Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
178th out of 201 books
—
335 voters
Cybermancy (Webmage #2)
To save his girlfriend's webgoblin, Ravirn-a sorcerer with a shape-changing laptop-must brave Hell itself. Can he do it without corrupting the magical Internet-and without facing the Lord of the Dead himself?
Mass Market Paperback, 278 pages
Published
October 25th 2007
by Ace
(first published 2007)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
867)
Very good. Lots of action and very original concepts. I'm very into mythology being brought into modern stories right now, à la Percy Jackson, so the timing was just right for me. If you like cyberpunk with adventure and humor, this is for you. It probably really deserves 4 stars, but I'm just not as much in the mood for action right now. Not that character development was neglected, just a tiny off of my mood is all. Hasn't stopped me from starting book 3!
This is crap. There's no real point to the story, it doesn't delve into deeper issues, and who cares about combining mythology with hackers?
Apparently my little brother read it on the plane on the way up here and decided it was crap. Then it was at my house, so my dad read it and decided it was crap. Then it was in my bookshelf, so I started to read it. 2 hours later I was half way through and decided it was crap. To the used book store with you so you can torment another helpless victim!
Apparently my little brother read it on the plane on the way up here and decided it was crap. Then it was at my house, so my dad read it and decided it was crap. Then it was in my bookshelf, so I started to read it. 2 hours later I was half way through and decided it was crap. To the used book store with you so you can torment another helpless victim!
The plot stands up better in this second installment of the WebMage series. Also the main character takes a stand on his place in the plot, rather than just being jerked around by the power-that-be. This time around there is far less purple prose of exposition to bog things down, allowing the fast pacing to drive the plot along rather than dragging the reader along for the ride. Overall more control overall equals are far easier read. Why still only three stars, then? It's not a new story (boy-g...more
Kelly McCullough brings us back to the world of the techno-savvy Greek gods, and Ravirn, who seems to have a unique ability to get himself into very hot water, mostly by sheer ill luck. This book also introduces the goddess of Discord, Eris, and McCullough's interpretation of her quite literally took my breath away.
She'd enjoy that, I think, immensely.
Full of the same humor, wit, dangers and deceptions as the first foray into the land of the (modern) gods, Webmage, this one steps up by adding in...more
She'd enjoy that, I think, immensely.
Full of the same humor, wit, dangers and deceptions as the first foray into the land of the (modern) gods, Webmage, this one steps up by adding in...more
Well that was disappointing. After a fair-to-middling performance in his debut novel WebMage, I was really hoping Kelly McCullough would improve for his second outing. And he did, to some extent. Cybermancy is plagued by many of the same problems that made WebMage tedious and repetitive. They’re toned down a bit, and by the end of the book McCullough seems to have been able to rid his writing of word count boosting repetitive sentences. Unfortunately, he’s substituted bad writing for bad storyte...more
Ravirn/Raven is a magic user / computer hacker with some skills at both, who has to stretch to his limits to save a webgoblin friend. The problem is that everything he does seems to drive a shaft deeper between him and his lady love.
Ravirn's major skill appears to be the ability to win enemies. He is a bumbler in the hacking, depending heavily on the skills of his AI friend. He states that he is a good hacker and able to find and fix problems, but most of that skills set rests in the memory cell...more
Ravirn's major skill appears to be the ability to win enemies. He is a bumbler in the hacking, depending heavily on the skills of his AI friend. He states that he is a good hacker and able to find and fix problems, but most of that skills set rests in the memory cell...more
While not as fantastic as Webmage, the first in the series, this is an enjoyable read. The interweaving of technology, magic, and the Greek Gods is a delight.
I got lost in the plot in the middle third for a little while, but the title character Raven/Ravirn, and his pal Melchior, made up for it by being fascinating characters. The ending is great, tying together very nicely.
There was a yellow brick that I noticed with Persephone, and I kept expecting it to come back into play but it never did....more
I got lost in the plot in the middle third for a little while, but the title character Raven/Ravirn, and his pal Melchior, made up for it by being fascinating characters. The ending is great, tying together very nicely.
There was a yellow brick that I noticed with Persephone, and I kept expecting it to come back into play but it never did....more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I have to say that I like this one a bit more than the first of the series "Webmage". I'm not sure if it is because I am used to the writing style at this point, or that the rules surrounding the techno-babble/magic system seems to be slightly more explained. Either way, I enjoyed myself a bit more this go around.
The story picks right where the last left off and Ravirn and his supporting characters move along through the story at an enjoyable pace. It is a light and fun story that continues to...more
The story picks right where the last left off and Ravirn and his supporting characters move along through the story at an enjoyable pace. It is a light and fun story that continues to...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book is pretty mediocre. It doesn't introduce any great new ideas to literature (Zelazny combined computers and magic much better 20 years ago.)
It could be a decent read if you read it for what it is: fantasy pulp. It's not very good, but it passes the time.
As far as the "hacking" aspects, the author knows his stuff just enough to keep those aspects from being hilariously awful.
It could be a decent read if you read it for what it is: fantasy pulp. It's not very good, but it passes the time.
As far as the "hacking" aspects, the author knows his stuff just enough to keep those aspects from being hilariously awful.
Jan 08, 2012
Ju Transcendancing
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
favourite-re-reads,
owned-dead-tree-editions
As if taking on Fate wasn't daring enough, Ravirn takes on Death in the second book of the series. This story explores a darker side of mythology and righting wrongs, the relationships are complex and increase in their depth, not always with positive consequences. As always I'm a huge fan of the technomancy magic interwoven with greek mythology, with a great deal of flare for fun and creative license.
Apr 04, 2008
Kim
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
computer geeks who love fantasy, mythology buffs with a sense of humor
Shades of the Orpheus myth (pun intended) abound in this second book of the Ravirn series by Kelly McCullough. I found the technospeak easier to comprehend in Cybermancy than in Webmage, which probably just means that I got used to it, but in neither book was it a deterrent for this technophobe, and computer geeks will probably love it. For me, the Ravirn books appeal more to my "mythology" geek side: how could I keep from laughing at the thought of Zeus downloading porn? Ravirn is an appealing...more
Another interesting jaunt through a modern interpretation of the Greek Pantheon (or part of it, anyway). In this one we get a few more characters joining in. I especially like the triple-personality Cerberus. Ravirn has gotten himself a bit more ... power?... responsibility?... and is shaping up to be a much bigger deal than he was. I like it.
It's always good when the second book in a series isn't a tired re-hash of the first book. Mr. McCullough avoids this "sophomore slump" though I feared for a little while in the beginning that he wouldn't.
The world is still interesting and full of intrigue and has a feel that I would almost call "fantastical mob" with all the strife between different houses of the big mythological family. Ravirn is gaining even more depth as he deals with the internal conflict being forced upon him by the peopl...more
The world is still interesting and full of intrigue and has a feel that I would almost call "fantastical mob" with all the strife between different houses of the big mythological family. Ravirn is gaining even more depth as he deals with the internal conflict being forced upon him by the peopl...more
Once you've said "enjoyable cyberpunk-meets-Greek-mythology" there's not really a whole lot to add. The main character can be irritatingly oblivious, and the main villain painfully obvious, but there's enough neat ideas to carry through a much weaker story than this is.
Excellent book! Fates, Furies, Hades, Magic, Cyberspace. It is all there. He does such a great job with the mythology and carrying it to our time. Amazing.
Diverting. Sort a Harry Dresden tale ala Jim Butcher, but with computers. Then mix in the Greek Pantheon, the canonical dysfunctional family, and 'rules of magic' akin to Zelaszny's Chronicles of Amber, and you're there.
I enjoyed Webmage, so I picked up Cybermancy, and it didn't disappoint. What can I say? I'm a complete sucker for a universe where laptops are also goblins and Cerberus needs a fourth for bridge. A fun read.
Mixing Science fiction and mythology all in one was brilliant! Couldn't put it down.
Second book in the series. I really liked this one too. Using mythology mixed with tech is a cool idea and completely original. Very entertaining. I read it in a week.
Bringt viel neue Entwicklungen und Cerberus ist ein cooler Hund. Insgesamt aber doch nur guter Durchschnitt.
4
Fun, fascinating and well written. There were some minor details I didn't like, but all in all, I'm happy with this book.
Very interesting continuation of this web/magic mix theme.
The characters go through very interesting transformation. The trip was kind of... a mixed bag. There are some good funny stuff, and there are some kind of "contribed" stuff.
I think it's a good light read. I wished I had a bit more Greek mythology knowledge. I think if I did, I would have enjoyed it more.
The characters go through very interesting transformation. The trip was kind of... a mixed bag. There are some good funny stuff, and there are some kind of "contribed" stuff.
I think it's a good light read. I wished I had a bit more Greek mythology knowledge. I think if I did, I would have enjoyed it more.
I can totally see why the reviewer compared Ravirn/Raven to Corwin of Amber, though the quality of the writing is certainly different. This one was done in first person, just like The Great Book of Amber, but the writing felt stiff, the emotions too obvious, and the characters too capricious. Enjoyable, but not exactly the best-written book I've ever read.
I enjoyed Cybermancy. It combined fantasy elements, mythology, and computer hacking in a way I had never thought to do, and had certainly never read. Well written, it avoided cliched expressions. I read the second novel in the series as well, with as much enjoyment. I recommend it.
I highly recomend this series, Greek Gods, Fate and the forces of the universe all happily hacking and cracking away on the Magical internet. Give it a look, serious entertaining.
This is an amusing mix of computer speak and greek legend, with magic written in DOS. Passwords are your truenames, what an interesting idea.
I very much enjoyed the writing. It's complex and dryly humorous, and a good story to boot!
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
