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Rule 34

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Rule 34

By: Charles Stross
Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
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Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross takes listeners into the near future for this breathtaking thriller. As head of the Rule 34 Squad, Detective Inspector Liz Kavanaugh keeps a close eye on Internet activity, monitoring whether people are participating in harmless fantasies or engaging in illegal activities. When three criminal spammers are murdered, it’s up to Liz to determine how the victims were connected. If she can’t figure it out, more people will surely die.

©2011 Charles Stross (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC Crime Fiction Hard Science Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Science Fiction Fiction Crime

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Mr MacKenzie is awesome for the Scottish accents. His colonel Datka is amazing as well. Great performance.

Awesome narrator

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The audible book was much more accessible than the text book due to the Scottish accent.

Narration

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Any additional comments?

Another solid and darkly humorous entry by Stross. He turns a satirical eye on technology in this SF mystery where those involved in spamming (yes, that kind of spamming) start dying in mysterious ways, done in by household appliances. Who are what is knocking them off? Is it all an attempt to lessen inbox junk? Stross again turns to first person narratives, and with one of the three central POV characters a sociopath, it is definitely interesting. Not for those who don't like their technology with humor, who dislike strong language, or find descriptions of unapologetic and unromantic sex off-putting.

Solid SF entry, rated R

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In the same vein that William Gibson set the standard for envisioning an interconnected, online virtual reality 30 years ago, Charles Stross is setting the standard today for the evolution of the development in an online, virtual reality world that is coming to play an ever greater role in our lives today.

While Rule 34 can be viewed as a sequel to his previously excellent, Halting State, only locale (Scotland) and Inspector Liz have been retained. This story begins with a murder with several unusual circumstances. As the story unfolds, other seemingly independent players are introduced with eventual intersections that become quite complex involving more bizarre murders, international financial wizardry, and software designed to ferret out crime. All the while, Stross is exploring possibilities in online capabilities as well as developments in manufacturing analogous to earlier developments of electrical dynamos leading to small, electric motors. As far as near future stories go (over the next 25 years), Stross does an excellent job of creating a plausible, believable world that could develop.

Most fascinating about the story is Stross selection of a multiple, third person narrative style with a continual stream of consciousness. The reader is always inside the head of a character getting a front row seat to all the action as well as internal commentary that includes witty and humorous observations on how things do and don't work out well.

The narrator does an exceptional job of rendering Scottish accents in a manner that is perfectly understandable in addition to other non-Scottish characters.

William Gibson + 30 years

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Rule 34 is an interesting peek into the future of law enforcement and how computers will 'help' maintain law and order. This story also touches on the criminal enterprises, monetary markets, social networking and the maker community. Mr. Stross weaves an interesting tale and introduces us to some strong characters. I found some political and career development comments extremely humorous - laughing out loud humorous.

I could not imagine a better narrator for this book. It may take American listeners a while to pick up on his accent - but you are richly rewarded for your efforts. His performance makes listening to this book immensely enjoyable. I caution you there are some sexual passages (of which only I think only one is significant to the story) that may offend some listeners.

Peek into the future of law enforcement

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Charles Stross is an award winning author with a reputation for creating trends followed by other writers. I did not enjoy Rule 34 and hope it is not one of his best works. The plot was difficult to follow and made worse by being written in the 2nd person.

I did enjoy the description of our possible economy in 20 years. Also, the personal technology that we might use on a daily basis was very credible and fun to think about.

Reminded Me of Listening to a Drunk Tell a Story

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If you could sum up Rule 34 in three words, what would they be?

A no kidding modern detective novel set in a neat future. All scifi technology currently exists, it has simply become common in the rule 34 world.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Rule 34?

The toymaker

Have you listened to any of Robert Ian Mackenzie’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The discussions of sentience,

Any additional comments?

If you can make it through the scottish brough, it is an excellent book. It can be difficult at thimes...

Great near future mystery

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[See Review of Halting State]

I enjoy hard science fiction particularly when it comes in very long books or multiple book series -- with one or more of the following themes: modern space operas, complex storylines, detective or noir/cyberpunk overtones, cascading clever thoughts/dialogue and/or military. This has led me to works by Peter F. Hamilton (Void Trilogy, Greg Madel Series), Dan Simmons (Hyperion), Alastair Reynolds (Revelation Space Trilogy, Terminal World), Richard K. Morgan (Altered Carbon) and most recently Charles Stross.
Halting State and Rule 34 are a swirling, clever, funny and very complex pair of police procedurals done just enough into the future to look at the next big thing in social engineering, computing, communications and just about anything else you can imagine.
When I read the first book, Halting State, I initially found it hard to get into the three rotating storylines and the fact that the narration is, oddly, in the second person -- but it was worth the work to do so. This book is less frantic and easier to track than the first one. Again though, it is a rock solid procedural with a clever and appealing set of smart characters. Once again, the FANTASTIC Scottish dialect (and absolutely tremendous performance by the reader) and will sweep you away as the twists and turns look like a cross between HOMELAND and a LaCarre novel. I have moved these two book up to my top ten list -- and hope that we get a wee bit more in the future.

Wild Ride Picks Up Where "Halting State" Left Off

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Be prepared for 12 hours of foul language , disgusting sexual perverts, and atrocious psychos. As usual the author's science is good and has sharp insights into some of topical issues of the day. His characters are almost 3D and the story moves right along. I like the narrator. He has a lot of heavy brogues and accents that require you close attention to follow, but, he grows on you. I didn't enjoy this story as much as some of the authors others, all the crud starts to weigh on you after a while.

Not for everyone

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it thought-provoking, and a little terrifying! I like futuristic techno thrillers with lots of technical details about science, computers, and networks because they make the plot seem more plausible. Unlike many books of this genre, the characters in Rule 34 are relatable, and everyone has reasonable motivations for what they do. The tech is also not too far "out there" (like some cyberpunk books). This one's set in the fairly near future, maybe 10 or 15 years. There's a bit of rough sex (not too much, not too graphic, not too drawn out) so if that's a trigger for you, avoid. Also some grisly murders, though the book does not linger on gory details. The second-person voice is a little off-putting at first, though honestly I got used to it and stopped noticing it. It's also laugh-out-loud funny in a few places. The story is set in Edinburgh, Scotland, and the narrator is Scottish and does lots of accents. I like Robert Ian Mackenzie, and this American has never had any trouble understanding him. If you think you might have trouble understanding someone who is not American, I suggest listening to the preview. It's there for a reason and it's on you if you don't like the narrator! Mackenzie does a fantastic job on the accents they do help make the characters distinct from each other. I was introduced to Stross via the Laundry Files, but I find I actually like some of his other books a good deal better. I hope there is a book #3 in this series at some point. The end of this one suggests that an interesting timeline follows!

Hooked on Stross

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