar to that of a ventriloquist dummy. The writing is also rough in places and not always sufficient when it comes to giving descriptions, which added to my difficulty.
However, I was also impressed by a lot of ideas in this book. Using Fist as an example again, it’s hard to reconcile the fact that such an innocuous-looking puppet can also be such a deadly weapon, with one hell of a potty-mouth on him to boot. The world is a rich tableau of both wonder and bleakness, where myth mixes with virtual reality. Mysterious entities worshipped as gods walk among the populace and grant favor to the faithful. The dead can return in “Fetches”, bodies housing the memories of the departed so that the living can spend more time with those who have passed on. Almost every aspect of the world-building is multi-faceted and gave me a lot to think about.
Still, probably my favorite part about the book is the relationship between Jack and Fist, the complex dynamic between them and the way it evolves as the story progresses. Forever linked together, the nature of their interactions range from the humorous to the grotesque. You can never predict what Fist might say or do next, which might be exasperating for Jack but it works great for a reader watching these exchanges play out. They inject a fait bit of lightness to this otherwise gritty and despairing story.
Narrator Thomas Judd can also be credited for making the Jack-and-Fist alliance the highlight of this audiobook. His performance was overall decent but nothing too remarkable – except for one thing: his Fist voice. It was perfect. It also helped a lot, considering how much of the book is made up of Jack and Fist going back and forth in conversation.
Apart from a few flaws, Crashing Heaven was a good book. The writing may be awkward at times and the plot is convoluted in places, but the entertainment value in the story makes up for that. Furthermore, dedicated fans of cyberpunk will probably like this even more than I did, so if you love the genre, definitely consider checking out Al Robertson’s unique debut.
Cyberpunk and I don’t always make the best bedfellows, but when I read the description to Crashing Heaven I just knew I had to check it out. Published in the UK, I’d initially decided to either get it shipped from overseas or wait patiently to see if it’ll eventually get a release date this side of the Atlantic. To my happy surprise though, I later discovered on the publisher website that it was actually available in the US in audio format. I very excitedly requested a review copy.
What I got was exactly what the description promised, a novel that hits relentlessly hard, fast and without mercy. I could sense the influence of William Gibson and classic cyberpunk in its bleak narrative about a future of an abandoned Earth, AI wars, and people living in augmented reality. After spending years in prison, protagonist Jack Forster is a soldier who returns home with two things: a reputation as a traitor for surrendering to the Totality, and a virtual puppet named Hugo Fist tethered to his mind. Designed as a weapon to fight the enemy, Fist is a combat-AI which would eventually expire and take Jack’s personality and effectively his life with it.
All Jack wants to do is to clear his name, but upon his return to Station, he discovers that while he was away, two of his old friends have met with suspicious deaths. One of them is a former lover, spurring Jack to get to the bottom of this mystery and find those responsible before his time runs out.
The story can be a bit confusing, though to be fair, I have a history of being frustrated with cyberpunk. While Crashing Heaven may be a much easier read than a lot of other books in the genre, I still found many of its ideas abstract and hard to follow, such as trying to imagine Fist as a puppet that mostly exists inside Jack’s head but which can also be “pulled” out to manifest in a form similar to that of a ventriloquist dummy. The writing is also rough in places and not always sufficient when it comes to giving descriptions, which added to my difficulty.
However, I was also impressed by a lot of ideas in this book. Using Fist as an example again, it’s hard to reconcile the fact that such an innocuous-looking puppet can also be such a deadly weapon, with one hell of a potty-mouth on him to boot. The world is a rich tableau of both wonder and bleakness, where myth mixes with virtual reality. Mysterious entities worshipped as gods walk among the populace and grant favor to the faithful. The dead can return in “Fetches”, bodies housing the memories of the departed so that the living can spend more time with those who have passed on. Almost every aspect of the world-building is multi-faceted and gave me a lot to think about.
Still, probably my favorite part about the book is the relationship between Jack and Fist, the complex dynamic between them and the way it evolves as the story progresses. Forever linked together, the nature of their interactions range from the humorous to the grotesque. You can never predict what Fist might say or do next, which might be exasperating for Jack but it works great for a reader watching these exchanges play out. They inject a fait bit of lightness to this otherwise gritty and despairing story.
Narrator Thomas Judd can also be credited for making the Jack-and-Fist alliance the highlight of this audiobook. His performance was overall decent but nothing too remarkable – except for one thing: his Fist voice. It was perfect. It also helped a lot, considering how much of the book is made up of Jack and Fist going back and forth in conversation.
Apart from a few flaws, Crashing Heaven was a good book. The writing may be awkward at times and the plot is convoluted in places, but the entertainment value in the story makes up for that. Furthermore, dedicated fans of cyberpunk will probably like this even more than I did, so if you love the genre, definitely consider checking out Al Robertson’s unique debut.
July 29, 2016
Na prste jedva jedne ruke mogu nabrojiti cyberpunk knjige koje sam čitao, no nijedna mi nije bila ovoliko dobra kao ova (možda Digitalni ugljik), no s nestrpljenjem očekujem nastavak Waking hell i nove dogodovštine ovih likova, a pogotovo izvrsno osmišljenog, lajavog i borbenog Hugo Fista, najjebenijeg lika.
Ovo je inače novi Matrix, samo to ljudima današnjice još nije došlo iz dupeta u glavu. Ali hoće ;)
Ovo je inače novi Matrix, samo to ljudima današnjice još nije došlo iz dupeta u glavu. Ali hoće ;)
July 5, 2015
The best sense-of-wonder science-fiction debut since Hannu Rajaniemi's Quantum Thief and probably the most well thought and engaging exploration of how our digital society will look in the far-future. Crashing Heaven is not as a hard read in the first part as Quantum Thief, but it's world is as richly textured, full of neologisms and completely devoid of any glossary, road maps or infodumps.
June 24, 2015
(I received a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
3.5/4 stars. This book is definitely of the bleak cyberpunk varity. People escaping their lives through augmented reality. Being able to bring the dead ones to life by using the memories they left imprinted into servers, which in turns makes them puppets, as the living can do a roll-back to specific moments of their former lives whenever they want. "Gods" that may or may not be AIs, revealing the inner despair of those who worship them, as they don't seem to be anything else left to clutch to—and ironically contrasting (or not?) with the Totality, openly proclaimed AIs. The world the story's set in is mainly a decadent solar system. Earth isn't such a nice place anymore. Humans live on Station, and formerly on Mars and the moon, before the Soft War destroyed this, and the peace is fragile at best.
Jack Forster, the protagonist, an accountant unwillingly turned soldier, has spent years in prison after having surrendered to the Totality and being branded a traitor. When he's finally set free, it's only to face dire prospects: almost completely cut from the weave (augmented reality internet), thus unable to see the world as everybody else does; closely monitored by Internal Security as a parolee; haunted by the very case that prompted caused him to be sent to the front; and, last but not least, soon to be wiped off, personality-wise, by Hugo Fist, a combat-AI shaped as a puppet and installed within him.
Jack could just take it easy, live his last weeks quietly before his mind is obliterated by Fist's, make peace with his loved ones (what's left of them: his friends all turned their backs on him after his surrender). And yet, he keeps wanting to do something, to make things right, to reopen that old case and discover who had him and the other people involved disappear in various ways—even though this means being pitched against those who have so much more power than him. It's somewhat useless, futile, but still heroic in its own way.
The writing was a bit rough on the edges at times, with bursts of short sentences that, even though they fit the pace, felt somewhat awkward. As we're thrust into the world of Station, we have to piece things together, which wasn't always easy (but to be honest, I prefer to have to do such "work" rather than be fed pages of info-dumping). There were some predictable turns of events, too, especially at the end. However, the action made them interesting, and mostly I managed to ignore what bothered me in terms of style, and to remain focused on the story.
I couldn't help but see Hugo Fist as the puppet in that Buffy episode, "The Puppet Show": creepy, aggressive, and foul-mouthed. He and his fellow combat-AIs were shaped as puppets in order to be more appealing to children, as their birth directly followed a terrorist attack on the moon, one that killed hundreds of kids... And this was just frightening and wrong, because Fist and the other puppets would likely have been terrifying for most children. There's such a dicrepancy here, which is part of those twisted themes I enjoyed in the book: toys turned killing machines (the Totality's minds *are* minds, not mere rotes unable to evolve or have ideas of their own), the lines getting blurred between what's right and wrong, people lost in their worship to the point of ignoring their own dreams (Corazon) or clutching at the past (Lestak and Issie)...
I liked the relationship between Jack and Hugo, in any case. Fist kept nagging him about what he'd do once he'd inherit his body, urging him not to do anything dangerous in order not to damage it, and Jack managed to face this in quite a stoic way. It's not even like Fist was threatening him: none of them had a say in it, in fact, as it was all a matter of lease and contract in a world ruled by corporate entities and automated such contracts.
The puppet also evolved throughout the story, as any properly-devised AI should, and was definitely more of the jerk with a heart of cold kind, rather than remaining a murderer of artificial minds (or worse). I couldn't help but to smile at his gleeful antics, the "fun" he took in getting into the action after Jack decided to see things through, the way he went about manipulating data and breaking into servers, reflecting a change he wasn't even aware of.
Conclusion: A bit rough in parts due to the style, and not always too easy to follow, but I thoroughly enjoyed the themes developed here, as well as the main characters.
3.5/4 stars. This book is definitely of the bleak cyberpunk varity. People escaping their lives through augmented reality. Being able to bring the dead ones to life by using the memories they left imprinted into servers, which in turns makes them puppets, as the living can do a roll-back to specific moments of their former lives whenever they want. "Gods" that may or may not be AIs, revealing the inner despair of those who worship them, as they don't seem to be anything else left to clutch to—and ironically contrasting (or not?) with the Totality, openly proclaimed AIs. The world the story's set in is mainly a decadent solar system. Earth isn't such a nice place anymore. Humans live on Station, and formerly on Mars and the moon, before the Soft War destroyed this, and the peace is fragile at best.
Jack Forster, the protagonist, an accountant unwillingly turned soldier, has spent years in prison after having surrendered to the Totality and being branded a traitor. When he's finally set free, it's only to face dire prospects: almost completely cut from the weave (augmented reality internet), thus unable to see the world as everybody else does; closely monitored by Internal Security as a parolee; haunted by the very case that prompted caused him to be sent to the front; and, last but not least, soon to be wiped off, personality-wise, by Hugo Fist, a combat-AI shaped as a puppet and installed within him.
Jack could just take it easy, live his last weeks quietly before his mind is obliterated by Fist's, make peace with his loved ones (what's left of them: his friends all turned their backs on him after his surrender). And yet, he keeps wanting to do something, to make things right, to reopen that old case and discover who had him and the other people involved disappear in various ways—even though this means being pitched against those who have so much more power than him. It's somewhat useless, futile, but still heroic in its own way.
The writing was a bit rough on the edges at times, with bursts of short sentences that, even though they fit the pace, felt somewhat awkward. As we're thrust into the world of Station, we have to piece things together, which wasn't always easy (but to be honest, I prefer to have to do such "work" rather than be fed pages of info-dumping). There were some predictable turns of events, too, especially at the end. However, the action made them interesting, and mostly I managed to ignore what bothered me in terms of style, and to remain focused on the story.
I couldn't help but see Hugo Fist as the puppet in that Buffy episode, "The Puppet Show": creepy, aggressive, and foul-mouthed. He and his fellow combat-AIs were shaped as puppets in order to be more appealing to children, as their birth directly followed a terrorist attack on the moon, one that killed hundreds of kids... And this was just frightening and wrong, because Fist and the other puppets would likely have been terrifying for most children. There's such a dicrepancy here, which is part of those twisted themes I enjoyed in the book: toys turned killing machines (the Totality's minds *are* minds, not mere rotes unable to evolve or have ideas of their own), the lines getting blurred between what's right and wrong, people lost in their worship to the point of ignoring their own dreams (Corazon) or clutching at the past (Lestak and Issie)...
I liked the relationship between Jack and Hugo, in any case. Fist kept nagging him about what he'd do once he'd inherit his body, urging him not to do anything dangerous in order not to damage it, and Jack managed to face this in quite a stoic way. It's not even like Fist was threatening him: none of them had a say in it, in fact, as it was all a matter of lease and contract in a world ruled by corporate entities and automated such contracts.
The puppet also evolved throughout the story, as any properly-devised AI should, and was definitely more of the jerk with a heart of cold kind, rather than remaining a murderer of artificial minds (or worse). I couldn't help but to smile at his gleeful antics, the "fun" he took in getting into the action after Jack decided to see things through, the way he went about manipulating data and breaking into servers, reflecting a change he wasn't even aware of.
Conclusion: A bit rough in parts due to the style, and not always too easy to follow, but I thoroughly enjoyed the themes developed here, as well as the main characters.
November 11, 2017
Picked this up a second time. Never been the biggest fan of hard scifi but had heard great things. Loved the banter between Jack and Fist. Wished the world had been evolved a little slower and easily. I really didnt mind the detective noir part of the story. The rating doesnt reflect the book itself more my tastes.
February 2, 2016
This book creates a whole new genre: cyberpunk noir. It's an outstanding sci-fi story, an outstanding noir mystery, and an outstanding read!
What’s left of humanity lives aboard an enormous asteroid transformed into a collection of habitats, called Docklands, the Homelands, and Heaven. Station is controlled by the Pantheon, a group of sentient corporation AIs, who act as patron deities for the Station’s inhabitants. War broke out between the Pantheon and rebel AIs (the Totality) but, after years of fighting throughout the entire solar system, the war was won by the Totality, and defeated soldiers are returning to Station in disgrace. Among these is Jack Forster, a soldier charged with treason by Station authorities, along with the crimes terrorist attacks that have plagued Station. He has the power for these terrorist acts, since Forster is a “Puppeteer” with an overly aggressive, vulgar-mouthed combat AI installed inside him named Hugo Fist.
Fist spends his time in Forster’s head, yelling insults, cussing, cracking foul jokes, urging Forster to perform malicious deeds, but he also embodies himself as an innocent-looking ventriloquist dummy. In a few weeks, Fist’s software license runs out, and will take over Forster’s body after his mind is wiped clean. Before this happens, Forster has returned to Station to find out who murdered his closest friends. This case takes him on a terrifying journey, deep into Station’s secrets, watched by the Pantheon and the Totality’s shock troops.
Al Robertson has a vivid imagination which he uses to create an astonishing vision of a corrupted humanity under attack from within and without. Station, and it’s internet-like “weave” is wonderfully imagined. The bleakness of the novel’s setting is offset by Hugo Fist’s comedic interludes and interruptions. Even with his murderous personality, he becomes a likeable and intimate character.
The story is momentum-building from the get-go. I’ll admit that I was lost for the early part of the book, with absolutely no idea of what was going, where it was happening, and who I was watching. I’m glad I stuck with it! The finale is a breathless race of gruesome violence (both real and imagined), wild conspiracies, crosses and double-crosses, and rapidly changing virtual landscapes. Jack’s relationship with Hugo develops into an ultra-complex give-and-take; it quickly becomes apparent how much each has to lose if they fail this investigation.
I listened to the Audible version, and the narration was very good. Thomas Judd is very adept at portraying distinct voices, from the child-like voice of Hugo Fist to the god-like voices of the Pantheon, and everything in between. His British accent added an interesting twist to the story.
Crashing Heaven is highly original, packed full of wonderfully horrific ideas and extraordinary characters. Al Robertson’s debut novel is a fantastic achievement.
What’s left of humanity lives aboard an enormous asteroid transformed into a collection of habitats, called Docklands, the Homelands, and Heaven. Station is controlled by the Pantheon, a group of sentient corporation AIs, who act as patron deities for the Station’s inhabitants. War broke out between the Pantheon and rebel AIs (the Totality) but, after years of fighting throughout the entire solar system, the war was won by the Totality, and defeated soldiers are returning to Station in disgrace. Among these is Jack Forster, a soldier charged with treason by Station authorities, along with the crimes terrorist attacks that have plagued Station. He has the power for these terrorist acts, since Forster is a “Puppeteer” with an overly aggressive, vulgar-mouthed combat AI installed inside him named Hugo Fist.
Fist spends his time in Forster’s head, yelling insults, cussing, cracking foul jokes, urging Forster to perform malicious deeds, but he also embodies himself as an innocent-looking ventriloquist dummy. In a few weeks, Fist’s software license runs out, and will take over Forster’s body after his mind is wiped clean. Before this happens, Forster has returned to Station to find out who murdered his closest friends. This case takes him on a terrifying journey, deep into Station’s secrets, watched by the Pantheon and the Totality’s shock troops.
Al Robertson has a vivid imagination which he uses to create an astonishing vision of a corrupted humanity under attack from within and without. Station, and it’s internet-like “weave” is wonderfully imagined. The bleakness of the novel’s setting is offset by Hugo Fist’s comedic interludes and interruptions. Even with his murderous personality, he becomes a likeable and intimate character.
The story is momentum-building from the get-go. I’ll admit that I was lost for the early part of the book, with absolutely no idea of what was going, where it was happening, and who I was watching. I’m glad I stuck with it! The finale is a breathless race of gruesome violence (both real and imagined), wild conspiracies, crosses and double-crosses, and rapidly changing virtual landscapes. Jack’s relationship with Hugo develops into an ultra-complex give-and-take; it quickly becomes apparent how much each has to lose if they fail this investigation.
I listened to the Audible version, and the narration was very good. Thomas Judd is very adept at portraying distinct voices, from the child-like voice of Hugo Fist to the god-like voices of the Pantheon, and everything in between. His British accent added an interesting twist to the story.
Crashing Heaven is highly original, packed full of wonderfully horrific ideas and extraordinary characters. Al Robertson’s debut novel is a fantastic achievement.
July 17, 2021
3.5 Stars
I normally struggle with the cyberpunk genre, so I was pleasantly surprised how easy I found this one to consume. Unlike the classics, this one had a lot of heart, focusing on the emotional relationships between the protagonist and his lady. The actual cyberpunk aspects were fascinating and fun. I particularly enjoyed the voice of the artificial intelligence implant/puppet that offered entertaining commentary on the protagonist's actions.
I normally struggle with the cyberpunk genre, so I was pleasantly surprised how easy I found this one to consume. Unlike the classics, this one had a lot of heart, focusing on the emotional relationships between the protagonist and his lady. The actual cyberpunk aspects were fascinating and fun. I particularly enjoyed the voice of the artificial intelligence implant/puppet that offered entertaining commentary on the protagonist's actions.
January 1, 2019
This is easily one of the best cyber-scifi books I've read in a long time!
As with all heavily scifi books, it takes a minute to get your bearings with all the new terminology and how tech works in this world, but it is well worth it in the end. As with most AI based scifi, this book raises questions about the ethics around AI but also introduces the concept of a "fetch" which is a copy of the life/mind of an individual, which can be called forth by loved ones, but must remain in whatever form that person wishes. In some cases, the living family still continue on as though the death hadn't happened. Not to mention the AI's grown for the purposes of war, destroying their own kind, and implanted into humans known as puppeteers. All of this is combined with murder, espionage, and maybe even treason. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
[sadly it looks like the next book isn't available for sale on Amazon in any format, so it might take me a while to get my paws on it]
As with all heavily scifi books, it takes a minute to get your bearings with all the new terminology and how tech works in this world, but it is well worth it in the end. As with most AI based scifi, this book raises questions about the ethics around AI but also introduces the concept of a "fetch" which is a copy of the life/mind of an individual, which can be called forth by loved ones, but must remain in whatever form that person wishes. In some cases, the living family still continue on as though the death hadn't happened. Not to mention the AI's grown for the purposes of war, destroying their own kind, and implanted into humans known as puppeteers. All of this is combined with murder, espionage, and maybe even treason. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
[sadly it looks like the next book isn't available for sale on Amazon in any format, so it might take me a while to get my paws on it]
September 14, 2016
(Audiobook)“Crashing Heaven” has some first rate, second generation ideas. Obviously anything Cyberpunk owes a debt to William Gibson, Bruce Sterling et al. Within that framework we have an exciting and original premise:
Jack Forster is a “Puppeteer”. He *sort of* controls a “puppet” (I think of him as an evil Punch & Judy hacker monkey) named Hugo Fist that exists within his consciousness. The puppet was installed in Jack during war. Failing to check the fine print in his contracts, Jack finds that after he surrenders during war he has breached the contract for the puppet, thus forfeiting all his assets to the company. The company are all dead and dissolved except for Hugo Fist who will now inherit Jack’s remaining assets - namely his body. This setup allows our protagonist and our antagonist to exist inside the same person without requiring amnesia or mental disorders and the like.
I thought this was a solid gold premise. Another idea I really liked was the way religion and corporations were combined to form a kind of brand allegiance with religious overtones. The Gods of the pantheon are essentially CEO’s who have achieved god like powers and may bestow upon their followers anything from generic encouragements to personalized attention and mentorship.
Plenty of Science Fiction novels have had the concept that after someone dies their personality is loaded into a “virtual” drive. Robertson’s addition to the idea is that these computer personalities (called “Fetches”) exist in a sort of nether world called “The coffin drive” whenever they are not summoned into the real world by friends and family (or whoever owns their Fetch rights). I thought this was a great concept as well.
Also Flash Mobs. Flash mobs can only make any story better and we get one here.
So “Crashing Heaven” is very strong in its concepts and ideas. It’s weakness lies in the execution. I have read so many great first books lately that while I want to cut Robertson some slack for writing a pretty good book I’m also a little disappointed he couldn’t turn it into a great one.
An obvious weakness was the strength of the characters. Hugo Fist would have been so much better if he had any character traits beyond “vulgar” and “annoying”. If his dialogue was polished up or made wittier it would have helped significantly. He says things like “I’m going to f*ck them up the arse” which is supposed to be funny because he is a wiiild and craaaazay virtual puppet hacker. You have to do more then make the puppet swear all the time to make him interesting.
Our protagonist Jack is kind of a mixed up character. He turns down some much needed help on more than one occasion because of “moral qualms” (see Spoilers below). The problem is that Jack is only moral about certain things. I don’t get why he would turn down solutions to his most pressing problems because he “is honourable” but has no qualms about...other moral issues. It’s as if Robertson knows he can’t make Jack a goody-too-shoes so he gives him an obvious flaw, which ends up making the character’s motivations feel inconsistent.
I wavered between 2 and 3 stars as it was a fun, well developed world with some great ideas but the character flaws and motivation issues kept me from really caring a whole lot about the outcome.
Narrator Thomas Judd was ok. He gave Fist an annoying voice but he is an annoying character. I don’t think I laughed once in the whole book despite the best attempts at vulgar puppet humour. Where sometimes a great voice actor can generate a laugh where one doesn’t really exist on paper. I think this is more on Robertson then Judd. Voice acting was competent but I guess very few people have heard this audiobook as it was filled with editing errors. Chapter 2 was not edited at all and every time Judd “punched in” we heard the last sentence repeated. This happened a few more times later in the book as well which was a bit amateur-ish.
Jack Forster is a “Puppeteer”. He *sort of* controls a “puppet” (I think of him as an evil Punch & Judy hacker monkey) named Hugo Fist that exists within his consciousness. The puppet was installed in Jack during war. Failing to check the fine print in his contracts, Jack finds that after he surrenders during war he has breached the contract for the puppet, thus forfeiting all his assets to the company. The company are all dead and dissolved except for Hugo Fist who will now inherit Jack’s remaining assets - namely his body. This setup allows our protagonist and our antagonist to exist inside the same person without requiring amnesia or mental disorders and the like.
I thought this was a solid gold premise. Another idea I really liked was the way religion and corporations were combined to form a kind of brand allegiance with religious overtones. The Gods of the pantheon are essentially CEO’s who have achieved god like powers and may bestow upon their followers anything from generic encouragements to personalized attention and mentorship.
Plenty of Science Fiction novels have had the concept that after someone dies their personality is loaded into a “virtual” drive. Robertson’s addition to the idea is that these computer personalities (called “Fetches”) exist in a sort of nether world called “The coffin drive” whenever they are not summoned into the real world by friends and family (or whoever owns their Fetch rights). I thought this was a great concept as well.
Also Flash Mobs. Flash mobs can only make any story better and we get one here.
So “Crashing Heaven” is very strong in its concepts and ideas. It’s weakness lies in the execution. I have read so many great first books lately that while I want to cut Robertson some slack for writing a pretty good book I’m also a little disappointed he couldn’t turn it into a great one.
An obvious weakness was the strength of the characters. Hugo Fist would have been so much better if he had any character traits beyond “vulgar” and “annoying”. If his dialogue was polished up or made wittier it would have helped significantly. He says things like “I’m going to f*ck them up the arse” which is supposed to be funny because he is a wiiild and craaaazay virtual puppet hacker. You have to do more then make the puppet swear all the time to make him interesting.
Our protagonist Jack is kind of a mixed up character. He turns down some much needed help on more than one occasion because of “moral qualms” (see Spoilers below). The problem is that Jack is only moral about certain things. I don’t get why he would turn down solutions to his most pressing problems because he “is honourable” but has no qualms about...other moral issues. It’s as if Robertson knows he can’t make Jack a goody-too-shoes so he gives him an obvious flaw, which ends up making the character’s motivations feel inconsistent.
I wavered between 2 and 3 stars as it was a fun, well developed world with some great ideas but the character flaws and motivation issues kept me from really caring a whole lot about the outcome.
Narrator Thomas Judd was ok. He gave Fist an annoying voice but he is an annoying character. I don’t think I laughed once in the whole book despite the best attempts at vulgar puppet humour. Where sometimes a great voice actor can generate a laugh where one doesn’t really exist on paper. I think this is more on Robertson then Judd. Voice acting was competent but I guess very few people have heard this audiobook as it was filled with editing errors. Chapter 2 was not edited at all and every time Judd “punched in” we heard the last sentence repeated. This happened a few more times later in the book as well which was a bit amateur-ish.
April 26, 2015
If I had six stars to give, I'd give 'em to this. Crashing Heaven is incredible. Like Hannu Rajaniemi writing The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, plus puppets.
September 18, 2016
This was, unfortunately, a DNF, but not for the same rage-blindingly hateful reasons as something like Swords and Scoundrels. Truth is, Crashing Heaven is a fine book, I just don't have the drive to finish it.
That may sound condemnatory, but it isn't meant to be. The writing is sound, if a little staccato, and the story is interesting. The book never really gets above being a pulpy, quasi-meditational cyberpunk detective story (though not anywhere near the standard of Altered Carbon), though it is quite decent a debut from Al Robertson.
Nothing really wrong with that, but I reached the 200 page mark - just over halfway through - and still wasn't sufficiently grabbed enough to keep going. There are questions without answers, a fairly bland protagonist, and a lack of engaging tension to keep the whole thing running. Things perked up after a character who seemed like a mainstay was unceremoniously killed in an out-of-left-field plot twist - "Oh," thought me, "I didn't expect that, now we're getting somewhere!" - but that really didn't lead anywhere interesting. Shame, because that was a good reveal.
It's a fine book, but that's all it is. Just fine. Might come back and finish it one day, but more pressing texts are calling first.
That may sound condemnatory, but it isn't meant to be. The writing is sound, if a little staccato, and the story is interesting. The book never really gets above being a pulpy, quasi-meditational cyberpunk detective story (though not anywhere near the standard of Altered Carbon), though it is quite decent a debut from Al Robertson.
Nothing really wrong with that, but I reached the 200 page mark - just over halfway through - and still wasn't sufficiently grabbed enough to keep going. There are questions without answers, a fairly bland protagonist, and a lack of engaging tension to keep the whole thing running. Things perked up after a character who seemed like a mainstay was unceremoniously killed in an out-of-left-field plot twist - "Oh," thought me, "I didn't expect that, now we're getting somewhere!" - but that really didn't lead anywhere interesting. Shame, because that was a good reveal.
It's a fine book, but that's all it is. Just fine. Might come back and finish it one day, but more pressing texts are calling first.
October 22, 2015
“Crashing Heaven” is a beautiful fusion of William Gibson's, “Neuromancer,” Richard K. Morgan's, “Altered Carbon,” and Greco-Roman bronze age mythos. The novel is set several hundred years after an automated war left Earth barren and uninhabitable. The surviving humans exist in an orbiting space station, Station; from which occasional flashes of nuclear detonations are visible as the AI-robots on the surface continue to rebuild, fight, and obliterate each another in an unceasing automated, stale-mate chaos.
Set against this dystopian backdrop is a a pantheon of anthropomorphic AIs, frequently referred to as “gods,” that maintain Station's systems as well as single out, nurture, and guide the rare individual for greatness. Jack Forster, accountant, was such a man, but his patron AI cast him aside. Now, Jack is burdened with a cyber-weapon embedded in his skull that interacts with the world as a maleficent ventriloquist's dummy named Hugo Fist.
The novel is filled with frequent and vivid depictions of the holographic, virtual-, simulated-, and augmented-reality the surviving humans exist in. It combines Gibson's cybernetic-vision with the post-mortalism that punctuates Morgan. This novel is unique in it's depiction of augmented-reality; presciently stating it will be utilized to selectively edit undesirable features out of the environment – such as drug addicts and the homeless.
This is a genuine, innovative, and clever novel; it is not a rehash.
Set against this dystopian backdrop is a a pantheon of anthropomorphic AIs, frequently referred to as “gods,” that maintain Station's systems as well as single out, nurture, and guide the rare individual for greatness. Jack Forster, accountant, was such a man, but his patron AI cast him aside. Now, Jack is burdened with a cyber-weapon embedded in his skull that interacts with the world as a maleficent ventriloquist's dummy named Hugo Fist.
The novel is filled with frequent and vivid depictions of the holographic, virtual-, simulated-, and augmented-reality the surviving humans exist in. It combines Gibson's cybernetic-vision with the post-mortalism that punctuates Morgan. This novel is unique in it's depiction of augmented-reality; presciently stating it will be utilized to selectively edit undesirable features out of the environment – such as drug addicts and the homeless.
This is a genuine, innovative, and clever novel; it is not a rehash.
June 4, 2016
I loved this book to pieces and I'm already in line to buy the sequel. Well done, Mr. Robertson! Well done!
May 24, 2015
“With Earth abandoned, humanity resides on Station, an industrialised asteroid run by the sentient corporations of the Pantheon. Under their leadership a war has been raging against the Totality – ex-Pantheon AIs gone rogue.
With the war over, Jack Forster and his sidekick Hugo Fist, a virtual ventriloquist’s dummy tied to Jack’s mind and created to destroy the Totality, have returned home.
Labelled a traitor for surrendering to the Totality, all Jack wants is to clear his name but when he discovers two old friends have died under suspicious circumstances he also wants answers. Soon he and Fist are embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens not only their future but all of humanity’s. But with Fist’s software licence about to expire, taking Jack’s life with it, can they bring down the real traitors before their time runs out?”
Based on the publisher’s description above, I must admit that when I got to Crashing Heaven I was rather expecting a violent, yet entertaining type of Space Opera.
Well, Crashing Heaven is not that book – in fact, it is one of the most unusual books I’ve read this year. It is instead what I can only describe as a strange mix of science fiction, detective noir and cyberpunk, with a strong element of Ballard’s dystopian bleakness and William Gibson’s Neuromancer cyberspace upgraded to the 21st century (or, rather, the 28th.)
Some of this you may like – other parts perhaps less so. If you are like me, the character of Hugo Fist is what makes this book work or not work for you. I think that your like or dislike of the novel will mainly depend on your acceptance of the lead characters in the novel.
As was mentioned in the publicity above, Hugo is an AI character that is connected internally to Jack Forster, so closely that when their contract runs out Jack has agreed that he will die and Hugo will take full control of his body. At the moment, Hugo can possess Jack’s body and make him do things he may not want to do, though as we quickly find this is against the law and if caught could lead to Hugo’s demise.
I must admit the thought of a wooden puppet animatronic appearing to allow Hugo to walk around was a trifle off-putting – I kept thinking of the Saw movies and the movie Magic, not to mention Dead of Night and The Twilight Zone for example – but the idea that such a persona was created in order to emphasise the idea of ‘puppet’ and ‘puppeteer’ and make Hugo less frightening for children works reasonably well.
However what makes this all the more unusual is that our first impressions of Hugo suggest that he is seriously messed up – a mean, vindictive, nasty, and manipulative character who is quite different to the rather cool and unemotional AI you may be used to in other novels. His often-maniacal persona made me think of an AI as Mr. Punch, or Batman’s Joker – as unpredictable and moody as you might expect from your usual psychopath.
Part of this may be that on his return to Station, Hugo is restricted in what he is allowed to do, and this no doubt frustrates ‘him’ enormously. As the novel progresses we start to see that such a persona may be a front and that there is more to Hugo than we initially think.
By comparison (but of necessity, I think) Jack Forster is a bit of a non-entity, in counterbalance to Fist’s maniacal behaviour. As we go along we do find out about his past – Andrea, his lost illicit lover, his dead sister and estranged father, for example – but other than that, the Jack we see here is (perhaps deliberately) bland – a sad, depressed figure, rejected by his world and an outsider on a world he has been separated from for years. To rack up the tension, it doesn’t help that he’s on a countdown to a time when his contract runs out, he dies, has his memory wiped and Hugo takes over his body.
Around these two characters, Al Robertson builds an environment filled with interesting ideas. The world that Jack and Hugo live on is ‘Station’, an asteroid-space station habitat that orbits an Earth made uninhabitable by the Soft War. Station is not the shiny future living-space envisioned in Elysium or 2001 – it has been around for hundreds of years and consequently is an amalgam of metastasized residences, shops and business parks. It’s all rather grimy and decrepit, which allows Jack and Hugo to run around in a dark shadowy world that is appropriately grim. This made me think of Blade Runner’s Los Angeles but in space.
Al’s world is appropriately dark for a book determined to be so cyber-noir. What is left of the human race is assisted by The Pantheon, a group of AI’s that fought against the Totality and won, and have celebrity-style god-like status. Most of the human inhabitants here live with ‘weaveware’, a virtual environment that is overlaid on top of the physical one that takes the masses away from the stark reality of this bleak human existence. Tired old buildings have become junkie centres for a drug known as ‘sweat’, their users rapidly degenerating into zombie-like beings obsessed with repetitive work-operations.
Jack’s view on life is rather apropos to the majority on Station – this experiences from the War have left him feeling that AI (and especially The Pantheon) should not be trusted, that the life they offer is a mere sop for the masses. This is not a happy future, even when it may look like it.
There are aliens – Totality bipeds known as ‘squishies’ – who are allowed relatively free access on Station and seem very keen to help Jack in his ‘last days’ but who are regarded with suspicion by most humans. Jack’s friendship with one named Ifor seems genuine but is not particularly liked by Hugo as their generosity may have a deeper motive.
This idea that things are not what they appear at first runs through much of the book. As the book develops, we have a building sense that Jack and Hugo are reluctantly involved in events that go beyond their own concerns – murder, torture, drugs hauls, conspiracies and competing power plays which they are often near but not part of, mean that they soon become part of a much bigger picture. Ultimately they realise that their futures are being played with for the biggest stakes of all, and the future of Station, if not the human race, may depend on what they do.
For such big events, most of the book is tightly plotted on one or two characters and places, until the end when, in cyberspace, things become quite frenetic and don’t quite hold together for me. Though there is resolution, up to a point, it is clear that there are big things still to happen, setting things up for the second book in this duology.
I mentioned on the SFFWorld Forums that I was trying to get my head around writing this review. Having given some time to think about it, I’m still veering between ‘bonkers’ and ‘brilliant’. Personally I’m still not sure whether Crashing Heaven is a case of an author trying hard (perhaps too hard) to be different, or that it is something genuinely original. On one hand I could see some readers seeing it as nothing more than a revamped rehash of older SF ideas, but alternatively it could be a novel that is seen to be trying hard to be something different, riffing off traditional tropes.
Generally though it must be said that Crashing Heaven is good fun and should be applauded for trying to be different. Even if it is not wholly successful for me, I think that many may be less critical of it, to the point where Crashing Heaven could be the start of something that is going to be very big.
With the war over, Jack Forster and his sidekick Hugo Fist, a virtual ventriloquist’s dummy tied to Jack’s mind and created to destroy the Totality, have returned home.
Labelled a traitor for surrendering to the Totality, all Jack wants is to clear his name but when he discovers two old friends have died under suspicious circumstances he also wants answers. Soon he and Fist are embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens not only their future but all of humanity’s. But with Fist’s software licence about to expire, taking Jack’s life with it, can they bring down the real traitors before their time runs out?”
Based on the publisher’s description above, I must admit that when I got to Crashing Heaven I was rather expecting a violent, yet entertaining type of Space Opera.
Well, Crashing Heaven is not that book – in fact, it is one of the most unusual books I’ve read this year. It is instead what I can only describe as a strange mix of science fiction, detective noir and cyberpunk, with a strong element of Ballard’s dystopian bleakness and William Gibson’s Neuromancer cyberspace upgraded to the 21st century (or, rather, the 28th.)
Some of this you may like – other parts perhaps less so. If you are like me, the character of Hugo Fist is what makes this book work or not work for you. I think that your like or dislike of the novel will mainly depend on your acceptance of the lead characters in the novel.
As was mentioned in the publicity above, Hugo is an AI character that is connected internally to Jack Forster, so closely that when their contract runs out Jack has agreed that he will die and Hugo will take full control of his body. At the moment, Hugo can possess Jack’s body and make him do things he may not want to do, though as we quickly find this is against the law and if caught could lead to Hugo’s demise.
I must admit the thought of a wooden puppet animatronic appearing to allow Hugo to walk around was a trifle off-putting – I kept thinking of the Saw movies and the movie Magic, not to mention Dead of Night and The Twilight Zone for example – but the idea that such a persona was created in order to emphasise the idea of ‘puppet’ and ‘puppeteer’ and make Hugo less frightening for children works reasonably well.
However what makes this all the more unusual is that our first impressions of Hugo suggest that he is seriously messed up – a mean, vindictive, nasty, and manipulative character who is quite different to the rather cool and unemotional AI you may be used to in other novels. His often-maniacal persona made me think of an AI as Mr. Punch, or Batman’s Joker – as unpredictable and moody as you might expect from your usual psychopath.
Part of this may be that on his return to Station, Hugo is restricted in what he is allowed to do, and this no doubt frustrates ‘him’ enormously. As the novel progresses we start to see that such a persona may be a front and that there is more to Hugo than we initially think.
By comparison (but of necessity, I think) Jack Forster is a bit of a non-entity, in counterbalance to Fist’s maniacal behaviour. As we go along we do find out about his past – Andrea, his lost illicit lover, his dead sister and estranged father, for example – but other than that, the Jack we see here is (perhaps deliberately) bland – a sad, depressed figure, rejected by his world and an outsider on a world he has been separated from for years. To rack up the tension, it doesn’t help that he’s on a countdown to a time when his contract runs out, he dies, has his memory wiped and Hugo takes over his body.
Around these two characters, Al Robertson builds an environment filled with interesting ideas. The world that Jack and Hugo live on is ‘Station’, an asteroid-space station habitat that orbits an Earth made uninhabitable by the Soft War. Station is not the shiny future living-space envisioned in Elysium or 2001 – it has been around for hundreds of years and consequently is an amalgam of metastasized residences, shops and business parks. It’s all rather grimy and decrepit, which allows Jack and Hugo to run around in a dark shadowy world that is appropriately grim. This made me think of Blade Runner’s Los Angeles but in space.
Al’s world is appropriately dark for a book determined to be so cyber-noir. What is left of the human race is assisted by The Pantheon, a group of AI’s that fought against the Totality and won, and have celebrity-style god-like status. Most of the human inhabitants here live with ‘weaveware’, a virtual environment that is overlaid on top of the physical one that takes the masses away from the stark reality of this bleak human existence. Tired old buildings have become junkie centres for a drug known as ‘sweat’, their users rapidly degenerating into zombie-like beings obsessed with repetitive work-operations.
Jack’s view on life is rather apropos to the majority on Station – this experiences from the War have left him feeling that AI (and especially The Pantheon) should not be trusted, that the life they offer is a mere sop for the masses. This is not a happy future, even when it may look like it.
There are aliens – Totality bipeds known as ‘squishies’ – who are allowed relatively free access on Station and seem very keen to help Jack in his ‘last days’ but who are regarded with suspicion by most humans. Jack’s friendship with one named Ifor seems genuine but is not particularly liked by Hugo as their generosity may have a deeper motive.
This idea that things are not what they appear at first runs through much of the book. As the book develops, we have a building sense that Jack and Hugo are reluctantly involved in events that go beyond their own concerns – murder, torture, drugs hauls, conspiracies and competing power plays which they are often near but not part of, mean that they soon become part of a much bigger picture. Ultimately they realise that their futures are being played with for the biggest stakes of all, and the future of Station, if not the human race, may depend on what they do.
For such big events, most of the book is tightly plotted on one or two characters and places, until the end when, in cyberspace, things become quite frenetic and don’t quite hold together for me. Though there is resolution, up to a point, it is clear that there are big things still to happen, setting things up for the second book in this duology.
I mentioned on the SFFWorld Forums that I was trying to get my head around writing this review. Having given some time to think about it, I’m still veering between ‘bonkers’ and ‘brilliant’. Personally I’m still not sure whether Crashing Heaven is a case of an author trying hard (perhaps too hard) to be different, or that it is something genuinely original. On one hand I could see some readers seeing it as nothing more than a revamped rehash of older SF ideas, but alternatively it could be a novel that is seen to be trying hard to be something different, riffing off traditional tropes.
Generally though it must be said that Crashing Heaven is good fun and should be applauded for trying to be different. Even if it is not wholly successful for me, I think that many may be less critical of it, to the point where Crashing Heaven could be the start of something that is going to be very big.
October 12, 2019
Треть книги – это нуарный киберпанк, где главный герой бродит по закоулкам искусственно созданной человечеством Станции на орбите Земли, ставшей для людей новым домом. Ему умирать через три неполных месяца, и он намерен потратить их на расследование давнего дела, когда-то круто повернувшего его жизнь. Ему не положен выход в сеть и оверлей, так что он видит не код, раскрашивающий блеклую реальность, а всю неприглядность серого и однообразного бытия. В наборе подозрительные кабаки с джаз-певицами, встречи с неожиданными союзниками в переулках и тикающая в голове бомба, отмеряющая оставшееся время.
Мега-корпорации в этой параллели трансформировались в бого-корпорации. Все вокруг живут в оверлее, транслирующем желаемую реальность и отсекающем все остальное (например, наркоманов и бомжей он просто «стирает» с картинки). В этом видится логичный для кибер-постапокалипсис эры переход, как бы цинично это ни звучало. Отдельное удовольствие доставил спутник главгероя – кажется, его автор вырисовывал с особенной любовью. Без него в качестве перчинки Джек был бы очередным героем сай-файного боевика – никакущим.
Я не зря упомянула боевик, потому что остальные две трети книги включают в себя экшн ради экшна, неожиданные сверхсилы, везение на каждом шагу, пиу-пиу в киберпространстве и т.д. Как будто автор устал на полпути и решил поскорее закрутить событийную воронку. Вот так галопом читатель доскакивает до финала, где и бывшие изгои уже не совсем изгои, и проблемы решились практически сами собой. Неужели первые главы, ненавязчиво вводившие в курс дела и обещавшие трагедию, были глюком?
За что точно можно сказать спасибо, так это за воплощение в книге неспособности людей отпускать мертвых. Люди старательно копируют себя на сервер, а после смерти близкие и родные загружают их реконструированный образ и живут иллюзией присутствия. Сильно, да.
hisashiburi
Мега-корпорации в этой параллели трансформировались в бого-корпорации. Все вокруг живут в оверлее, транслирующем желаемую реальность и отсекающем все остальное (например, наркоманов и бомжей он просто «стирает» с картинки). В этом видится логичный для кибер-постапокалипсис эры переход, как бы цинично это ни звучало. Отдельное удовольствие доставил спутник главгероя – кажется, его автор вырисовывал с особенной любовью. Без него в качестве перчинки Джек был бы очередным героем сай-файного боевика – никакущим.
Я не зря упомянула боевик, потому что остальные две трети книги включают в себя экшн ради экшна, неожиданные сверхсилы, везение на каждом шагу, пиу-пиу в киберпространстве и т.д. Как будто автор устал на полпути и решил поскорее закрутить событийную воронку. Вот так галопом читатель доскакивает до финала, где и бывшие изгои уже не совсем изгои, и проблемы решились практически сами собой. Неужели первые главы, ненавязчиво вводившие в курс дела и обещавшие трагедию, были глюком?
За что точно можно сказать спасибо, так это за воплощение в книге неспособности людей отпускать мертвых. Люди старательно копируют себя на сервер, а после смерти близкие и родные загружают их реконструированный образ и живут иллюзией присутствия. Сильно, да.
hisashiburi
November 18, 2018
Du très bon cyberpunk, plein de bonnes idées. Cela mériterait 4 étoiles pour qui n'aurait pas déjà beaucoup lu du genre.
April 3, 2018
http://delivreenlivres.blogspot.fr/20...
Un roman de cyberpunk plein d'idées et à l'ambiance triste dont j'ai bien apprécié la lecture.
Jack Forster reviens sur Station alors que sa vie arrive a son terme pour dire au revoir à sa famille et ses anciens amis et régler certains problèmes qu'il avait laissé en plan en partant à la guerre il y a des années.
Alors que sa quête avance il s'aperçoit qu'il a levé bien plus qu'un lièvre et que le chemin va être très risqué. Mais il n'a pas l'intention d'abandonner, de toute façon il n'a plus rien à perdre ...
Nous avons ici un monde vraiment complexe à comprendre en premier abord et j'avoue que j'ai eu un peu de mal à certains moments à remettre les choses à leur place, c'était ardu ! Mais ne vous en faites pas, tout fini par être clair ou du moins ne pas poser de problème de compréhension.
La terre a été abandonnée et le reste de l'humanité vit sur Station, un vrai monde dominé par des AI. Celles ci se montrent sous forme de dieux, on a tout un panthéon qui a divers fonctions. Ces dieux sont en fait des corporations "vivantes" qui gèrent Station.
La vie sur Station se passe via la Trame, une réalité augmentée qui transforme les ruines en palais et qui permet une vie agréable aux humains dans cette Station vieillissante et surpeuplée.
Jack a combattu dans la guerre logicielle, une guerre qui opposait Station aux AI de la Totalité. Pour cela on lui a donné une marionnette tueuse d'AI, Hugo Fist, qui devait le seconder et lui permettre d'anéantir ses opposants. La guerre c'est terminée, et Jack c'est rendu à la Totalité, ce qui fait de lui un traitre vu du coté de Station. Le problème c'est que la licence d'utilisation de Fist arrive à échéance. Normalement il aurait du pouvoir se séparer de la marionnette et continuer sa vie, mais vu que la laboratoire qui l'a créé a été détruit, ça lui est impossible. Du coup la close de fin de contrat stipule que Fist doit prendre la corps de Jack.
Par conséquent Jack commence l'aventure en sachant qu'il n'a plus que 3 mois à vivre et c'est pour ça qu'on l'accepte à nouveau dans Station, pour lui permettre de faire ses adieux. Il n'a pas accès à la Trame ce qui fait de lui un paria que personne ne veut servir. Surtout qu'il était le serviteur d'un dieu déchu du panthéon, car son dieu aussi a été détruit dans la guerre sous prétexte qu'il était contre. Du coup l'ambiance est vraiment pessimiste dans l'ensemble. J'ai eu besoin de lire un livre bien plus léger au milieu pour me changer les idées.
Ce roman pose de nombreuse questions, notamment sur la différence entre le vivant et l'artificiel, et si c'est vraiment important. J'ai trouvé cette partie la franchement intéressante, notamment sur la fin. Ce monde est vraiment très imaginatif, il a un coté réaliste parce qu'on imagine bien comment des AI-corporations pourraient devenir nos Dieux si ils gèrent tout et rythme nos vie. C'est très effrayant comme idée, mais à la fois très fascinant. J'ai vraiment apprécié de découvrir tout ça.
Mais il y a aussi dans l'histoire elle même pas mal de coté un peu trop "too much". A certains moments il est totalement impossible d'imaginer la suite de l'histoire parce qu'on est un peu trop proche à mon gout du "Ta Gueule, C'est Magique" (sauf qu'ici on serait plus sur du "Ta Gueule, C'est Technologique"). En gros ça partait un peu trop en cacahouète pour moi.
Il y a aussi certaines questions que je me suis posé qui n'ont pas vraiment de réponse sur les explications techniques. Comme par exemple la Trame existe mais par quel moyen physique de connexion? Et même lorsqu'ils ne sont pas dans la Trame les personnages continuent à être connectés, notamment à un moment dans une pièce spéciale, ça n’empêche pas la marionnette de se montrer à tous ou autre ... Du coup disons que ça reste très flou dans mon esprit, et ça m'ennuie un peu.
Un autre point que j'ai trouvé un peu trop exagéré a été Fist la marionnette. Je veux bien qu'on donne des personnalités à des AI, si on veut, mais quel est l’intérêt de lui donner une telle personnalité de gamin psychopathe? Surtout ici ou l'AI est un peu le coéquipier de Jack, donc quand on voit que 70% des dialogues du livres sont des disputes interminables entre lui et Fist, on se pose pas mal de questions. On comprend entre les lignes que soit disant le fait qu'il soit violent fait son efficacité, mais pour moi on peut très bien être très efficace en étant au contraire très clinique, l'un n'implique pas l'autre.
Bref, j'avoue ne pas avoir été très convaincue par ce point.
Pour en revenir aux points plus positifs, j'avoue que l'intrigue m'a vraiment bien plu. Elle boucle toute l'histoire, et j'adore quand à la fin tout les éléments prennent leur place de façon claire. C'était bien trouvé et j'ai passé un très bon moment.
Au final malgré quelques cotés mitigés et un peu trop exagéré, j'ai bien apprécié cette lecture. La fin était vraiment sympa et j'ai refermé le livre en étant satisfaite du résultat.
16/20
Un roman de cyberpunk plein d'idées et à l'ambiance triste dont j'ai bien apprécié la lecture.
Jack Forster reviens sur Station alors que sa vie arrive a son terme pour dire au revoir à sa famille et ses anciens amis et régler certains problèmes qu'il avait laissé en plan en partant à la guerre il y a des années.
Alors que sa quête avance il s'aperçoit qu'il a levé bien plus qu'un lièvre et que le chemin va être très risqué. Mais il n'a pas l'intention d'abandonner, de toute façon il n'a plus rien à perdre ...
Nous avons ici un monde vraiment complexe à comprendre en premier abord et j'avoue que j'ai eu un peu de mal à certains moments à remettre les choses à leur place, c'était ardu ! Mais ne vous en faites pas, tout fini par être clair ou du moins ne pas poser de problème de compréhension.
La terre a été abandonnée et le reste de l'humanité vit sur Station, un vrai monde dominé par des AI. Celles ci se montrent sous forme de dieux, on a tout un panthéon qui a divers fonctions. Ces dieux sont en fait des corporations "vivantes" qui gèrent Station.
La vie sur Station se passe via la Trame, une réalité augmentée qui transforme les ruines en palais et qui permet une vie agréable aux humains dans cette Station vieillissante et surpeuplée.
Jack a combattu dans la guerre logicielle, une guerre qui opposait Station aux AI de la Totalité. Pour cela on lui a donné une marionnette tueuse d'AI, Hugo Fist, qui devait le seconder et lui permettre d'anéantir ses opposants. La guerre c'est terminée, et Jack c'est rendu à la Totalité, ce qui fait de lui un traitre vu du coté de Station. Le problème c'est que la licence d'utilisation de Fist arrive à échéance. Normalement il aurait du pouvoir se séparer de la marionnette et continuer sa vie, mais vu que la laboratoire qui l'a créé a été détruit, ça lui est impossible. Du coup la close de fin de contrat stipule que Fist doit prendre la corps de Jack.
Par conséquent Jack commence l'aventure en sachant qu'il n'a plus que 3 mois à vivre et c'est pour ça qu'on l'accepte à nouveau dans Station, pour lui permettre de faire ses adieux. Il n'a pas accès à la Trame ce qui fait de lui un paria que personne ne veut servir. Surtout qu'il était le serviteur d'un dieu déchu du panthéon, car son dieu aussi a été détruit dans la guerre sous prétexte qu'il était contre. Du coup l'ambiance est vraiment pessimiste dans l'ensemble. J'ai eu besoin de lire un livre bien plus léger au milieu pour me changer les idées.
Ce roman pose de nombreuse questions, notamment sur la différence entre le vivant et l'artificiel, et si c'est vraiment important. J'ai trouvé cette partie la franchement intéressante, notamment sur la fin. Ce monde est vraiment très imaginatif, il a un coté réaliste parce qu'on imagine bien comment des AI-corporations pourraient devenir nos Dieux si ils gèrent tout et rythme nos vie. C'est très effrayant comme idée, mais à la fois très fascinant. J'ai vraiment apprécié de découvrir tout ça.
Mais il y a aussi dans l'histoire elle même pas mal de coté un peu trop "too much". A certains moments il est totalement impossible d'imaginer la suite de l'histoire parce qu'on est un peu trop proche à mon gout du "Ta Gueule, C'est Magique" (sauf qu'ici on serait plus sur du "Ta Gueule, C'est Technologique"). En gros ça partait un peu trop en cacahouète pour moi.
Il y a aussi certaines questions que je me suis posé qui n'ont pas vraiment de réponse sur les explications techniques. Comme par exemple la Trame existe mais par quel moyen physique de connexion? Et même lorsqu'ils ne sont pas dans la Trame les personnages continuent à être connectés, notamment à un moment dans une pièce spéciale, ça n’empêche pas la marionnette de se montrer à tous ou autre ... Du coup disons que ça reste très flou dans mon esprit, et ça m'ennuie un peu.
Un autre point que j'ai trouvé un peu trop exagéré a été Fist la marionnette. Je veux bien qu'on donne des personnalités à des AI, si on veut, mais quel est l’intérêt de lui donner une telle personnalité de gamin psychopathe? Surtout ici ou l'AI est un peu le coéquipier de Jack, donc quand on voit que 70% des dialogues du livres sont des disputes interminables entre lui et Fist, on se pose pas mal de questions. On comprend entre les lignes que soit disant le fait qu'il soit violent fait son efficacité, mais pour moi on peut très bien être très efficace en étant au contraire très clinique, l'un n'implique pas l'autre.
Bref, j'avoue ne pas avoir été très convaincue par ce point.
Pour en revenir aux points plus positifs, j'avoue que l'intrigue m'a vraiment bien plu. Elle boucle toute l'histoire, et j'adore quand à la fin tout les éléments prennent leur place de façon claire. C'était bien trouvé et j'ai passé un très bon moment.
Au final malgré quelques cotés mitigés et un peu trop exagéré, j'ai bien apprécié cette lecture. La fin était vraiment sympa et j'ai refermé le livre en étant satisfaite du résultat.
16/20
March 16, 2015
Crashing Heaven is, at heart, a fast-paced techno-thriller. It’s also a novel of ideas. Some of those are a bit more successful in their expression than others, but there’s a lot of good thoughts in here.
From a narrative point of view, our protagonist is Jack Forster. He’s returning to the rather starkly named ‘Station’ following the conclusion of a war between Station and a group AI consciousness called the Totality, which is spread across the rest of the system. During the war, Jack served as an AI killer; he had a military attack personality AI implanted into his skull, and the two of them brutally savaged several Totality minds. Then, for reasons which are at least initially unclear, Jack surrendered.
His return is not a happy one. The people of Station know that he surrendered, and regard him as a traitor. His friends and lover no longer answer his messages. And the AI in his head, the ‘puppet’, called Fist, is going to take over his body in the near future, once his licence to use it expires.
It’s a bleak introduction, and part of what makes it work is the setting. Station comes off as a semi-dystopian oligarchy. The last of humanity live under the notionally benevolent rule of a cabal of artificial intelligences, in varying levels of servitude and squalor. Each of the AI seems to represent one or more of the Station’s functional areas, and rewards its acolytes with greater privileges the more useful they become. Almost all humans have an AI ‘patron’, and almost all of those aspire to live in the area of the station labelled ‘Heaven’ – though in less salubrious areas in the meantime.
One of the more creepingly clever ideas here is that each individual is hooked into the ‘Weave’, a sort of pervasive augmented reality. When on the weave, a user can see virtual enhancements to architecture, suffer through virtual advertising in a myriad of ways, and purchase licences to experience sensory enhancements – improvements to flavour, for example, make proto-mush seem like filet mignon. Robertson shows us the good and bad side of the Weave – that people can experience a better world, but may lose sight of what goes on around them – and takes a nice sideswipe at the ever increasing encroachment of licencing over ownership at the same time.
The other area where the text shines is the characters in this environment, especially the ongoing dialogue between the protagonist and the twisted, driven AI stuck in his head. The two distinct voices – one pained, worn down, worn away and aware of encroaching mortality – the other vicious, childlike, oddly affectionate, driven and amoral – intertwined together within the text is an excellent device, and the reader is left curiously sympathetic to both parties. I won’t go into more detail for fear of spoilers, but will say that both Forster and Fist have the opportunity to grow and evolve through the text, and this they do, very convincingly.
There’s some other themes in the text as well – the dangers of memory, the problem of living gods, the issue of being unable to move on, to let go, to change, as a few examples. These become clearer as the text proceeds, and they’re not strong arguments within it – rather, more subtle touches within the prose make points that gradually slide into the user’s consciousness, slotting together with the rest of the text to make slow but impactful suggestions.
Speaking of the prose – it’s very well done. Dense, closely packed, vivid, and occasionally quite witty. There’s a fair amount of running about in the text, and the pacing in this regard is pitch perfect ; once into an action sequence, I found myself turning pages almost involuntarily. The dialogue is solid, written in a way in which people actually speak, and very easy to read because of it. Each character has a distinct voice, and some of them are genuinely funny or insightful.
If there’s an area for improvement, it’s in the back-end of the narrative. Some of the twists and turns are a bit telegraphed, and some of the conclusions had been rather clearly set up through the middle of the narrative – on the other hand, there were some genuine surprises, and the dénouement is both convincing and satisfying.
Overall then, this is a good sci-fi action-character piece, with some great broader ideas running through its core. Come for the running through corridors shooting things, or for the altering virtual realities to break into secured areas, and stay for the quiet conversations between a man and the AI which will eventually kill him. Very much worth the read.
From a narrative point of view, our protagonist is Jack Forster. He’s returning to the rather starkly named ‘Station’ following the conclusion of a war between Station and a group AI consciousness called the Totality, which is spread across the rest of the system. During the war, Jack served as an AI killer; he had a military attack personality AI implanted into his skull, and the two of them brutally savaged several Totality minds. Then, for reasons which are at least initially unclear, Jack surrendered.
His return is not a happy one. The people of Station know that he surrendered, and regard him as a traitor. His friends and lover no longer answer his messages. And the AI in his head, the ‘puppet’, called Fist, is going to take over his body in the near future, once his licence to use it expires.
It’s a bleak introduction, and part of what makes it work is the setting. Station comes off as a semi-dystopian oligarchy. The last of humanity live under the notionally benevolent rule of a cabal of artificial intelligences, in varying levels of servitude and squalor. Each of the AI seems to represent one or more of the Station’s functional areas, and rewards its acolytes with greater privileges the more useful they become. Almost all humans have an AI ‘patron’, and almost all of those aspire to live in the area of the station labelled ‘Heaven’ – though in less salubrious areas in the meantime.
One of the more creepingly clever ideas here is that each individual is hooked into the ‘Weave’, a sort of pervasive augmented reality. When on the weave, a user can see virtual enhancements to architecture, suffer through virtual advertising in a myriad of ways, and purchase licences to experience sensory enhancements – improvements to flavour, for example, make proto-mush seem like filet mignon. Robertson shows us the good and bad side of the Weave – that people can experience a better world, but may lose sight of what goes on around them – and takes a nice sideswipe at the ever increasing encroachment of licencing over ownership at the same time.
The other area where the text shines is the characters in this environment, especially the ongoing dialogue between the protagonist and the twisted, driven AI stuck in his head. The two distinct voices – one pained, worn down, worn away and aware of encroaching mortality – the other vicious, childlike, oddly affectionate, driven and amoral – intertwined together within the text is an excellent device, and the reader is left curiously sympathetic to both parties. I won’t go into more detail for fear of spoilers, but will say that both Forster and Fist have the opportunity to grow and evolve through the text, and this they do, very convincingly.
There’s some other themes in the text as well – the dangers of memory, the problem of living gods, the issue of being unable to move on, to let go, to change, as a few examples. These become clearer as the text proceeds, and they’re not strong arguments within it – rather, more subtle touches within the prose make points that gradually slide into the user’s consciousness, slotting together with the rest of the text to make slow but impactful suggestions.
Speaking of the prose – it’s very well done. Dense, closely packed, vivid, and occasionally quite witty. There’s a fair amount of running about in the text, and the pacing in this regard is pitch perfect ; once into an action sequence, I found myself turning pages almost involuntarily. The dialogue is solid, written in a way in which people actually speak, and very easy to read because of it. Each character has a distinct voice, and some of them are genuinely funny or insightful.
If there’s an area for improvement, it’s in the back-end of the narrative. Some of the twists and turns are a bit telegraphed, and some of the conclusions had been rather clearly set up through the middle of the narrative – on the other hand, there were some genuine surprises, and the dénouement is both convincing and satisfying.
Overall then, this is a good sci-fi action-character piece, with some great broader ideas running through its core. Come for the running through corridors shooting things, or for the altering virtual realities to break into secured areas, and stay for the quiet conversations between a man and the AI which will eventually kill him. Very much worth the read.
December 3, 2016
Ecco un bel libro di fantascienza.
Siamo in un non meglio precisato futuro. La Terra ormai è invivibile e l'umanità vive nella Stazione, in orbita intorno al loro vecchio pianeta.
Per evitare che si ripetano gli errori del passato, lo sviluppo umano è guidato dal Pantheon, un gruppo di Intelligenze Artificiali venerate come divinità che si spartiscono la fede della popolazione, le attività e i campi di interesse.
Siamo in un futuro altamente tecnologico, dove il mondo reale è grigio e povero.
La vita si svolge "onweave", immersi in una sorta di realtà aumentata che sovrappone livelli di meraviglia al substrato fisico della Stazione.
Le Intelligenze Artificiali sono la norma, ovviamente, e così pure i fantasmi dei defunti, costrutti artificiali generati dai ricordi e dai dati delle persone, e richiamati a volontà dai loro familiari.
In tutto questo abbiamo la guerra con la Totalità, un'organizzazione di Intelligenze Artificiali fuggiasche scappate dalla Stazione ed evolutesi per proprio conto fino a formare questa entità collettiva, subito osteggiata dalla Stazione che la vede come propria antitesi.
E sopratutto abbiamo Jack e Fist.
Jack era un contabile, scelto dal proprio Patrono (uno degli Dei Artificiali) come suo favorito, entrato nelle forze di polizia e, allo scoppio della guerra, divenuto Burattinaio.
Ovvero, gli hanno impiantato nel cervello una IA evoluta e guerriera, Fist, programmata per distruggere le IA della Totalità.
Ma Jack non è un soldato, e col passare del tempo ha iniziato a dubitare degli Dei e della guerra, finendo con l'arrendersi al nemico.
Ora è uscito di galera ed è tornato sulla Stazione per vivere i suoi ultimi mesi di vita prima che cavilli legali e burocratici gli impongano di scomparire cedendo a Fist il proprio corpo.
Ma possono l'ultimo Burattinaio e l'ultimo Burattino vivere in pace i loro ultimi giorni, quando ci sono in corso le trattative per la pace tra Pantheon e Totalità, e quando un vecchio caso irrisolto di Jack torna alla luce minacciando di distruggere l'intera Stazione?
Ovvio che no...
Ambientazione molto buona, idea di fondo ottima.
Bene i personaggi di Jack e Fist, bene a tratti Grey, gli altri restano un po' sullo sfondo onestamente.
Bene lo sviluppo della storia, anche se la manona degli Dei si vede un po' troppo spesso.
Mi sono piaciuti gli scontri cybernetici di Fist.
Un autore da tenere d'occhio, considerando che questo è il suo primo libro.
Siamo in un non meglio precisato futuro. La Terra ormai è invivibile e l'umanità vive nella Stazione, in orbita intorno al loro vecchio pianeta.
Per evitare che si ripetano gli errori del passato, lo sviluppo umano è guidato dal Pantheon, un gruppo di Intelligenze Artificiali venerate come divinità che si spartiscono la fede della popolazione, le attività e i campi di interesse.
Siamo in un futuro altamente tecnologico, dove il mondo reale è grigio e povero.
La vita si svolge "onweave", immersi in una sorta di realtà aumentata che sovrappone livelli di meraviglia al substrato fisico della Stazione.
Le Intelligenze Artificiali sono la norma, ovviamente, e così pure i fantasmi dei defunti, costrutti artificiali generati dai ricordi e dai dati delle persone, e richiamati a volontà dai loro familiari.
In tutto questo abbiamo la guerra con la Totalità, un'organizzazione di Intelligenze Artificiali fuggiasche scappate dalla Stazione ed evolutesi per proprio conto fino a formare questa entità collettiva, subito osteggiata dalla Stazione che la vede come propria antitesi.
E sopratutto abbiamo Jack e Fist.
Jack era un contabile, scelto dal proprio Patrono (uno degli Dei Artificiali) come suo favorito, entrato nelle forze di polizia e, allo scoppio della guerra, divenuto Burattinaio.
Ovvero, gli hanno impiantato nel cervello una IA evoluta e guerriera, Fist, programmata per distruggere le IA della Totalità.
Ma Jack non è un soldato, e col passare del tempo ha iniziato a dubitare degli Dei e della guerra, finendo con l'arrendersi al nemico.
Ora è uscito di galera ed è tornato sulla Stazione per vivere i suoi ultimi mesi di vita prima che cavilli legali e burocratici gli impongano di scomparire cedendo a Fist il proprio corpo.
Ma possono l'ultimo Burattinaio e l'ultimo Burattino vivere in pace i loro ultimi giorni, quando ci sono in corso le trattative per la pace tra Pantheon e Totalità, e quando un vecchio caso irrisolto di Jack torna alla luce minacciando di distruggere l'intera Stazione?
Ovvio che no...
Ambientazione molto buona, idea di fondo ottima.
Bene i personaggi di Jack e Fist, bene a tratti Grey, gli altri restano un po' sullo sfondo onestamente.
Bene lo sviluppo della storia, anche se la manona degli Dei si vede un po' troppo spesso.
Mi sono piaciuti gli scontri cybernetici di Fist.
Un autore da tenere d'occhio, considerando che questo è il suo primo libro.
September 11, 2017
There's an engaging mix of powerful thriller and science fiction in this impressive novel. After the Earth has been rendered uninhabitable, human life is limited to vast space station. Our central character, Jack, has a symbiotic artificial intelligence, Hugo Fist, designed to destroy other AIs in a mysterious collective that is said to have committed an atrocity - but with a kick in the tail that because of an unbreakable contract, Fist will take over Jack's body in a few weeks' time.
Al Robertson packs remarkable technology concepts into the cyber side of this story, from AI corporations that act as a pantheon of gods to the 'puppet' that is Fist (he usually come across as a virtual cross between Mr Punch and an evil ventriloquist's dummy). Robertson does all the cyber stuff so well that it's easy to miss that this is, in effect, a myth in electronic clothing - you could substitute the myths of 'real' Greek gods and magic for what happens here. Although everything is described in cyber-terminology the designers of this technology seem so determined to give everything a 'realistic' skin that the result is just as if magical beings were in action. So, for example, when Fist gets hurt, his projected image appears damaged, explained as because resources aren't available to show him whole - even though it would take more resources to show him damaged.
This doesn't take away from the book at all - you just have to go with the flow. And what an excellent flow it is. Robertson's imagination pumps out remarkable possibilities for a world where the 'weave' (think web plus) enables nothing to be what it seems to the vast majority who are permanently connected through implants. I'm not going to describe any of these examples as it would verge on a spoiler, but there are many beautiful touches. Just occasionally that flow is broken by over-heavy chunks of backstory (rather too much tell and not enough show) - but this gets less common as we head into the book.
I'm not a great fan of post-apocalyptic stories or of space operas - but though there are elements of both here, they're just set dressing for a fantastic bit of storytelling.
Al Robertson packs remarkable technology concepts into the cyber side of this story, from AI corporations that act as a pantheon of gods to the 'puppet' that is Fist (he usually come across as a virtual cross between Mr Punch and an evil ventriloquist's dummy). Robertson does all the cyber stuff so well that it's easy to miss that this is, in effect, a myth in electronic clothing - you could substitute the myths of 'real' Greek gods and magic for what happens here. Although everything is described in cyber-terminology the designers of this technology seem so determined to give everything a 'realistic' skin that the result is just as if magical beings were in action. So, for example, when Fist gets hurt, his projected image appears damaged, explained as because resources aren't available to show him whole - even though it would take more resources to show him damaged.
This doesn't take away from the book at all - you just have to go with the flow. And what an excellent flow it is. Robertson's imagination pumps out remarkable possibilities for a world where the 'weave' (think web plus) enables nothing to be what it seems to the vast majority who are permanently connected through implants. I'm not going to describe any of these examples as it would verge on a spoiler, but there are many beautiful touches. Just occasionally that flow is broken by over-heavy chunks of backstory (rather too much tell and not enough show) - but this gets less common as we head into the book.
I'm not a great fan of post-apocalyptic stories or of space operas - but though there are elements of both here, they're just set dressing for a fantastic bit of storytelling.
December 30, 2015
Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com.
This was okay. A reasonably good science fiction book. The problem I had with this, and other books like it who have some sort of futuristic version of the internet. Is that the authors never really fully explain how it works. I mean authors will describe it as some sort of virtual reality, maybe mention spam bots or anti-virus or something like that. But they never fully explain how it works. I would like that little bit of computer science in there to understand whats going on. But I don’t know, that might just be me being a computer nerd.
I also didn’t like the description of the space station. We are told that the station is on an asteroid, but I could never work out if it looked like the ship in that whale episode of Doctor Who or if it looked like the Citadel in Mass Effect. I couldn’t properly visualize the station and that annoyed me.
The fact that the station was being run by gods was annoying too. We are told what the gods do to keep the place running, but we are never told why there are a bunch of gods running the station. I don’t even think these gods were people, from what I could tell they were just lines of code.
But yes, this wasn’t great. Could be much better. If you liked Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Thomas Sweterlitsch you might want to give this a read. Otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it.
This was okay. A reasonably good science fiction book. The problem I had with this, and other books like it who have some sort of futuristic version of the internet. Is that the authors never really fully explain how it works. I mean authors will describe it as some sort of virtual reality, maybe mention spam bots or anti-virus or something like that. But they never fully explain how it works. I would like that little bit of computer science in there to understand whats going on. But I don’t know, that might just be me being a computer nerd.
I also didn’t like the description of the space station. We are told that the station is on an asteroid, but I could never work out if it looked like the ship in that whale episode of Doctor Who or if it looked like the Citadel in Mass Effect. I couldn’t properly visualize the station and that annoyed me.
The fact that the station was being run by gods was annoying too. We are told what the gods do to keep the place running, but we are never told why there are a bunch of gods running the station. I don’t even think these gods were people, from what I could tell they were just lines of code.
But yes, this wasn’t great. Could be much better. If you liked Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Thomas Sweterlitsch you might want to give this a read. Otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it.
March 6, 2015
With shades of New Wave Sci-Fi, Crashing Heaven carries the torch of cyberpunk into new territory. Dr Who gave me a fear of ventriloquist dummies, and with the character Hugo Fist, Al Robertson has started the nightmares afresh. A smart and inventive tale, confidently told. This book is a fine example of the healthy state modern Sci-Fi is in.
January 3, 2018
Hugely clever and witty - I suspect Hugo Fist will prove unforgettable!
November 13, 2016
Started very strong. Lost quite a bit of momentum half way through as the writing grew less tight. Wheels fell off two-thirds through as writing got really lazy. I was skimming pages at the end.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
January 8, 2019I don't normally abandon a book once I'm past a hundred pages in, and this had already narrowly dodged the urge once. But yesterday I had a minor epiphany and realised that I was feeling no enthusiasm whatsoever for the conclusion of Brian Catling's Vorrh trilogy*, and I'd had it out for months, so I might as well just take it back to the library. And once that wall was down this, from the same library, was a natural second victim. The reference points are all fine - it's pretty much a Richard Morgan plot in a Hannu Rajaniemi world, with an accountant/auditor protagonist such as everyone from Stross to Daniel Abraham and Seth Dickinson was using a few years back. Hell, the way that the space station setting's divided up into the responsibility of various corporate/AI 'gods' even reminded me of Archer's Goon. And there was something ingenious in the set-up of the world, and the fate hanging over the protagonist. Humanity has fled the wrecked Earth for Station, on which everything from walls to flavours is fairly plain, with the detail and decoration and savour added by AR 'weave' from which our lead is exiled, so he sees everyone reacting to visuals he can't see, and indeed editing him out of their worlds as an unsavoury element, the way commuters do the homeless only more so. That's good. Doubly so, the way that the imminent erasure of his personality (with his body then passing to the intrusion AI co-resident in his mind) is essentially down to an IP licensing error, death by obsolete DRM with inadequate legacy preparations – a detail so horribly plausible and timely that I burst out laughing and resolved to continue. But as we got further into the specifics of the drug-smuggling/cover-up case he wants to investigate, as the puppet in his head gets ever more arsey, I couldn't get over the fact that I just wasn't quite connecting with any of it. Now, granted, I'll often read more for a mood or an ingenious bit of world-building than for a plot or even characters, but there are limits, and this was falling ever so slightly below them. I attempted it because I'd seen Robertson give a talk on the occult roots of computing, and felt that his material was far more interesting than his delivery. But a writer is not necessarily the same as a public speaker, so I thought I'd see if he works better on the page. And he does, a bit, but that same mismatch is still there, and a certain spark missing. Had I fewer books to read, I might well have persevered; it's certainly not bad as such. But nor is it quite good enough.
*After the first book seemed like such a daring reinvention of everything one associates with fantasy as a genre, the second was a real reversion to type. Not in so far as it dropped a bunch of elves and orcs and magic swords in, but by being a disappointing follow-up lacking the first book's power and cohesion. And everything I've read from people who felt likewise about those two suggested the third was even more so. Which being the case...well, I'm not obliged to read it, am I? This may sound like stating the obvious, but we have all our patterns of behaviour, and the sunk cost fallacy certainly plays in to some of mine. Curiously, on Goodreads each book in the series has a higher mark than its predecessor. The reasons for this discrepancy are obvious – you're going to weed out the people who aren't into a given concept and style as you go along – but it still feels like one of those statistical phenomena which should have a name, and have possibly been mangled to get the premise for an episode of Numb3rs.
*After the first book seemed like such a daring reinvention of everything one associates with fantasy as a genre, the second was a real reversion to type. Not in so far as it dropped a bunch of elves and orcs and magic swords in, but by being a disappointing follow-up lacking the first book's power and cohesion. And everything I've read from people who felt likewise about those two suggested the third was even more so. Which being the case...well, I'm not obliged to read it, am I? This may sound like stating the obvious, but we have all our patterns of behaviour, and the sunk cost fallacy certainly plays in to some of mine. Curiously, on Goodreads each book in the series has a higher mark than its predecessor. The reasons for this discrepancy are obvious – you're going to weed out the people who aren't into a given concept and style as you go along – but it still feels like one of those statistical phenomena which should have a name, and have possibly been mangled to get the premise for an episode of Numb3rs.
July 12, 2017
Crashing Heaven is first rate second generation cyberpunk, hard boiled and gritty as a granola mixed with rocks so on the surface I should have loved this. This bold debut novel is so full of ideas I feel like many of them will go over many readers heads. Al Robertson certainly went for it with this book.
Set in the aftermath of both ecological devastation and a war with AI overlords on one of the space stations orbiting the dead earth. there are lots of new interesting details The AI's who control the weave (a more virtual reality future internet) have established themselves as gods, many of the cyborgs live in wooden shells, and our main character has a vituual puppet who he uses for guidance as he tries to solve the mystery of who killed his now dead Ex-lover who is only alive as simulation based on data called a fetch.
The level of gee-whiz inventiveness is turned up to 11,and many of the novels best moments are found in the banter mostly internal between Jack and his puppet Fist. Fist often comments on the scenes being stand-in for the reader, being for example disgusted by the cheezy romance between Jack and his ex Andrea. The only weakness in the setting was that I felt the space stattion was not as wild or Dangerous feeling to me as I think the author intended.
I think this is a pretty cool novel and there were times when I really enjoyed it, but failed to connect to the material at other times. As inventive and cool as the world building was I was not super into the narrative. I would find myself losing attention, my mind would wonder. I don't know or can't explain because at other times I was enjoying the book alot. I think it is me, not the book but more than once I thought about letting it go.
I pushed through and I am glad I read it. Certainly this novel is an heir to the legacy of Cyberpunk, and certainly it carries the torch well for a debut. That said I believe it will not bee the shock to the system that the Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon had on the scene back when it came out. You can certainly feel the William Gibson influence dripping off the page and in some ways Crashing Heaven is more accessible than Gibson.
So I didn't really connect with this book, but that doesn't mean it is not good. On paper all the elements are there, but didn't connect with me. The setting of the space station was very cool, I think it would have been neat if that was not revealed until deep into the novel.
None the less I think if you enjoy cyberpunk this is a safe bet. Overall I think most readers will enjoy for the inventive settings and details alone.
Set in the aftermath of both ecological devastation and a war with AI overlords on one of the space stations orbiting the dead earth. there are lots of new interesting details The AI's who control the weave (a more virtual reality future internet) have established themselves as gods, many of the cyborgs live in wooden shells, and our main character has a vituual puppet who he uses for guidance as he tries to solve the mystery of who killed his now dead Ex-lover who is only alive as simulation based on data called a fetch.
The level of gee-whiz inventiveness is turned up to 11,and many of the novels best moments are found in the banter mostly internal between Jack and his puppet Fist. Fist often comments on the scenes being stand-in for the reader, being for example disgusted by the cheezy romance between Jack and his ex Andrea. The only weakness in the setting was that I felt the space stattion was not as wild or Dangerous feeling to me as I think the author intended.
I think this is a pretty cool novel and there were times when I really enjoyed it, but failed to connect to the material at other times. As inventive and cool as the world building was I was not super into the narrative. I would find myself losing attention, my mind would wonder. I don't know or can't explain because at other times I was enjoying the book alot. I think it is me, not the book but more than once I thought about letting it go.
I pushed through and I am glad I read it. Certainly this novel is an heir to the legacy of Cyberpunk, and certainly it carries the torch well for a debut. That said I believe it will not bee the shock to the system that the Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon had on the scene back when it came out. You can certainly feel the William Gibson influence dripping off the page and in some ways Crashing Heaven is more accessible than Gibson.
So I didn't really connect with this book, but that doesn't mean it is not good. On paper all the elements are there, but didn't connect with me. The setting of the space station was very cool, I think it would have been neat if that was not revealed until deep into the novel.
None the less I think if you enjoy cyberpunk this is a safe bet. Overall I think most readers will enjoy for the inventive settings and details alone.
June 3, 2015
originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2015...
Last year Gollancz published some stellar debuts, the big names included: Den Patrick, Jon Wallace and Edward Cox. This year Gollancz is continuing the streak with among others this book. Crashing Heaven by Al Robertson. Science Fiction has been a genre where the guidelines in writing are crystal clear. Several elements have to be in there, but what if you would just go that extra bit? Well that is when you end up with Crashing Heaven. It is a lot like your Space Opera story, but with a lot of added bonuses that produces a sharp story and a great sense of wonder. Al Robertson has written various short stories for magazine such as Interzone and Black Static, Crashing Heaven is his first full length book.
The story of Crashing Heaven focuses on Jack Forster and Hugo Fist. Jack is war veteran who fought against the rogue AI's known as the Totality. What gave Jack a definite edge in the battle was his implant. Not an standard run of the mill arm of leg augmentation giving you strength. The implant that Jack received was another AI in his mind, the AI known as Hugo Fist. They were the perfect couple, together they didn't destroy minds they decimated them, they were the most feared ones. At the end of the war Jack was branded a traitor and this doesn't make his return to Station, humanities last refuge on the face of an asteroid, any easier. Jack was one of the lucky few who managed to survive he lost a lot of friends and wants to get to the bottom of some past events. But if no one is longer talking to you or people who you thought you new. Jack fought a dangerous game in the war but navigating through the dangerous alleys and webs on Station is perhaps even more dangerous. Because during the path of discovery of Jack to clear his name once and forever he uncovers a plot that isn't necessarily only planned for Jack but for everyone on Station. What these people hadn't taken into account were the wits of both Jack and Hugo and how determined these guys are. Both sides are in for challenges and surprises of their own. Jack and Hugo are a duo not to be underestimated by far.
I have read lots of Science Fiction in the last quarter and over the last years and I have to admit that Crashing Heaven holds a definite unique sense to the story. This isn't purely a Space Opera with aliens in it, it's much, much more. From a hardboiled dark and grim cyberpunkish, thriller standpoint all through the sense of wonder of Deep Space. Al Robertson has build a great story that will shock and awe you. Yes I have to admit that some parts for me were overwhelming but give it time to sink in and you will appreciate the concepts even more. The writing style is slick and to the point, but this latter bit doesn't make any sacrifices when it comes to showing and exploring the world. Jack and Hugo both are great leads in showing the world itself. As I already mentioned Al Robertson doesn't show a world basked in sunshine and fluffy bunnies. Life on Station is hard, the grim atmosphere really made the story come together, given the history of mankind and the background of Jack.
The lead characters are what made Crashing Heaven truly unique for me. For starters Jack. Even though he is a battle hardened warrior and a man assumed to have no conscious, he can be quite delicate in his actions. But most of the time Jack doesn't have time to be delicate, he wants answers regarding the war and time for him is running out... and for Hugo time is running "in". Hugo the AI in Jack's head will eventually, when the contract runs out, gain Jack's body. The worst thing for Jack is that Hugo isn't afraid to mention this to him and he is sort of goading Jack that his time is getting short. basically Hugo is an ass. This taken aside, there is a very nice interplay in between Jack and Hugo, because when it all boils down to the basics once again they both need each other so it is better, if you want to get some answers, to rely on each other isn't it?
When it comes down to technology, Science Fiction has always been a forerunner look at Star Trek, ok we cannot completely beam ourselves up but some other bits... In Crashing Heaven Al Roberston introduces some very cool technology aspects, first of all the implanting of AI's in peoples mind, pretty awesome right? The concept is shown to the fullest in the relation between Jack and Hugo. Added to this comes another high tech thing known as weavewear. A virtual reality community made reality, sort of. A lot of things happen in it, you get to see the ins and outs and how Hugo can interact with it. All in all, pretty awesome and most impressive.
With Crashing Heaven Al Robertson has produced a very solid debut in Science Fiction. This subgenre of fantasy is all about pushing boundaries and this is precisely what he shows in Crashing Heaven. The whole world building with the classical elements in Science Fiction combined with a noir and grim thriller cyberpunk setting results in something very unique. As I already said above, what makes this book just plain awesome are the characters: Jack Forster and Hugo Fist, these two, and namely Hugo is a piece of work. Another winning debut from Gollancz!
Last year Gollancz published some stellar debuts, the big names included: Den Patrick, Jon Wallace and Edward Cox. This year Gollancz is continuing the streak with among others this book. Crashing Heaven by Al Robertson. Science Fiction has been a genre where the guidelines in writing are crystal clear. Several elements have to be in there, but what if you would just go that extra bit? Well that is when you end up with Crashing Heaven. It is a lot like your Space Opera story, but with a lot of added bonuses that produces a sharp story and a great sense of wonder. Al Robertson has written various short stories for magazine such as Interzone and Black Static, Crashing Heaven is his first full length book.
The story of Crashing Heaven focuses on Jack Forster and Hugo Fist. Jack is war veteran who fought against the rogue AI's known as the Totality. What gave Jack a definite edge in the battle was his implant. Not an standard run of the mill arm of leg augmentation giving you strength. The implant that Jack received was another AI in his mind, the AI known as Hugo Fist. They were the perfect couple, together they didn't destroy minds they decimated them, they were the most feared ones. At the end of the war Jack was branded a traitor and this doesn't make his return to Station, humanities last refuge on the face of an asteroid, any easier. Jack was one of the lucky few who managed to survive he lost a lot of friends and wants to get to the bottom of some past events. But if no one is longer talking to you or people who you thought you new. Jack fought a dangerous game in the war but navigating through the dangerous alleys and webs on Station is perhaps even more dangerous. Because during the path of discovery of Jack to clear his name once and forever he uncovers a plot that isn't necessarily only planned for Jack but for everyone on Station. What these people hadn't taken into account were the wits of both Jack and Hugo and how determined these guys are. Both sides are in for challenges and surprises of their own. Jack and Hugo are a duo not to be underestimated by far.
I have read lots of Science Fiction in the last quarter and over the last years and I have to admit that Crashing Heaven holds a definite unique sense to the story. This isn't purely a Space Opera with aliens in it, it's much, much more. From a hardboiled dark and grim cyberpunkish, thriller standpoint all through the sense of wonder of Deep Space. Al Robertson has build a great story that will shock and awe you. Yes I have to admit that some parts for me were overwhelming but give it time to sink in and you will appreciate the concepts even more. The writing style is slick and to the point, but this latter bit doesn't make any sacrifices when it comes to showing and exploring the world. Jack and Hugo both are great leads in showing the world itself. As I already mentioned Al Robertson doesn't show a world basked in sunshine and fluffy bunnies. Life on Station is hard, the grim atmosphere really made the story come together, given the history of mankind and the background of Jack.
The lead characters are what made Crashing Heaven truly unique for me. For starters Jack. Even though he is a battle hardened warrior and a man assumed to have no conscious, he can be quite delicate in his actions. But most of the time Jack doesn't have time to be delicate, he wants answers regarding the war and time for him is running out... and for Hugo time is running "in". Hugo the AI in Jack's head will eventually, when the contract runs out, gain Jack's body. The worst thing for Jack is that Hugo isn't afraid to mention this to him and he is sort of goading Jack that his time is getting short. basically Hugo is an ass. This taken aside, there is a very nice interplay in between Jack and Hugo, because when it all boils down to the basics once again they both need each other so it is better, if you want to get some answers, to rely on each other isn't it?
When it comes down to technology, Science Fiction has always been a forerunner look at Star Trek, ok we cannot completely beam ourselves up but some other bits... In Crashing Heaven Al Roberston introduces some very cool technology aspects, first of all the implanting of AI's in peoples mind, pretty awesome right? The concept is shown to the fullest in the relation between Jack and Hugo. Added to this comes another high tech thing known as weavewear. A virtual reality community made reality, sort of. A lot of things happen in it, you get to see the ins and outs and how Hugo can interact with it. All in all, pretty awesome and most impressive.
With Crashing Heaven Al Robertson has produced a very solid debut in Science Fiction. This subgenre of fantasy is all about pushing boundaries and this is precisely what he shows in Crashing Heaven. The whole world building with the classical elements in Science Fiction combined with a noir and grim thriller cyberpunk setting results in something very unique. As I already said above, what makes this book just plain awesome are the characters: Jack Forster and Hugo Fist, these two, and namely Hugo is a piece of work. Another winning debut from Gollancz!
January 11, 2018
Easy to read, but I thought the dialogue felt kind of forced (and there was a lot of it) and am really baffled about the decision to make the puppets look like ventriloquist dummies. I mean, I sort of get it, but, like, still, why. I enjoyed Fist's development -- and the book overall -- even though the writing was a bit rough and could have done better with the underlying themes.
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