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No Net
What would you do if the Internet mysteriously vanished? No Net is the ambitious novel that explores how much—or how little—people care about the beloved World Wide Web. Spanning across 20 APPs, with a hearty assortment of varied characters, this fictional tale begs you to just take a moment and think about how deep we've all been sinking in a digital quicksand...
376 pages, Paperback
Published January 29, 2016
5 people are currently reading
550 people want to read
About the author
Noah Nichols
3 books118 followersHi! I have been put on this lovely planet to experience just three things until an eventual, listless death:
1. Write (and review) many varying novels from the heart.
2. Be judged haphazardly by others devoid of said heart.
3. Make pensive music for a small circle of ears.
It's a long road ahead...
Or is it?
As of this writing—7/15/20, to be exact—I'm just an author's author to the reader's reader, and here are my specific books in alphabetical order:
Cat Incarcerated
No Net
The Last Offender
P.S. When the date's no longer current, that means I'm probably dead. Future-cry for me.
1. Write (and review) many varying novels from the heart.
2. Be judged haphazardly by others devoid of said heart.
3. Make pensive music for a small circle of ears.
It's a long road ahead...
Or is it?
As of this writing—7/15/20, to be exact—I'm just an author's author to the reader's reader, and here are my specific books in alphabetical order:
Cat Incarcerated
No Net
The Last Offender
P.S. When the date's no longer current, that means I'm probably dead. Future-cry for me.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 13, 2017
Truthfully I do not know where to begin. Or even if I should begin at all. I am confused as to where this was supposed to end up, again-or if it even was supposed to have an ending, because it really didn't. How did this guy Scott manage to commit suicide twice? I'm lost-that may be a bit of a spoiler there by the way. What was with all the anger geared towards Stephen King too? Really didn't understand that in the least...personally I like Stephen King but that's just me.
Don't get me wrong the entire idea behind this book is a great one. Seriously what would happen if we did lose the internet? The possibilities are endless. These circumstances portrayed in this book are somewhat wild to me. Yes we do seem to have become solely reliant on the World Wide Web but this does take things to the absolute extreme in my estimation.
I do like this authors writing style, it is fresh and unique, he can definitely weave a tale with a crafted sense of authority. I simply could not see how all of the different characters fit together here. It is almost as if there are parts of the book that did not need to be here and the book would have arrived at the very same climax. Problem being there was no climax, there never is a reason given as to why any of this happened in the first place which is exactly what I wanted to find out. How in the name of all that is holy did we manage to lose the internet in the first place.
It is a good read that I would recommend but for me left too many unanswered questions.
Don't get me wrong the entire idea behind this book is a great one. Seriously what would happen if we did lose the internet? The possibilities are endless. These circumstances portrayed in this book are somewhat wild to me. Yes we do seem to have become solely reliant on the World Wide Web but this does take things to the absolute extreme in my estimation.
I do like this authors writing style, it is fresh and unique, he can definitely weave a tale with a crafted sense of authority. I simply could not see how all of the different characters fit together here. It is almost as if there are parts of the book that did not need to be here and the book would have arrived at the very same climax. Problem being there was no climax, there never is a reason given as to why any of this happened in the first place which is exactly what I wanted to find out. How in the name of all that is holy did we manage to lose the internet in the first place.
It is a good read that I would recommend but for me left too many unanswered questions.
December 3, 2016
"When the World Wide Web was initiated, it was projected that it would open up innumerable doors for everyone—doors that not only we as people thought to be locked, but doors that we didn’t even know were there in place to inaugurate. Once they were opened in every respect and in every possible way, that’s when proper communication ended and improper isolation began."
My reasons for full 5 stars are simple: This book is bold, possibly the most risky novel I've read. I love when an author is willing to jump off a ledge. This is not a novel for everyone. This novel takes people at their worst and pushes them past extremes. Gutsy deserves 5 stars when it's executed properly. And this was because the wording flows, it's beautifully descriptive. Some sentences I'd even say are quite poetic.
What happens to people when they're no longer "plugged in"? How will people react?
"What it was essentially doing was boxing people in-making them confront their problems in a world where everyone was so used to avoiding all of their issues by brazenly burying their faces and their lives into whatever illusions of grandeur they had built up for themselves. And when you're forced to look into an unapologetic mirror at your worst, you usually don't like what you see staring right back at you."
I, like most people, have a love/hate relationship with the Internet and always being "plugged in." I've often wondered how society were to function if it were suddenly lost to us. It's sickening. This novel is sickening and it's meant to be. There's so much depth to this idea.
My reasons for full 5 stars are simple: This book is bold, possibly the most risky novel I've read. I love when an author is willing to jump off a ledge. This is not a novel for everyone. This novel takes people at their worst and pushes them past extremes. Gutsy deserves 5 stars when it's executed properly. And this was because the wording flows, it's beautifully descriptive. Some sentences I'd even say are quite poetic.
What happens to people when they're no longer "plugged in"? How will people react?
"What it was essentially doing was boxing people in-making them confront their problems in a world where everyone was so used to avoiding all of their issues by brazenly burying their faces and their lives into whatever illusions of grandeur they had built up for themselves. And when you're forced to look into an unapologetic mirror at your worst, you usually don't like what you see staring right back at you."
I, like most people, have a love/hate relationship with the Internet and always being "plugged in." I've often wondered how society were to function if it were suddenly lost to us. It's sickening. This novel is sickening and it's meant to be. There's so much depth to this idea.
March 22, 2016
As soon as I read the beginning of No Net, even before I started editing it, I could tell it was very well-written. At that point, I didn't even know the premise of the book; when I found out that it was an account of life in the near future without the Internet to govern our daily existence, I became even more excited to keep reading. I thought it sounded fascinating, and the book definitely surpassed my expectations.
If you think you could easily live without the Internet today, you may want to reconsider. Reading No Net, it will be brought to your attention that everyone would be affected in this scenario, whether directly or indirectly, although some more than others by far. Each app (chapter) of No Net details various characters' lives and responses to the loss, and all are very realistic and potentially a bit prophetic, in my opinion. Noah Nichols is clearly a very astute observer of human nature, as each character is vastly different from the others, yet all are well-written and relatable.
Once I got further into the book and with each tidbit of the story that was revealed, I knew that No Net was going to be the type of book that I'd want to reread right away. I haven't read many books that are so well-written that they read like you're watching a movie. But No Net definitely does—and it’s like the type of movie that you want to start over as soon as you reach the end, knowing now what you didn’t know then.
As I read through all the apps, I could not pick just one favorite from among them. App 3 really brought me into the action of the events. App 6 certainly made me laugh the most, and I could visualize it easily (especially the slow-motion watermelon scene). App 10 made me cry, and not just a bit...I bawled my eyes out and it took me an extra long time to edit it because I couldn't see through my tears. It is definitely the most touching part of the book. I also loved App 13, as it is very relatable to the majority of people in the rat-race workplace, but it’s still mysterious and entertaining. I loved App 14 as well, as it is drastically different from anything else in the book and paints a great picture of the life of urban youths. App 16 is hilarious and another one in the list of my favorites. App 20, the final app, completes the book perfectly, in my opinion. It surprised me with stuff I hadn’t seen coming, and yet I knew instantly that it was the only way to end it.
Overall, No Net is filled with excellent storytelling, action, romance, murder, politics, love lost and love found, beginning of life and end of life and everything in between. It is an excellent depiction of what life in the near future could and would be like, and reading it leaves you satisfied yet wanting more.
If you think you could easily live without the Internet today, you may want to reconsider. Reading No Net, it will be brought to your attention that everyone would be affected in this scenario, whether directly or indirectly, although some more than others by far. Each app (chapter) of No Net details various characters' lives and responses to the loss, and all are very realistic and potentially a bit prophetic, in my opinion. Noah Nichols is clearly a very astute observer of human nature, as each character is vastly different from the others, yet all are well-written and relatable.
Once I got further into the book and with each tidbit of the story that was revealed, I knew that No Net was going to be the type of book that I'd want to reread right away. I haven't read many books that are so well-written that they read like you're watching a movie. But No Net definitely does—and it’s like the type of movie that you want to start over as soon as you reach the end, knowing now what you didn’t know then.
As I read through all the apps, I could not pick just one favorite from among them. App 3 really brought me into the action of the events. App 6 certainly made me laugh the most, and I could visualize it easily (especially the slow-motion watermelon scene). App 10 made me cry, and not just a bit...I bawled my eyes out and it took me an extra long time to edit it because I couldn't see through my tears. It is definitely the most touching part of the book. I also loved App 13, as it is very relatable to the majority of people in the rat-race workplace, but it’s still mysterious and entertaining. I loved App 14 as well, as it is drastically different from anything else in the book and paints a great picture of the life of urban youths. App 16 is hilarious and another one in the list of my favorites. App 20, the final app, completes the book perfectly, in my opinion. It surprised me with stuff I hadn’t seen coming, and yet I knew instantly that it was the only way to end it.
Overall, No Net is filled with excellent storytelling, action, romance, murder, politics, love lost and love found, beginning of life and end of life and everything in between. It is an excellent depiction of what life in the near future could and would be like, and reading it leaves you satisfied yet wanting more.
April 17, 2016
The premise of No Net is intriguing. Basically Noah Nichols asks, "What if the Internet suddenly vanished in the not-too-distant future?" Over the course of 20 chapters, Nichols' message shines through: We should be careful not to neglect the things that are truly important in the midst of the noise and fury of technological diversions.
Unfortunately, the message is muddied by a premise that the world would descend into chaos if the Internet vanished and I just never quite bought that premise. Maybe it's because of Y2K. I'm just cynical about that sort of thing, because I know there will always be folks who know how to do things the old-fashioned way. Maybe the loss of the Internet would seem like the end of the world to a younger generation who grew up with its ubiquitous presence, but that's the point: it would only seem that way.
The world would not descend into chaos, especially not the sort of senseless, over-the-top Cannon Films inspired B movie carnage candy that makes up the first few chapters. The second chapter is just nonsense and noise strewn with robots, rapid-fire carnage and a suddenly murderous anti-herione. Martial law descends afterward. The President is attacked in an ice cream shop. A serial killer goes on a spree. Gangbangers get mowed down in a drive-by. All because of the sudden loss of the internet??
Ironically, before the blackout, we have a murderous domestic dispute between two people who speak in flowery prose that is quite unbelievable (especially given the fact that they speak quite normally in a flashback scene later; seriously, I had to force myself through the prose of that first "app"). That particular patch of violence is triggered by our addiction to technological diversion at the expense of human interaction.
The cause of the internet blackout is never given. It appears to be as arbitrary as the author's decision to call his chapters apps. Oh, he gives a few suggestions, and even suggests that at least someone still has access to it, but all of the suggestions seem far-fetched. Just as far-fetched as having poorly programmed, lethally armed robots running around the place.
I think the author simply took the idea of organic chaos too far. It feels like he wanted to write something very post-modern in the vein of Pulp Fiction or Sin City, but the characters just seemed random. The violence and horror seem more gratuitous than organic. There's a masked serial killer who runs around killing folks at random. Someone just happens to be able to sneak a rocket launcher into a place with those aforementioned closet Terminator security robots. The President is eating ice cream while the world descends into chaos and nearly gets assassinated for the idiot move of not bringing along enough Secret Service. These improbable things are just the tip of the spear.
I should also mention that there's no discernible plot, unless you count: The Internet vanishes and a horror show follows that is almost completely unrelated to its sudden disappearance. The character aren't well developed; the only predictable thing about them was that they could be counted on to act vulgar, violent and irrational. Perhaps it's because its because this book focuses on the depravity of man, but I struggled to like even one single character. There are a few characters who get developed, but there is no identifiable protagonist.
I can't really recommend this book. It just doesn't make any sense and it doesn't go anywhere, which is a shame because the premise and the message are just awesome.
-Tony Breeden
From the Bookwyrm's Lair
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Unfortunately, the message is muddied by a premise that the world would descend into chaos if the Internet vanished and I just never quite bought that premise. Maybe it's because of Y2K. I'm just cynical about that sort of thing, because I know there will always be folks who know how to do things the old-fashioned way. Maybe the loss of the Internet would seem like the end of the world to a younger generation who grew up with its ubiquitous presence, but that's the point: it would only seem that way.
The world would not descend into chaos, especially not the sort of senseless, over-the-top Cannon Films inspired B movie carnage candy that makes up the first few chapters. The second chapter is just nonsense and noise strewn with robots, rapid-fire carnage and a suddenly murderous anti-herione. Martial law descends afterward. The President is attacked in an ice cream shop. A serial killer goes on a spree. Gangbangers get mowed down in a drive-by. All because of the sudden loss of the internet??
Ironically, before the blackout, we have a murderous domestic dispute between two people who speak in flowery prose that is quite unbelievable (especially given the fact that they speak quite normally in a flashback scene later; seriously, I had to force myself through the prose of that first "app"). That particular patch of violence is triggered by our addiction to technological diversion at the expense of human interaction.
The cause of the internet blackout is never given. It appears to be as arbitrary as the author's decision to call his chapters apps. Oh, he gives a few suggestions, and even suggests that at least someone still has access to it, but all of the suggestions seem far-fetched. Just as far-fetched as having poorly programmed, lethally armed robots running around the place.
I think the author simply took the idea of organic chaos too far. It feels like he wanted to write something very post-modern in the vein of Pulp Fiction or Sin City, but the characters just seemed random. The violence and horror seem more gratuitous than organic. There's a masked serial killer who runs around killing folks at random. Someone just happens to be able to sneak a rocket launcher into a place with those aforementioned closet Terminator security robots. The President is eating ice cream while the world descends into chaos and nearly gets assassinated for the idiot move of not bringing along enough Secret Service. These improbable things are just the tip of the spear.
I should also mention that there's no discernible plot, unless you count: The Internet vanishes and a horror show follows that is almost completely unrelated to its sudden disappearance. The character aren't well developed; the only predictable thing about them was that they could be counted on to act vulgar, violent and irrational. Perhaps it's because its because this book focuses on the depravity of man, but I struggled to like even one single character. There are a few characters who get developed, but there is no identifiable protagonist.
I can't really recommend this book. It just doesn't make any sense and it doesn't go anywhere, which is a shame because the premise and the message are just awesome.
-Tony Breeden
From the Bookwyrm's Lair
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
March 29, 2016
This is a collection of loosely connected fragments set to a sci-fi backdrop where the Internet is gone without explanation, and the book explores a series of events under the influence of the commodity’s sudden absence. Without the pacifying stream of information characters are subjected to chaotic conditions and society is compromised through violence. The opportunity for social criticism is abundant, and while the collection plays with different genres it is satire that stands out to me with the most clarity. The notion of a social problem as a result of Internet addiction is a motif that the narrator wants to expose. Nichols brings us characters who specialize, “in enabling each other’s deficiencies” (121), and those deficiencies are often expressed through the exposure of our addictive tendencies, and the anxiety of distance. It is the shock of sudden change that results in the chaos of impulsive reaction.
One condition of modernity is nostalgia. A collective longing for the good old days makes up a significant part of mainstream thought. Everyone my age wants to relive the 90s for the rest of their lives. Yet the idea that, “America would be ready to actually live in that nostalgia” (28-29) is met with the social chaos of sudden change.
Our character focus shifts between chapters, so the cast is grown quickly. What makes the stories special are the moments where we return to earlier characters, and delve further into the complexities of this small world. It is this novel-like quality that lends itself to a proper rising action and resolution through the scope of loosely connected short stories. Between the satire and haunting resolutions we’re faced with social critique and the consequences of familial bonds. It is the expression of character and conclusion that reveals the great takeaway that’s built upon the foundation of the earlier chapters. While the emotional payoff is delivered with the conclusion I don’t intend to take anything away from the earlier chapters. We are offered cause and effect, action and then tragedy. Nichols delivers the complication of our human condition upon removing that, which has, “separated us from people,” (295).
One condition of modernity is nostalgia. A collective longing for the good old days makes up a significant part of mainstream thought. Everyone my age wants to relive the 90s for the rest of their lives. Yet the idea that, “America would be ready to actually live in that nostalgia” (28-29) is met with the social chaos of sudden change.
Our character focus shifts between chapters, so the cast is grown quickly. What makes the stories special are the moments where we return to earlier characters, and delve further into the complexities of this small world. It is this novel-like quality that lends itself to a proper rising action and resolution through the scope of loosely connected short stories. Between the satire and haunting resolutions we’re faced with social critique and the consequences of familial bonds. It is the expression of character and conclusion that reveals the great takeaway that’s built upon the foundation of the earlier chapters. While the emotional payoff is delivered with the conclusion I don’t intend to take anything away from the earlier chapters. We are offered cause and effect, action and then tragedy. Nichols delivers the complication of our human condition upon removing that, which has, “separated us from people,” (295).
January 6, 2019
I enjoyed this book, which is sort of a sci-fi black comedy. Imagine a future where people are even more dependent on the Internet than they are now. Then take the Internet away, and watch everything dissolve into chaos. That's the premise here.
The tone is mostly satirical, but at times it becomes deadly serious, moving, and even disturbing. There's lots of action and lots of violence, and everything is extremely over-the-top. The chaos can be so unrelenting at times that it is almost overwhelming, but the humor keeps you turning pages.
Nichols uses a surrealistic and absurdist tone to dissect some serious real-world questions about human nature, and emotional addiction. Are we too dependent on technology? Have we forgotten what it means to just be regular human beings and interact face to face? These are interesting questions, and the book explores them in an effective and entertaining way. But it's much more than that, and eventually the story becomes a real roller-coaster ride through all sorts of interesting emotional terrain.
Highly recommended to sci-fi fans who enjoy satire and like thought-provoking what-if scenarios.
The tone is mostly satirical, but at times it becomes deadly serious, moving, and even disturbing. There's lots of action and lots of violence, and everything is extremely over-the-top. The chaos can be so unrelenting at times that it is almost overwhelming, but the humor keeps you turning pages.
Nichols uses a surrealistic and absurdist tone to dissect some serious real-world questions about human nature, and emotional addiction. Are we too dependent on technology? Have we forgotten what it means to just be regular human beings and interact face to face? These are interesting questions, and the book explores them in an effective and entertaining way. But it's much more than that, and eventually the story becomes a real roller-coaster ride through all sorts of interesting emotional terrain.
Highly recommended to sci-fi fans who enjoy satire and like thought-provoking what-if scenarios.
December 8, 2016
From the outset, overt characters leapt from the pages to entertain surprise and horrify. (Does the internet really turn us into selfish, soulless carbon-based life forms?)
Noah Nichols' twisted tale, No Net follows the lives of various individuals through the madness and mayhem of life in 2026. This adult black comedy showcases the very worst of the human condition in an inventive manner with copious amounts of action, violence and bloodshed from a bizarrely compelling tongue-in-cheek perspective.
Not for the faint-hearted or easily offended, this is a must read for Sci-Fi lovers and those who like post-apocalyptic, gritty reads with their humour firmly on the dark side!
Noah Nichols' twisted tale, No Net follows the lives of various individuals through the madness and mayhem of life in 2026. This adult black comedy showcases the very worst of the human condition in an inventive manner with copious amounts of action, violence and bloodshed from a bizarrely compelling tongue-in-cheek perspective.
Not for the faint-hearted or easily offended, this is a must read for Sci-Fi lovers and those who like post-apocalyptic, gritty reads with their humour firmly on the dark side!
March 29, 2016
No Net took a dive into the psychological effects a loss of the internet would have on people.The concept caught my eye from the get go and I have to say I'm not disappointed. Each of the characters holds their own in this novel and Nichols does a good job for each one. The pacing is ok and the read is a solid. I would suggest it to anyone who is intrigued by such life altering scenarios.
April 19, 2016
Well written, extended vocabulary, and a great idea! No Net has you truly thinking about how we treat technology. It's a dystopian like no other and I definitely recommend it to those of you looking for a good book to add to your shelf
April 24, 2016
I know I could not live without the internet. What would you do without the internet? This book is very interesting and unique. I did enjoy seeing what this author thought things will be like. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
July 3, 2017
"The usual rigamarole was working the pole like a seasoned stripper with a broken soul." -App 13
The writing and perfect editing for this book deserves 5 stars. I think the story idea was great and certainly plausible because of people and how they can easily get caught up in a "mob mentality." It is an emotionally charged book that shows the unsavory side of humanity with some hilarious elements added in. I didn't care for the intense profanity and I enjoy reading much lighter subjects that help me relax and have happy endings.
The writing and perfect editing for this book deserves 5 stars. I think the story idea was great and certainly plausible because of people and how they can easily get caught up in a "mob mentality." It is an emotionally charged book that shows the unsavory side of humanity with some hilarious elements added in. I didn't care for the intense profanity and I enjoy reading much lighter subjects that help me relax and have happy endings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2016
No net, as I read this book, I wondered how I would review it. At the very start, I was excited with the pace and actions and even started to invest in some of the characters until the inevitable that is the premise of this book started to unravel.
Human beings started to act like deprived monsters, killing and slaughtering each other all because they realised that the internet (The baby sitter) is no more.
I would have loved to see another side to this book, but it mainly pointed at the fact that to not have internet is something humans cannot conceive and therefore will lose their will to behave humanly.
The couple at the beginning of the book, I expected more from, although I wouldn’t blame what happened to them to the fact that there was no net. I wanted more from scott Hadaway, although the author brought him back later and I kinda feel the no net could have all been an imagination all written by the character. If not, I felt he could have been a good protagonist. If developed more. Some of the conversations seemed staged not as natural as I would have thought it should be still I was intrigued to know more.
Different characters, mostly with unduly blinding rage to become excessively murderous over the internet blackout, failing to see the value of humanity without the depended artificial intelligence. Also I really didn’t grasp a concrete reason why there was no net, a group of people argued it was the government trying to take control, some thought it was God’s doing, and other thought it was someone wanting things to go back to how it was before there ever was the Net.
While the book was thought provoking, as I do believe, we live in an age where no net could mean calamity and most businesses grinding to a close, however, it isn’t to the extent where I believe the world the author created in this book.
Nevertheless, I commend the author for his efforts to convene what No Net could mean in a world where everyone is so depended on their gadgets that they neglect to see the value in each other.
Human beings started to act like deprived monsters, killing and slaughtering each other all because they realised that the internet (The baby sitter) is no more.
I would have loved to see another side to this book, but it mainly pointed at the fact that to not have internet is something humans cannot conceive and therefore will lose their will to behave humanly.
The couple at the beginning of the book, I expected more from, although I wouldn’t blame what happened to them to the fact that there was no net. I wanted more from scott Hadaway, although the author brought him back later and I kinda feel the no net could have all been an imagination all written by the character. If not, I felt he could have been a good protagonist. If developed more. Some of the conversations seemed staged not as natural as I would have thought it should be still I was intrigued to know more.
Different characters, mostly with unduly blinding rage to become excessively murderous over the internet blackout, failing to see the value of humanity without the depended artificial intelligence. Also I really didn’t grasp a concrete reason why there was no net, a group of people argued it was the government trying to take control, some thought it was God’s doing, and other thought it was someone wanting things to go back to how it was before there ever was the Net.
While the book was thought provoking, as I do believe, we live in an age where no net could mean calamity and most businesses grinding to a close, however, it isn’t to the extent where I believe the world the author created in this book.
Nevertheless, I commend the author for his efforts to convene what No Net could mean in a world where everyone is so depended on their gadgets that they neglect to see the value in each other.
Read
September 11, 2016No Net is a book about what might happen if the Internet suddenly vanished.
Starting out, instead of chapters, they are called Apps. It's a unique concept, and fits the book well. But instead of them being chapters of an ongoing story, it seems like more of a collection of short stories that happen to intertwine with each other. While I see the value in trying to show the diversity of what might happen between people of many different backgrounds and diverse walks in life, it was very hard to stick with characters and be invested in them.
The one thing I didn't like about the characters is it was difficult to like them. Very few of them had redeeming qualities. I think if they had been developed a little bit more, I would have been more inclined to stick with them and see how their App played out.
Noah has a very diverse vocabulary, and, as a writer, I think it really bogged down the story. I was focusing more on the words being used than getting involved in the story. In my honest opinion, it could have been slimmed down a little bit to bring the reader in and not throw them off by the dialogue and the murky descriptions.
Like I said previously, the idea was a good one. What would happen if the Internet vanished? Would it be an all out riot, like the author thinks it would be? Or would it be something different? Who knows, and that's the beauty of writing.
Starting out, instead of chapters, they are called Apps. It's a unique concept, and fits the book well. But instead of them being chapters of an ongoing story, it seems like more of a collection of short stories that happen to intertwine with each other. While I see the value in trying to show the diversity of what might happen between people of many different backgrounds and diverse walks in life, it was very hard to stick with characters and be invested in them.
The one thing I didn't like about the characters is it was difficult to like them. Very few of them had redeeming qualities. I think if they had been developed a little bit more, I would have been more inclined to stick with them and see how their App played out.
Noah has a very diverse vocabulary, and, as a writer, I think it really bogged down the story. I was focusing more on the words being used than getting involved in the story. In my honest opinion, it could have been slimmed down a little bit to bring the reader in and not throw them off by the dialogue and the murky descriptions.
Like I said previously, the idea was a good one. What would happen if the Internet vanished? Would it be an all out riot, like the author thinks it would be? Or would it be something different? Who knows, and that's the beauty of writing.
May 7, 2016
"No Net" is an interesting look into the world if the internet happened to mysteriously cease to exist. It's a topic that I think about from time to time because of how attached most of our civilization has become to both the internet and our devices that connect us to the internet. Noah provided a wake up call to how connected we actually are on a daily basis. While I can see how the added level of violence any mayhem that ensued was exaggerated, I really enjoyed it.
My only comment would be on the character development. While the entirety of the book follows its story line, each chapter introduces new characters at a bit of a break-neck speed and left me desiring a more from them and developing each of their own, individual voices.
Overall, I felt it was an entertaining and thought provoking read.
My only comment would be on the character development. While the entirety of the book follows its story line, each chapter introduces new characters at a bit of a break-neck speed and left me desiring a more from them and developing each of their own, individual voices.
Overall, I felt it was an entertaining and thought provoking read.
October 19, 2016
I received this book as a giveaway from Goodreads. Most unusual. Well written, clever and an interesting take on the world without the internet. I'm old. I admit it, and I would miss it but it wouldn't cause me as much pain as it did to the people of this sad tale or the young of today. Surely a bit of black comedy, farcical and sometimes tongue in cheek. Very violent, gruesome and the language was quite disgusting at times but it certainly kept you reading. A group of interconnecting stories with graphic and violent results all due to no internet and seemingly no hope of it coming back.
August 28, 2016
This book was superb in all its ups and downs. Right from the start it takes you on a wild ride and brings into light the plague that is internet addiction in a fun and fascinating way. I hope to be fortunate enough to read more and more from this author!
goodreads-win
March 29, 2016Goodreads win.
March 9, 2019
Noah Nichols’ No Net poses a simple question: what happens when the interwebs go kaput and the self-absorbed hedonists of the world lose their ability to share excellent and amazing tedium with one another? There’s a simple answer to that question because it has already been posed. The answer: The Clan of the Cave Bear.
Why U No Text Me Back?
Nevertheless, Nichols persists under the presumption that humanity will not walk back its evolution all the way to early homonids, but instead react in a more predictable human fashion—by throwing a colossal, violent temper tantrum. It’s impossible not to see this coming because human beings are depicted as crazed and murderous BEFORE the internet poofs into abrupt non-existence. The first couple we encounter still has internet access, and the failing marriage ends in grisly murder-suicide as a consequence of the internet diminishing their facetime (Apple software pun!) and enabling infidelity. Given this scenario, one might assume blowing up the intertubes would have positive social consequences.
Once again humanity’s inhumanity shows up in its perpetually dissatisfied, petulant manner, because despite the range of human ages across the globe, as a whole humanity is an eternal teenager, prisoner to raging hormones and an out-of-control amygdala.
This analogy is expressed literally in the second vignette, in which a stereotypical teen, her self-absorbed life punctuated almost exclusively with exclamation points, cannot live life without a device designed to protect her from would-be assailants. That hypothetical is tested immediately when, as Calvin and Hobbes might say, the internet unceremoniously and inexplicably Unboinks.
So, what happened? Thankfully, we have the President of the United States to give us a speech that lays things out in sweeping generalities: 1) The internet is gone and we don’t know why; 2) Lots of individuals, businesses, etc. have been affected; 3) Don’t go crazy just because the internet is gone.
Unsurprisingly, without the apparent civilizing effects of the internet, people go batshit crazy because they can think of no better way to amuse themselves. I admit that whenever I lose internet access I feel a strong sense of anxiety and disconnectedness--in my defense, however, I work remotely and without the internet I'm cut off from my workplace. If anything, this ought to prove that the presence of the internet really had no effect on humanity whatsoever. People are flurking nuts, regardless. Thinking of the story in those terms, I found it pretty amusing. It doesn't help the plight of humanity that the robot police are jerks.
On the other hand, there were a few nitpicky things that completely upended my enjoyment of this interwoven collection of stories that couldn’t make up for the unfettered lunacy of the characters. I call them nitpicky because they are limited to just a few categories, but these categories do repeat themselves throughout the tale.
1) Random Thesaurus Effect
2) Show vs Tell
3) Tone
The Random Thesaurus Effect is a technique that rears its head now and again with newer writers when he/she becomes concerned the story itself is not enough to compel a reader to continue reading. Instead, a verbal gymnasium is created to demonstrate the writer’s abilities. The power of language is called upon to bulk up and convolute the story. The method is readily apparent and distracting because the reader is compelled to reverse engineer a sentence to get at the original meaning and make sense of it.
"What in the globalization of delirium had made that [wristwatch] go off so early on a Saturday like this?"
Most readers probably spend a few moments puzzling over turns of phrase such as globalization of delirium. I did. Since it’s phrased as a form of bewilderment, it’s possible “globalization” is no more than a substitute for “world”, needlessly complicating the idiom “what in the world”.
It’s possible this is an affectation of Future Speech, but there aren’t many authorial cues to that end. Normally, in an effort to prevent confusion, an author will repeat idioms to hammer them home or characters will have catch phrases.
In any case, the Random Thesaurus Effect pops up a lot, obfuscating information and deliberately causing trouble for me. Random Thesaurus Effect also manifests in the unfortunate form of this-isn’t-a-synonym-in-this-instance (e.g., Trajectory and Range aren’t the same thing).
Show vs Tell
If you’ve ever taken a writing workshop, or read a book on writing, or spoke to a published author, or summoned a powerful demon and exchanged a toe or something similarly useless for a modicum of advice, one of the first things you’ll be told is Show, Don’t Tell.
Why? It’s more engaging, for one. It’s certainly more interesting to see a groggy teen floundering for her wristwatch than describing her as discombobulated. It also spares you from suspected Random Thesaurus Effect. For another, you can save yourself some editing gaffes, such as the double redundancy of ending a sentence with a question mark, following with “she asked”, then falling right back into the same tiger trap by adding “inquisitively”. She may as well have pulled a trigger with her pull finger pullily. I’m getting sidetracked.
“Squint,” his squint eyes squinted squintily.
The worst part of Telling versus Showing is that it steals implication and neuter’s the reader’s joy of simple problem solving and ability to make evaluations on his/her own. For example, telling the reader “Jim is clever” eliminates the reader’s ability to determine for themselves whether or not the activity is clever, and in some cases casts doubt upon the assertion, not unlike Donald Trump's frequent assertions that he's awesome at business--because, honestly, when you're awesome at something you usually don't need to waste time telling people because they can see it on their own. Most times this irksome quality can be squashed through judicious editing rather than by throwing the whole mess on the fire. The former is a civil and reasoned response. It’s not as if the internet spontaneously disappeared and AH MY GOD JUST TO HELL WITH IT ALL AND LET IT BUUUUUURRRRRRRRN!
Tone
The story has been described as Black Comedy by other reviewers, and I think this description can be used to excuse passages profiling gender, race, age, and socioeconomic background, as well as a particularly chauvinistic second chapter I felt compelled to cover my eyes as I read. There was some humor to be found in the overzealousness of the characters, but I could not help feeling mortified by the diminishment of women’s public safety concerns in that particular episode.
To take a step backward, our first vignette in the assembly is filled with the raw, strained emotions of a broken relationship that ends in a brutal murder and mortifying revelation. These characters don’t strike me as comic or even tragic, but inhuman and frightening, which casts such a thick cloud over events it’s hard too see any humor in the darkness. Maybe that’s the point and I missed it.
The author’s snarky tone does work in places. I enjoyed the self-defense wristwatch designed for military-grade discouragement to potential sexual predators. That sort of hyperbole amused me. I also appreciated the false lead-in, suggesting the mysterious disappearance of the internet was a boon to humanity, allowing it the opportunity to become more engaged with one another and the world around it. Naturally, all falls apart soon after in a waterfall of indignation and robots.
Robots, in almost all situations, are also a good thing. And this book has them as well. Except Marvin.
Freaking buzzkill, Marvin.
Hyperbole personified as humans, on the other hand, wore on me much more quickly because, frankly, they annoyed the hell out of me.
Taken together, outside the realm of the story, these could all be looked upon as contributions to a satire. The deliberate stereotypes, wordiness, and even storytelling technique could serve as elements in a grand master plan that never occurred to me (except for, you know, right now). But too often the darkness got too dark, the stereotypes too sharp, and the message that we're too embroiled in our digital social personas and technological gizmos never resolved into a satisfying lesson. Again, maybe the deep blackness of this comedy was just so dark I couldn't see it--that's my fault.
For that reason I feel a colossal sense of guilt for this review. Whenever my opinion of something isn't favorable I automatically assume the failure is with myself rather than the product. Such is the case here. There's a possibility that I just didn't get it, which makes me feel dumb and like a jerk for taking a stance from a position of crippling ignorance.
Ultimately, Nichols has imagination and he has the satirist’s, or at least the cynic’s, inclination. It will be interesting to see where he takes it, or it takes him, the next time around.
Why U No Text Me Back?
Nevertheless, Nichols persists under the presumption that humanity will not walk back its evolution all the way to early homonids, but instead react in a more predictable human fashion—by throwing a colossal, violent temper tantrum. It’s impossible not to see this coming because human beings are depicted as crazed and murderous BEFORE the internet poofs into abrupt non-existence. The first couple we encounter still has internet access, and the failing marriage ends in grisly murder-suicide as a consequence of the internet diminishing their facetime (Apple software pun!) and enabling infidelity. Given this scenario, one might assume blowing up the intertubes would have positive social consequences.
Once again humanity’s inhumanity shows up in its perpetually dissatisfied, petulant manner, because despite the range of human ages across the globe, as a whole humanity is an eternal teenager, prisoner to raging hormones and an out-of-control amygdala.
This analogy is expressed literally in the second vignette, in which a stereotypical teen, her self-absorbed life punctuated almost exclusively with exclamation points, cannot live life without a device designed to protect her from would-be assailants. That hypothetical is tested immediately when, as Calvin and Hobbes might say, the internet unceremoniously and inexplicably Unboinks.
So, what happened? Thankfully, we have the President of the United States to give us a speech that lays things out in sweeping generalities: 1) The internet is gone and we don’t know why; 2) Lots of individuals, businesses, etc. have been affected; 3) Don’t go crazy just because the internet is gone.
Unsurprisingly, without the apparent civilizing effects of the internet, people go batshit crazy because they can think of no better way to amuse themselves. I admit that whenever I lose internet access I feel a strong sense of anxiety and disconnectedness--in my defense, however, I work remotely and without the internet I'm cut off from my workplace. If anything, this ought to prove that the presence of the internet really had no effect on humanity whatsoever. People are flurking nuts, regardless. Thinking of the story in those terms, I found it pretty amusing. It doesn't help the plight of humanity that the robot police are jerks.
On the other hand, there were a few nitpicky things that completely upended my enjoyment of this interwoven collection of stories that couldn’t make up for the unfettered lunacy of the characters. I call them nitpicky because they are limited to just a few categories, but these categories do repeat themselves throughout the tale.
1) Random Thesaurus Effect
2) Show vs Tell
3) Tone
The Random Thesaurus Effect is a technique that rears its head now and again with newer writers when he/she becomes concerned the story itself is not enough to compel a reader to continue reading. Instead, a verbal gymnasium is created to demonstrate the writer’s abilities. The power of language is called upon to bulk up and convolute the story. The method is readily apparent and distracting because the reader is compelled to reverse engineer a sentence to get at the original meaning and make sense of it.
"What in the globalization of delirium had made that [wristwatch] go off so early on a Saturday like this?"
Most readers probably spend a few moments puzzling over turns of phrase such as globalization of delirium. I did. Since it’s phrased as a form of bewilderment, it’s possible “globalization” is no more than a substitute for “world”, needlessly complicating the idiom “what in the world”.
It’s possible this is an affectation of Future Speech, but there aren’t many authorial cues to that end. Normally, in an effort to prevent confusion, an author will repeat idioms to hammer them home or characters will have catch phrases.
In any case, the Random Thesaurus Effect pops up a lot, obfuscating information and deliberately causing trouble for me. Random Thesaurus Effect also manifests in the unfortunate form of this-isn’t-a-synonym-in-this-instance (e.g., Trajectory and Range aren’t the same thing).
Show vs Tell
If you’ve ever taken a writing workshop, or read a book on writing, or spoke to a published author, or summoned a powerful demon and exchanged a toe or something similarly useless for a modicum of advice, one of the first things you’ll be told is Show, Don’t Tell.
Why? It’s more engaging, for one. It’s certainly more interesting to see a groggy teen floundering for her wristwatch than describing her as discombobulated. It also spares you from suspected Random Thesaurus Effect. For another, you can save yourself some editing gaffes, such as the double redundancy of ending a sentence with a question mark, following with “she asked”, then falling right back into the same tiger trap by adding “inquisitively”. She may as well have pulled a trigger with her pull finger pullily. I’m getting sidetracked.
“Squint,” his squint eyes squinted squintily.
The worst part of Telling versus Showing is that it steals implication and neuter’s the reader’s joy of simple problem solving and ability to make evaluations on his/her own. For example, telling the reader “Jim is clever” eliminates the reader’s ability to determine for themselves whether or not the activity is clever, and in some cases casts doubt upon the assertion, not unlike Donald Trump's frequent assertions that he's awesome at business--because, honestly, when you're awesome at something you usually don't need to waste time telling people because they can see it on their own. Most times this irksome quality can be squashed through judicious editing rather than by throwing the whole mess on the fire. The former is a civil and reasoned response. It’s not as if the internet spontaneously disappeared and AH MY GOD JUST TO HELL WITH IT ALL AND LET IT BUUUUUURRRRRRRRN!
Tone
The story has been described as Black Comedy by other reviewers, and I think this description can be used to excuse passages profiling gender, race, age, and socioeconomic background, as well as a particularly chauvinistic second chapter I felt compelled to cover my eyes as I read. There was some humor to be found in the overzealousness of the characters, but I could not help feeling mortified by the diminishment of women’s public safety concerns in that particular episode.
To take a step backward, our first vignette in the assembly is filled with the raw, strained emotions of a broken relationship that ends in a brutal murder and mortifying revelation. These characters don’t strike me as comic or even tragic, but inhuman and frightening, which casts such a thick cloud over events it’s hard too see any humor in the darkness. Maybe that’s the point and I missed it.
The author’s snarky tone does work in places. I enjoyed the self-defense wristwatch designed for military-grade discouragement to potential sexual predators. That sort of hyperbole amused me. I also appreciated the false lead-in, suggesting the mysterious disappearance of the internet was a boon to humanity, allowing it the opportunity to become more engaged with one another and the world around it. Naturally, all falls apart soon after in a waterfall of indignation and robots.
Robots, in almost all situations, are also a good thing. And this book has them as well. Except Marvin.
Freaking buzzkill, Marvin.
Hyperbole personified as humans, on the other hand, wore on me much more quickly because, frankly, they annoyed the hell out of me.
Taken together, outside the realm of the story, these could all be looked upon as contributions to a satire. The deliberate stereotypes, wordiness, and even storytelling technique could serve as elements in a grand master plan that never occurred to me (except for, you know, right now). But too often the darkness got too dark, the stereotypes too sharp, and the message that we're too embroiled in our digital social personas and technological gizmos never resolved into a satisfying lesson. Again, maybe the deep blackness of this comedy was just so dark I couldn't see it--that's my fault.
For that reason I feel a colossal sense of guilt for this review. Whenever my opinion of something isn't favorable I automatically assume the failure is with myself rather than the product. Such is the case here. There's a possibility that I just didn't get it, which makes me feel dumb and like a jerk for taking a stance from a position of crippling ignorance.
Ultimately, Nichols has imagination and he has the satirist’s, or at least the cynic’s, inclination. It will be interesting to see where he takes it, or it takes him, the next time around.
April 12, 2016
Noah Nichols
No Net
This absurdist, surreal, adult black comedic satire starts off with a bang, or more precisely, a violent and ultimately fatal series of head butts and only accelerates from there. In a completely wacky world where the internet suddenly vanishes leaving behind befuddled consumers and, oddly, the ability to text, a memorable mayhem-loving set of characters confront their new reality and come to terms with the gaping hole in their lives left by the missing internet. I don’t recommend this book to the faint of heart, or anyone who gets his or her panties in a twist over, oh, lessee…racism, misogyny, graphic violence, casual murder, profanity or domestic violence. Wait, I may be unfair, or at any rate unbalanced, on the misogyny charge, as male characters also receive the ultimate in male suffering by way of strategic kicks and knee strikes.
But having offered fair warning to the faint of heart and panty-twist-prone, freely admitting I was…horrified (one searches for a more neutral word, and fails, honesty being the key value here) …as I read, and noting that I received this book free in exchange for a fair and honest review, I have to say this mad twisted tale summoned from me solid admiration for craft and artistry. My favorite read this year? Nope. Something I can recommend to anyone I personally hang out with? Probably not, but then I am an old fuddy-duddy and quite comfortably so. But is this a humdinger of a ride, conducted by a skilled and mad writer? Most definitely. Will it find an audience? Is this writer worth reading? Yes and yes, I believe so, with some admitted fear and trepidation for the fate of civilization as we know it.
Without spoiling the experience for future readers by sharing specific moments from the book, allow me to share some observations from my own personal journey through shock and awe.
I’m a quiet reader. Sedate, well-behaved. I don’t snort and laugh out loud, grimace and moan when reading. My husband had to send me into a different room while reading this because I was shrieking, laughing, snorting and going “no, no, no, noooooooo…you can’t do that!” Mostly cries of horror and offense, yes, but any writer that can rip me out of my solemn ways like that gets points, even if I am terribly offended, which I was.
Points must also be given for a timely exploration of our society’s device addiction. To the critics who do not feel this was the most realistic exploration of what would happen if the internet vanished, I can only reply that they are absolutely correct, but I*don’t* think realism is what Mr. Nichols was going for in this work.
I was struck by echoes of Quentin Tarantino movies like “Pulp Fiction,” “Kill Bill” and “Inglourious Basterds;” or Frank Miller’s “Sin City;” or the shoot-‘em-up balletic violence scenes from the Wachowski brothers’ (or are they sisters now? they were brothers when they made it, so how does one manage this courteously and correctly, gah!) “The Matrix;” or even, stretching a bit here--and not wanting to besmirch the more-heart-less-violent Coen brothers--but some of the speeches in Coen brothers’ movies like “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” Words are weirdly twisted, turned inside out, used gloriously (?inglouriously?) wrong, but deftly, with rhythm, with a beat, and not just on the hip hop and rap passages. I found myself reading passages aloud because they had a delightfully dance-y beat to them.
Mr. Nichols also used story structure in an intricate and pleasing way, with short chapter-vignettes, at first seemingly unrelated, introducing a dizzying array of characters all confronting the No Net disaster. Eventually the characters and their stories interlock in interesting and unexpected ways, often with a small jolt of very real and tender human feeling, made all the more moving because of all the violence and offense and mayhem that had preceded such moments.
And the hand-drawn line art work—naïve, but intricate and illuminating, by artist James King. Very odd, to be sure, but of a piece with the writing and structure. I have to give points for the flamboyant and fiery out-there-ness of the writing and the art.
So, how do I grade this thing with stars as I am required? It’s a stumper, folks, so I will think out loud for you so you can make your own decision. I can easily defend a one-star score, just to scare off the many people who will be terrified and spontaneously combust if they attempt to read this. This needs to come with some kind of “don’t let the children or delicate adults read this” warning sticker. But I can also completely agree with the folks who give it five stars for the over-the-top and knowing writing style and moments of completely beautiful heart-felt humanity mixed into the mad stew that is this book. Be a waffle with a three-star review? That feels cowardly and wimpy, and three is kind of my go-to score for something that either lacked punch or had distracting craft flaws in spite of otherwise great story-telling, which doesn’t fit on either score. This book packs a whole platoon of punches! The book is well-edited, engaging, comes with weird original art and wacky but deliberate, knowing and original word choices, is brilliantly structured and tells a clear enough story with cartoon-y but vividly memorable characters. I cannot give that a three. I also cannot give something that upset me so much a five. (Noah, dude, watermelons, really?!?) So…Mr. Nichols, a four it is, but a very well-earned four, star-dusted with shattered fragments of a five, with my apologies as a newly hatched reviewer for not being able to bring myself to overcome my own reading preferences enough to bestow the mighty five star.
No NetThis absurdist, surreal, adult black comedic satire starts off with a bang, or more precisely, a violent and ultimately fatal series of head butts and only accelerates from there. In a completely wacky world where the internet suddenly vanishes leaving behind befuddled consumers and, oddly, the ability to text, a memorable mayhem-loving set of characters confront their new reality and come to terms with the gaping hole in their lives left by the missing internet. I don’t recommend this book to the faint of heart, or anyone who gets his or her panties in a twist over, oh, lessee…racism, misogyny, graphic violence, casual murder, profanity or domestic violence. Wait, I may be unfair, or at any rate unbalanced, on the misogyny charge, as male characters also receive the ultimate in male suffering by way of strategic kicks and knee strikes.
But having offered fair warning to the faint of heart and panty-twist-prone, freely admitting I was…horrified (one searches for a more neutral word, and fails, honesty being the key value here) …as I read, and noting that I received this book free in exchange for a fair and honest review, I have to say this mad twisted tale summoned from me solid admiration for craft and artistry. My favorite read this year? Nope. Something I can recommend to anyone I personally hang out with? Probably not, but then I am an old fuddy-duddy and quite comfortably so. But is this a humdinger of a ride, conducted by a skilled and mad writer? Most definitely. Will it find an audience? Is this writer worth reading? Yes and yes, I believe so, with some admitted fear and trepidation for the fate of civilization as we know it.
Without spoiling the experience for future readers by sharing specific moments from the book, allow me to share some observations from my own personal journey through shock and awe.
I’m a quiet reader. Sedate, well-behaved. I don’t snort and laugh out loud, grimace and moan when reading. My husband had to send me into a different room while reading this because I was shrieking, laughing, snorting and going “no, no, no, noooooooo…you can’t do that!” Mostly cries of horror and offense, yes, but any writer that can rip me out of my solemn ways like that gets points, even if I am terribly offended, which I was.
Points must also be given for a timely exploration of our society’s device addiction. To the critics who do not feel this was the most realistic exploration of what would happen if the internet vanished, I can only reply that they are absolutely correct, but I*don’t* think realism is what Mr. Nichols was going for in this work.
I was struck by echoes of Quentin Tarantino movies like “Pulp Fiction,” “Kill Bill” and “Inglourious Basterds;” or Frank Miller’s “Sin City;” or the shoot-‘em-up balletic violence scenes from the Wachowski brothers’ (or are they sisters now? they were brothers when they made it, so how does one manage this courteously and correctly, gah!) “The Matrix;” or even, stretching a bit here--and not wanting to besmirch the more-heart-less-violent Coen brothers--but some of the speeches in Coen brothers’ movies like “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” Words are weirdly twisted, turned inside out, used gloriously (?inglouriously?) wrong, but deftly, with rhythm, with a beat, and not just on the hip hop and rap passages. I found myself reading passages aloud because they had a delightfully dance-y beat to them.
Mr. Nichols also used story structure in an intricate and pleasing way, with short chapter-vignettes, at first seemingly unrelated, introducing a dizzying array of characters all confronting the No Net disaster. Eventually the characters and their stories interlock in interesting and unexpected ways, often with a small jolt of very real and tender human feeling, made all the more moving because of all the violence and offense and mayhem that had preceded such moments.
And the hand-drawn line art work—naïve, but intricate and illuminating, by artist James King. Very odd, to be sure, but of a piece with the writing and structure. I have to give points for the flamboyant and fiery out-there-ness of the writing and the art.
So, how do I grade this thing with stars as I am required? It’s a stumper, folks, so I will think out loud for you so you can make your own decision. I can easily defend a one-star score, just to scare off the many people who will be terrified and spontaneously combust if they attempt to read this. This needs to come with some kind of “don’t let the children or delicate adults read this” warning sticker. But I can also completely agree with the folks who give it five stars for the over-the-top and knowing writing style and moments of completely beautiful heart-felt humanity mixed into the mad stew that is this book. Be a waffle with a three-star review? That feels cowardly and wimpy, and three is kind of my go-to score for something that either lacked punch or had distracting craft flaws in spite of otherwise great story-telling, which doesn’t fit on either score. This book packs a whole platoon of punches! The book is well-edited, engaging, comes with weird original art and wacky but deliberate, knowing and original word choices, is brilliantly structured and tells a clear enough story with cartoon-y but vividly memorable characters. I cannot give that a three. I also cannot give something that upset me so much a five. (Noah, dude, watermelons, really?!?) So…Mr. Nichols, a four it is, but a very well-earned four, star-dusted with shattered fragments of a five, with my apologies as a newly hatched reviewer for not being able to bring myself to overcome my own reading preferences enough to bestow the mighty five star.
May 28, 2016
No Net is a book that simmers with potential.
The book poses a simple question - what would happen if the internet suddenly disappeared?
Presented in 20 Apps - rather than chapters - the book shows the unravelling of a near-future society after the internet suddenly, inexplicably goes missing.
Essentially, this plays out as a series of vignettes showing different groups affected by the blackout.
At first, we are presented with a scene from before the blackout - an incident of brutal domestic violence kickstarted by one partner seeing messages to his wife. Does this hint that we would be better off without the internet communication so pervasive in our lives? Well, the next chapter suggests not, as things quickly go from inconvenient to very, very bad. Some spoilers here for the early part of the book, so look away if you don't want to know them. In the face of the blackout, people in one community gather in one centre to find out what is going on. Gathered around TV sets, they hear the US president announce that the internet is indeed gone and no one knows how or why. Panic sets in, there's a sudden outbreak of violence that escalates before security robots intervene and, in what might be considered a design flaw by most robot designers, kill thousands of people in self-defence. Yes, thousands. In the heart of all this chaos, our ostensible lead characters at this moment in time turn killers themselves with surprisingly little provocation, and get away in part because of some help from a passing rioter who seems to have come to the party prepared with a rocket launcher. After those deaths, the officers investigating it seem to be more focused on flirting with one another and arranging a date than being in any way affected by death in such magnitude. In short, it all goes a bit weird.
Now reading this, you might think the author is going for a surreal, blackly comic tone, but really it doesn't come across that way. Indeed, it's quite brutal and bleak at times, sad and poignant in moments rather than aiming for satire.
As the book progresses, we see more of these vignettes. There's no central character, we just see how
the blackout affects citizens; the current US president; a former president turned inventor who created a gauntlet equipped with taser and other devices to fight off would-be rapists; the man who attempted to attack her in her youth leading to the invention and even a nutcase who seizes the opportunity in the chaos to become a serial killer. That format of presentation isn't necessarily to the detriment of a book - just look at Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles to see a book where a core central premise is played out by a host of different characters.
Sadly, there's not really much exploration of the other aspects of how society would be affected by the sudden absence of the internet. Businesses largely carry on as normal. News teams seem to have no problem with going out to their remote crews even when the data has stopped flowing. There seems to be no major financial crash. Those robot policemen keep on with their overeager policing, seemingly with no need to connect to a central control network. It all focuses in on the people themselves and their reaction to a world where they are disconnected.
What really undercuts the book though is a lack of solid editing. There's too much of a word soup in the dialogue of characters - early on in that scene with all the deaths, the characters are using verbose, wordy dialogue that looks like the author is showing off his vocabulary, even at a time when panic is setting in. That might work for occasional characters, but this is everyone, even one character derided for not being intelligent says things like "Maybe you could just film erotic videos of yourself naked prancing around, touching yourself sensually for all the sleazebags that still like going into a seedy brick-and-mortar store to get their fleshy debauchery fixings." The character voices aren't true to what you'd expect to hear - and they are inconsistent too, with the young girl at the heart of the deaths early on having a completely different voice later on as she talks to her mother. That kind of dialogue, much later in the book, really shines, and there's an honesty and integrity to that which really lets you connect with the characters. The word soup extends to the dialogue tags, too, with the author refusing to settle for "said" as a tag when he can make use of responded, probed, exclaimed, hissed and many more. In addition, sometimes the author veers into all capital letters when someone is shouting - and when someone is shouting really loud? All caps plus bold! Kudos, though, to the shouted line of "SO I CAN'T TROLL ANYMORE?"
There's too much telling rather than showing too - and again this is something that solid editing would have highlighted. One character, for example, we are told is "enraged to the maximum dosage" - an odd way of expressing it for starters, but do we really have to be told that rather than letting us understand his feelings through his words and actions? Just show us what's going on, man.
Loading the story down with such baggage stops it from being able to breathe - and that's a real shame, because there is a great idea here to explore. That idea remains compelling despite the flaws in the execution and I really wanted to know what happened next for a number of the characters.
In the end, the implications of that central idea aren't fully explored, and the execution gets in the way rather than helping the book to shine. The potential idea of the book would earn it a four stars, but each of those negatives knocks a star off for me. Reluctantly, I give it two stars - because I really wanted to see where such an idea would go, and despite that mark, I still want to see what the author will come up with next. But get a decent editor!
The book poses a simple question - what would happen if the internet suddenly disappeared?
Presented in 20 Apps - rather than chapters - the book shows the unravelling of a near-future society after the internet suddenly, inexplicably goes missing.
Essentially, this plays out as a series of vignettes showing different groups affected by the blackout.
At first, we are presented with a scene from before the blackout - an incident of brutal domestic violence kickstarted by one partner seeing messages to his wife. Does this hint that we would be better off without the internet communication so pervasive in our lives? Well, the next chapter suggests not, as things quickly go from inconvenient to very, very bad. Some spoilers here for the early part of the book, so look away if you don't want to know them. In the face of the blackout, people in one community gather in one centre to find out what is going on. Gathered around TV sets, they hear the US president announce that the internet is indeed gone and no one knows how or why. Panic sets in, there's a sudden outbreak of violence that escalates before security robots intervene and, in what might be considered a design flaw by most robot designers, kill thousands of people in self-defence. Yes, thousands. In the heart of all this chaos, our ostensible lead characters at this moment in time turn killers themselves with surprisingly little provocation, and get away in part because of some help from a passing rioter who seems to have come to the party prepared with a rocket launcher. After those deaths, the officers investigating it seem to be more focused on flirting with one another and arranging a date than being in any way affected by death in such magnitude. In short, it all goes a bit weird.
Now reading this, you might think the author is going for a surreal, blackly comic tone, but really it doesn't come across that way. Indeed, it's quite brutal and bleak at times, sad and poignant in moments rather than aiming for satire.
As the book progresses, we see more of these vignettes. There's no central character, we just see how
the blackout affects citizens; the current US president; a former president turned inventor who created a gauntlet equipped with taser and other devices to fight off would-be rapists; the man who attempted to attack her in her youth leading to the invention and even a nutcase who seizes the opportunity in the chaos to become a serial killer. That format of presentation isn't necessarily to the detriment of a book - just look at Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles to see a book where a core central premise is played out by a host of different characters.
Sadly, there's not really much exploration of the other aspects of how society would be affected by the sudden absence of the internet. Businesses largely carry on as normal. News teams seem to have no problem with going out to their remote crews even when the data has stopped flowing. There seems to be no major financial crash. Those robot policemen keep on with their overeager policing, seemingly with no need to connect to a central control network. It all focuses in on the people themselves and their reaction to a world where they are disconnected.
What really undercuts the book though is a lack of solid editing. There's too much of a word soup in the dialogue of characters - early on in that scene with all the deaths, the characters are using verbose, wordy dialogue that looks like the author is showing off his vocabulary, even at a time when panic is setting in. That might work for occasional characters, but this is everyone, even one character derided for not being intelligent says things like "Maybe you could just film erotic videos of yourself naked prancing around, touching yourself sensually for all the sleazebags that still like going into a seedy brick-and-mortar store to get their fleshy debauchery fixings." The character voices aren't true to what you'd expect to hear - and they are inconsistent too, with the young girl at the heart of the deaths early on having a completely different voice later on as she talks to her mother. That kind of dialogue, much later in the book, really shines, and there's an honesty and integrity to that which really lets you connect with the characters. The word soup extends to the dialogue tags, too, with the author refusing to settle for "said" as a tag when he can make use of responded, probed, exclaimed, hissed and many more. In addition, sometimes the author veers into all capital letters when someone is shouting - and when someone is shouting really loud? All caps plus bold! Kudos, though, to the shouted line of "SO I CAN'T TROLL ANYMORE?"
There's too much telling rather than showing too - and again this is something that solid editing would have highlighted. One character, for example, we are told is "enraged to the maximum dosage" - an odd way of expressing it for starters, but do we really have to be told that rather than letting us understand his feelings through his words and actions? Just show us what's going on, man.
Loading the story down with such baggage stops it from being able to breathe - and that's a real shame, because there is a great idea here to explore. That idea remains compelling despite the flaws in the execution and I really wanted to know what happened next for a number of the characters.
In the end, the implications of that central idea aren't fully explored, and the execution gets in the way rather than helping the book to shine. The potential idea of the book would earn it a four stars, but each of those negatives knocks a star off for me. Reluctantly, I give it two stars - because I really wanted to see where such an idea would go, and despite that mark, I still want to see what the author will come up with next. But get a decent editor!
September 10, 2024
Chaotic Humans: Web 2.0
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2016
No Net by Noah Nichols is a witty comedic tale where it involves an intriguing premise on everybody's minds: What would happen if the Internet suddenly goes dark? Well, of course, chaos ensues! Whether killer robots are on the loose or some college kids glued to their blank computer screens, we are served by a daily dose of irrationality over a rational means of control, by the global system of interconnectedness that many people are simply used to seeing. That's why I like this novel: it never tries to sugarcoat anything; it's raw and gritty, and it gets down to the bone of an absurd possibility. I just hope the Internet may never go down . . .
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2016
No Net by Noah Nichols is a witty comedic tale where it involves an intriguing premise on everybody's minds: What would happen if the Internet suddenly goes dark? Well, of course, chaos ensues! Whether killer robots are on the loose or some college kids glued to their blank computer screens, we are served by a daily dose of irrationality over a rational means of control, by the global system of interconnectedness that many people are simply used to seeing. That's why I like this novel: it never tries to sugarcoat anything; it's raw and gritty, and it gets down to the bone of an absurd possibility. I just hope the Internet may never go down . . .
March 2, 2017
Possibly a spoiler alert here...
Really, so the internet goes down and we all be come murderous maniacs?
The writing style was not great, several times I could not even make sense of what was trying to be said. A couple chapters I could not even get through, I just had to skim because of the way it was written.
My husband asked why I kept reading, I wanted to find out how it all ends. But you don't. You don't know why it all happened. There is no conclusion. Some parts make no sense why they were even in the book.
Don't bother.
Really, so the internet goes down and we all be come murderous maniacs?
The writing style was not great, several times I could not even make sense of what was trying to be said. A couple chapters I could not even get through, I just had to skim because of the way it was written.
My husband asked why I kept reading, I wanted to find out how it all ends. But you don't. You don't know why it all happened. There is no conclusion. Some parts make no sense why they were even in the book.
Don't bother.
April 13, 2016
"No Net" was an interesting novel. The concept of the internet vanishing was complex, but I felt that the characters could have been developed better. After the astounding first chapter (which I mistakenly read at home, alone, in the dark, at night), I felt as though the rest of the novel seemed to decline rapidly. I didn't feel connected to the rest of the characters, and I grew irritated by the dialogue. Teenagers do tend to speak in a different language than adults, but I felt that the dialogue of the teenagers was too juvenile. I also didn't believe that the entire population would all run outside and freak out just because one of their technological devices "lost signal".
Nichols did verbalize that he wanted his novel to be a discussion platform for everyone to think about how attached to technology they are, but I felt that the message was lost in the catty dialogue and shallow characters. In order for this novel to succeed in creating a discussion with its readers, the characters need to be likable to some extent and the plot needs to be believable. In order for this novel to be better, I would suggest changing the plot so that the characters slowly begin to go crazy after days of not having the internet.
Nichols is a gifted author, however. His first chapter blew me away, and I did feel as though I were reading a best seller of a very successful author. An example of his beautiful language is as follows:
"It was encompassing everything, merging the human being and the machine into an unrecognizable slab of dark matter."
If he can match his novel to be as intense as that first chapter, he will go far. I also liked how the chapters were called "APPs" instead of chapters. This added a fun layout to the novel, as well as the various artwork included in the chapters. I do see how our world is so obsessed with the internet and electronics and I do see how it can cause many people to suffer in their relationships with others. I think that the following description that Nichols presented on how obsessed people are with the internet is accurate:
"It was the type of behavior you'd expect from an out-of-control alcoholic if you permanently took away everything booze-related. Or if you took all drugs away from a toothless and habitual junkie. It was that bad."
If you are looking for a book that will make you think, then this book is the one. It is very unique and I have not read another novel with the same premise. I think that this novel would be most beneficial for young readers to be confronted with how technology is negatively affecting their lives. Noah Nichols is a thinker and it shows in his work. If he can just update the dialogue and allow the reader to like the characters and connect to them, his book will be more believable.
Nichols did verbalize that he wanted his novel to be a discussion platform for everyone to think about how attached to technology they are, but I felt that the message was lost in the catty dialogue and shallow characters. In order for this novel to succeed in creating a discussion with its readers, the characters need to be likable to some extent and the plot needs to be believable. In order for this novel to be better, I would suggest changing the plot so that the characters slowly begin to go crazy after days of not having the internet.
Nichols is a gifted author, however. His first chapter blew me away, and I did feel as though I were reading a best seller of a very successful author. An example of his beautiful language is as follows:
"It was encompassing everything, merging the human being and the machine into an unrecognizable slab of dark matter."
If he can match his novel to be as intense as that first chapter, he will go far. I also liked how the chapters were called "APPs" instead of chapters. This added a fun layout to the novel, as well as the various artwork included in the chapters. I do see how our world is so obsessed with the internet and electronics and I do see how it can cause many people to suffer in their relationships with others. I think that the following description that Nichols presented on how obsessed people are with the internet is accurate:
"It was the type of behavior you'd expect from an out-of-control alcoholic if you permanently took away everything booze-related. Or if you took all drugs away from a toothless and habitual junkie. It was that bad."
If you are looking for a book that will make you think, then this book is the one. It is very unique and I have not read another novel with the same premise. I think that this novel would be most beneficial for young readers to be confronted with how technology is negatively affecting their lives. Noah Nichols is a thinker and it shows in his work. If he can just update the dialogue and allow the reader to like the characters and connect to them, his book will be more believable.
May 7, 2016
We all experience frustration when the internet goes out. Workplaces grind to a halt, we find ourselves repeatedly hitting buttons on our devices even though we know it won't work, and our patience is tested when pages won't load for even a second longer than usual. In "No Net," Noah Nichols takes things a step further—in the near future, though there is plenty of new technology, things look somewhat similar to today's world, but there's an added layer of dependence on technology. When the world's internet goes down, with nothing but speculation to go on, that dependence is put to the test, in often disturbing ways.
App 2, for instance, closes with an ominous passage that portends something gruesome: "If this presidential address turned into an overwhelmingly dire affair [...], then well—maybe she'd have to become the first person ever to hang herself with a generous amount of charger cords." Nichols makes efficient use of this type of matter-of-fact, unabashedly straightforward statement to drive home the point that in No Net's reality, many folks would rather die than live without instantaneous connection. It's gritty, ugly, and creepy, but it also feels very human.
Fair warning: the violence in the book is blunt and requires a strong stomach. Nichols expects the reader to buy into vicious, immediate responses to a lack of internet; given our current reliance on it, I never found it much of a stretch. Fortunately, Nichols balances the icky parts (which, full disclosure, I loved—I'm a horror fan after all!) with a dark sense of humor and a flair for solid dialogue.
There are a LOT of characters in this book, and it can be a little bit of a project to keep track of everyone. Somewhat reminiscent of the vignette nature of World War Z, the ever-growing cast of characters can test a reader's patience and brain capacity. Nichols also occasionally relies on "tell" dialogue rather than "show" to dole out his exposition.
All that said: if you're looking for a new take on a well-worn idea, you aren't faint-hearted, and you're looking for a book that often defies description but always keeps you on your toes—grab yourself a copy of No Net. You shan't regret it.
App 2, for instance, closes with an ominous passage that portends something gruesome: "If this presidential address turned into an overwhelmingly dire affair [...], then well—maybe she'd have to become the first person ever to hang herself with a generous amount of charger cords." Nichols makes efficient use of this type of matter-of-fact, unabashedly straightforward statement to drive home the point that in No Net's reality, many folks would rather die than live without instantaneous connection. It's gritty, ugly, and creepy, but it also feels very human.
Fair warning: the violence in the book is blunt and requires a strong stomach. Nichols expects the reader to buy into vicious, immediate responses to a lack of internet; given our current reliance on it, I never found it much of a stretch. Fortunately, Nichols balances the icky parts (which, full disclosure, I loved—I'm a horror fan after all!) with a dark sense of humor and a flair for solid dialogue.
There are a LOT of characters in this book, and it can be a little bit of a project to keep track of everyone. Somewhat reminiscent of the vignette nature of World War Z, the ever-growing cast of characters can test a reader's patience and brain capacity. Nichols also occasionally relies on "tell" dialogue rather than "show" to dole out his exposition.
All that said: if you're looking for a new take on a well-worn idea, you aren't faint-hearted, and you're looking for a book that often defies description but always keeps you on your toes—grab yourself a copy of No Net. You shan't regret it.
July 18, 2016
This a sad portrayal of human beings after they lose their precious internet. The first couple argue about the wife's use of electronic devices and ignoring her husband. Their language degrades into cursing and fault-slinging. Scott turns into a monster and kills his wife. I don't understand what made them whacky. Their personalities blow up from nothing. He does find out that she had an affair but he beats her to a pulp. Once he finds out that she was pregnant, he finally feels guilt and kills himself. Can you see this scenarios happening because of the internet? I can't.
The loss of the total internet puts the U.S. into a mindless frenzy. People riot and kill each other. The President doesn't know what caused the shutdown but he does care for his ice cream. A teenage girl, Callie, kills people during a stampede at some electronic or movie theater. I don't understand the jargon and can't visualize the robots or what they're doing. Callie smashes a cop's face. She runs away with her friend, who ends up dead. Callie pulverizes the girl who caused her friends' death. At home, Callie's mother asks her what she'd felt as killed people. Callie said that she felt right and good about it. They deserved it. Her mother was afraid that she lost her humanity.
The violence continues in the other stories. But nothing is resolved. I don't know why it happens or if it can be fixed. And I don't understand why people become crazy without the internet.
The loss of the total internet puts the U.S. into a mindless frenzy. People riot and kill each other. The President doesn't know what caused the shutdown but he does care for his ice cream. A teenage girl, Callie, kills people during a stampede at some electronic or movie theater. I don't understand the jargon and can't visualize the robots or what they're doing. Callie smashes a cop's face. She runs away with her friend, who ends up dead. Callie pulverizes the girl who caused her friends' death. At home, Callie's mother asks her what she'd felt as killed people. Callie said that she felt right and good about it. They deserved it. Her mother was afraid that she lost her humanity.
The violence continues in the other stories. But nothing is resolved. I don't know why it happens or if it can be fixed. And I don't understand why people become crazy without the internet.
April 8, 2016
This book is set in a crazy yet realistic world without internet. The book starts off strong and ends in the same fashion. We see within the first few pages a relationship that was destroyed by the internet. Also how relationships were built over the internet and through texting. We are introduced to two characters Gwen who lives off the internet and her husband Scott who wishes she'd live without it. Throughout the book it's never dull or boring. It just keeps moving forward with different twists and turns. I like how it was set a little further into the world of technology and how well developed it had gotten. Some people literally can not see themselves living without the internet and will kill themselves or someone else if they lose it. The only problem I really saw is that the two characters Callie and Cammy being so well spoken. They seem like they wouldn't have been because of who their characters resemble. But the book has great wording and has a great flow so I guess having characters who didn't talk as such might put a damper on the story. But I really enjoyed the story and seeing how the world could be without internet. It seemed like a dystopian sort of novel expect it's not like any I've read and I've read quite a lot of those. So this was something new and refreshing for me to read.
May 25, 2016
No Net explores society’s response to suddenly being without the internet.
I’m sure if the internet did go down everywhere then there would be those who’d become bored and resort to petty crime and violence as something to do. However, there’s still technology, lights still go on, the fridge stays cold so there’s still beer, so it hasn’t all gone to hell. You can even still have a nice hot pizza delivered, which is all anyone needs really. The reaction in No Net is… extreme. But, believability aside, that isn’t the reason for my low star rating.
No Net feels a little like a first draft – an information dump, the sort of writing you do when you’re getting the story down before you go back through and hone it. The dialogue isn’t natural or believable, the metaphors are forced and, as a lady person, describing a woman as “hot and ready for the taking” really, just, well, p*sses me off. Also, I wouldn’t describe it as a comedy, dark, yes, but not a comedy.
I believe there will be a sequel to No Net, which will hopefully explain why the internet went down in the first place, and that might bring some clarity as to why the internet inexplicably ‘vanished’.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m sure if the internet did go down everywhere then there would be those who’d become bored and resort to petty crime and violence as something to do. However, there’s still technology, lights still go on, the fridge stays cold so there’s still beer, so it hasn’t all gone to hell. You can even still have a nice hot pizza delivered, which is all anyone needs really. The reaction in No Net is… extreme. But, believability aside, that isn’t the reason for my low star rating.
No Net feels a little like a first draft – an information dump, the sort of writing you do when you’re getting the story down before you go back through and hone it. The dialogue isn’t natural or believable, the metaphors are forced and, as a lady person, describing a woman as “hot and ready for the taking” really, just, well, p*sses me off. Also, I wouldn’t describe it as a comedy, dark, yes, but not a comedy.
I believe there will be a sequel to No Net, which will hopefully explain why the internet went down in the first place, and that might bring some clarity as to why the internet inexplicably ‘vanished’.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 5, 2016
No Net is the ultimate culmination of what happens when everything you know changes or disappears. The extreme fight or flight responses from the characters rival those of drug addicts going through withdrawal needing to ease their desperate cravings. It's a new take on a modern problem as society becomes less social, and shows the dark truth of the world when people are forced to look at their surroundings instead of a screen on some device.
Overall this book is very well written with incredible descriptions. If you get sucked in enough to listen to the various musical references you will have a lovely soundtrack for the end of the modern world. This is a very fun read filled with dark humor and a great example how addictions and withdrawals can bring about the worst that human nature has to offer.
Overall this book is very well written with incredible descriptions. If you get sucked in enough to listen to the various musical references you will have a lovely soundtrack for the end of the modern world. This is a very fun read filled with dark humor and a great example how addictions and withdrawals can bring about the worst that human nature has to offer.
April 18, 2016
I really enjoyed this book because it's about something I ponder from time to time. What would happen if the internet just wasn't there anymore? How would you react? How would anyone react? Well it's pretty impossible to say, but I think this is a fairly accurate representation. At times, No Net is funny. Other times it's a little dark and surprising. Overall, it's very thought provoking, and a few things really hit home with me on a personal level which I'm not necessarily sure is good or not given what those things were, but a good book should always connect with a reader on a personal level. Very interesting read. Very recommended.
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