Robert Gu is a recovering Alzheimer's patient. The world that he remembers was much as we know it today. Now, as he regains his faculties through a...
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Aug 09, 2008
Kris
rated it: 
In the near future, a victim of Alzheimer's has been cured and rejuvinated. Robert Gu must now use his 90's oriented brain to navigate the world of the 2020's. So, like many of the elderly in the latter decade, he goes back to high school.
Among other things, he must learn to understand how to "wear." To wear is to use internet-ready computers embedded into one's clothing and contact lenses. (The I/O for these devices consists for the most part in subtle movements of the eye More...
Among other things, he must learn to understand how to "wear." To wear is to use internet-ready computers embedded into one's clothing and contact lenses. (The I/O for these devices consists for the most part in subtle movements of the eye More...
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Aug 03, 2007
Res
rated it: 
The one where a Rip van Winkle figure is cured of Alzheimer's and has to figure out how to live in the future, and apparently gets involved in some sort of plot involving mind control technology.
I gave it fifty pages, and every single one was an effort.
This book has tons of ideas, large and small. As a portrait of the niftiness and danger of the future, I suppose it's reasonably good, though it's rather slow and didactic compared with the pleasant breathless hurtle of cy More...
I gave it fifty pages, and every single one was an effort.
This book has tons of ideas, large and small. As a portrait of the niftiness and danger of the future, I suppose it's reasonably good, though it's rather slow and didactic compared with the pleasant breathless hurtle of cy More...
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Dec 16, 2009
Sophia
rated it: 
I loved Gibson's Neuromancer and I liked Stephenson's Snow Crash, and this is basically the same thing for the current generation except it leans a little more towards the techno-thriller side, like Michael Crichton if he were actually a good writer and knew more about his subject than what he'd just dug up via research. Vinge is a mathematician and computer scientist, so his vision of 2025 rings a helluva lot more true than many others.
The major drawbacks to this book are a lopside More...
The major drawbacks to this book are a lopside More...
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Jun 06, 2010
Ceridwen
rated it:
Omigod Omigod Omigod Omigod!
I finally won a First Reads giveaway book! And it's Vernor Vinge, and not some crap thing I requested because I was desperate!
*hyperventilating*
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God, look at how young I was, up there all happy about my First Reads win! I'm still happy - thanks for the free book! But sadly my love of free stuff did not influence my feelings towards this book. Despite being assured by reputable sources that I would find much more tr More...
I finally won a First Reads giveaway book! And it's Vernor Vinge, and not some crap thing I requested because I was desperate!
*hyperventilating*
------
God, look at how young I was, up there all happy about my First Reads win! I'm still happy - thanks for the free book! But sadly my love of free stuff did not influence my feelings towards this book. Despite being assured by reputable sources that I would find much more tr More...
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Dec 19, 2008
Tim
rated it:
I'll start off with something positive to say about Rainbows End. The best things about this novel are the ideas about technology and what the world could look like in an even more networked future where information is the form of currency. However, this isn't a new idea at all, here's a quote from Gravity's Rainbow regarding information, "A tragic sigh. 'Information. What's wrong with dope and women? Is it a wonder the world's gone insane, with information come to be the only real medium
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Apr 29, 2011
Mark
rated it: 
I have enjoyed in my life reading Sci-fi, with Philip K Dick being amoung the strangest (movies Total Recall, Minority Report, Blade Runner, Scanner Darkly, and Paycheck being among the best of his works), but right up there have been the works of Vernor Vinge. None of his have been made into movies, and to be honest, this one isn't his best. However, if you want to read The Peace War and Marooned in Realtime, you will not be disappointed!
Rainbow's end is in the not too distant fut More...
Rainbow's end is in the not too distant fut More...
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Sep 26, 2007
Talkswithwind
rated it:
A book set in an indeterminate period somewhere between 2020 and 2040. This is a nice character driven book that also explores concepts of what a future would look like. In this future computing is nearly ubiquitous and government surveillance is universal, if they know to look. Meanwhile, the world is a much more creative place.
This was a very nice book. A variety of backgrounds allow the reader to explore different aspects of the world. From net-savvy kids, to recovering Alzheimer More...
This was a very nice book. A variety of backgrounds allow the reader to explore different aspects of the world. From net-savvy kids, to recovering Alzheimer More...
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Dec 17, 2009
Ron
rated it:
Vernor Vinge continues to delight with well-plotted and offbeat SF. Rainbow's End is a tale about loss, growing old and getting a second chance, and how that affects bad family dynamics, along with the usual gobs of interesting speculation about the future. I didn't quite follow the motivation of the main character's changes of heart during the middle of the book, but by the end it came together reasonably well. The greatest strengths of the story are in the utterly believable future world Vi
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Nov 06, 2007
Henrik
rated it:
This is high-quality science-fiction, and I don't say that lightly since there is so much mediocre stuff out there. Vernor Vinge was a mathematician and professor of computer science before becoming a writer of science fiction. As such, his work in this novel, and others I've read, carries the weight of scientific and technical plausibility. His characterizations are workable and consistent.
This novel is of the near future in a thoroughly wired society which we can contemplate occur More...
This novel is of the near future in a thoroughly wired society which we can contemplate occur More...
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Feb 04, 2008
Karl
rated it:
The back-cover blurb says, "In the grand tradition of William Gibson and Neal Stephenson...," but more accurately should read "...William Gibson and Tom Clancy." This has some startling yet realistic glimpses of the future of the Internet, Web, and wearable computers. At times the slangish dialogue borders on Gibson-inscrutable, but Vinge is kind enough to provide a main character from our era who sees things much as a modern reader might. If this wins awards (which it did...
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Nov 22, 2011
D.L.
rated it:
The odd future described by this book is both depressing and hopeful. It is a world in which humans regularly retreat into virtual reality, often corresponding to their chosen ‘belief circles,’ as an interface to the real world and yet they remain curious, productive and creative. There are large ‘Big Brother’ governments but they are mostly benign. There is very little privacy and yet people seem to respect one another’s individuality. There is an ever looming threat that terrorists will use re
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Mar 28, 2009
Pam
rated it:
Ever wonder what it will feel like in 2025 - just before the predicted singularity? Well Vinge takes you on a disconcerting, roller coaster ride through the future. A recovering Alzheimer patient (wonders of future medicine) is trying to learn to live again in a world that he doesn't recognize. His pre-teen granddaughter is the most facile with the technology; she, like everyone else, wears her technology in her clothes and contacts. Literally you become one with your computer allowing it to tra
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Jan 17, 2009
Terran
rated it:
I was prepared to dislike this book, given that Vinge is hardly one of my favorite authors. (E.g., see my reviews of A Fire Upon The Deep and A Deepness in the Sky.) But this was a gift from a graduating student, so I felt obligated to try.
I was surprised and gratified to discover that I actually rather enjoyed this book. For one thing, it was the closest that Vinge has come to interesting characters. It's also set in the relatively near future, at the precipice of The Singularit More...
I was surprised and gratified to discover that I actually rather enjoyed this book. For one thing, it was the closest that Vinge has come to interesting characters. It's also set in the relatively near future, at the precipice of The Singularit More...
Feb 06, 2012
Andrewcharles420
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 25, 2011
Jeroen
rated it:
Vinge's previous novel, A Deepness in the Sky, really blew my mind -- weird enough, especially in retrospect; I keep thinking about all the events that took place in that novel and am still amazed by its structure and the concepts it touches upon.
With Rainbows End, Vinge switched from stellar space opera to near-future cyberpunk and, in my opinion, this turned out quite alright. More interesting concepts are introduced by Vinge as in any of his novels, but these are certainly not as far-flu More...
With Rainbows End, Vinge switched from stellar space opera to near-future cyberpunk and, in my opinion, this turned out quite alright. More interesting concepts are introduced by Vinge as in any of his novels, but these are certainly not as far-flu More...
Oct 08, 2011
Mike
rated it:
I'm a fan of Vinge's work, and I've had to wrestle a little with the idea that my dislike for this book might just be the result of it being different from the other things he's done. On balance, I don't think that this is the case. This is a book with serious flaws in both credibility and storytelling. On the credibility side, Vinge creates horrific inconsistencies in his visions of virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and augmented human interaction which he doesn't even try to paper
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Aug 06, 2011
Dogg
rated it:
I finished the book sometime back. I had some difficulty reading the first 100 pages or so. I just could not get into the rhythm of the writing. Or maybe it was the rhythm of the characters. Or perhaps I should say the characters spoofing the characters. At times it could be quiet confusing. Trying to keep track of which of 3 or 4 different people were assuming the identity of some poor slob who knew he was being hacked, but could do nothing to protect himself or prevent the hack and ultim
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Mar 19, 2011
Erik
rated it:
Rainbows end take place in San Diego, California in the year 2025. The main character is Robert Gu. He an older man and is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. However because of an advance in medical technology is currently receiving from this disease. Vernor Vinge used Robert Gu as a way to describe the advanced time. He is required to return to grade school and learn the way of the advanced society. Robert Gu is not a fan of using all this technology. If he had it his way he would be an old sc
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Mar 17, 2011
Eli
rated it:
Eli Komai
Book Review #2
Vernor Vinge, Rainbows End.
Rainbows End is some hardcore science fiction literature covertly aimed at anyone who likes futuristic things or a reality that is more technologically advanced than the present. This is the kind of book that Peter Jana would eat right up, and for good reason. Though it might not be ‘revolutionary’, be a standout, or have wound up on any bestsellers lists, Vernor Vinges most recent novel has been regarded as a ge More...
Book Review #2
Vernor Vinge, Rainbows End.
Rainbows End is some hardcore science fiction literature covertly aimed at anyone who likes futuristic things or a reality that is more technologically advanced than the present. This is the kind of book that Peter Jana would eat right up, and for good reason. Though it might not be ‘revolutionary’, be a standout, or have wound up on any bestsellers lists, Vernor Vinges most recent novel has been regarded as a ge More...
Jan 31, 2011
Doctor Nurenberg
rated it: 
I really wanted to like this book - as a "concept" story, it's extremely engaging, exploring a not-too-distant possible future where our "plugged-in", multitasking, social networking culture becomes ridiculously pervasive (in conjunction with an economy that increasingly value those who collate and analyze vs. those who produce), with all the amazing advantages and frightening disadvantages that confers. I especially liked how our viewpoint character was a man who, successful
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Oct 26, 2010
Michael David Cobb
rated it:
One of the cool things about being on the conservative side of life having previously been on the progressive side, is that I have developed senses for the narratives that are supposed to appeal to me as the Peasant I am. Which is to say that since I get propaganda from MoveOn.org as well as RedState.com I'm familiar with the diatribes.
Just a bit ago I tripped by the names of Barthes and Levi-Strauss. By way of my now fully developed conservative spidey senses, I know that I'm suppos More...
Just a bit ago I tripped by the names of Barthes and Levi-Strauss. By way of my now fully developed conservative spidey senses, I know that I'm suppos More...
Sep 11, 2010
Book
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jun 24, 2010
Patrick
rated it:
Robert Gu is a poet/bastard who's heyday was the 1990s. Alzheimer's Disease sent him into a steep decline. Technoogy in this novel's future exists to not only cure his brain, but to set his physical body back to teenage look and strength. The story revolves around a terrorist threat that was being ferreted out by a group of world leaders. The leader of this group is actually the one who created the threat. The group hires an outside hacker to help them find the threat. So. yeah. That part sounds
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Jun 05, 2010
Near-future close-singularity--amazing medical technology saves a famous poet who discovers that his talent for poetry has been replaced with a talent for science (though he has to enroll in school to learn the basics, where he becomes friends with a kid from the wrong side of the tracks); his son and daughter-in-law work for American military intelligence (their names are Alice and Bob, which are the names in the standard examples of cryptography (Alice wants to send Bob a message, but Eve is e
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Apr 03, 2010
Dena
rated it:
Rainbow's End is set in a near future world where terrorist attacks take the form of biological warfare and subliminal suggestion, children spend their lives connected to the internet at all times, and clothing and contacts provide access to the digital world.
Enter Robert Gu, a world-renowned poet and asshole, who has spent his last years afflicted with Alzheimer's. New therapies have given him back his memories and youth, but taken from him his most precious gift - the ability to create w More...
Enter Robert Gu, a world-renowned poet and asshole, who has spent his last years afflicted with Alzheimer's. New therapies have given him back his memories and youth, but taken from him his most precious gift - the ability to create w More...
Jun 08, 2009
Seth
rated it:
Based on the back of the book, Rainbows End sounds like a fairly standard issue Clancey-esque technothriller. You know, the author blows some shit up, learns his characters some life lessons, wows us with some nifty idea about them newfangled computers and their intarwebz, and calls it a day. In this particular near-future technothriller, people have computers... that they wear! Intelligence personnel and civilians alike teleconference... with holograms! People have personalized video-stream
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May 06, 2011
Ben
rated it:
My immediate reaction upon finishing the book is that I'm kind of lukewarm on it. Overall I enjoyed reading the book, but I have lots of issues with it.
The book opens with a great prologue and first chapter, introducing a lot of the major plot elements. These opening pages introduce the world and the time, and begin to inform the reader about the political state of the world. Several important characters are introduced like Rabbit. Finally we are brought into this underground world of More...
The book opens with a great prologue and first chapter, introducing a lot of the major plot elements. These opening pages introduce the world and the time, and begin to inform the reader about the political state of the world. Several important characters are introduced like Rabbit. Finally we are brought into this underground world of More...
Sep 27, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
Another attempt at finding some light reading on the sci fi shelf... and another, "Oh my, this is literature and wonderful and everyone should read it!" experience instead.
Vinge does such a great job of world building that, at least on the big conceptual ideas, it's easy to see the future he predicts as the most likely one to be realized. The spy vs. spy plot struck me, frankly, as primarily a really good reason to build this PARTICULAR future, and not in and of itself espec More...
Vinge does such a great job of world building that, at least on the big conceptual ideas, it's easy to see the future he predicts as the most likely one to be realized. The spy vs. spy plot struck me, frankly, as primarily a really good reason to build this PARTICULAR future, and not in and of itself espec More...
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May 06, 2011
Bri
rated it:
That's it? It's over? So many loose ends left untied. I felt very unsatisfied when I finished this book last night. It seemed like the book was more an excuse to explore certain issues like the rise in technology and different things about security and such, but in the end the author was like, well, i think i made the points I wanted to so I'm done. No obligation to explain himself. I mean maybe he was leaving room for a sequel? Maybe?
I thought Ceredwin's review (see community reviews More...
I thought Ceredwin's review (see community reviews More...
Mar 04, 2011
Brad
rated it:
Ze wife had to read this for one of her digital media theory classes. She didn't like it, but that's because she hates sci-fi in general. She gave it to me, since I DO like sci-fi and the blurb sounded interesting. Note to self: stop trusting blurbs, they will betray you.
It's not that the concept of the book is bad-- it's not, and the exploration of the digital vs. the physical world is relatively interesting-- it's that the WRITING is unbearable. Vinge, much like Harry Turtledove be More...
It's not that the concept of the book is bad-- it's not, and the exploration of the digital vs. the physical world is relatively interesting-- it's that the WRITING is unbearable. Vinge, much like Harry Turtledove be More...
