Search - Halting State (Halting State, Bk 1)

I just finished Halting State by Charles Stross.

This was a very cool near future thriller, with elements of gaming, corporate skullduggery, crime and espionage. Plus some sword work. Like most of Stross' work, this thing is dripping with cool ideas and actually makes me curious about online gaming - or at least the management, care and feeding of said entities.

There are three viewpoint characters: Sergeant Sue Smith of the Edinburgh Polis - and frequently the voice of reality; Elaine Barnaby, forensic accountant, auditor and amateur swordswoman and Jack Reed, geek, gamer, programmer and hacker. The book opens with a recruiting e-mail, moves on to an impossible bank robbery in a MMORPG and then begins to get seriously twisted and entertaining from there.

I liked it and I'm going to read it again. Also its nearest cousin, Rainbows End once I get the opportunity. My only suggestion would be the addition of a cast of characters and a list of abbreviations and unfamiliar terminology.

If you like neat ideas, an interesting plot and some decent characters, plus overlays of the police procedural and espionage novel, then look into Halting State.

Christ, I hope I don't sound like Klausner.

Do you play a MMORPG?
Do you write computer code?
Do you work with the police?
Do you enjoy futuristic thrillers?
Would you like to read a book written in the 2nd person?
Are you Scottish?

If you answered 'yes' to two or more of the above, you're going to love this book!

It's a detective thrill ride through a future Edinburgh and the servers that host a number of online games.

Switching back and forth between the three main voices is much like jumping from tank to caster to healer. If you like role-playing games, you'll be able to envelop yourself in the perspective from the second person narrative.