In this once-a-week series I’m going to review one thing I’ve read, one thing I’ve played and, yeah you can see where this is going, one thing I have watched. Hopefully, this can be a fun little series that helps people choose that next game, book or movie/series, and it’ll keep my awful attention span interested too!
Read – Synners by Pat Cadigan
Synners is a cyberpunk novel set in a bleak future version of Los Angeles after California has been ravaged by earthquakes along the San Andreas fault. As is the way with anything in this subgenre there is a huge divide between rich and poor, and technology has reached dizzying new heights that place corporate profit first and morality second.
The follows several characters, each from a different walk of life and dealing with their own problems. Each is drawn into the schemes of Diversifications Inc, a corporation that is looking to install sockets directly into people’s brains, allowing them to experience other people’s thoughts and dreams as vividly as if they were real life. Why? To sell music videos, of course!
Cadigan wrote this story in the early 90s, and though the terminology is a little off, she did an absolutely prescient job of describing Synner‘s technology. It’s got everything from streaming to self-driving cars in there and it’s fascinating to recognise things from the real world that are mirrored here.
The downside is that it takes the story so damn long to reach it’s point. While I’m not usually too bothered about a well-handled slow boil (I loved The Passage!) this one just seems to go on, and on, and on. It doesn’t help that there are entire chapters following characters under the influence of hallucinogens/mind-altering drugs that were pretty much impossible for me to follow, and I am ashamed to say that I may have skimmed over a few of these sections.
It’s definitely not a bad read, all in all. While it doesn’t reach the flow of Neuromancer, or the straight-up fun of Partitioned: Critical Era, it’s still a good story overall. Some of the characters are interesting, such as programmer and VR-addict Gabe, and when Diversifications’ immoral and greedy project finally hits the fan it does get really intense, you just need to get past that slow build!
Score: 3.75
Play – Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar’s 2018 Wild West sequel made a lot of headlines on its release, not all of them being good. Though the stunning visuals were praised, along with amazing sound design and voice acting, people seemed to have beef with the game’s slow-paced story (hey, like Synners!) and the fact that the developers put a lot of systems and realism in where, perhaps, it weakened the overall fun-factor.
I bought this one on release, and boy am I glad I did. In my humble opinion, RDR2 is a masterpiece! This could well be the best third-person open-world title I have ever played (sorry, Geralt) and a huge part of that is the story and characters.
You play the role of Arthur Morgan, a high-ranking member of an outlaw gang that, as the game begins, is on the run from the law, fleeing headlong into the snowy mountains along with the rest of the crew. their wives, pets, belongings and, in one case, child. The gang gets pinned down by a blizzard and, from there, sets out to slowly rebuild their strength and acquire dollars aplenty so they can retire off to a life of bliss, somewhere far away from the growing influence of the Federal government, the West slowly being tamed and civilised around them.
While the shooting, riding, fighting and exploring are all fantastic, it’s really the characters that steal the limelight, especially Arthur. His arc is incredible, watching him slowly realise his own humanity as the plot develops is so satisfying, especially if you, as the player, choose to make good decisions and help people. He really is a man wrestling with his conscience by the end, and it leads to one massive emotional payoff in the final hours.
Oh, and Micah Bell? What an asshole!
Score: 5/5
Watch – Misfits
A series I passed on originally, I was drawn to watch it by the inclusion of Brassic‘s Joseph Gilgun in the cast (from series 3 onward, as it turns out). I’m glad I did decide to watch it too, as it’s a darkly funny science-fiction tale, with razor-sharp writing and a very British sense of humour.
The story follows a crew of youths working community service who, in a freak occurrence, are struck by lightning from a strange storm, developing superpowers with a gamut of uses (or lack thereof). The first series follows the gang as they learn to get on with each other and their own powers, and keep the latter a secret from the wider world and, unsurprisingly, this is the best series overall. It’s well-paced, fresh and funny, with Robert Sheehan’s Nathan standing out as m favourite character, even if he is a total dick most of the time. It’s grimy, gory and coarse, but it all fits the overall aesthetic and flavour.
The other series decline gradually from this high-point, as is often the way with UK series that go on for a little longer than they should. By the time we reach series 4 the original cast is gone entirely, and the replacements are nowhere near as interesting as Nathan, Curtis, Alesha, Kelly and Simon.
It’s still worth watching, but it is undeniably a shame that the quality drops off.
Score: 3.5
This is a bit experimental, so please let me know what you think, what I can improve on, etc! I enjoyed writing this, and hopefully, you enjoyed absorbing it into your brain, via your eyes. Also if you have experienced any of the above, what are your thoughts on it, eh?
Craig Rathbone - Writer 
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