Grey

If you're one of the haters who slagged the book (below) I'd imagine you don't take well to the shock of the new. Which is odd for people who read sci fi. "Grey" is hands down one of the best things I've read in ages, and has me scouring around for more sci fi like it. Sadly, too few exist. "Grey" is far from traditional, yet certainly builds from great, subversive sci fi traditions of the past, PD Dick, Jeff Noon, etc. These authors were also railed against as "not sci fi" and are now revered. Grey isn't "hard" science based fiction, nor elf and fairy fantasy. It takes what it sees happening today in the popular culture and stretches it far, far to beyond its breaking point. Yes, if our obsessions with celebrity continue, Michael Rivers and Nora would be the logical products. Yes, people would treat ad copy as philosophical doctrine and yes there would be competitive ironing contests. But don't get lost in the literal, Armstrong lets us enjoy the absurdity of it all as well. And that's what makes compelling, enduring reading. Like PKD, Grey bothers to be well written, a sin so much sci fi cannot cop to. Grey is incredibly funny throughout, also absent from 95% of speculative fiction these days. And is chock full of future-shock, dystopian ideas, that will leave you with the dual experience of recognition and fear. Highly recommended

This one is a real page-turner, marvelous execution. Can't wait to see Armstrong's next novel.

I found this book to be endlessly readable and a total page turner. I hope to see much more from this promising new writer. It could have been longer, though...

Think "Romeo and Juliet" meet "Snow Crash". The plot is summarized quite well above, so I won't repeat. This book is, at its heart, a love story set within the context of social parody. Anyone who loves fashion, food, spirits, and all things upper-crusty will find themselves skewered in some way in this book. There are one or two outstanding moments in the book, but otherwise it's fairly predictable and somewhat shallow. The universe created by Armstrong has the opportunity to be compelling and interesting but the opportunity to enrich the world has been missed by this short work. Not as satisfying as other genre novels, such as Patricia Sullivan's _Maul_, yet still an excellent breakout performance. Hope to see more from this author in the future.

This is both an instant classic of post-genre literature, & an outrageous parody of it. It's Shakespeare on acid with tones of Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, spiced with tones of Gibson, Sterling, Neal Stephenson, and a crazed graphic artist who creates all the artwork with words alone, & quite an original work. As for the story, it's Romeo & Juliet placed in another world of corporate assassins, espionage, rivalry, & revenge. I will not delve into the plot. You deserve to be able to experience it on your own. There were moments, when I couldn't find anything to like about the characters, & I still couldn't put it down. In truth, I still am not sure exactly how I feel about the book, but I won't soon forget it. This is not mere entertainment, it's a work of art.