When Gravity Fails (Marîd Audran #1)

[Megan]

A day late, but welcome to our Spring Trilogy read! We're reading George Effinger's Marid Audran trilogy, starting with When Gravity Fails.

I read this for the first time a couple of years ago, and quite enjoyed it. What are people's first impressions?

[E.J.]

Engrossing and funny. Really enjoyable. Read the first one, stayed up late and finished it. Ditto the second and third. I did not find the second and third to be funny, but they carry forward the very real world of the first with all the ethical dilemmas, creation of a believable culture, and interesting characters.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

I loved this so much! cant wait to continue. I love the concept of the add-ons, very cyber-punk

[E.J.]

And, the personality modules. Very interesting results.

[Megan]

Yeah, it's a provocative idea! I am looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

[E.J.]

Definitely worth it. Some striking images that keep popping up in my head.

[LindaJ^]

I've only just begun but will be back!!

[Kirsten]

I just started and am not very far in, but it reminds me a little of a book I read a while back called The Dervish House by Ian McDonald.

[Kirsten]

Continuing the read. Am really enjoying it. This is odd, because usually I don't like cyber or techno fiction. I notice that one of the characters is playing with the The I Ching or Book of Changes. This reminds me of another book I read recently: The Man in the High Castle.

[Kirsten]

June wrote: "And, the personality modules. Very interesting results."

Have you read Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds? It also has "add-ons" in a way.

[E.J.]

I'll have to check those out. Thanks.

[Maggie, space cruisin' for a bruisin']

I have to say that the ending is very realistic, in the human sense....He saves the day, but his friends are all mad at him!

[Mike]

I really didn't like the way this book was written. A lot of the dialog didn't fit the characters at all. It seemed like the author couldn't figure out how to explain his world using the 1st person narrative. Just look at a section from this first chapter to see what I mean:

"I don't like to see these people with their plug-in personality modules bothering anybody but another moddy."

...

He goes on to explain these personality modules in detail to some random tourists sitting at a sleazy bar he frequents. Out-of-character behavior coupled with unbelievable dialog.

Whenever the author wants to explain something to us, he seems to resort to forced, stilted exchanges between characters. It gets annoying.

That being said, I enjoyed the world he created and I thought the Middle Eastern setting was interesting and refreshing for this sort of book. Never really got to like the narrator, who talked about action a lot more than he actually got into it. All in all, I'd rate it as "decent" but wouldn't recommend it to my friends who are into cyberpunk.

[E.J.]

The Middle Eastern setting: Sure is not like any Middle Eastern place with which I am familiar. On Wikipedia, it is described as a "thinly veiled version of the French Quarter of New Orleans" with which the author was familiar. That explains why it is both authentic and very weird. And, the Islamic additions are, well, strange. But, I found it fun to read. The main character's desire to seek oblivion in drugs, drink, and life style for psychic pain was believable.

I loved the personality modules. Makes me think of Danny Kaye's performance in The Secret Life of Walter Middy. Yeah, I know, that was upbeat and this is downbeat, gritty, and urban, but both describe being someone else for a while. Escaping from yourself or being more than you are. In this story, the modules allow for a bit more than the daydreams of Walter Middy. (the sex modules, the stupid module, the one that copied someone else's personality)

[Kirsten]

I'm sorry, but I'm really, really enjoying this book and can't wait to continue the trilogy. I'm amazed as I usually can't stand techno/cyber sci-fi/thrillers. The characters are engaging and the action is good. It's also very noir which is a subgenre I generally enjoy. Thanks to whoever suggested this trilogy. A great new discovery for me!

[Mike]

I guess I'm guilty of conflating "Islamic" and "Middle Eastern." So let's say I enjoyed the Islamic elements of the book. Now that you mention New Orleans I definitely see it.

[E.J.]

I enjoyed the book and read the rest of the trilogy right away.

I wondered about the setting because I could not figure out where it was. (I have not been to New Orleans, but it fits what I have read.)It is supposed to be Middle Eastern. Normally, I am willing to take the setting as it is presented, but this was just too western, nevertheless, still somehow very authentic. It had to be someplace real, I thought.

It is more explicitly Middle Eastern for a part of the third book. Some real striking imagery. Something to look forward to for those who have not read it yet. Definitely noir.

[Kirsten]

That is a good point about the setting. It does seem very Middle Eastern. But we have no real sense of the world outside of the Budayeen. Googling the "Budayeen" I found this article which calls it a "nameless twenty-fourth century North African city."

http://www.irosf.com/q/zine/article/1...

I just finished this volume yesterday and I've been thinking of it as part Casablanca, part Blade Runner, part Raymond Chandler. I really, really enjoyed it and cannot believe I'd never heard of this author before. Must be one of the most overlooked authors!

[E.J.]

I like the article referenced by Kirsten.

[LindaJ^]

I'm struggling with this book. I'm a bit over halfway through and not enjoying it at all. Seems like a waste of life to be constantly juiced up on drugs and the mods just strike me as silly. Oh well, I did buy all three, so will probably continue to pick it up and read from time to time.

[Kirsten]

Linda wrote: "I'm struggling with this book. I'm a bit over halfway through and not enjoying it at all. Seems like a waste of life to be constantly juiced up on drugs and the mods just strike me as silly. Oh ..."

I actually think all the mods scary and the drugs horrifying. But, I'm still really enjoying this series. I've finished the first one and am 1/4 of the way through book #2. One of my favorite reads of the year.

Sorry you're not enjoying it. I know how you feel there are some books that just don't engage you.