Rule 34

By: Charles Stross

Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie

Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross takes listeners into the near future for this breathtaking thriller. As head of the Rule 34 Squad, Detective Inspector Liz Kavanaugh keeps a close eye on Internet activity, monitoring whether people are participating in harmless fantasies or engaging in illegal activities. When three criminal spammers are murdered, it’s up to Liz to determine how the victims were connected. If she can’t figure it out, more people will surely die.

©2011 Charles Stross (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

Awesome narrator

Mr MacKenzie is awesome for the Scottish accents. His colonel Datka is amazing as well. Great performance.

Narration

The audible book was much more accessible than the text book due to the Scottish accent.

Solid SF entry, rated R

Any additional comments?

Another solid and darkly humorous entry by Stross. He turns a satirical eye on technology in this SF mystery where those involved in spamming (yes, that kind of spamming) start dying in mysterious ways, done in by household appliances. Who are what is knocking them off? Is it all an attempt to lessen inbox junk? Stross again turns to first person narratives, and with one of the three central POV characters a sociopath, it is definitely interesting. Not for those who don't like their technology with humor, who dislike strong language, or find descriptions of unapologetic and unromantic sex off-putting.

William Gibson + 30 years

In the same vein that William Gibson set the standard for envisioning an interconnected, online virtual reality 30 years ago, Charles Stross is setting the standard today for the evolution of the development in an online, virtual reality world that is coming to play an ever greater role in our lives today.

While Rule 34 can be viewed as a sequel to his previously excellent, Halting State, only locale (Scotland) and Inspector Liz have been retained. This story begins with a murder with several unusual circumstances. As the story unfolds, other seemingly independent players are introduced with eventual intersections that become quite complex involving more bizarre murders, international financial wizardry, and software designed to ferret out crime. All the while, Stross is exploring possibilities in online capabilities as well as developments in manufacturing analogous to earlier developments of electrical dynamos leading to small, electric motors. As far as near future stories go (over the next 25 years), Stross does an excellent job of creating a plausible, believable world that could develop.

Most fascinating about the story is Stross selection of a multiple, third person narrative style with a continual stream of consciousness. The reader is always inside the head of a character getting a front row seat to all the action as well as internal commentary that includes witty and humorous observations on how things do and don't work out well.

The narrator does an exceptional job of rendering Scottish accents in a manner that is perfectly understandable in addition to other non-Scottish characters.

Great near future mystery

If you could sum up Rule 34 in three words, what would they be?

A no kidding modern detective novel set in a neat future. All scifi technology currently exists, it has simply become common in the rule 34 world.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Rule 34?

The toymaker

Have you listened to any of Robert Ian Mackenzie’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The discussions of sentience,

Any additional comments?

If you can make it through the scottish brough, it is an excellent book. It can be difficult at thimes...