Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Simulacrum

by Rian Darcy (Goodreads Author)

4.24 of 5 stars 4.24 · rating details · 17 ratings · 5 reviews

In the virtual world of Simulnet, no one knows who you really are, making it the perfect playground for the imagination... and for a serial killer.

Shaun's world changes forever when a police detective asks for his help finding a murderer who's hiding somewhere in the sex clubs, ramen shops, and massage parlors of Simulnet. His partner on the case is a prickly and enigmatic...more

Kindle Edition, 237 pages

Published June 10th 2012 by Circlet Press

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best M/M Books Covers With No Sexual Overtones

159th out of 277 books — 211 voters

Gravitational Attraction by Angel Martinez

Best Gay Science Fiction Romance

101st out of 151 books — 208 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 63)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Nov 23, 2012 Elisa Ramblings added it

Truth be told, I was not expecting to like this novel so much. I’m not a fan of fantasy, and hard-core urban fantasy even less; I haven’t even seen The Matrix, to give you an idea. But they recommended me this novel, and I did give it a try: already from the first pages, I was reconsidering my position. This wasn't absolutely the heavy novel I was expecting, in a way, sometime, I found this novel to be even "cute".

True, it’s urban fantasy, better, an alternative reality that is developing in par...more Truth be told, I was not expecting to like this novel so much. I’m not a fan of fantasy, and hard-core urban fantasy even less; I haven’t even seen The Matrix, to give you an idea. But they recommended me this novel, and I did give it a try: already from the first pages, I was reconsidering my position. This wasn't absolutely the heavy novel I was expecting, in a way, sometime, I found this novel to be even "cute".

True, it’s urban fantasy, better, an alternative reality that is developing in parallel with real life; people have avatars, and there is an entire world, Simulnet, where avatars can live a parallel life for their owners. Problem is that people is also dying, and death is not for fake. Shaun is a newbie LAPD detective who wants to “prove” himself; just out of college, good grades and good background, he was not good enough for the more prestigious FBI Agency, and even no, in the LAPD, he is not doing the “cool” job. So when his boss asks him if he wants to go undercover in Simulnet to find out a serial killer targeting young women, an investigation that is not exactly legal, since LAPD has no jurisdiction in Simulnet, Shaun is all for the task. And when he meets Lore, his assigned partner, he delves even more in the lure of Simulnet.

Shaun has never really questioned his sexuality; he experimented in college both with female than male partners, and so he considers himself quite “open” to possibilities, but then he opted for women. True, he is not very lucky in finding the right woman, despite his meddling twin sister. And so when he starts to prove something more than friendly admiration for the very “cool” Lore, he also starts to reconsidering all his life.

But he has only ever met Lore in Simulnet, he doesn’t know anything about him, and by the way, Lore is always advising him on how “fake” that world can be, where everyone can be who they want, not who they really are. What if Lore is not whom he claims to be? What if he is not even a man? What if he is a woman? What if he is not even a he or she?

I liked how the author played with Shaun’s, and the reader’s, mind, questioning everything that seemed simple, even a late coming out of a guy, with the many chances that an alternative/parallel reality can give you. Is Shaun maturing into his real persona, having a late coming out, or is he actually feeling as an avatar, what he should feel in the real world for his right partner?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008AM5GB8/?...(less)

like · see review

Sep 12, 2012 Zille rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first thing that struck me after finishing this book is that I'd completely forgotten that it is erotica.

Erotic fiction has gotten a bit of a bad name as sales bin literature only read by sexually frustrated housewives in their forties. It is supposed to be poorly written with flimsy plot and one-dimensional characters, and the truth is that, yes, a lot of erotic fiction is like that. But not all of it.

After spending many years in fan communities and reading a lot of fan fiction it is clea...more The first thing that struck me after finishing this book is that I'd completely forgotten that it is erotica.

Erotic fiction has gotten a bit of a bad name as sales bin literature only read by sexually frustrated housewives in their forties. It is supposed to be poorly written with flimsy plot and one-dimensional characters, and the truth is that, yes, a lot of erotic fiction is like that. But not all of it.

After spending many years in fan communities and reading a lot of fan fiction it is clear to me that there is a lot of solid, good erotic literature out there. A lot of it is written as fan fiction where the writers borrow characters and universes from already established canons. But just because it is fan fiction doesn’t make it bad writing. On the contrary, fan fiction gives budding authors the freedom to experiment with narrative styles, character development, and a lot of other things, because there are a lot of steps they can skip since the readers already know the background for the story. That being said, the transition from fan fiction to original fiction is tough exactly because of this.

Rian Darcy comes from the fan fiction universe, but is one of the few writers who has come out and written her own original story. That, in itself, is a major feat.

Now, back to my original point; I completely forgot this was erotica, and in my eyes, that is a sign of really good erotica. When I read something, I don’t want to be constantly aware of the genre I'm reading. I want to read a good story with a solid plot and interesting characters. Simulacrum has all that. Darcy manages to make the erotic parts of the novel glide effortlessly into the story without distracting the reader. For me, distraction from the story is the worst that can happen, because it makes me lose interest. I want to disappear into a story, and I don’t want to emerge until I choose to do so myself.

Simulacrum takes place in a not-too-distant future where Simulnet offers escapism to anyone who wants it. Simulnet is a virtual reality you can log into and let yourself go crazy. You can be however you want, and you can do pretty much whatever you want. Naturally, this means that there is a dark, sexual underbelly of sex clubs that offer anything and everything you could possibly desire. It is in this underbelly of the Simulnet world that a young L.A. detective finds himself when he embarks on a murder investigation. He teams up with the mysterious Lore to solve the murders of two young women. Along the way, they come across several more than deviant characters, and our main character Shaun that his interest in Lore might be a bit more than professional.

What makes Simulacrum so interesting is its mix of the classic 30s and 40s detective pulp fiction and science fiction. The mood has an almost Chandler-esque feel to it, especially in Darcy’s descriptions of Los Angeles, and you can almost smell the smoke of fire season. At the same time, the story describes seriously advanced technology and computer science that a novice like me knows absolutely nothing about. This brings me on to my next point of praise; language.

The language of Simulacrum is easy to read, but at no point do I feel like Darcy is babying me as a reader. She doesn’t bother explaining every little thing that might not be common knowledge, but at the same time, she makes sure that I don’t feel lost even though I'm not at all a coding buff. The language is both effective and to the point with too much dilly-dallying, and yet, Darcy sneaks in little linguistic curiosities here and there that keeps me on my toes so I don’t grow bored. And of course, the humor deserves some praise, too. The constant banter and bickering between Shaun and Lore had me laughing out loud several times, and it serves as good counterpart to the intense suspense that permeates most of the story.

The best part of Simulacrum is the plot and the characters. When you read the summary, it might sound like something you’ve heard before, but don’t be fooled. The plot is refreshingly new, and it twists and turns in many unexpected directions that even I, an otherwise pretty experienced detective novel reader, couldn’t for the life of me figure out the end. It was a true joy to re-read the story and find all the little hints and clues Darcy has spread out through the story and then eventually ties together with a neat bow at the end. Normally, when I read detective novels, I always find myself go, “But why didn’t they address this or that?” There is none of that in Simulacrum. Everything ties together so beautifully towards the end that it’s almost ridiculous, and the best part about it is that it does this without getting boring. Darcy leaves just enough mystery to make me want a sequel.
Just like the plot, the characters seem, on the surface, to be something you’ve seen before; Shaun, the slightly bright-eyed cop and Lore, the mysterious and genius stranger with the secret past. But once again, Darcy makes it her own. No one is what they seem, and it makes you care deeply for the characters. Especially Lore is a beautifully crafted character. He is, in some ways, a friendly nod to Darcy’s great love of Sherlock Holmes, but he is entirely his own character and lives and breathes on the pages without any help from the British detective. Even the minor characters like Blake, Hudson, and Ruby come out as fully-fledged personalities. They each serve their purpose to the story, but they are so much more than just one-dimensional plot devices. They contribute personality to the story and make it even more vibrant.

I could go on forever about this story, but I won’t, because I want you to go read it for yourselves. All I want to say is that this is a truly great story with something on its mind. It is exciting, scary, sexy, touching, and everything in between. It will leave you wanting more, more of Shaun and Lore, and more of Darcy’s excellent writing and flair for language.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Oct 01, 2012 Dlee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was intrigued by the simulated world and the ability to change who you are inside of it. Some of it confused me but most of my confusion was quickly cleared up within a few paragraphs. The MC was not 100% likable, some of his choices actually ticked me off. But that was part of his charm. The only thing that I truly didn't like about this book was that many of the other characters commented on how competent Shawn was at his job and I saw him more or less making rash decisions. This is a fully...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 07, 2012 Yoshi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

I am not a big fan of any sic-fi story since I lack of imagination and afraid that I don't understand 'the world'.
But the book blurb hold my attention because I like stories with serial killers. :-)

I am so pleased that I gave this book a try, I enjoyed the story very much. After finished reading it, it took sometimes until I climbed up from the rabbit hole. The world building is good and everything is easily understood. I hope that the author will continue to write this story because I have the...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 26, 2013 Elizabetta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-alt-universe, cop-detective-fireman, zodiac-2013, mystery

Such an intriguing premise... I love how this is a sci-fi mystery with appoggiaturas of eroticism sprinkled here and there -- and when they come they are piquant and satisfying.

This started off slow with some awkward pacing and lady-bits (gasp!) cropping up as it seems that our hero is sexually ambivalent. But hold on... It seems that the compelling mystery is not really the hunt for a serial killer but who and what Lore Reston is and what he means to Shaun. This was a fun read and with some ti...more

1 like · like · see review

May 24, 2013 George marked it as to-read

May 21, 2013 Gghr marked it as to-read

May 19, 2013 Reggie marked it as wishlist

Shelves: adventure-cops

May 19, 2013 Holly marked it as to-read

May 19, 2013 Rena rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance

May 11, 2013 Bridget R. marked it as to-read

Shelves: m-m, romance, science-fiction

May 02, 2013 Ashley E marked it as to-read

Shelves: wish-list

May 02, 2013 Kynthos-the-Archer marked it as to-read

Shelves: gay_mm, scifi_or_futuristic, wishlist

May 02, 2013 Yblees marked it as to-read

Apr 29, 2013 Misty marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: to-buy, mm-to-read, mm, sci-fi

Apr 21, 2013 Shannon marked it as maybe

Apr 11, 2013 Gabriel marked it as to-read

Mar 23, 2013 Procyon marked it as to-read

Mar 06, 2013 Mea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Feb 28, 2013 yellowbird marked it as to-read

Feb 27, 2013 Besha marked it as to-read

Feb 21, 2013 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars

Feb 03, 2013 Soren marked it as to-read

Feb 07, 2013 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jan 24, 2013 Debbie ♪ ♫ ‼ ♫ ♪ marked it as wish-list-to-buy

Jan 14, 2013 Nightcolors marked it as interested · review of another edition

Jan 11, 2013 Mary marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, glbtq, sci-fi

Jan 10, 2013 Dina marked it as to-read

Jan 08, 2013 Victoria marked it as to-read

Shelves: m-m, sci-fi

Jan 05, 2013 Trispiral rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook

« previous 1 2 3 next »

Science Fiction

3 users

See top shelves...

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Simulacrum

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Simulacrum
avg rating	preview: Simulacrum Goodreads rating: 4.24 (17 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15706106-simulacrum?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339722587l/15706106.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15706106-simulacrum?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Simulacrum by Rian Darcy[/url]

Simulacrum

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (2)

Genres

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Simulacrum

Simulacrum

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (2)

Genres

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Simulacrum

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (2)