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The Budayeen Cycle: When Gravity Fails, A Fire in the Sun, and The Exile Kiss
The complete Hugo and Nebula Award–nominated cyberpunk trilogy by an author whose work is “wry and black and savage” (George R. R. Martin). Praised as “a perfect example of how exciting the subgenre can and should be,” George Alec Effinger’s Budayeen Cycle is a towering and timeless science fiction achievement that continues to amaze, shock, and captivate readers (SF Signal). When Gravity Set in a high-tech near future featuring an ascendant Muslim world and divided Western superpowers, this cult classic takes readers into a world with mind- or mood-altering drugs for any purpose, brains enhanced by electronic hardware, and surgically altered bodies. Street hustler Marîd Audran has always prided himself on his independence, free from commitments, connections, and even cybernetic modifications. But when a string of brutal murders lands him on the radar of Friedlander Bey, the most powerful and dangerous man in the decadent Arab ghetto, the Budayeen, Audran is forced to change his loner ways, or risk losing his life . . . A Fire in the Once a small-time smuggler, Marîd Audran has, to his chagrin, moved up in the ranks of the criminal underworld to become a lieutenant in Friedlander Bey’s shadowy empire. Tasked with being Bey’s eyes and ears inside local law enforcement, Audran finds himself tracking yet another serial killer through the streets of the Budayeen. And the closer he gets to his target, the more embroiled he becomes in the deadly political machinations hidden behind the city’s façade. The Exile Marîd Audran is finally learning to appreciate the wealth and benefits that come from being on Friedlander Bey’s payroll when a powerful enemy does the unthinkable, and gets both Audran and Bey exiled from the Budayeen. Abandoned in the lifeless and lethal Arabian Desert, Audran and Bey have only one survive long enough to exact revenge on the man responsible.
- GenresScience FictionCyberpunk
1262 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 8, 2017
131 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 14, 2020
When Gravity Fails is a minor cyberpunk classic that I heartily recommend to sci-fi fans, yet the second and third entries in the trilogy go in a different direction, largely leaving behind the gritty, hardboiled street action that I initially found so compelling.
June 2, 2018
1 star, I put a book down. 2 stars, I wouldn't read again and won't pick up a sequel. 3 stars, I won't read again, but maybe the sequel would move forward. 4 stars, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to a friend. 5 stars, I'll reread it, recommend it, and try to get my son to experience some of the joy this book gave to me.
Another of the series of books that I'm pleased to have found in digital format making it easy to keep and read again, and to share with my son and friends.
This series, frankly, defines cyber-punk for me much better than William Gibson or Philip K. Dick. I think that is probably because it is a series that not only carries a narrative, but also allows for the author to be more descriptive of the setting. Additionally, the fact that it is set in an "ascendant Muslim world", which at the time it was written was just as fantastic as reading about Baghdad and the 40 thieves. Today, it might scare off some of those who can only envision the middle-east and Islam as a threat to western civilization. But those folks probably need to read some non-US based history and current events books to get perspective before reading fiction.
That being said, this series is fiction, and just as someone reading the Man in the High Castle can enjoy good fiction while also understanding the cautionary tales of alternative history, so does The Budayeen Cycle provide the same opportunity.
Another of the series of books that I'm pleased to have found in digital format making it easy to keep and read again, and to share with my son and friends.
This series, frankly, defines cyber-punk for me much better than William Gibson or Philip K. Dick. I think that is probably because it is a series that not only carries a narrative, but also allows for the author to be more descriptive of the setting. Additionally, the fact that it is set in an "ascendant Muslim world", which at the time it was written was just as fantastic as reading about Baghdad and the 40 thieves. Today, it might scare off some of those who can only envision the middle-east and Islam as a threat to western civilization. But those folks probably need to read some non-US based history and current events books to get perspective before reading fiction.
That being said, this series is fiction, and just as someone reading the Man in the High Castle can enjoy good fiction while also understanding the cautionary tales of alternative history, so does The Budayeen Cycle provide the same opportunity.
April 12, 2022
Who are we talking about here? It's George Alec effing Effinger!
The Papa of Middle-Eastern Cyberpunk!
The worldbuilding is impeccable. Religion versus Rationalism, Tradition versus Technology, Morality versus Mortality, Transhumanism versus Humanity.
George's writing, bless his soul, pulls you into a desert dystopia, where calls to prayer ring out in the morning and bawdy over-sexualized commercials blare across the streets in the evening.
You don't know Japanese? *BAM*, just slap a chip in your slot (man, that sounded wrong) and you're suddenly qualified to be a Masterclass lecturer for Japanese.
You hate being a man? A woman? *BAM*, a day in the clinic and you're another person in all legal sense the next.
You hate drugs and prostitution? *BAM*, Friedlander Bey hates them too... well... I mean, he don't hate the money it brings him but... anyway, no spoilers!
That's the kind of world George gave and left us with and we are blessed for that.
The Papa of Middle-Eastern Cyberpunk!
The worldbuilding is impeccable. Religion versus Rationalism, Tradition versus Technology, Morality versus Mortality, Transhumanism versus Humanity.
George's writing, bless his soul, pulls you into a desert dystopia, where calls to prayer ring out in the morning and bawdy over-sexualized commercials blare across the streets in the evening.
You don't know Japanese? *BAM*, just slap a chip in your slot (man, that sounded wrong) and you're suddenly qualified to be a Masterclass lecturer for Japanese.
You hate being a man? A woman? *BAM*, a day in the clinic and you're another person in all legal sense the next.
You hate drugs and prostitution? *BAM*, Friedlander Bey hates them too... well... I mean, he don't hate the money it brings him but... anyway, no spoilers!
That's the kind of world George gave and left us with and we are blessed for that.
May 12, 2021
Engrossing, believable world. Gritty cyberpunk at it's best, especially if you like anti-heroes.
December 20, 2024
Very enjoyable cyberpunk series. Unusual setting for that type of thing. Wish there were more.
March 7, 2021
I'm sure this was a more impressive read, when it was published, but it is less impressive, now that technology has blown past. It's really less science-fiction, than hard-boiled detective fiction, with SF trappings. That's not a deal-breaker, but not my favorite, either. Personally I was missing the kind of detail that puts you 'in the novel'. I never felt that the Budayeen was different, culturally, than say, Old-Town Pasadena, in many ways, so I lacked that immersion that you find in the best novels of the genre. There were quite a few "you've got to be kidding me" moments, as well; The entire desert-episode should never have happened -given the shrewdness exhibited by Bey, elsewhere. I'm rather surprised that this novel came with such a high rating; because, though I felt it was very well written, the whole thing was second-tier -in my experience.
March 2, 2018
trilogy starts strong, ends weak
I very much enjoyed the first entry in this cyberpunk series. Set in a future where Islam dominates the world, this series explores the hard luck life of its protagonist, Marid, who lives in a rough area of town and essentially finds himself falling into the function of a gumshoe. In fact, the whole series is styled as cyberpunk noir. The author’s devotion to research into Arab culture was impressive and the writing wasn’t too bad. In fact, the first book in the series has the best plot and writing. However, by the end, the plot wraps up pretty lamely, which is a pity for such a promising beginning. I do very much recommend When Gravity Fails but not the rest of the series.
I very much enjoyed the first entry in this cyberpunk series. Set in a future where Islam dominates the world, this series explores the hard luck life of its protagonist, Marid, who lives in a rough area of town and essentially finds himself falling into the function of a gumshoe. In fact, the whole series is styled as cyberpunk noir. The author’s devotion to research into Arab culture was impressive and the writing wasn’t too bad. In fact, the first book in the series has the best plot and writing. However, by the end, the plot wraps up pretty lamely, which is a pity for such a promising beginning. I do very much recommend When Gravity Fails but not the rest of the series.
September 29, 2024
I couldn't find individual checkouts of these book, but found the entire cycle available as one Ebook from one of my Libby stores. A fire in the Sun is the sequel to When Gravity Fails, and The Exile Kiss is the unfortunate conclusion of the series. Unfortunate, because by that time, George Alec Effinger was already very sick and probably had to finish writing it before his hospitalization.
In any case, both books brings you back to the Budayeen and its colorful characters. A fire in the sun shows you the new Marid, now thoroughly working for the Godfather of the Budayeen, and being his "fixer". He still has his vices, and he still thoroughly thinks of himself as a Budayeen boy at heart, but his patron has different ideas for him and tries to divorce Marid from that world as best he can, and only as politely as a godfather can. This book also introduces Marid's family members (his mother), and its as colorful as it gets. There's also more mystery at work, someone's been killing folks, and apparently body parts are being harvested.
Marid is sent to the cops to oversee the investigation and gets partnered up with one of the few good cops remaining on the force. The rest of the book is fairly procedural and you kind of wonder how its going to end and get everything tied up. Lots of other interesting ideas are brought in, and once again, I think the setting and world building are the strong points of the book. There are a few surprises but nothing that really changes much of anything. Unlike the first book, the changes are fairly cosmetic in this case, and he's still a pawn of the GodFather.
The third book, however, is when things goes off the rails, a bit. Marid and the Godfather is kidnapped and the first half of the book have them being sent to a desert to wonder and survive. You get a bit of the desert culture through this, but this part of the book seems fairly pointless to how they got there.
Revenge becomes the theme of the rest of the book, and that makes it far less interesting than either of the first two books. The book also kind of hints at another book in the saga, but alas, the author succumbed to his illness by then.
Still, I don't regret reading the entire trilogy and felt that I learned a bit of Middle Eastern theology, practices, and ideas through this series. Highly recommended still if you're interested in an ascendant Middle East vs the "Western triumphs" style of science ficition.
In any case, both books brings you back to the Budayeen and its colorful characters. A fire in the sun shows you the new Marid, now thoroughly working for the Godfather of the Budayeen, and being his "fixer". He still has his vices, and he still thoroughly thinks of himself as a Budayeen boy at heart, but his patron has different ideas for him and tries to divorce Marid from that world as best he can, and only as politely as a godfather can. This book also introduces Marid's family members (his mother), and its as colorful as it gets. There's also more mystery at work, someone's been killing folks, and apparently body parts are being harvested.
Marid is sent to the cops to oversee the investigation and gets partnered up with one of the few good cops remaining on the force. The rest of the book is fairly procedural and you kind of wonder how its going to end and get everything tied up. Lots of other interesting ideas are brought in, and once again, I think the setting and world building are the strong points of the book. There are a few surprises but nothing that really changes much of anything. Unlike the first book, the changes are fairly cosmetic in this case, and he's still a pawn of the GodFather.
The third book, however, is when things goes off the rails, a bit. Marid and the Godfather is kidnapped and the first half of the book have them being sent to a desert to wonder and survive. You get a bit of the desert culture through this, but this part of the book seems fairly pointless to how they got there.
Revenge becomes the theme of the rest of the book, and that makes it far less interesting than either of the first two books. The book also kind of hints at another book in the saga, but alas, the author succumbed to his illness by then.
Still, I don't regret reading the entire trilogy and felt that I learned a bit of Middle Eastern theology, practices, and ideas through this series. Highly recommended still if you're interested in an ascendant Middle East vs the "Western triumphs" style of science ficition.
December 13, 2022
Okay, it's easier to review the whole series. I loved the first book. It was so cyberpunk in a new way. I would give it 5 stars. The second book was really good, but not quite as interesting as the first, and the third was very interesting, but I felt it fell short on the resolution. Still worth the read for the exotic setting and unique ideas.
Want to read
June 2, 2025Fantastic characterization. These stories are inventive, and they make you think. Wonderful.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews