As shown by the four stars, I very much liked Rule 34, but...
Its predecessor, [b:Halting State|222472|Halting State|Charles Stross|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1232769480s/222472.jpg|930563], was better. Here, the ending felt a little bit rushed rather than tension-filled. And the imperative narration style ("You go into the room and see...") worked well with Halting State because that story dealt with gaming, and so the narration was reminiscent of D&D sessions. That isn't the case with Rule 34. Still, the characters are interesting and well-fleshed out. The plot is definitely not typical. And Stross' imagination is so fecund, he can turn out a one-paragraph sidebar that could easily become a novel on its own. (See the bit about the "Morningside Cannibals"). Even though it stands on its own, if you haven't already, read Halting State first, then come and enjoy this story. ( )

This is a grittily written novel in an overtly techno-urban futuristic setting. I have read and greatly enjoyed many of the Laundry Files novels from Stross, but this is a distinctly different type of book. While well written and definitely filled with creative expletives and descriptions, it isn't really a series I think I'll be following. However it may well be your cup of tea. Give it a go, it is an award winning novel.

Reviewed for Shaunie's SF Challenge. ( )

An interesting story around one of the Internet's oldest 'rules'... Stross certainly has the gift of great storytelling as this was a page-turner... I did not put this book down till it was finished! ( )

398 ( )

This book ends with one of those "Oh, that makes so much sense!" twists. It may not be as exciting as a "OMG WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?" twist, but arguably as satisfying.

The 2nd person narration takes a lot of getting used to and made me feel like I was playing a tabletop RPG... one in which I had no control over the characters. It was jarring for the first ~30% of the book, but was effective for the story in the end. ( )