Trouble and Her Friends

This is science fiction of the cyberpunk genre. There is a new technology termed "brainworm" that allows a user to connect to the net and "surf" utilizing only their brain. Think Matrix, but without the robot takeover. Cerise and her ex-lover, Trouble, have to team up in order to stop a copycat hacker from tarnishing Trouble's name. Scott touches on the aspects of new technology, how an older generation can be reluctant to accept it and the problems that can stem from that reluctance and from the new technology itself. The book is somewhat difficult to get into at first, but it quickly comes together and turns into a great page turner.

But I loved this book! I had read some of Melissa's work before and thought she was okay. This book really shows off her talent and her true love (computers). I have also read 'Night Sky Mine' since and am now definitely hooked on her. Quirky, complex and insightful.

I have been reading Melissa Scott for years and I never saw anything like this before. It fairly outshines the very most awesome of her works, I was blown away. Could not put it down, can't believe it is the same writer as "Dreamships" (which is a great book in it's own right) but "Trouble and Her Friends" - well, it is inventive and delicious. I want more!

I can only think of one word to describe this book: sexy! The technology is sexy and seductive as are the main characters, Trouble and Cerise. Try to get a copy of this even if it is out-of-print. It's worth it.

This book has truly possessed me. I read this book on or about the time I was getting on-line for the first time. I was drawn to the rendering of the computer's concepts into concrete form. I had been told that you could become anything or anybody on the Net. To think of things like firewalls and nodes, interlinks and intralinks. The idea of having to "police" the Net. Then came this book. I now have a visual image of the Net I did not have prior to Trouble. This is a very good read. I could not put it down. I actually have now purchased the entire Melissa Scott catalogue behind this book. This book, Dreamships, The Heaven Trilogy and A Game Beyond are signature books in the genre of cyberpunk. If you have a chance, try and read them all, though they won't be easy to find. It is worth it to try