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Everyone in Silico
Are you ready to upgrade to a fully modifiable and personalized reality?
In Vancouver, 2036, people are tired of the smog and the rain. They're willing to give up a lot for guaranteed sunshine.
Don't think about what you're losing, think about what you're getting — a life with no wasted hours sleeping or commuting. A life free of crime and disease. A life that ends when you want it to, not when some faceless entity decides it's your time.
In Vancouver, 2036, people are tired of the smog and the rain. They're willing to give up a lot for guaranteed sunshine.
Don't think about what you're losing, think about what you're getting — a life with no wasted hours sleeping or commuting. A life free of crime and disease. A life that ends when you want it to, not when some faceless entity decides it's your time.
256 pages, ebook
First published January 6, 2002
79 people are currently reading
547 people want to read
About the author
Jim Munroe
20 books31 followersAnarchist (Though as far as I can tell the non-violent type), Vegan, Dad. Jim Munroe is also a talented young author particularly notable for his novel "Flyboy Action Figure comes with Gasmask" and his indie DIY-leanings. See his website for more information, especially regarding those 'indie DIY-leanings' which he is particularly passionate about.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 30, 2011
Jim Munroe's Everyone in Silico is a near-future (2036) posthuman book with a very dark premise: uploading of human consciousness has been acheived, but the company responsible for it (Self, a subsidiary of Microsoft) has created a very boring multi-user environment almost completely like the real world. People don't like change, the theory goes: they'll only accept uploading if the virtual world is like the real world, only moreso.
The real world of 2036 is pretty sad. Corporations have dissolved government and now practice detenté with each other. There are special agents who wear warsuits that cause premature aging, and companies use these agents against each other and "rogue governments" (meaning: any government). Goverment is an inefficient drag on the market, and must be eliminated. The year of 2036 is pretty telling to; it's the 150th anniversary of the assumption that corporations had all the rights of individuals, but few of the responsibilities.
The book follows three people: Doug, a "coolhunter" who's worried that he's losing it as he gets older; Nicky, a genehacker who makes custom pets in a world that no longer needs genehacking, now that uploading is the new thing; and Eileen, a former special agent whose 12-year-old son disappeared and seems to have been uploaded into Self.
The "people don't like change" meme is battered heavily toward the end of the book, especially with the description of the "foyer" of the Self universe. Also, inside Self, people don't need to sleep, but they do need jobs; the replication is so significant that only the economically disjunct don't need to do "information work." Everybody else is a knowledge worker despite there obviously being an AI system strong enough that no such work is needed.
The book drags for the first half or so as Munroe gets his pieces into place, unmasks the shadowy hero manipulating them, and reaches a reasonably satisfying climax toward the end.
What I liked about the book is that the characters all feel there's something fundamentally wrong with a "virtual" existence, either in the real world or in silico. But being an uploaded person doesn't make your experiences in the virtual world inauthentic; what makes something inauthentic is when other people choose for you the experiences you're having, or you opt for a shoddier existence knowing there's a vibrant alternative. "Self" isn't shoddier than the real world; knowing that Self is a corporate entity within which you have no rights whatsoever, however distant and pretty the bars on the cage may be, makes it a shoddier existence.
The book is a Statement On Corporatism, so the book is littered with cynical statements about brands: Coke, KFC, Microsoft, Nike, etc. etc. come in for some very heavy bashing. And the shadowy hero is very much the Voice of the Author. Munroe does a good job of slipping his opinions into the story, but it's obvious when he's doing so.
But for a book like this, that's not a bad thing. We come to care about Doug and his existential angst, and we care about Nicky and Eileen, and hope for the best. It's a suprisingly humane and inviting story, for all the grimness going on. The book ends with a satisfying if vague, happy ending. I highly recommend it. And it's available free.
The real world of 2036 is pretty sad. Corporations have dissolved government and now practice detenté with each other. There are special agents who wear warsuits that cause premature aging, and companies use these agents against each other and "rogue governments" (meaning: any government). Goverment is an inefficient drag on the market, and must be eliminated. The year of 2036 is pretty telling to; it's the 150th anniversary of the assumption that corporations had all the rights of individuals, but few of the responsibilities.
The book follows three people: Doug, a "coolhunter" who's worried that he's losing it as he gets older; Nicky, a genehacker who makes custom pets in a world that no longer needs genehacking, now that uploading is the new thing; and Eileen, a former special agent whose 12-year-old son disappeared and seems to have been uploaded into Self.
The "people don't like change" meme is battered heavily toward the end of the book, especially with the description of the "foyer" of the Self universe. Also, inside Self, people don't need to sleep, but they do need jobs; the replication is so significant that only the economically disjunct don't need to do "information work." Everybody else is a knowledge worker despite there obviously being an AI system strong enough that no such work is needed.
The book drags for the first half or so as Munroe gets his pieces into place, unmasks the shadowy hero manipulating them, and reaches a reasonably satisfying climax toward the end.
What I liked about the book is that the characters all feel there's something fundamentally wrong with a "virtual" existence, either in the real world or in silico. But being an uploaded person doesn't make your experiences in the virtual world inauthentic; what makes something inauthentic is when other people choose for you the experiences you're having, or you opt for a shoddier existence knowing there's a vibrant alternative. "Self" isn't shoddier than the real world; knowing that Self is a corporate entity within which you have no rights whatsoever, however distant and pretty the bars on the cage may be, makes it a shoddier existence.
The book is a Statement On Corporatism, so the book is littered with cynical statements about brands: Coke, KFC, Microsoft, Nike, etc. etc. come in for some very heavy bashing. And the shadowy hero is very much the Voice of the Author. Munroe does a good job of slipping his opinions into the story, but it's obvious when he's doing so.
But for a book like this, that's not a bad thing. We come to care about Doug and his existential angst, and we care about Nicky and Eileen, and hope for the best. It's a suprisingly humane and inviting story, for all the grimness going on. The book ends with a satisfying if vague, happy ending. I highly recommend it. And it's available free.
August 29, 2014
There's a lot of great ideas here. Anyone who thinks a lot about the corporate takeover of Earth should look at this book. However, all these ideas are looking for a story and neither they nor I could find it.
October 31, 2016
The mindset starts creeping into every aspect of your life after awhile... this catchy jingle, for example, colonized my brain while I was in the shower, pondering what more to say about Jim Munroe's brilliant indie dystopia:
Vancouver in 2036 A.D. is a scarily empty place. Almost everyone who can afford to has already moved to Frisco—or, rather, "moved" to "Frisco," their consciousnesses uploaded to the ubiquitous Self corporation's virtual-reality version of San Francisco, a high-resolution playground of the mind created after the megaquake that leveled the real thing.
Fortunately, there aren't many actual San Franciscans left to object to the tourist term for their high-tech home town.
There are still a few Vancouverites hanging around, though, poor souls left behind in meatspace after the technological Rapture, and they are the focus of Everyone In Silico. Like Nicky, a charming young scholar whose fascination with the outmoded field of genetic engineering has led her to a shady career breeding ratdogs to sell to unsuspecting sentimentalists. Doug Patterson, an aging coolhunter who's running out of cool to hunt, since all the real trendsetters have already left physical existence. Eileen, who is (or seems to be) a kindly old lady who just wants her grandson back. And Paul... who may have moved to Frisco but he hasn't lost touch with, or interest in, the physical world...
Pretty much everything in Everyone In Silico is familiar ground by now, or should be. From fellow antecedents like Jennifer Government by Max Brand—I mean Max Barry—and Ernie Cline's more recent Ready Player One, to current avatars of the zeitgeist like Black Mirror , corporate dystopias and uploaded minds are exceedingly common tropes. But Jim Munroe was one of the first to put the pieces together, and this book remains one of the most entertaining and eerily plausible examinations of "if this goes on—", of just how easy it would be to trick humanity into giving up messy old reality for a smooth and polished—and, of course, thoroughly branded—alternative.
Jim Munroe keeps the plot moving, throwing in telling details and trenchant observations at a tremendous rate, with a fine eye for the fine line between believable absurdity and ridiculous excess. (How do you know you're in a dystopia, by the way? No libraries...) This book isn't an isolated example, either—Munroe's Angry Young Spaceman remains one of the few ebooks I've ever managed to get through. I picked up my hard copy of this one, though, during a return visit to the (unsolicited plug) thoroughly charming Sixth Chamber Used Books in St. Paul, Minnesota.
No downloading was involved.
Everyone In Silico will maximize your brand!
Everyone In Silico won't come off in your hand!
Everyone In Silico will make your eyebrows *pop*!
Everyone In Silico—it just—won't—stop!
Vancouver in 2036 A.D. is a scarily empty place. Almost everyone who can afford to has already moved to Frisco—or, rather, "moved" to "Frisco," their consciousnesses uploaded to the ubiquitous Self corporation's virtual-reality version of San Francisco, a high-resolution playground of the mind created after the megaquake that leveled the real thing.
Fortunately, there aren't many actual San Franciscans left to object to the tourist term for their high-tech home town.
There are still a few Vancouverites hanging around, though, poor souls left behind in meatspace after the technological Rapture, and they are the focus of Everyone In Silico. Like Nicky, a charming young scholar whose fascination with the outmoded field of genetic engineering has led her to a shady career breeding ratdogs to sell to unsuspecting sentimentalists. Doug Patterson, an aging coolhunter who's running out of cool to hunt, since all the real trendsetters have already left physical existence. Eileen, who is (or seems to be) a kindly old lady who just wants her grandson back. And Paul... who may have moved to Frisco but he hasn't lost touch with, or interest in, the physical world...
Pretty much everything in Everyone In Silico is familiar ground by now, or should be. From fellow antecedents like Jennifer Government by Max Brand—I mean Max Barry—and Ernie Cline's more recent Ready Player One, to current avatars of the zeitgeist like Black Mirror , corporate dystopias and uploaded minds are exceedingly common tropes. But Jim Munroe was one of the first to put the pieces together, and this book remains one of the most entertaining and eerily plausible examinations of "if this goes on—", of just how easy it would be to trick humanity into giving up messy old reality for a smooth and polished—and, of course, thoroughly branded—alternative.
Jim Munroe keeps the plot moving, throwing in telling details and trenchant observations at a tremendous rate, with a fine eye for the fine line between believable absurdity and ridiculous excess. (How do you know you're in a dystopia, by the way? No libraries...) This book isn't an isolated example, either—Munroe's Angry Young Spaceman remains one of the few ebooks I've ever managed to get through. I picked up my hard copy of this one, though, during a return visit to the (unsolicited plug) thoroughly charming Sixth Chamber Used Books in St. Paul, Minnesota.
No downloading was involved.
July 15, 2017
Pros: fascinating world, interesting characters, thought-provoking
Cons: open ended
It’s the year 2036 and the world is run by corporations that advertise non-stop and have polluted the planet. More and more people are leaving Vancouver for the virtual reality city of Frisco, manufactured by Self. But not everyone can afford to go, like Doug, who’s age is putting him out of touch in his coolhunting job. And not everyone wants to go, like Nicky, who lucked out and got a lab full of genetics equipment when her school scrapped their program. While others can’t wait to get there, like Eileen’s twelve year old ‘grandson’, who goes without permission, leaving her frantic to find out what’s happened to his body. Because Self is a very private company, a company Paul - who brings these characters together - wants to crack open.
Published in - and extrapolated from - 2002, the world-building is fascinating. While the author gets some things wrong, others are more true today than they were when the book came out. The idea of corporations bringing down governments that hinder their commercial efforts, even if those efforts are meant to protect the populace, is scarily relevant today.
The characters all have goals and complications in their lives. Through their day to day lives they comment on how things have changed, and how some things, like discrimination based on race and class distinctions, stay the same. There are some short but graphic sexual scenes, and not all the pairings are heterosexual.
Most of the book takes place in the real world, though you do get to see Frisco from time to time and more completely towards the end of the book
While I enjoyed how Doug’s story ended, on the whole I found the ending a bit unsatisfying as it left things more open ended than I would have liked.
It was a quick, interesting read that raised some thought-provoking ideas.
Cons: open ended
It’s the year 2036 and the world is run by corporations that advertise non-stop and have polluted the planet. More and more people are leaving Vancouver for the virtual reality city of Frisco, manufactured by Self. But not everyone can afford to go, like Doug, who’s age is putting him out of touch in his coolhunting job. And not everyone wants to go, like Nicky, who lucked out and got a lab full of genetics equipment when her school scrapped their program. While others can’t wait to get there, like Eileen’s twelve year old ‘grandson’, who goes without permission, leaving her frantic to find out what’s happened to his body. Because Self is a very private company, a company Paul - who brings these characters together - wants to crack open.
Published in - and extrapolated from - 2002, the world-building is fascinating. While the author gets some things wrong, others are more true today than they were when the book came out. The idea of corporations bringing down governments that hinder their commercial efforts, even if those efforts are meant to protect the populace, is scarily relevant today.
The characters all have goals and complications in their lives. Through their day to day lives they comment on how things have changed, and how some things, like discrimination based on race and class distinctions, stay the same. There are some short but graphic sexual scenes, and not all the pairings are heterosexual.
Most of the book takes place in the real world, though you do get to see Frisco from time to time and more completely towards the end of the book
While I enjoyed how Doug’s story ended, on the whole I found the ending a bit unsatisfying as it left things more open ended than I would have liked.
It was a quick, interesting read that raised some thought-provoking ideas.
December 9, 2011
"I'll have a tequila sunrise," declared a fresh-faced cartoon kid, looking around at the people in the bar with bright-eyed pride. He hopped up on a bar stool beside Paul.
The kid was your classic Fresh Off The Boat - the cartoon body favored by people getting to choose a body other than their own for the first time, corn-colored tufts of hair above freckles and a gargantuan grin. "Can't believe it! All looks so real," the kid said, sliding his hands over the bar.
It's the middle of the 21st century and the streets of Vancouver are emptying as more and more people decide to take up residence in Frisco, a virtual reality world based on San Francisco, run by a company called Self. But what happens to the bodies of those who have moved there. They are supposed to be stored in a secret location in case anybody decides to leave Frisco and return to the real world, but nobody really knows if they are.
The trickle of people signing up for Self's bronze, silver, gold and platinum packages has become a flood, schools and workplaces are moving into Frisco and closing down in the real world, and soon only the poor and disenfranchised will be left. But the resistance movement known as the Infiltrators is growing in both worlds, and the main characters in the book are drawn into it by the mysterious Paul.
What is it with cyberpunk novels and weak endings? The story fizzled to a halt as if the author was just bored with it, leaving me with a vague idea of Paul's plans, but no closure.
The kid was your classic Fresh Off The Boat - the cartoon body favored by people getting to choose a body other than their own for the first time, corn-colored tufts of hair above freckles and a gargantuan grin. "Can't believe it! All looks so real," the kid said, sliding his hands over the bar.
It's the middle of the 21st century and the streets of Vancouver are emptying as more and more people decide to take up residence in Frisco, a virtual reality world based on San Francisco, run by a company called Self. But what happens to the bodies of those who have moved there. They are supposed to be stored in a secret location in case anybody decides to leave Frisco and return to the real world, but nobody really knows if they are.
The trickle of people signing up for Self's bronze, silver, gold and platinum packages has become a flood, schools and workplaces are moving into Frisco and closing down in the real world, and soon only the poor and disenfranchised will be left. But the resistance movement known as the Infiltrators is growing in both worlds, and the main characters in the book are drawn into it by the mysterious Paul.
What is it with cyberpunk novels and weak endings? The story fizzled to a halt as if the author was just bored with it, leaving me with a vague idea of Paul's plans, but no closure.
January 5, 2013
Ends just as it finally starts to get interesting.
It didn't help that my version of the e-book didn't have any chapter divisions, so it just jumped from one substory to another from one paragraph to another. At least, I assume it was a problem with the e-book. If it was a deliberate device on the part of an author, it was a bad idea.
It didn't help that my version of the e-book didn't have any chapter divisions, so it just jumped from one substory to another from one paragraph to another. At least, I assume it was a problem with the e-book. If it was a deliberate device on the part of an author, it was a bad idea.
September 12, 2007
I didn't think this book was incredibly interesting when I read it, but boy am I glad I did, there are so many social references to it, just like hitchhikers guide...
June 17, 2017
Futuristic dystopia which ends up in a glimple of hope. The world is digitized and even the inner life´s of people, or at least, those can afford it. There are different commercial packages for the uploaded self, the smallest packages includes advertizing, the most exlusive not. But there is a digitized resistance movement which also has conections to the 'real' world.
This novell should be read because it is about something that will show up. And the book therefore give some possibilites to be prepared.
This novell should be read because it is about something that will show up. And the book therefore give some possibilites to be prepared.
January 13, 2018
Great read. A diverse cast of of well constructed characters, dealing with interesting subject matter from very different perspectives which all touch one another throughout the ride.
September 2, 2019
Munroe's technological dystopia was ahead of its time. You see many of this type of people rallying against technology but this book was a head of the curve. A quirky and interesting book. 3+
December 26, 2024
Paint a unique picture of our future uninhibited by guardrails which make us human. I especially love the focus on arts and entertainment.
June 12, 2013
Almost cyberpunk of the now - sharing cyberpunk's dystopian future where corporations have taken control of everything, virtual reality is core to society's ongoing business, and life is cheap. But Munroe's vision isn't the clean, cold lines of chrome and neon, nor does it really share 80's style punk culture. Instead it cheerfully extrapolates from the excesses of modern corporate culture - pervasive, obnoxious advertising, security systems that are allowed to kill, the IMF replacing government, etc. The virtual reality requires direct brain upload, and people are migrating to this new world by the thousands, leaving reality somewhat depopulated and technology like cloning and genetic engineering declasse. Labor laws have been repealed and bicycles banned as safety hazards (while cars continue to get larger and more tanklike).
The story follows several misfits, including a geneticist animal grower named Vicky, a washed up and indebted coolhunter named Doug, an elderly parent trying to find the little boy she had made from her DNA named Eileen, and a mysterious man named Paul. It gradually becomes clear how these various strands tie together, but there's more time spent exploring the setting than strong forward plot movement, and ultimately none of the threads quite reach the expected resolution. It's a wildly imaginative read, but don't expect it to be a thriller.
The story follows several misfits, including a geneticist animal grower named Vicky, a washed up and indebted coolhunter named Doug, an elderly parent trying to find the little boy she had made from her DNA named Eileen, and a mysterious man named Paul. It gradually becomes clear how these various strands tie together, but there's more time spent exploring the setting than strong forward plot movement, and ultimately none of the threads quite reach the expected resolution. It's a wildly imaginative read, but don't expect it to be a thriller.
April 8, 2012
Some books are hard to rate not in terms of their enjoyment, but in terms of the quality of the work itself, and Everyone In Silico is a prime example of that. The Book I really thoroughly enjoyed, and it reminded me of much of the best Science-fiction out there. It's principal flaw is that it's narrative at time seems disjointed, a few directly into the world the author proffers, but with the 'story' being less important than the setting.
That being said the 'setting' is awesome. A somewhat 'punk' world in which governments were disolved and corporate interests control everything. A world of replete advertising, Ads everywhere and the newest 'product' having your consciousness uploaded to a digital world. The exploration of this world, and the 'meat' world and what that has meant it very fascinating.
All in all I would recommend this book to likers of classic sci-fi in the 'examine aspects of our society in a future context' way, and those who like some-what believable distopian fiction.
That being said the 'setting' is awesome. A somewhat 'punk' world in which governments were disolved and corporate interests control everything. A world of replete advertising, Ads everywhere and the newest 'product' having your consciousness uploaded to a digital world. The exploration of this world, and the 'meat' world and what that has meant it very fascinating.
All in all I would recommend this book to likers of classic sci-fi in the 'examine aspects of our society in a future context' way, and those who like some-what believable distopian fiction.
August 23, 2008
Munroe, I figure, is Canadian, so this tale take places in Canada. As a USA-centric American, this strikes me as odd (who writes about Canada?) but I'm pretty sure it is perfectly normal for a Canadian author to write such a story. Overall, I enjoyed this one. The plot hinges on Self, a company that has perfected the art of downloading people's minds into avatars that live in a virtual San Francisco. Anyone can go, and for a price, you can even get the advertising banners removed. While you are there, Self takes care of your body so can come back to the real world whenever you want, provided you give at least two weeks notice. Naturally, everything is not what it seems, and a disparate group of people ranging from a marketing coolhunter and genesplicing performance artists to a twelve year old hacker and his septagenarian grandmother are organized by a shadowy figure intent on finding out the truth.
August 30, 2007
It was like Jennifer Government, but more fun, and more suited to the medium. Unlike Jennifer Government, it is not waiting for to be optioned. Although if it WERE optioned it would look a hell of a lot more interesting than Jennifer Government.
Oh. It's about advertising n' consumerism, n' being overly-mediated n' stuff. But fun. And only a little didactic...in a good way. Ok a lot didactic, which is why it only got 4 stars. But still...in a good way. What else did you expect really?
Oh. It's about advertising n' consumerism, n' being overly-mediated n' stuff. But fun. And only a little didactic...in a good way. Ok a lot didactic, which is why it only got 4 stars. But still...in a good way. What else did you expect really?
August 23, 2009
This is my first Jim Munroe book, and I enjoyed reading it on my iPod (although at some point the text got glitchy and I had to skip ahead a few pages to get past some weird iPod issue where the page wouldn't turn). I liked the premise, the characters, and most of the story, but felt it ended a bit abruptly, with the problem of people as (essentially) Cartesian brains in vats while their bodies were used for slave labour ultimately unresolved. (Whoops, SPOILER!) Still, it was an interesting idea for a book, a fun read, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from him. Recommended for anyone who likes sci-fi, computers, AI, tech stuff and Cartesian philosophy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2008
A competent scifi book, exploring capitalism, the matrix, and a obsolete physical world. Enjoyable, if amateur feeling - the end felt rushed, the characters shallow, the threads not quite connected. Well worth the few hours it took to read, and better than many.
A week has passed, and I've been thinking about advertising, intrusion into our lives, and the control we give up to our vendors quite a bit. Even came up on the plane this week, so clearly this deserves one more star. It's an impactful book, if perhaps not the best written.
A week has passed, and I've been thinking about advertising, intrusion into our lives, and the control we give up to our vendors quite a bit. Even came up on the plane this week, so clearly this deserves one more star. It's an impactful book, if perhaps not the best written.
May 20, 2008
In my quest to find good - ok, I'll settle for decent - non-cheesy, nothing too over the top, trying too hard (China Miéville!!? You're kidding right!?), non-crap futuristic fiction that wasn't written by trinity of Gibson, Sterling or Stephenson - I'm lucky to have stumbled upon this indie treasure. I'm still just on page 21, but it's all in the first ten paragraphs of any book as you very well know. I have hopes for this one.
August 3, 2010
Munroe paints some excellent commentary on hyper commercialism and the dangers of an advertising driven future. At times his eagerness to describe this dystopian world in extreme detail bogs down the overall narrative, and frequently you stumble through a history lesson unconvincingly planted into casual conversation. However the last third of the novel picks up the pace and becomes quite suspenseful. Scifi'ers will love the technology and sociologists will love the cultural commentary.
July 26, 2008
I probably liked this book a little more because of it's cultural context and the activities of the author than it deserves on it's own merits as just a story, but I liked it nonetheless. the undertone of the set and setting is just as important as the story itself, in regards to what this book has to offer.
July 11, 2008
In some ways, this is similar to Scott Westerfeld's So Yesterday. But the computerized city of "Frisco" makes it so much different. The bleak, not-so-distant future shown is hilarious and unnerving.
September 20, 2008
Absolutely fantastic work. I know Jim, but that's not clouding my judgment I don't think. This is far and away his best stuff. Somewhat of a dystopian scifi, but with hope -- oh, a-and plenty of bio-engineering and virtual worlds. -TD
October 11, 2012
Picked it up because I'm interested in near-future science fiction, and the concept of the Singularity. Everyone In Silico does a pretty good job of creating a world that feels real, and while it doesn't avoid all the usual Cyberpunk cliches, it does have a cool take on them.
October 30, 2013
Adbusters meets Neuromancer.
October 30, 2007
I love Mr. Munroe. This book is scary because I can see it happening.
March 12, 2008
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others by Munroe - found it more difficult to get into.
February 28, 2009
This book is wonderful, but terrifying. The commentary on the future of pervasive advertising in this book hit too close to home.
March 24, 2010
Started with a kind of quiet sadness but evolved to leave me musing over technology and it's ingrained place in the present and probable supremacy in the future.
June 9, 2010
Loved it and the world described in it, but I sort of felt like it didn't really go any where. And I really, really, wish that it had.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews