Synners

Pat Cadigan's "Synners" - excellent, highly complex, cyberpunk sci-fi by an author I now very much want to read more of. Perspective switches between different characters in different narratives and I'm sure I missed a lot by only reading this in bits interspersed with a lot of other things. Synners are those who take imagery from the brains of others and turn them into a consumable form through a new form of surgical cuber modules. The idea is similar to that I first saw in one of William Gibson's "Kings of Sleep", one of the short stories in the Burning chrome collection, or the performers with cybered creative skills in Joan D. Vinge's "Cat's Paw", but "Synners" takes the idea further, developing it into a complex plot with a sideline of studies in Self and Consciousness.

I read Synners around 1993. It was borrowed from friends of friends, and so I returned it. When I finally got around to looking for it, it was out of print. I was happily surprised to learn it was republished, so it was a good Christmas gift.Pat Cadigan weaves a multi layered mystery of when flesh meets technology and people lose themselves into their own created reality. While the main characters of Gabe, Gina, and Sam dominate the story, other characters are developed at a good level, such as Gator, Fez, Mark, and Art. They are not 2d characters. The use of everyone's viewpoints, even down to the use of language in the way they think and talk, is refreshing. She also captures via words such things as travelling through the wire and drug induced hallucinations. While this book is 10 years old and may feel a bit dated in sci-fi terms, it still feels very relevant to our society as computers and digital technology invade our lives and change the ways we communicate and relate with each other thru the wires.

I picked up this book after reading one of Cadigan's short stories in a cyberpunk compilation, and I was thoroughly impressed by it. The way it immerses you in the character's thoughts is especially appealling. And it's one of the only books I've ever read that has a soundtrack to it... sort of... without giving anything away, I'll tell you to make sure you have a copy of George Thorogood's "Who Do You Love" and Lou Reed's "Coney Island Baby" handy, and it'll make your reading experience that much more immersive. Also, it wouldn't hurt if you bring some "change for the machine".

Still love 'Synners' after re-reading it this weekend. Why are Cadigan books so difficult to find? I love her wit, the covoluted story-telling, the characters, you name it - maybe more cerebral and satisfying than Gibson

I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but I like good stories. This is a fine story. I admire Cadigan's ability to have several stories going at once, a ton of characters interacting, and still keep it interesting and fun. I recommend her other novels Mindplayers and Fools. They aren't as funny, but the plots are intrigueing and complex. Cadigan is a very original writer, and I love reading her work.