Book Report

[willow_red]

Just finished reading Idlewild by Nick Sagan. I think this is the first "cyberpunk" novel I've read all the way through. It contained certain elements of Lain and the Matrix, but a bit more paranoid and much more goth. The style was eerily reminiscent of moogle_of_lulu's style in Devil, though possibly with less emphasis on costumes ;) and somewhat less violent. Seriously, though, there were parts where the "voice" sounded similar.

Taking place in the not-too-distant future (I would guess somewhere in the second half of this century, though it never says), the story is told in first person by a partial amnesiac as he wakes up from something that nearly killed him. The world develops slowly around you as you try to figure out who (or what) is to blame, who to trust, and what is real. The plot twists and turns, and as cliche as it might be, nothing is what it seems. I don't want to say much more, as anything beyond chapter one is pretty much a spoiler.

The book read fast, as I only picked it up from the library yesterday afternoon, and I've done more than just read this weekend. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to pretty much any of you who read my journal. Idlewild isn't the sort of thing you need to run out and get right now, but if you're looking for something to take up an afternoon, this is a book to consider. If you think you might be interested, you can read the prologue and first chapter on the author's web site.

Hmm, looks like there is a sequel coming out at the end of August. It's called Edenborn. Don't read the summary if you're spoiler sensitive.

Overall, I give Idlewild an 8/10. Not obsession-worthy, but still a good read.

Comments

Yea!

[willow-red.livejournal.com]

I think you'll like it.