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I feel like I'm not being totally fair to the book, because I started judging it based on its reputation and hype versus its own merits. On its own, it's a spirited attempt to present a complex interpersonal relationship amidst the backdrop of an industry that is more and more relevant to the average reader with the passing of the years. Ultimately, I was really hoping for more integration of these digital worlds that Zevin envisioned, Mapleworld and Pioneers. The characters themselves....were tough for me to stick with. Sam ranges from really nasty to awkwardly solipsistic in his attempts to reach out to his best friends. Sadie is ready to stop all forward progress in character development at the first sign of Zevin setting her up for trauma. Basically, I thought this book would evolve us past the need for books like Neuromancer, but we're still waiting for that day.

I feel like I'm not being totally fair to the book, because I started judging it based on its reputation and hype versus its own merits. On its own, it's a spirited attempt to present a complex interpersonal relationship amidst the backdrop of an industry that is more and more relevant to the average reader with the passing of the years. Ultimately, I was really hoping for more integration of these digital worlds that Zevin envisioned, Mapleworld and Pioneers. The characters themselves....were tough for me to stick with. Sam ranges from really nasty to awkwardly solipsistic in his attempts to reach out to his best friends. Sadie is ready to stop all forward progress in character development at the first sign of Zevin setting her up for trauma. Basically, I thought this book would evolve us past the need for books like Neuromancer, but we're still waiting for that day.

I get, John Ronald Reuel. Things used to be nice and now they're not anymore. Yadah yadah, five stars.

Like a long episode of that VH1 show, which is extremely my shit.

Ghosts floated onto my radar earlier in the pandemic. I got it from the library and read 50 pages, telling myself "I want to buy this book." It took me something like 13 months to buy it and several more months to read it, but once I got into the thick of it again, I actually blazed through the story.

Ghosts just......works for me as a modern romance. Nina's observational wit presents a world I recognize and avidly want to hear her take on. The identifiable social satire of grown adults who start to sequester themselves according to relationship status hit me in the gut and nestled there. There was one plotline that I felt got somewhat bodice rippery, but I think I understand why she chose to take that relationship there in the end.

This one's special to me. Highly recommended.

Not enough about Tetris.

It's only fitting if I'm going to devote this much time to gaming that I should re-familiarize myself with the difficult business narrative of how gaming in North America really came to be. My favorite book on this subject is David Scheff's GAME OVER, from which this book heavily borrows its first-half structure. (Ryan cites Scheff's work at least one time, indicating that yes, he read it, and decided to follow the timeline almost exactly).

Great literary fiction told anthology style.

Aaron Sorkin got nominated for basically transcribing this book as a screenplay. Also, what's with the occasional shift into the bodice ripper genre? I didn't like that!