It's the hottest place to be for sleepless denizens of the computer nets. Here in cyberspace they can live out thier wildest fantasies: flirt or argue with the regulars in Ernie's Bar, plah high-stakes poker in the Casino del Camino, engage in safe, anonymous sex in the Pleasure Dome, watch or commit murders in teh Snuff Room. But suddenly high-tech fantasy explodes into a real-life nightmare as Insomnimania subscribers begin dying - and their murders start showing up in lurid detail on Snuff Room animations.
Insomnimania subscriber Marianne Hedison stumbles onto a crime scene she recognizes from the Snuff Room, and after a second chilling murder, she lets the cops in on her suspicion that a serial killer is loose within the net. But detective Nolan Grobowski has his own prime suspect: Marianne. Now Marianne must prove her innocence before the actual killer strikes again - and to do so she must haunt the bizarre corridors of Insomnimania, where fantasies emerge after dark...and death becomes all too real.
Insomnimania subscriber Marianne Hedison stumbles onto a crime scene she recognizes from the Snuff Room, and after a second chilling murder, she lets the cops in on her suspicion that a serial killer is loose within the net. But detective Nolan Grobowski has his own prime suspect: Marianne. Now Marianne must prove her innocence before the actual killer strikes again - and to do so she must haunt the bizarre corridors of Insomnimania, where fantasies emerge after dark...and death becomes all too real.
Really great internet thriller. Hard to put down.
Meh...this book could not decide what it wanted to be when it grew-up, and slugging through 500+ pages of literary puberty was not what I had in-mind when I ordered it.
Great concept, poorly executed. The premise had much potential - the whole 'serial killer in a virtual reality world' idea (although its been done before - 'The Matrix' is an example of how the whole virtual reality concept can be successfully executed). The problems begin when the author focuses unnecessarily on the romantic interest between one of the female leads and a detective involved in the story. From there, we end-up with entire chapters being devoted to what amounts to romantic introspection on the part of the female lead - not that there's anything wrong with that...if that's who you are... /Seinfeld however I picked this book up because it marketed itself as a sci-fi thriller, not as a romance novel.
Could have been a tight 250-300 page cyber-thriller, instead was a meandering and sprawling 500 page literary identity crises. A failed attempt at catering to multiple target readers.
Two stars.
- Savage
Great concept, poorly executed. The premise had much potential - the whole 'serial killer in a virtual reality world' idea (although its been done before - 'The Matrix' is an example of how the whole virtual reality concept can be successfully executed). The problems begin when the author focuses unnecessarily on the romantic interest between one of the female leads and a detective involved in the story. From there, we end-up with entire chapters being devoted to what amounts to romantic introspection on the part of the female lead - not that there's anything wrong with that...if that's who you are... /Seinfeld however I picked this book up because it marketed itself as a sci-fi thriller, not as a romance novel.
Could have been a tight 250-300 page cyber-thriller, instead was a meandering and sprawling 500 page literary identity crises. A failed attempt at catering to multiple target readers.
Two stars.
- Savage
