Bear, Elizabeth - Hammered

[oyceter]

I admit that I originally was not going to pick up this book until much, much later. I tend to be a little leery about reading the books written by people I know via LJ (matociquala in this case) because, well, a significant percentage of this LJ is spent talking about books and logging books, and I am perpetually afraid that I will read someone's book and despise it. And then there will come the inevitable conflict concerning what I should write about it.

But then, I've been sort of hunting around for Elizabeth Bear's books in bookstores just to see if it is out (and how well it is shelved, and seeing if I can move it somewhere more prominent), and I happened across Hammered and read the back. It is rather embarrassing that I read Bear's LJ and didn't really know what the book is about. But hook! Heroine who is turning fifty and has had life experiences, good and bad, and is world-weary. Not enough of them, imho. So I succumbed and bought it and ended up reading the whole thing in two days.

Jenny Casey is living on the fringes of society, weighed down with old war wounds and an artificially reconstructed body, when suddenly, all the pieces from her past start surfacing again and doing really bad things. The world feels very cyberpunk to me, although I am probably just saying that with no idea what cyberpunk is, given that I have only read one William Gibson book. But the world (as well as Jenny's life) is going to hell. I particularly like Bear's dystopic world in 2062 AD, how the reader only gets hints and clues dropped as to what has happened, to why Jenny was in the army, why she is in the streets now. I read this and felt the old thrill of reading really good sci-fi -- it's the thrill of figuring things out, of piecing together an entire world and how it happened to be that way. I wonder if that's how anthropologists feel.

There were some things that were a little jarring. Jenny's POV is narrated in first-person present tense, and everyone's else's sections are in third-person-limited past tense, which is a little hard to get used to while reading through the book. There are some characters that I don't quite care for as much as others (I got a little bored during the Razorface storyline), but I have already fallen quite hard for several characters, which is a good sign for the first book of a trilogy. And, strong women! Tough women! Not just Jenny, but others! Also, a Chinese woman ronin person, OMG so cool! Ok, she wasn't really a main character, but she was Chinese! I don't read about Asian people in genre fiction very often at all. And I was particularly happy with the way one romantic triangle was neatly sidestepped, without making me wanting to bash anyone over the head (I am not good with romantic triangles, and I liked all the characters involved, so I was quite relieved when I could continue liking them).

Slight spoilers ahead:

I am particularly delighted in the fact that one female character has no intention or desire to have a long-term relationship and instead just wants a whole bunch of one-night stands. And I particulary like her scene with Jenny later on in the book ^_^.

Also, even if the plot and the world hadn't been fascinating, the book would have been totally and completely worth reading for just one character -- the AI. Maybe this is mildly spoilery, but only because I was so absolutely delighted when the AI showed up and I realized what was going on.

Richard Feynman! As an AI! With processing power, and Tuva and the postage stamps and Los Alamos and the lock picking and the hacking into intranets and OMG it makes so much sense and I will love this book forever just because of the presence of Richard Feynman. Part of me is a little weirded out by the fact that it has a dead scientist as a character and wonders what his family thinks and goes into extreme meta-mode concerning Real People Fic, but most of me just goes into the "EEEEEEE SO COOL!" mode when I get to a Feynman chapter.

Er. Yes. I only read his books two years ago, but Feynman is very definitely one of my heroes.

So, uh, now I am sort of annoyed that I bought the book so early because the second book doesn't come out until June, and my god, have I not learned from George R. R. Martin to always read trilogies after everything is out? Must find out what happens next.

ETA:
coffeeandink's review

Comments

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

Richard Feynman! As an AI! With processing power, and Tuva and the postage stamps and Los Alamos and the lock picking and the hacking into intranets and OMG it makes so much sense and I will love this book forever just because of the presence of Richard Feynman. Part of me is a little weirded out by the fact that it has a dead scientist as a character and wonders what his family thinks and goes into extreme meta-mode concerning Real People Fic, but most of me just goes into the "EEEEEEE SO COOL!" mode when I get to a Feynman chapter.

Wasn't that awesome? To my disgust, a bunch of reviews have already spoiled it (it's amazing, what reviewers feel free to give away) but it was such a lovely surprise. And I thought she caught the char v well, too.

Dammit must write up own review as well....

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Heh. Can't wait to see if they spoil the big boom ending of SCARDOWN. *g*

I use a lot of real people in my fiction--Tyge and Sophie Brahe, Elvis Presley, Will Shakespeare and friends--and it's something I'm always very concerned about. I do comfort myself that the Feynman AI isn't Dick Feynman--it's a computer model of Dick Feynman.

But still. *g* It's a touchy subject, especially when writing somebody as complex and difficult as Feynman. He's important to me, though, in that his express atheism contrasts nicely with Elspeth's faith and Jenny's lost religion as part of the argument of the trilogy...

Well, that's all very meta. *g* nevermind.

SPOILER SPOILER WARNING

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

I do comfort myself that the Feynman AI isn't Dick Feynman--it's a computer model of Dick Feynman.

Well, not to do a big SPOILER spoiler (warning -- if you haven't yet read the book this is a SPOILER), but he's technically a copy of the model, que no? That's what winds up in Jenny, and is the secret. I thought you made it quite clear the "original" in yr book was a construct, too.

especially when writing somebody as complex and difficult as Feynman

I thought you did a bang-up job. (I'll have that review along any millennia now.)

his express atheism contrasts nicely with Elspeth's faith and Jenny's lost religion as part of the argument of the trilogy

Ooh, I hadn't thought it that far out, but that does make sense. I did notice Jenny's lost faith, but that was pretty subtle.

Re: SPOILER SPOILER WARNING

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

*g* Watch for the scene in book two, where everyone is praying.

Re: SPOILER SPOILER WARNING

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

You TEASE!

Altho the AA meetings I go to usually start with the Serenity Prayer (my sponsor used to start it "Goddes, grant..." instead of "God, grant..." which I loved), but man oh man some of them get into the Our Father, and I was just like "Our father, whart'n heav'n, hallow-ed be thy name. Thy kingdomcomethywillbedone on...asin...give us this day our daily....debtors....forgive us our..." Oh dear.

Re: SPOILER SPOILER WARNING

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

*spams oyceter's journal talking about self shamelessly* There's a scene in SM -- aw, screw it, Moira. See email. *g*

Re: SPOILER SPOILER WARNING

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

Hehe, I did. (I should add as I did in email one reason I screw it up is this.) (http://www.bibletexts.com/terms/father-mother-god.htm)

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Fortunately, unlike A FEAST FOR CROWS, WORLDWIRED is already completed and delivered, so barring catastrophe, I can guarantee that the trilogy will be in your hands complete in slightly less than a year.

And there's rather a lot of Ellie in book two. Although, alas, her life gets a little more complicated than she intended. One thing I really wanted to do with her and Jenny was show a friendship between two grown-up women that didn't have anything to do with the man/men in their life. And getting Gabe in between the two of them helped me do that, in an odd sort of way.

'Cause I hate that--that thing, where women's entire focus is on their romantic entanglements. Real women aren't like that.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite moments was the kiss, speaking of women together...gosh was that fun!

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Dick liked it. *g* Dirty old AI.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

That was SO cute.

[oyceter]

One of my favorite scenes in the book ;).

Because he comes off like someone who would in his books.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

I loved the kiss (which was actually a threesome!). Loved it that Ellie used the same technique with J and G, too. She's a sharp one.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

how a friendship between two grown-up women that didn't have anything to do with the man/men in their life

"Chloe liked Olivia."

((grins happily))

I am actually doing something similar in my Nnnnnnnn, my nnnn -- anyhow. The heroine and who you could term the anti-heroine (her opp in nearly every respect) are v close friends, and the anti-heroine becomes v imp at the v last moment. There are other female friends, too.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Good for you!

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

Grrrl power! ....actually I cheated and made them both about thirty-five.

[oyceter]

Fortunately, unlike A FEAST FOR CROWS, WORLDWIRED is already completed and delivered, so barring catastrophe, I can guarantee that the trilogy will be in your hands complete in slightly less than a year.

Joy!

And more joy as to more Ellie! I really liked what I saw of her and wanted to get to see her more than I did in Hammered.

And an emphatic yes to friendship between women, and I loved how the issue of the man in their lives was so neatly sidestepped, in such a wonderful manner too! And I like how they feel a bit like opposites at first -- scientist vs. soldier and all that -- but they feel like they have a very similar will.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I felt very much as you did-- really enjoyed the Jenny Casey storyline, not so into the more traditional thriller bits with Razorface, and eagerly await the next one.

Is it a trilogy? I thought it was a duology.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

Trilogy, yeah. Just curious -- why weren't you so into Razorface? (I really liked him.) Honest question -- just wondering.

[oyceter]

Um, I think a lot of it was the fact that Razorface and Mitch were doing a straight investigation, which typically doesn't interest me all that much. Although, as stated, I liked the Bobbi parts. Plus, I was just so much more interested in the VR environment and the lab and Valens and the the evil corporation of doom and what was going on with Jenny and Ellie and Gabe. Also, Feynman!

MORE SPOILER SPOILER

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

Feynman!

I think a lot of it was the fact that Razorface and Mitch were doing a straight investigation, which typically doesn't interest me all that much

Actually, I was grateful for the straight investigation parts, because I can mix up even not-complex-as-Bear's plots v easily and it was nice to have some other people who didn't quite know what was going on either. (I liked it immensely that the young white male photogenic cop was the one who bought it, and not Razorface -- now that's reversing the conventions of genre!)

Evil Corporation of Doom and Barb were both v scary. ECOD sorta reminds me of Wolfram & Hart in Angel, in that it's this huge powerful resource you make a devil's deal to dance with and the results may not be quite what you intended. The ending felt v shadowed to me.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I thought he was an interesting character, but his storyline wasn't half as compelling as Jenny's.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

I did fall immediately in love with Jenny, myself -- she's one of those immediately appealing characters.