Pollen

This is the first book by Jeff Noon I've read; I now consider myself a fan. This is a book that I would classify as one of the 'truer' cyberpunk books out there. What I mean by that is the setting in Noon's book plays a central role in the story itself. Make no mistake this isn't some romance, western or sleuth story thrown in a cyberpunk setting. This story could not be told in any other world but the one Noon created. What I like so much about this story is that Noon explores the implications of his hybrid technological/drugged-up setting through the viewpoints of not only his characters but the society in which they reside and through the story itself. Indeed all three of these elements are symbiotically linked to the weird and unique world Noon has created. It's great to read a cyberpunk book where the cyberpunk elements actually ENHANCE the story being told. Another wonderful thing that Noon considers in his story is the concept of balance. In particular, characters with unhuman strengths also have great frailties. Genuine fragilities. Noon puts his characters into situations where their 'strengths' become completely benign or detrimental, while their 'weaknesses' become strengths. Noon understands when you merge a dream world with reality, rules and balance are needed to maintain the literary strength of your story. Without rules, powers go unchecked and the characters have no real conflicts. Noon does an excellent job of making his setting TRULY interesting because he respects the rules he lays out for his story and thus maintains an idea of consistency in his plot and characters. Lastly, I love the prose and punctuation Noon uses in this book. It is rare that an author can pull off a first-person perspective that actually enhances the story. I believe Noon did this very well indeed. Even though the perspective bounces around a bit--and some of the transitions are a bit rough--Noon does a noteworthy job of handling his first-person perspectives. Noon's artistically rhythmic use of punctuation fits in perfectly with the tone of the book; and his use of simple but VERY effective vocabulary make even the most stream-of-conscience sequences easily readable. Despite the extreme setting and ideas present in this book, Noon's mastery of the English language makes this work much more timeless than less-risque works in science fiction. Normally, I am a very harsh critic of science fiction; but Noon's work I believe to be truly exceptional. Not only are his ideas really unique and interesting, he fully explores the implications of his ideas. Also, Noon is a wordsmith. No, he doesn't rip out the fifteen letter words for even the most benign conversations. Noon is a master of simple and effective language that is riddled with subtlety. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I can't wait to get my hands on Noon's other works.

AH...This is the book that changed minds. Many people who loved Vurt were disapointed by Pollen. I for one find it hard to choose which is better. To me they are impossible to compare. They have a different veiw on the world of Vurt. One from a Flyer (a vurt person like Scrib) one from a DoDo (a non-Flyer). For those who don't like it, I am sorry. For those who have yet to read it, go into it with an open mind, don't expect another Vurt. Jeff Noon was wise to change the view points, after all, who wants to read the same book but with different words? Now and then it isn't too bad, but one risks the chance of ruining the orriginal concept. I say, READ THIS BOOK, take a chance, you have nothing to loose and have everything to gain. Keep in mind the old exchange rate, if you don't put in much, you can't get much out. So put in as much as you can so you will get the maximum enjoyment out of this book. So keep up the Reading. Enjoy! -BRAZIL Vista, CA

This book goes in a very different direction from its prequel, Vurt; although Vurt was a high-speed page-turner, and is still one of my very favorite books, Pollen may be higher in intellectual content. The references to the John Barleycorn story are quite fascinating, and we get a knew perspective on the Manchester of Noon's imagination with its zombie-filled hinterlands, and the trucks of Vaz that cross the wilderness. I also love Noon's prose. In Pollen, he abandons the hipster sing-song of Vurt in favor of more flowing, sensuous lines, and unforgettable imagery.

Noon manged to draw me so into the book I couldn't stop reading it - every page kept me turning to see what would happen next. All pre-concieved conceptions of dreams and reality were thrown into dis-array - no book has made me want to take up writing more than this one. I only hope all his books are this good :-)

Pollen is Jeff Noon's second trip to the world of Vurt, and it is a worthy successor to the modern classic. With enough lightly veiled references to his previous novel to keep fans happy, and a story line that you can go away humming. So, the 64 million dollar question, is it a better book than Vurt? No. Sorry. It starts well, but the ending just loses its edge. So, better than 99% of the books out there, yes. Better than Vurt? No