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Porn 2.0
Sex is dead, and we killed it.
In a totally implausible near future, young people have become obsessed with making their own sex tapes and sharing them on social media. Alfie is a beautiful but airheaded young man who has all the women he could want. He uploads so many sex tapes, he has sponsorships and a ranking.
It never crosses his mind that anything could go wrong, until years later, as a middle-aged father, he faces the ruin of his family and all of civilisation. In a world that has lost interest in sex, the once mighty playboy has become the most desperate man alive.
Porn 2.0 is a non-pornographic satire about pornography that tells the story of how we all stopped doing it.
In a totally implausible near future, young people have become obsessed with making their own sex tapes and sharing them on social media. Alfie is a beautiful but airheaded young man who has all the women he could want. He uploads so many sex tapes, he has sponsorships and a ranking.
It never crosses his mind that anything could go wrong, until years later, as a middle-aged father, he faces the ruin of his family and all of civilisation. In a world that has lost interest in sex, the once mighty playboy has become the most desperate man alive.
Porn 2.0 is a non-pornographic satire about pornography that tells the story of how we all stopped doing it.
128 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2013
1 person is currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 26, 2014
This was a really interesting take on the effect technology has on our society, and the potential impact it has for future generations. The storyline was slightly vague in parts, but as a short novel it captures the idea of how much emphasis we put into keeping up with technology and 'staying connected' very well. A very unique perspective on the future of humanity!
February 25, 2014
Quick caveat here, I'm rating this two stars in the personal "it was ok" sense that the stars suggest, not in any more objective sense. Also, this is the author's first book, which should count for something. In a way that I hope to be entirely helpful, and not at all slanderous, I'll go over the key sticking points below. Also, because reviewers seem to feel the need to announce this, I received a copy of this from the author explicitly with the intention that I review it. I have no idea why that matters, but I'm not about to break with reviewer tradition.
Probably the greatest issue is simply trying to determine what this book is. How much of it is (supposed to be) comedy? How seriously is the reader to take its predictions? Are they tongue in cheek? It is difficult to tell, so this review assumes the book is largely comedic but at its core makes an actual attempt at cultural commentary. Hopefully that is what the author was going for, because it seems like the only interpretation that makes any sense.
The descriptions of new technologies are too numerous and yet simultaneously much too vague. They could afford to be vague if they were merely side notes, but unfortunately that's not the case. The state of technology is one of the main themes of the book, and also one of the only ways the reader sees the passage of time. Further, many of the technological advances really seem like steps backward, notably the beamers. They seem highly impractical.
The effects of the main character's generation on the next generation seem absolutely incredible, way beyond the point where suspension of disbelief can be maintained. It wouldn't be hard to imagine the same events playing out with today's technology, but it would be very hard to imagine that anyone would react the same way. The "scarring" phenomenon is just too improbable to be taken seriously, and not funny enough that I can assume it isn't meant to be.
The whole subplot of being unable to keep up with the times feels very ad hoc. It makes sense that characters should struggle to stay proficient with newer and newer gadgets; that happens in real life. However, the gadgets they were initially very familiar with are not terribly dissimilar from the ones they are expected to use later on. It isn't like moving from typewriter to computer, it's more like moving from laptop to tablet. Not that difficult, in other words.
The characters need to be fleshed out quite a bit. Either the book needs to be longer to allow for that, or some of them should probably be cut (looking at you, Cal). The reader isn't given deep enough insight into their motives to care what happens to them. Many of their actions seem very alien, or at least not in line with their previous actions.
Now, for a bit of praise, the god and jesus icons were gems. Nearly every scene where the author played with them made me laugh, especially the mascot bits.
Keep in mind this is all just my feeling. I did like the concept, and with some rewriting I might like the book; anyone else might like it just fine the way it is. For me, I think it just boils down to the fact that I could not reconcile the actions & reactions that took place with any imaginable reality. I kept thinking, "in what possible world, even a comedic one, would that make any sense?" All in all, though, I would say this is a good start.
Probably the greatest issue is simply trying to determine what this book is. How much of it is (supposed to be) comedy? How seriously is the reader to take its predictions? Are they tongue in cheek? It is difficult to tell, so this review assumes the book is largely comedic but at its core makes an actual attempt at cultural commentary. Hopefully that is what the author was going for, because it seems like the only interpretation that makes any sense.
The descriptions of new technologies are too numerous and yet simultaneously much too vague. They could afford to be vague if they were merely side notes, but unfortunately that's not the case. The state of technology is one of the main themes of the book, and also one of the only ways the reader sees the passage of time. Further, many of the technological advances really seem like steps backward, notably the beamers. They seem highly impractical.
The effects of the main character's generation on the next generation seem absolutely incredible, way beyond the point where suspension of disbelief can be maintained. It wouldn't be hard to imagine the same events playing out with today's technology, but it would be very hard to imagine that anyone would react the same way. The "scarring" phenomenon is just too improbable to be taken seriously, and not funny enough that I can assume it isn't meant to be.
The whole subplot of being unable to keep up with the times feels very ad hoc. It makes sense that characters should struggle to stay proficient with newer and newer gadgets; that happens in real life. However, the gadgets they were initially very familiar with are not terribly dissimilar from the ones they are expected to use later on. It isn't like moving from typewriter to computer, it's more like moving from laptop to tablet. Not that difficult, in other words.
The characters need to be fleshed out quite a bit. Either the book needs to be longer to allow for that, or some of them should probably be cut (looking at you, Cal). The reader isn't given deep enough insight into their motives to care what happens to them. Many of their actions seem very alien, or at least not in line with their previous actions.
Now, for a bit of praise, the god and jesus icons were gems. Nearly every scene where the author played with them made me laugh, especially the mascot bits.
Keep in mind this is all just my feeling. I did like the concept, and with some rewriting I might like the book; anyone else might like it just fine the way it is. For me, I think it just boils down to the fact that I could not reconcile the actions & reactions that took place with any imaginable reality. I kept thinking, "in what possible world, even a comedic one, would that make any sense?" All in all, though, I would say this is a good start.
January 31, 2014
Title: Porn 2.0
General Subject Matter: Sex
Theme: How sex is view in the modern world
* * I received this book free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. * *
The story is told as a narration, starting off with Alfie, and how grand his life is. I considered the book to be entertaining, and to the point. The book starts off where Alfie is 'chatting it up', with a friend, telling you the events of the previous night. We meet Alfie, and what he does for a living. From there, it seems that things get rushed. Alfie meets a girl, he likes her a lot, and suddenly drops everything for her. I do not see that happening considering the point of view that Alfie has towards life, and sex. He doesn't strike me as the romantic, but rather the player; even though players can fall in love, or so they say.
Overall, i did liked the book, and it might not be too far from the truth. How time passes, and all those things that were once 'taboo', are now widely accepted, or viceversa. Sex is a great topic for that. We look in our past, and things that happened in the bedroom stayed in the bedroom. Porn has always been around, but for someone to watch porn 30-40yrs ago, was not seen as a "everyone does it" as it is now. Where it is even okay to do so, and you might be weird if you don't watch it. I thought the book to be interesting, on a sensitive topic. I would have liked for characters to be more detailed. I thought that they were flawed, as we did not get to meet them at all. We know their names, and their professions, where do they live, and whether their parents are still alive, but nothing much past that. I would have liked to see more of those small details that make the character unique, and not just a name and a pretty face. Additionally, I'd have loved to see more details between Alfie and his lover. How do you go from living this lifestyle, and then one day you meet this girl and is a life changer. It was rushed, or unrealistic in my opinion. But it is understood that the central idea of the book was the topic, not its characters.
4 stars overall. Interesting subject to discuss.
General Subject Matter: Sex
Theme: How sex is view in the modern world
* * I received this book free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. * *
The story is told as a narration, starting off with Alfie, and how grand his life is. I considered the book to be entertaining, and to the point. The book starts off where Alfie is 'chatting it up', with a friend, telling you the events of the previous night. We meet Alfie, and what he does for a living. From there, it seems that things get rushed. Alfie meets a girl, he likes her a lot, and suddenly drops everything for her. I do not see that happening considering the point of view that Alfie has towards life, and sex. He doesn't strike me as the romantic, but rather the player; even though players can fall in love, or so they say.
Overall, i did liked the book, and it might not be too far from the truth. How time passes, and all those things that were once 'taboo', are now widely accepted, or viceversa. Sex is a great topic for that. We look in our past, and things that happened in the bedroom stayed in the bedroom. Porn has always been around, but for someone to watch porn 30-40yrs ago, was not seen as a "everyone does it" as it is now. Where it is even okay to do so, and you might be weird if you don't watch it. I thought the book to be interesting, on a sensitive topic. I would have liked for characters to be more detailed. I thought that they were flawed, as we did not get to meet them at all. We know their names, and their professions, where do they live, and whether their parents are still alive, but nothing much past that. I would have liked to see more of those small details that make the character unique, and not just a name and a pretty face. Additionally, I'd have loved to see more details between Alfie and his lover. How do you go from living this lifestyle, and then one day you meet this girl and is a life changer. It was rushed, or unrealistic in my opinion. But it is understood that the central idea of the book was the topic, not its characters.
4 stars overall. Interesting subject to discuss.
February 15, 2014
I received a free copy of this book through the GoodReads Making Connections group in exchange for an honest review.
This is a very solid 4 star read, and this is considering I generally don't care for sci-fi/futuristic/whatever you want to call it.
The near future starting point of this book is very easy to imagine with the way sex tapes have flooded our society. However graphic sex is not at all a part of this book, but the fallout from the oversaturation of our world with sexual images is fascinatingly frightening.
The issues of our children being bullied with the tapes of their parents is sadly easy to imagine. I am thankful as a child of the 80's that my wild days were before the internet, but this will not be true for the next generation. Just how much damage will this do?
Very well written - the technology described is imaginable and this is an area that usually turns me off of futuristic settings. The story has laughs and very realistic fears, and heaps of conundrums to ponder about what the far reaching consequences of spontaneous, outrageous actions can have. With all we see in the media, and even on facebook and the like - it is easy to see such behavior is completely out of control.
I really enjoyed this one and it is a bonus that it made me think philosophically much more than I had imagined it would when I read the synopsis and agreed to read and review.
This is a very solid 4 star read, and this is considering I generally don't care for sci-fi/futuristic/whatever you want to call it.
The near future starting point of this book is very easy to imagine with the way sex tapes have flooded our society. However graphic sex is not at all a part of this book, but the fallout from the oversaturation of our world with sexual images is fascinatingly frightening.
The issues of our children being bullied with the tapes of their parents is sadly easy to imagine. I am thankful as a child of the 80's that my wild days were before the internet, but this will not be true for the next generation. Just how much damage will this do?
Very well written - the technology described is imaginable and this is an area that usually turns me off of futuristic settings. The story has laughs and very realistic fears, and heaps of conundrums to ponder about what the far reaching consequences of spontaneous, outrageous actions can have. With all we see in the media, and even on facebook and the like - it is easy to see such behavior is completely out of control.
I really enjoyed this one and it is a bonus that it made me think philosophically much more than I had imagined it would when I read the synopsis and agreed to read and review.
February 3, 2014
You walk into a bar. You meet this guy who seems nice enough. He begins to tell these funny, outlandish, highly personal stories. In the beginning, it seems a little weird. Then find yourself laughing uproariously, only you're not quite sure if it is with him, or at him. The bartender calls last drinks and you realise you've spent the whole evening with this guy. You leave the bar shaking your head, muttering under your breath about Ritalin. Only you know you've actually had a really good time. You forget all about him, but two days later you're walking to work and you find yourself thinking about that strange story he told about the two-butted monkey.
That's what this book was like. A fast, restless romp through some very intriguing ideas, an easy read, funny, breezy, I get the sense it isn't meant to be taken too seriously or go too deep. But the ideas are sticky. And so's the crazy a** final sentence...
I bought my copy. It was worth the purchase.
Full disclosure, the author is an acquaintance, I worked hard not to let that factor in this review.
That's what this book was like. A fast, restless romp through some very intriguing ideas, an easy read, funny, breezy, I get the sense it isn't meant to be taken too seriously or go too deep. But the ideas are sticky. And so's the crazy a** final sentence...
I bought my copy. It was worth the purchase.
Full disclosure, the author is an acquaintance, I worked hard not to let that factor in this review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews