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Shadowrun Legends
Psychotrop
An fünf verschiedenen Orten der Erde stöpseln sich Shadowrunner in die Matrix ein - und müssen erleben, wie ihre schlimmsten Alpträume lebendig werden. Irgend etwas im Netz von Seattle scheint außer Kontrolle geraten zu sein. Und dieses Etwas saugt die Erinnerung an die traumatischsten Erfahrungen der Runner aus deren Unterbewußtsein.
Jeder der fünf Decker wird mit tödlichen Gefahren konfrontiert - aber auch mit Fähigkeiten, von denen er bislang noch nicht wußte, dass er sie besitzt. Und die fünf begreifen, dass sie zusammenarbeiten müssen, über alle Unterschiede und Vorurteile hinweg, wenn sie verhindern wollen, dass dieses monströse Programm abstürzt und ihnen dabei das Gehirn bis auf das letzte Neuron ausbrennt…
Jeder der fünf Decker wird mit tödlichen Gefahren konfrontiert - aber auch mit Fähigkeiten, von denen er bislang noch nicht wußte, dass er sie besitzt. Und die fünf begreifen, dass sie zusammenarbeiten müssen, über alle Unterschiede und Vorurteile hinweg, wenn sie verhindern wollen, dass dieses monströse Programm abstürzt und ihnen dabei das Gehirn bis auf das letzte Neuron ausbrennt…
367 pages, Taschenbuch
First published January 1, 1998
5 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Smedman
79 books114 followersLisa was very much the tomboy growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia--playing in the woods behind her house, building tree forts, damming the creek, playing army with GI Joe dolls, swinging on ropes, playing flashlight tag, building models and go-carts (which she later rode down the street). She also liked reading science fiction novels from the 1940s, the Doc Savage series, and the Harriet the Spy books.
In 1984, she began her professional writing career, first as a journalist then as a fiction writer. She counts science fiction authors Connie Willis, Robert J. Sawyer, and H.G. Wells, and classic books such as Treasure Island, as influences.
Several of Lisa's short science fiction and fantasy stories have been published in various magazines and anthologies, and in 1993 she was named a finalist in the Writers of the Future contest for science fiction and fantasy writers. She has also had three of her one-act plays produced by a Vancouver theater group.
Lisa is the author of Extinction, one of several novels set in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game’s Forgotten Realms universe. Released in 2004, Extinction made the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover fiction.
After authoring several science fiction and fantasy novels, Lisa recently turned her hand to children's books. From Boneshakers to Choppers (2007) explores the social history of motorcycles. Her interest in motorcycles goes way back--as a teenager, Lisa enjoyed trips up the British Columbia coast, riding pillion on friends' motorcycles. She later purchased her own bike, a 50cc machine, to get around town.
Lisa is one of the founders of Adventures Unlimited, a magazine providing scenarios and tips for role-playing games. She has written short fiction for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game's Ravenloft and Dark Sun lines. She has also designed a number of adventures and gaming products for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Cyberpunk, Immortal, Shatterzone, Millennium's End, and Deadlands. Her original games include Valhalla's Gate, a tabletop skirmish miniatures game drawn from Norse mythology and runic lore. An avid gamer, Lisa belongs to the Trumpeter Wargaming Club.
After working for more than 20 years as a journalist, Lisa now divides her time between writing fiction and contributing to the Vancouver Courier (she edits and writes the History's Lens column). Besides a diploma in journalism, she also has a degree in anthropology. She is fascinated by history and archaeology, particularly the Bronze Age. Her future plans include writing more historical fiction, alternative historical fantasy, and game tie-in novels. Lisa is also interested in building models and dioramas, and tabletop miniatures gaming.
She lives in Richmond, British Columbia, with her wife, their son, four cats, and two pugs.
In 1984, she began her professional writing career, first as a journalist then as a fiction writer. She counts science fiction authors Connie Willis, Robert J. Sawyer, and H.G. Wells, and classic books such as Treasure Island, as influences.
Several of Lisa's short science fiction and fantasy stories have been published in various magazines and anthologies, and in 1993 she was named a finalist in the Writers of the Future contest for science fiction and fantasy writers. She has also had three of her one-act plays produced by a Vancouver theater group.
Lisa is the author of Extinction, one of several novels set in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game’s Forgotten Realms universe. Released in 2004, Extinction made the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover fiction.
After authoring several science fiction and fantasy novels, Lisa recently turned her hand to children's books. From Boneshakers to Choppers (2007) explores the social history of motorcycles. Her interest in motorcycles goes way back--as a teenager, Lisa enjoyed trips up the British Columbia coast, riding pillion on friends' motorcycles. She later purchased her own bike, a 50cc machine, to get around town.
Lisa is one of the founders of Adventures Unlimited, a magazine providing scenarios and tips for role-playing games. She has written short fiction for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game's Ravenloft and Dark Sun lines. She has also designed a number of adventures and gaming products for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Cyberpunk, Immortal, Shatterzone, Millennium's End, and Deadlands. Her original games include Valhalla's Gate, a tabletop skirmish miniatures game drawn from Norse mythology and runic lore. An avid gamer, Lisa belongs to the Trumpeter Wargaming Club.
After working for more than 20 years as a journalist, Lisa now divides her time between writing fiction and contributing to the Vancouver Courier (she edits and writes the History's Lens column). Besides a diploma in journalism, she also has a degree in anthropology. She is fascinated by history and archaeology, particularly the Bronze Age. Her future plans include writing more historical fiction, alternative historical fantasy, and game tie-in novels. Lisa is also interested in building models and dioramas, and tabletop miniatures gaming.
She lives in Richmond, British Columbia, with her wife, their son, four cats, and two pugs.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 25, 2024
Look at that cover!
A thrift store find, I'd read another of Lisa Smedman's licensed books before (sold by another even more amazing cover imo) and wanted to grab this. As ever I treasure science fiction and fantasy written by women, even (especially) the trashy stuff. The Lucifer Deck transcended its trashiness better than Psychotrope I think, which is a shockingly ambitious novel considering its a licensed roleplaying game book from the 90s, and it's not entirely successful. So much of what happens is unclear as Smedman tries to have her hacker characters navigate a virtual landscape that even they don't understand; so often I couldn't picture what was happening, or could picture it fine and couldn't understand what it meant, and often I re-read passages until I just shook my head and moved on. There are also too many characters with too many stories, and the plot moves too fast at times, smash-cutting from thread to thread and sometimes skipping over major events. I also have to say, Ms. Smedman has many talents but coming up with handles for hackers isn't one of them. (Lady Death? Serpens in Machina? Bloodyguts?)
But there are some gems here, particularly Anubis/Timea's emotional and grounded plotline - I think this book would have been stronger if it was just about her, frankly. Lady Death, the other female protagonist (and a queer woman!) is generally more awkwardly written (the choice to have her pepper her dialogue with Japanese phrases is...well, it's a choice), especially given how prurient her story is. Big old predatory lesbian warning for that plotline, incidentally. But I still appreciated seeing a queer story in a book like this that was written in the 90s, and I was able to enjoy it in a sort of "spooky story around the campfire, laying it on way too thick" kind of way, if that makes any sense.
All of this to say, this is not a good book, but I don't regret reading it.
A thrift store find, I'd read another of Lisa Smedman's licensed books before (sold by another even more amazing cover imo) and wanted to grab this. As ever I treasure science fiction and fantasy written by women, even (especially) the trashy stuff. The Lucifer Deck transcended its trashiness better than Psychotrope I think, which is a shockingly ambitious novel considering its a licensed roleplaying game book from the 90s, and it's not entirely successful. So much of what happens is unclear as Smedman tries to have her hacker characters navigate a virtual landscape that even they don't understand; so often I couldn't picture what was happening, or could picture it fine and couldn't understand what it meant, and often I re-read passages until I just shook my head and moved on. There are also too many characters with too many stories, and the plot moves too fast at times, smash-cutting from thread to thread and sometimes skipping over major events. I also have to say, Ms. Smedman has many talents but coming up with handles for hackers isn't one of them. (Lady Death? Serpens in Machina? Bloodyguts?)
But there are some gems here, particularly Anubis/Timea's emotional and grounded plotline - I think this book would have been stronger if it was just about her, frankly. Lady Death, the other female protagonist (and a queer woman!) is generally more awkwardly written (the choice to have her pepper her dialogue with Japanese phrases is...well, it's a choice), especially given how prurient her story is. Big old predatory lesbian warning for that plotline, incidentally. But I still appreciated seeing a queer story in a book like this that was written in the 90s, and I was able to enjoy it in a sort of "spooky story around the campfire, laying it on way too thick" kind of way, if that makes any sense.
All of this to say, this is not a good book, but I don't regret reading it.
March 21, 2013
Very hard to wrote a book with only deckers. Smedman nearly made a 'tour de force' doing this book.
Characters are really interesting story, better that the principal intrigue in fact! I would have like more background and to know the after how their life will go on.
Shadowrun matrix is more a dream state that a real world like the Matrix movie trilogy. I hate dream in story so when you have most of the book like this... The combat are always the same, just the icons are changing but the pattern is not. Computer attack, decker use an utility and win. I didn't care of most action scene in the book.
Another thing I didn't like in the story is Smedman used AI and made common people who can link directly in the matrix without hardware... big change in the Shadowrun world, but we didn't really see this have an impact in other Shadowrun book after so it didn't feel to belong in the serie.
Not bad, but I don't recommend it unless you're a big Shadowrun fan.
Characters are really interesting story, better that the principal intrigue in fact! I would have like more background and to know the after how their life will go on.
Shadowrun matrix is more a dream state that a real world like the Matrix movie trilogy. I hate dream in story so when you have most of the book like this... The combat are always the same, just the icons are changing but the pattern is not. Computer attack, decker use an utility and win. I didn't care of most action scene in the book.
Another thing I didn't like in the story is Smedman used AI and made common people who can link directly in the matrix without hardware... big change in the Shadowrun world, but we didn't really see this have an impact in other Shadowrun book after so it didn't feel to belong in the serie.
Not bad, but I don't recommend it unless you're a big Shadowrun fan.
November 8, 2016
Run the Seattle matrix to survive
Beautifully linked and layered characters. Sensual descriptions that bring you into the moment and let you see with the eyes of multiple characters. Suspenseful organization and multiple plot reveals for each character and for the story as a whole. Besides truly enjoyable writing the author demonstrates the highest level of dedication to Shadowrun language, history, and matrix protocols. I truly hope to see her grace the Shadowrun universe with further contributions. We should be so lucky. Thank you to the author.
Beautifully linked and layered characters. Sensual descriptions that bring you into the moment and let you see with the eyes of multiple characters. Suspenseful organization and multiple plot reveals for each character and for the story as a whole. Besides truly enjoyable writing the author demonstrates the highest level of dedication to Shadowrun language, history, and matrix protocols. I truly hope to see her grace the Shadowrun universe with further contributions. We should be so lucky. Thank you to the author.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews