Software by Rudy Rucker (June 2023)

[Nick]

This month's read is Software by Rudy Rucker because it won the first ever Philip K Dick Award in 1983.

I picked it because I really need to read more of the PKD list, so far I've only read 24% of the winners. I was also intrigued because I haven't heard of the book elsewhere than this list.

I'm a little ambivalent, since I don't always do well with cyberpunk (I still can't read neuromancer) but I hope I like it.

[Deb]

Another book I've never heard of. Very timely, with the new warnings about AI. 'Course, those of us who have been reading sci fi forever have already considered this as an eventual possibility.

Nick - I've never been able to get into Neuromancer either.

[Deb]

I’m only about half way through. To me it feels more like a sci fi from the 60s than the 80s . It’s very interesting. I’m not loving the writing style. I tried listening on audio, but couldn’t keep track of what was going on. I liked that it referenced the Asimov laws of robotics.

[Nick]

I haven't started yet - I had another book I was going to read first, and it turns out to be enormous and slow! If I can't get through it faster then I think I'll put it on hold to read Rucker so that I get it done this month!

[Nick]

Ok, I've just started now, and thankfully I'm finding it much easier to get into than Neuromancer. The prose is much less alien to me! It feels like it's the template of so many of the cyberpunk distopias that came after it. Very familiar!

[Nick]

I got this as a ebook with the next 2 books in the series, so I was totally surprised when the book finished. It was a very abrupt and unexpected ending, I thought.

However, overall I enjoyed it. I very much liked the exploration of why robots might 'rebel' that goes beyond Terminator style 'just because' stories. The idea of robots programmed to evolve is a good one, and it still feels surprisingly fresh despite this being quite an old book.

[Jon]

I probably bought the same ebook bundle that you have as it contains the first three books. I plan on starting it tonight.

[Deb]

I didn't know there was an ebook bundle - until now. I have been struggling with my tiny print. I should finish tonight. But I will continue with the series for the July pick if that is ok?

[Nick]

Yeah, please do, I'd be interested to know what happens next.

In some ways this book felt like one of those 1920s adventure short stories where the hero goes to Mars and jaunts around having a great time and shooting aliens (or robots). I'd be interested to see if the plot gets more complex in the 2nd book. There's some promising, almost PKD, stuff in the cults and replacements.

[Jon]

I misspoke, I actually have 4 books in my bundle.

Two takeaways so far. I'm about halfway and hoping to finish tonight.
What is it with cyberpunk and drugs?
Sta Hi is possibly the most annoying character I've ever encountered. Ughh.

[Nick]

That's interesting - I didn't see that until you pointed it out - I guess it all ties in with the theme of 'upgrading' humanity and treating the human body like something that can be used and operated. Drugs are one way of the owner adjusting the settings on the machine?

In this book I thought the drugs were more of a throw-back. It felt very 1960s/1970s to have religious cults taking drugs. Very Charlie Manson vibes.

[Deb]

I agree with you, Jon. Sta Hi is so annoying.

Maybe it was the drugs that made it feel like a 60's novel to me as well. I'm not sure about the cyberpunk. I guess I haven't really got a good handle on what cyberpunk is.

It was different, for sure.