FACT SF Reading Group

May 2010

May 3: The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner

Ten people attended this meeting at the North Village library. Our topic was The Shockwave Rider. Published in 1975, this book examines the projected impact of computers and other emerging social and technological trends on society in the early 21st century. The main character is one of the first depictions of a computer hacker in science fiction. The book was heavily influenced by Alvin Toffler’s nonfiction book Future Shock. Seven of us had read Brunner before. All ten of us started the book, and eight finished it.

One reader commented that the book holds up surprisingly well and that we can still learn from it. She felt the “plugin lifestyle” was a novel idea. Her major complaint was that she did not enjoy the slang terms Brunner invented for the book.

Another person enjoyed the book and noted that while the technology is not what we have today, somehow it feels current. He can see why this book is considered a predecessor of cyberpunk.

Many of us were impressed by Brunner’s worldbuilding and forecasting. His future includes home computers, reality shows, trojans, worms, and credit ratings. One person was “creeped out” by how accurately this book predicted the structure of the future.

One reader felt the protagonist’s method of changing identities was novel. The novel’s circular narrative structure drove her nuts. She appreciated the examination of privacy issues in the future. Her favorite character was the mountain lion, whose story had a happy ending.

Another commented that The Shockwave Rider does a good job communicating Future Shock’s paranoia. He liked that the book differentiated between intelligence and wisdom. He appreciated the unusual approach to utopia as a “free market anticapitalism mutualism.”

Several of us were impressed by Brunner’s writing style. Many feel that he is one of the best New Wave writers.

One person said that this book shows that the author thoroughly thought through his ideas and their consequences. He noted that this book buys into the central cyberpunk thesis of the magic of writing code.

This discussion was so lively that we ran 15 minutes late. After the meeting, many of us had a nice dinner at Waterloo Ice House.

May 18: The Stormcaller by Tom Lloyd

Twelve people gathered at the organizer's house to discuss The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd's first novel. It's about a young man, Isak, who rises from humble beginnings to become the heir to the lord of his tribe. All started the book and seven of us finished it.

About half the people at the meeting liked the book and felt that it was a well-told adventure story. The rest of the group felt that it read like a completely generic fantasy novel and had nothing new to offer; most of this latter group did not finish the novel. We all felt that The Stomcaller was not nearly as good as other first fantasy novels that we'd recently read (The Blade Itself and The Lies of Locke Lamora). The discussion was pretty short. People either liked the book or didn't, and there wasn't any middle ground.

After the meeting, many of us went to dinner at Opal Divine's.

---A. T. Campbell, III