Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone

by Ian McDonald

The creator of computer-generated images that have the power to heal, erase memories, bring ecstasy, and kill savagely, graphic arts student Ethan Ring must brave treacherous terrain to escape those who would use his invention for evil. Original.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Cyberpunk, Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy

144 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1994

About the author

Ian Neil McDonald was born in 1960 in Manchester, England, to an Irish mother and a Scottish father. He moved with his family to Northern Ireland in 1965. He used to live in a house built in the back garden of C. S. Lewis's childhood home but has since moved to central Belfast, where he now lives, exploring interests like cats, contemplative religion, bonsai, bicycles, and comic-book collecting. He debuted in 1982 with the short story "The Island of the Dead" in the short-lived British magazine Extro. His first novel, Desolation Road, was published in 1988. Other works include King of Morning, Queen of Day (winner of the Philip K. Dick Award), River of Gods, The Dervish House (both of which won British Science Fiction Association Awards), the graphic novel Kling Klang Klatch, and many more. His most recent publications are Planesrunner and Be My Enemy, books one and two of the Everness series for younger readers (though older readers will find them a ball of fun, as well). Ian worked in television development for sixteen years, but is glad to be back to writing full-time.

Reviews

[Timons Esaias · Rating 5 out of 5]

My main question after reading this 1994 novella is: Why haven't I heard discussion of this before, and why isn't it a well-known classic? It doesn't even seem to be in print, except for an audiobook.

I was an early adopter of McDonald, having been encouraged to read Terminal Café (aka Necroville) in the mid-90s and discovered and adored Out on Blue Six. I'm a fan of kitchen-sink, drop them in the middle and never explain, pedal-to-the-floor Speculative Fiction, and McDonald is one of the masters. I remember running out of titles I could get in the States, and then discovering a whole string of McDonald titles on Amazon UK, so I ordered a bunch of those. Ever since I've been alternating between the latest McDonald and that pile of early titles. Having exhausted the old titles, and not being a fan of the Luna series, I was looking through his list and realized that this wasn't an alternate title for something I'd already read.

This story drops the reader into a Japan that has descended into a post-democracy corporate feudalism, and follows two friends who are taking the Shikoku Pilgrimage on mountain bikes, which seems to be the correct method in this world. We know that our POV, Ethan Ring, has gloves or something on his hands, but don't know why; and we sense that he is running from something, as well.

McDonald is withholding a lot of information, but the reader is being given heavy doses of distraction, as we learn what religion is like when most of the shrines are abandoned, or served only by robots, and biker gangs (called akiras in homage to the manga) are running much of the countryside, and the Internet is as intrusive as it is now, and software is everything. Many of the hot topics of recent years, including the factionalization and fictionalization of news media, are the key fibers of this novella. And at the very center is the question of typography and human perception.

Any book that recognizes the centrality of typography to modern civilization is a must-read.

When we finally learn what those gloves are about, the stakes become unbelievably high. It becomes quite the thriller, at that point.

This is, at its core, a Faust-theme story, and very timely, in my opinion.

[Tomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Todella ysäriä cyberpunk-tavaraa, jossa yhdistyy Philip K. Dick -vaikutteet animeen ja brändinimi/huumeet/teknotaide-meininkiin. Nautin, kun pääsin kunnolla sisään.

Suomennoksen heikko taso vielä korostaa tyyliä ja aikakautta. Hauskaa, että anime-sana on niin uusi ja vakiintumaton että se taivutetaan "animeta".

[Hex75 · Rating 5 out of 5]

valido tentativo di fondere fantascienza cyberpunk con le filosofie orientali: detto così sembra banale (in fondo william gibson sono anni che fa queste cose, e così pure lewis shiner), ed invece mcdonald scrive con una preparazione in materia non indifferente (e occhio ai tanti riferimenti extra-letterari: chi come me è cresciuto ascoltando new wave farà un salto a leggere in un dialogo di neville brosy, storico grafico di "the face" ma anche autore delle copertine dei clock dva), la trama è interessante al punto giusto e la lettura scorre facilmente (merito della traduzione di antonio caronia? beh, comunque valide sia la traduzione che l'ottima postfazione) e questo fa raggiungere al libro il massimo dei voti.

[C-shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yikes! This book is rather interesting, but very strange. I'd probably like it better if I was a fan of anime, knew more Japanese terms, and had just dropped acid.
* * * * *
Alright, I gave it a good effort, but this is certainly not my kind of book. I'm just too old to appreciate it, I suppose. All those folks who gave it glowing reviews must have been twenty-somethings.

[Kat Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone is a fascinating short novel by Ian McDonald. At the beginning of the story we meet Ethan Ring, who’s feeling conspicuously tall and red-headed as he chants in a Buddhist temple. Ethan and his friend, a famous Japanese manga artist, are on a bicycle pilgrimage in Japan. Neither of them knows what kind of demons the other is struggling with, and neither does the reader at first, but as they journey on, their stories come out and even though each man’s tale is different, they realize that both of them are searching for redemption and peace.

Many stories deal with a hero’s search for redemption, but Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone is unique. The setting is a neo-feudal Japan where tech corporations are the fiefdoms and gangs of armed vigilantes threaten citizens’ peace and security. This is jarringly juxtaposed (to excellent effect) with the peaceful contemplativeness of a Buddhist pilgrimage. Like other works of McDonald’s that I’ve read, Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone reminded me of William Gibson’s stories. Both writers like to explore the effects of large impersonal mega-corporations and high technology on familiar settings.

Another fascinating juxtaposition stems from the reason that Ethan is seeking redemption. He and one of his college buddies have created something beautiful that has been perverted and made into something horrible. His girlfriend, an artist, warned Ethan of the dangers, but he ignored her. That ended their relationship and it turned out that she was right. Now Ethan suffers from both the loss of that relationship and the guilt he feels about the destruction he has inadvertently caused. While he tries to use his discovery for good, he knows that it has too much potential for evil and, therefore, it’s better for the world if he keeps it secret. This is a difficult moral quandary for Ethan.

I loved the slow discovery, via flashbacks, of Ethan’s powers — how they work and how they were perverted. In my opinion, the publisher’s blurb gives too much away about this and I would have preferred to have known nothing going into the story. However, even if you’ve read the blurb, there’s plenty of mystery left. I’ll just say that it’s a really cool idea.

A major theme in Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone is how the mind can be unconsciously manipulated by a symbol (such as a manga hero), art, or even the typography that a message is written in. The novel also explores heroism, idealism, creativity, perception, religiosity, lawlessness, friendship, guilt, and redemption. As always, McDonald’s prose is rich and vibrant and his dialog is excellent.
There’s a lot to get out of this short book and it’s one I’ll likely read again. I listened to Audible Studio’s version which is 4.5 hours long and excellently read by Matt Addis. I highly recommend this version.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remembering that this is set during a pilgrimage on Shikoku, I decided to reread this during my own pilgrimage there, last week. The language in this book is just captivating. I was experiencing goosebumps several times a day as I enjoyed re-experiencing this story. As enjoyable as the language and accuracy of the setting is, I still feel there are some core logical problems introduced in order to increase the symbolic elements, which I found distracting. Overall, a great read with better accuracy of Japanese culture than usually found in western authors' novels.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feudal Cyberpunk Japan

As someone who enjoys reading about ancient Japan as well as about science fiction, the title story appealed to me. The story takes place as two friends walk an ancient pilgrimage. They encounter roving bands of mad max gangs as well as draconian private security forces. While the geopolitics of the story feels a little heavy handed, the philosophical questions of the book provide a lot to ponder:

People can download their memories before death, creating simulacra of the departed...how much more or less than the sum of our memories are we?

Could Using a computer program to distill and analyze every religious painting create a true image of pure essence of God? What should someone do with that kind of power?

Is there room and value in something ancient in an increasingly technological world?

At any rate, I had fun thinking about these issues as the protagonists worked their way through their pilgrimage. I couldn’t help think of Altered Carbon in a few places, so I would recommend this book to fans of that series or to anyone who is interested in some of the thought-provoking aspects of the novella.

[E.Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

couldn’t finish it, some fantastic, like truly great prose, but it got way too dark past the halfway point

i do not care enough for Ethan Ring to know of anything more about him and i’d like to know less

and all he had to do, was listen to the one woman who cared enough to try to stop him

lots of very triggering content, couldn’t and won’t reccommend it

even after getting through those darker parts, the overwhelming tide of it hangs over the rest, i suppose that’s a credit to the efficacy and memorability of the text, it just makes me immensely sad whenever i tried to pick it up again

maybe a me of half a decade ago, still romanticizing my own misery, could’ve gotten a little farther, maybe even to reach a Point to the suffering

unenlightened as i am, i could not grok it by the 3/4 mark, the cover art tickles me so much that i will have to hold on to it, and maybe someday i will complete it, but i do not imagine that day will be soon

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, on one hand, a sci-fi novel that features a pilgrimage around the island of Shikoku along with some future tech built around the idea of, crazy, a perfect font might be a winner for me. And I did enjoy it, but sometimes I feel that sci-fi novels can't figure out a good way to come to a logical conclusion. This one felt a bit more like special effects than a good narrative to me. Still, it was an enjoyable read and presented a ton of interesting ideas. Coupled with another shorter novella. Worth a look for sure.

[John R. Goyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A definite mixed bag - two stories in this book, the first of which was a bit complex but interesting and based on a most intriguing idea of fundamental and powerful images that can exist but usually are not seen, and the power they can contain. The ending was good but not as good as the development and idea. The next story seemed to be perversely obscure and complex - after a few pages I gave up.

[Mohsin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great start, slows down a bit towards the end. Could benefit from having been perhaps a little bit less speculative for the reader! The first novella is really fantastic in concept and execution, but as you read the others, they become less and less interesting.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Flashy prose. Dated. Worth a read if you have it or can borrow it, but not worth buying.

[MBybee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Reminds me of William Gibson in all the best ways.

[Kristiina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paljon aineksia, mutta pysyy koossa eikä riitele myöskään näyttämönsä kanssa.

[Mike Franklin · Rating 3 out of 5]

At only about 100 pages this is really a novella and in my eBook edition came with a second shorter and unrelated story – The Tear.

The central premise of this book is both interesting and full of great possibilities most of which are largely ignored; the book instead focuses more on the moral conflicts than the direct effects. The premise is what McDonald has called fracters; abstracts patterns/images/designs that, when viewed, skip the conscious mind and go direct to the subconscious. Amongst a host of other ‘powers’ they can be used to heal, overwhelm with religious ecstasy, destroy with terror or subjugate with involuntary obedience, each one controlled by a different fracter. There is only one copy (on disk) of these fracters that is possessed by the main protagonist, Ethan. And that is one of my main problems with the foundations of this book. Captured by an intelligence agency Ethan is forced to work for them using his fracters to control and assassinate enemies. They even tattoo a couple of them onto his hands. And yet for some reason they do not, apparently, make their own copy of the fracters (even though they are able to do the tattooing) nor do they make any attempt to duplicate the original research that created them in the first place. And then they let Ethan, with his one unique, unbacked up copy of the fracters wander around at will. This is just so implausible as to be laughable and constantly nagged at me whilst reading.

Unhappy about what he has become Ethan embarks upon Japanese pilgrimage (which is actually interesting in its own right) to try and find direction in his life. This journey is the bulk of the book, written in first person with the backstory provided by flashbacks interwoven throughout the story. As Ethan claims to no longer be that original Ethan the flashbacks are interestingly presented in third person.

The story is an enjoyable enough read but is sadly let down by that lack of plausibility in its foundations and also by McDonald’s over optimistic expectations of the pace of technological development. Written in the mid-nineties and set around 2020 McDonald surely cannot have genuinely thought we would advance so far in computers, mind downloading and robotics and have such huge step changes in society in less than thirty years. This too kept nagging at me. Far better had he set the book a hundred years on the future.

This is my first Ian McDonald book and, despite my complaints, I am inclined to try more from him; his ideas are interesting and his writing is solid.

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the J. G. Ballard version of Count Zero, or maybe it’s the Ballard condensed Snow Crash, which is to say that McDonald continues in his tradition of writing in the style of another writer while sampling the plot and characters of yet another. His publisher should make more of this: IAN MCDONALD–the best science fiction rapper! In this one, lead character Ethan Ring is a Molly-like (from Neuromancer) freelancer who is on a pilgrimmage to try and recover his lost “soul,” taken from him when he became a tool of the EC. This is latter-day cyberpunk, where the computer revolution has once again become a thing of fear rather than the power of freedom that was implied in the early days of the subgenre. McDonald also takes a page from Bruce Sterling by mixing in an incredible post-political world that isn’t all that unbelievable.

What struck me most about the book was the Ballardesque nature of it. McDonald’s always been enamored of style, and as style in SF goes, Ballard is somewhere between the high priest and the holy ghost. McDonald uses the quick flips between scenes, the sentence fragments that contain only the most important nouns and verbs, and paring down the plot so that the book contains only the most important scenes and actions, the in-between bits to be filled in by the reader’s imagination. However, a true Ballard pastiche would have been only 13 pages rather than the 130 here (see Brian Aldiss’ recent Ballardesque “FOAM”). McDonald hasn’t given up totally on the idea that a story is told in length. Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone is not bad, but still not the startlingly original novel that I’m expecting one of these days from McDonald.

[Raj · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a bright art design student, Ethan Ring helped discover fracters: the synthesis of images that bypass the mind and directly affect the brain, bringing healing, pain, freezing of time sense, death and more. He was later recruited by the European Security Forces as an agent but his troubled soul is now on a journey of self-discovery through Buddhist temples in Japan.

The mcguffin of this book is faintly ridiculous, but I was able to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy it. I'm a fan of McDonald's work, and, although somewhat muted, the lyrical, somewhat whimsical, style that I enjoy so much was detectable through the work. The book starts with Ethan's pilgrimage and the story of how he came to help create the fracters is told in flashback alongside his journey through a Japan filled with street gangs and private security firms happier to wield the bullet than the notebook, fighting his desire to use his fracters, for good and ill, along the way.

Like I said, the fracters themselves are faintly ridiculous, so it's Ethan's spiritual journey as he fights against the powers that bind him and against the demon box full of images that has his soul in hock that really holds the book together and drives the plot. Worth reading.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan Ring and his friends stumble upon the discovery of fractals, visual images capable of directly affecting any person's thought and action, a foolproof mind control mechanism. Ethan is compelled to employ this discovery to serve the purposes of the government security agency. Curiosity and human ability can produce wondrous things, but human turpitude just as easily subverts them.

Ethan is wracked by guilt and shame for all he was compelled to do. He begins a pilgrimage, seeking atonement and redemption.

Short in length but vast in meaning, Ian McDonald writes a very relatable novel. When you read this book, open all your senses-- read the words, be mindful of the subtext and heedful of the syntax. Vision, perception, understanding, consciousness, action-- there are junctions where they meet and connect or pass each other by.

I have thought much about this book but I suspect its full import has only skimmed the surface of my consciousness. I shall revisit this and aim to stand at the junction where all levels of my consciousness meet and truly grasp all this intends to impart.

Thank you to Mr. Zachary Jernigan, author of NO RETURN, for the recommendation

[Cheryl Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is a slim but powerful vision of 21st-century Japan and a guilt-ridden man's journey through it toward redemption. This is a brief but surprisingly satisfying tale, the full range of his versatile talent is on display as he merges Zen philosophy with cyberspace performance art in a high-tech contemplation of good and evil. A rare combination of suspenseful storytelling and thought-provoking ideas.

[Joshua Zucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating premise and a great setting and the backstory of the characters was really engaging, but the actual plot (and the ending) didn't really grab me. I wanted to know more about how the characters got to that point, and what happened afterwards, instead of what actually happened in the story.

[Tommy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite lyrical - more like a long poem than a book. I think this will be getting a better review if I re-read it. Probably take a few re-reads to get under the skin of it. Worth the effort though as I know there is more there to think about.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare to find SF set in an obscure but familiar setting, but McDonald managed to set this excellent and short novel on Shikoku, my home away from home. Recommended supplemental reading: Japanese Pilgrimage by Oliver Statler.

[Dalibor Dado Ivanovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dakle Ian piše odlično, ali se izgubiš u radnji i pitaš se, gdje sam sad to? Trebao sam doći do pola priče dok nisam polovio tko je tko, i o čemu se priča radi, taman shvatim i krenem uživat u čitanju, pa se opet izgubim.
Ali ajde stvarno je neobičan i prekrasne opise ima.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do if you found keys to the universe? Do you help everyone? Does help come without a cost? This was an enjoyable read and interesting premise. The characters were just deep enough to care about them without having too much baggage.

[Eija · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kun kirjaa olen yrittänyt lukea, ehkei ole ollut sopiva mielentila sillä tarina tuntui sekavalta ja jaksoin lukea vain alkua. Kirja tuntuu vaativan paljon keskittymistä, että jotain tolkkua saa.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cyberpunky in tone. Short. Pretty good, not amazing. Would have liked an expanded version to set the stakes a little higher.

[Carlo Mayer]

Finiti

[Katja · Rating 1 out of 5]

I perhaps should have concentrated better to get something out of it.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mediana novela cyberpunk ubicada en Japon, viene acompañada de otra novela corta de space opera llamada The tear, esa otra obra si es fuera de serie

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Kat: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...