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Web of Everywhere
by
In a society revolutionised by a device that lets you walk through a door and be anywhere in the world - instantly...
At a time when unauthorised travel has caused millions to die violent deaths...
In a world where invasion of privacy is the ultimate crime...
He is 'The Visitor' ...more
At a time when unauthorised travel has caused millions to die violent deaths...
In a world where invasion of privacy is the ultimate crime...
He is 'The Visitor' ...more
Paperback, 148 pages
Published
June 1974
by Bantam
(first published 1974)
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Apr 23, 2015
Claudia
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi,
dys-u-topia
In a post-apocalyptic Earth, following three nuclear wars, teleportation is the main travelling system. There are the public gates, with codes known by everybody and there are the lost ones, private, whose codes are sold well on the black market and travelling through them is a major crime. Hans Dykstra is one of those who takes the risks and he'll eventually get "lost" because of his schemes.
A disturbing dystopian novel which leaves one wondering... ...more
A disturbing dystopian novel which leaves one wondering... ...more

Good enough for a short SF book. Shows that it was meant to be an even shorter story, as it says at the beginning, because it basically only follows a character, with a second added in a couple of places, and gives little detail about the world, but it does its job and sends some messages to those willing to listen. Also, all the little poems supposedly written by Mustapha placed at the beginning of each chapter can fall under "words of wisdom" anytime.
...more

The invention of the skelter gave the world to free and easy travel, but led to pandemics, terrorism and the Blowup. Many things were lost (besides two-thirds of the population) Hans' job as a recuperator is to share out reclaimed resources to the most needy. But he wants to document history. Mustapha found him and together they illegally explore old sites with stolen skelter codes.
Chaim Aleuker invented the privateer which increased security of skelters, e.g. preventing a person (or an army) f ...more
Chaim Aleuker invented the privateer which increased security of skelters, e.g. preventing a person (or an army) f ...more

An interesting read. Concepts and What-Ifs rather than characterisation. But sometimes that's good and in the past, that was what we mostly had.
I realised on page one that I had read this before (possibly thirty or forty years ago). Was worth the re-read. ...more
I realised on page one that I had read this before (possibly thirty or forty years ago). Was worth the re-read. ...more

Next he came to a small study, with an open bureau bearing a Halda typewriter, documents in pigeon-holes, a pile of dusty correspondence papers which he blew at gently until the name and address were legible. From it he learned that the house's owners had been called Eriksson, that they were indeed in Sweden, near a place called Umeå, which he would have to look up on a map when he got home, and something else which struck him as simply incredible!
Their skelter code was printed on the letterhead ...more
Their skelter code was printed on the letterhead ...more

Feb 10, 2012
Norv
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
read-2012
When I picked up this book, I had no idea it will be another kind of "what if"... A very powerfully written "what if".
What if we do invent instant travel? You know, a cheap device, something the average person can afford to buy, and to place in their house, public parks, anything, anywhere; get in, get out on the other side of the world.
Come on, we all heard, or imagined, or read, (or have hopes! :)), about instant travel, so hey, what if?
I have read this novel a day after finishing Poul Anderso ...more
What if we do invent instant travel? You know, a cheap device, something the average person can afford to buy, and to place in their house, public parks, anything, anywhere; get in, get out on the other side of the world.
Come on, we all heard, or imagined, or read, (or have hopes! :)), about instant travel, so hey, what if?
I have read this novel a day after finishing Poul Anderso ...more

I really liked the concept of this book, but I think it should have been developed much further and had more of a plot line. This deals with a planet after a blowup of disease, war, and crime with the invention of the Skelter, which can take you anywhere in the world in seconds. The story involves Hans and Mustafa, two men who get illegal skelter codes to homes where they explore. The privateer had since been developed so that people could not go into people's homes without a secure code. The st
...more

Low star rating because for the most part I didn't enjoy the execution of this novel. Interesting and clever concept but there is way to much going on for a 160ish page. There is at least 5 storylines going on. I liked how they were all connected but they were separate. The ending does redeem the story quite well. If someone where to make a dark science fiction short movie on this it would be worth watching. It's very simular to the invisible man but with a transporter. I think the story would h
...more

A post-apocalyptic fiction about a much-reduced population, due to an epidemic that caused women to be outnumbered by men. The result is, even more unhappy marriages than the norm of reality, as having a wife, any wife,is a status symbol. Moreover, one can travel instantly to almost any part of the world via a "skelter," a shelter that sends you on your way instantly, if you possess the correct code. Humans are still causing the same problems as ever--there are the ones with power who use it to
...more

What if we could teleport anywhere, where would we go? A distopian novel, wouldn't it be great if we could go anywhere? The problem is that criminals and terrorists could also go anywhere and wreak their havoc.
...more

Apr 09, 2018
Radu Harabula
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
john-brunner,
necomentate-inca
Hans Dykstra e un tip special de recuperator. Se întâmplă în post apocaliptic, după trei războaie mai mult sau mai puțin nucleare, mai mult sau mai puțin mondiale, când lovituri nucleare au fost lansate asupra orașelor/zonelor importante, ceea ce facă ca o mare parte din Pământ sa devina radioactiva sau infestata.
Boli, epidemii, probleme demografice, numărul bărbaților e mult mai mare decât al femeilor, deci căsătoria legala era semn de statut social înalt.
Hans recuperează obiecte din locuri r ...more
Boli, epidemii, probleme demografice, numărul bărbaților e mult mai mare decât al femeilor, deci căsătoria legala era semn de statut social înalt.
Hans recuperează obiecte din locuri r ...more

Jun 06, 2019
Marcus Wilson
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
Imagine living in a world which has been revolutionised by a transportation device that lets you travel to anywhere in the world instantly, just by walking through a door. Sounds pretty cool right? Well this is a John Brunner novel, and as I get more and more familiar with his work you realise that each fantastic technological progress that mankind makes does come with a heavy downside. In this case the transportation device called a Skelter, has led to the destruction of civilization as we know
...more

“Nici unul nu schiță vreun gest ca să-și dea mâna. Obiceiul se pierduse; fuseseră prea multe boli contagioase.”
Deși par a fi constatările certe de final de an 2020, aceste lucruri au fost puse pe hârtie de John Brunner în 1974. La fel și
“Până când nu avea să existe suficient vaccin pentru oameni, până la ultimul…”
…creepy…
Ar fi nedrept să îl numesc pe acest mare scriitor “profetul nenorocirilor”, deși porecla unuia dintre personajele sale pare a i se potrivi perfect. Ar fi nedrept spun, pentru că ...more
Deși par a fi constatările certe de final de an 2020, aceste lucruri au fost puse pe hârtie de John Brunner în 1974. La fel și
“Până când nu avea să existe suficient vaccin pentru oameni, până la ultimul…”
…creepy…
Ar fi nedrept să îl numesc pe acest mare scriitor “profetul nenorocirilor”, deși porecla unuia dintre personajele sale pare a i se potrivi perfect. Ar fi nedrept spun, pentru că ...more

Decent, readable and short enough on-Earth semi-post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel.
Won't blow you away with a cool character or terribly original idea, but it's a nice read.
I certainly liked it more than Zanzibar. ...more
Won't blow you away with a cool character or terribly original idea, but it's a nice read.
I certainly liked it more than Zanzibar. ...more

review of
John Brunner's Web of Everywhere
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - October 30, 2013
1st off, this is "A Frederik Pohl Selection" as the front cover announces. That's immediately promising for me insofar as Pohl is one of the better politically minded SF writers in the US (IMO). As the inside proclaims:
"Frederik Pohl, four-time Hugo Award winner, editor of some thirty science fiction anthologies and author of more than forty books [Web of Everywhere having been published in 1974, the num ...more
John Brunner's Web of Everywhere
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - October 30, 2013
1st off, this is "A Frederik Pohl Selection" as the front cover announces. That's immediately promising for me insofar as Pohl is one of the better politically minded SF writers in the US (IMO). As the inside proclaims:
"Frederik Pohl, four-time Hugo Award winner, editor of some thirty science fiction anthologies and author of more than forty books [Web of Everywhere having been published in 1974, the num ...more

Wow! In most sci fi books where they veer slightly off the main idea I dislike them but this was written so perfectly. I loved it, don't know why it has such a low rating
...more

The societal consequence of instantaneous matter transportation is a recurring science-fiction theme. No one has ever done it better than Alfred Bester in The Stars My Destination, though many have tried. (Or have not tried, as with the inconsequential matter transmitters of Star Trek.)
John Brunner came closest to out-Foyling* Bester with this little-noticed novel. Unlike Brunner’s The Infinitive of Go, published six years later, WoE concentrates on the social and political implications of a ...more
John Brunner came closest to out-Foyling* Bester with this little-noticed novel. Unlike Brunner’s The Infinitive of Go, published six years later, WoE concentrates on the social and political implications of a ...more

Sep 29, 2013
Alfaniel Aldavan
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
What if we invent a teleportation device?
Be careful what you wish for.
This is a lesser known book of John Brunner, which is strange to me, because it's one of the most inspiring science fiction books I've read. The plot is relentlessly paced, the twists catchy, and the fulfillment of the what if is making a lot of sense.
An unexpected sense.
The writing pushes the limits of a novel, breaking one of the common expectations for the main character, with amazing success. (and I didn't see it coming!)
W ...more
Be careful what you wish for.
This is a lesser known book of John Brunner, which is strange to me, because it's one of the most inspiring science fiction books I've read. The plot is relentlessly paced, the twists catchy, and the fulfillment of the what if is making a lot of sense.
An unexpected sense.
The writing pushes the limits of a novel, breaking one of the common expectations for the main character, with amazing success. (and I didn't see it coming!)
W ...more

My paperback is "Web of everywhere "
...more
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John Brunner was born in Preston Crowmarsh, near Wallingford in Oxfordshire, and went to school at St Andrew's Prep School, Pangbourne, then to Cheltenham College. He wrote his first novel, Galactic Storm, at 17, and published it under the pen-name Gill Hunt, but he did not start writing full-time until 1958. He served as an officer in the Royal Air Force from 1953 to 1955, and married Marjorie Ro
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