Farewell Horizontal

by K.W. Jeter

Another splendid outing for the talented Jeter (Infernal Devices, '87), this time an exploration of a world-sized Cylinder built by some mysterious vanished civilization. Ny Axxter forsakes the dull toil of the horizontal levels to go vertical--live, that is, on the precipitous outer skin of the Cylinder itself--where he ekes out a marginal existence as a "graffex," a designer of loges & imagery for the various small-time warrior tribes that roam Cylinder's vertical face. Then he's tempted to do some risky design work for the Havoc Mass, Cylinder's 2nd most powerful tribe (the Grievous Amalgam rule Cylinder from the highest levels). But Axxter has been betrayed. Soon the Havoc Mass are furiously chasing him down the Cylinder. Axxter falls off--only to be rescued by a weird, humanlike flying angel (he previously befriended her when she was injured in a mysterious explosion). He fetches up on Cylinder's unknown far side, where he's hunted by cyborgs sent by both the Mass & the Amalgam: thru his computer links, you see, Axxter has learned that the universal & supposedly impartial information service, Ask & Receive, has been subverted by both gangs--who are secretly in cahoots! It's hard to see how Cylinder's economy operates, but Jeter's latest mad concept astonishes & intrigues as his sure-footed narrative stirs & fascinates. Grab!--Kirkus (edited)

Genres: Science Fiction, Cyberpunk, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Ebooks, Science Fiction Fantasy, Thriller

249 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Kevin Wayne Jeter (born 1950) is an American science fiction and horror author known for his literary writing style, dark themes, and paranoid, unsympathetic characters. He is also credited with the coining of the term "Steampunk." K. W. has written novels set in the Star Trek and Star Wars universe, and has written three (to date) sequels to Blade Runner.

Series:
* Doctor Adder

Series contributed to:
* Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
* Alien Nation
* Blade Runner
* Star Wars: The Bounty Hunter Wars
* The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror
* The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror

Reviews

[Ben Loory · Rating 4 out of 5]

i almost had an aneurysm trying to figure out how to encapsulate the world and plot of this book. so i'm just gonna pass on that. and the fact that jeter actually figured it all out from nothing and then wrote the damn thing and had it make sense and be this much fun is absolutely terrifying to me. i think of myself as someone with an imagination but this guy just makes me feel like a lump of inorganic matter.

my only complaint is how fast it goes. i feel like it should've been at least twice as long. maybe even spread out over four or five hundred books. the world is so mysterious and evocative and rich i wish it had kept going forever. not just linearly, but in depth. i want to know everything about this place.

sometimes i sit around and think about what it must have been like to have philip k. dick, tim powers, k.w. jeter, and james blaylock all sitting around talking as friends in the 70s. the sheer amount of mental energy in that room... i probably would've popped like a piece of corn.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A pretty good story overall- a bit slow to start and ended somewhat abruptly but I enjoyed this noir-like sci-fi and would read more from this author.

It took me the longest time just to reconcile my mind with the idea of living on a cylinder-shaped world in which most people lived inside the cylinder in the regular horizontal manner, but a few (including the protaganist) live on the vertical outside. They have all sorts of contraptions to allow them to do this, the major individual ones being python like grappels that extend from the ankles/waist to grip and release as you walk. Very strange at first.

The protag. is a 'graffex' artist who makes icons for the ruling militaristic bands that are perpetually warring and hopes to one day be able to design the 'death icon' for one of the big two- Greivous Amalgam and Havoc Mass. All the people are also equipted with a sort of internal virtual reality internet- pretty cool idea, especially back in '89.

[Scott Whitmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine the extent of your world, your existence, was a massive building rising high above a ground obscured from view by thick clouds. Everything you know is either inside this structure, or — more interestingly — hanging off it, and people either live “on the horizontal” in the interior or have “gone vertical” on the outside.

This is the premise for Farewell Horizontal, a sci-fi novel by K.W. Jeter (@KWJeter) which was first published in 1989. I believe citing the original date of publishing is important because some of the themes in this interesting novel harken back to that time.

The protagonist, Ny Axxter, has decided to leave a life of mind-numbing labor inside Cylinder, the building, for the freedom and challenge of a life “on the wall.” Forgoing an entry-level position on the horizontal, Ny’s gone freelance as a graffex, a combination graphic artist/computer programmer specializing in creating intricate animated images embedded in the armor of the various warring tribal factions who populate the wall.

But only on one side of the building: the morningside, as it is called. People don’t go on the eveningside, so very little is known about it. At some point in the undetermined past, there was a great War, but the people on and in Cylinder care little about the details of this conflict. Instead, they live in the moment, worrying only about themselves.

As the story opens, Ny is still adjusting to life on the wall. He has automated wires attached to his boots and belt to prevent a fall (vehicles are also equipped with these attachment wires), but that isn’t his biggest problem. Work is scarce, so for Ny every day is a challenge as he tries to make his meager bank account (real-time updates provided via comm-link; make a voice call to your agent, watch as the balance slowly goes down) last until he scores the Big Job that will set him up for life.

A chance encounter with a pair of gas angels gives Ny a video recording to sell to Ask & Receive, the information clearinghouse agency servicing the residents of Cylinder, those on the inside and on the wall. That capital influx keeps him on the wall another day, but Ny needs something better to make a go of it. If he could just get hired by an up-and-coming tribe, a group that will rampage itself into an alliance with one of the big two tribes that rule Cylinder’s known wall. But that’s a dream Ny shares with untold freelancers who have come out on the wall to try their luck.

Ny’s big break comes in the form of a job with the Havoc Mass, one of the two main tribes fighting for control of Cylinder’s wall. The Mass is the current number two behind the Grievous Amalgam, which has ruled the building’s upper-most wall for as long as anyone can remember. Much more I can’t say without spoiling it for new readers, but it wouldn’t be a story if everything worked out for Ny, right?

I have not read a lot of sci-fi, and must admit I had some difficulty getting into this story. I do not say that as a knock against Mr. Jeter or his writing, but believe it is more indicative of me having trouble breaking free from the horizontal — as it were — and moving out on the wall. The deeper into the story I got, the more involved I became.

There is little to no backstory, the reader is thrown out on the wall from page 1, but that is very much in keeping with the behavior of the people who live in Cylinder. I bought the book because I was fascinated by the concept of a huge building encompassing a society, with the outside serving as the “untamed wilderness” and the inside as some dreary Industrial Revolution nightmare.

There are so many potential themes and subtexts to Farewell Horizontal that I suspect a college-level class could be taught from it. The original publishing date was 1989, at the end of a decade of self-indulgence and consumerism. At the time of its writing, too, the Cold War was still going on and in the Havoc Mass and Grievous Amalgam there were, to me at least, echoes of the standoff between the US and USSR.

Although he performs a very noble deed at one point in the story — a deed that is repaid several times to his great benefit — Ny often isn’t very likable as he is self-centered (not unusual, as noted above) and ambitious to the point of being greedy. The almost mercenary concern exhibited by many characters for earning wealth and status reminded me of Wall Street, the 1987 Oliver Stone movie in which Michael Douglas, portraying ruthless stockbroker Gordon Gekko, famously says “Greed is good.”

Ny exhibits total faith in the world as he knows it to be and rejects what he calls “Looking at your own navel until you fall in. I’ve got lots more important business to take care of.” Jeter, K. W. (2011-05-31). Farewell Horizontal (Kindle Locations 2884-2885). But things are not as they seem, and a pair of characters introduced late in the story help Ny begin to examine his navel for clues.

I found it interesting, too, that the job Ny takes that leads him to these characters revolves around a celebration of history, in this case the career of a warrior. In a way, that break from status quo to look beyond the here and now is like a pebble dropped into a calm pool of water.

Of course, I’m likely completely wrong about the author’s intentions with Farewell Horizontal. (Late note: per an email from Mr. Jeter it appears I have seriously over-thought the book.) Whether I’m right or not, I enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone looking for a sci-fi tale with depth, action and a thought-provoking concept.

[Ανδρέας Μιχαηλίδης · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ένα αρκούντως κακό cyberpunk από τον νονό του steampunk και δημιουργό των Infernal Devices. Το μόνο που διασώζει το βιβλίο αυτό από την γενικότερη απογοήτευση είναι η ευκολία του στην ανάγνωση (διότι δεν χρειάζεται να δίνει κανείς και πολλή σημασία).

Κατά τα άλλα, δεν καταφέρνει να φέρει εις πέρας κανένα από τα πολλά στοιχεία του. Έχει αρκετή δρασή και σχετικά γρήγορο ρυθμό (εκτός από την αρχή). Έχει μυστήριο (που δεν εξηγείται ποτέ). Έχει (ειδικά για βιβλίο του '89), ενδιαφέρουσα τεχνολογία και πρακτικά όλη την ανθρωπότητα πάνω σ' ένα τεράστιο arcology (τον Κύλινδρο - που ποτέ δεν εξερευνάται επί της ουσίας). Έχει στοιχεία Warhammer 40000 στο θέμα των φυλών που μάχονται για την κυριαρχία του Κυλίνδρου (που παραμένουν κατά βάση ένα παρωδούμενο στερεότυπο).

Κυρίως, έχει έναν loser και ασυμπάθιστο πρωταγωνιστή, ο οποίος μέσα από την πιο συνταρακτική περιπέτεια στην ιστορία της ανθρωπότητας τα τελευταία 100 χρόνια, η οποία ανατρέπει ΟΛΑ τα δεδομένα της αλλόκοτης κατοικίας των ανθρώπων, παραμένει loser και ασυμπάθιστος, μέχρι το τέλος του βιβλίου. Το μοναδικό στοιχείο εξέλιξής του είναι ότι παύει να έχει υψοφοβία.

Περαιτέρω, όσο αφορά την ελληνική έκδοση που έπεσε στα χέρια μου, είναι γεμάτη λάθη και με λιγοστή επιμέλεια, ενώ η όλη έκδοση δεν είναι ούτε κανονική, ούτε pulp, αλλά σε μια άχαρη ζώνη κάπου ανάμεσα.

[James Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent thought provoking and very well put together science fiction with a little twist, which left me wanting a little more from it.

Ignoring the setting for a moment this is really a story about the rat race and how it affects people. It is set in a strange, slightly unbelievable, environment on the side of a massive building in a dystopian post-apocalyptic future, probably on another planet. However none of that really matters, and the point of the story, which is well crafted, is that sometimes you need to stop and think about things rather than just striving for the next payday.

The primary character is a freelancer struggling to make enough income to cover all his costs, and on the point of bankruptcy. He lives on the outside vertical space of the building while he attempts to make enough to get back inside near the top. In the implicit hierarchy of things he sees himself as above those inside because he has his freedom, and he isn’t working as a wage slave. However what he seeks is the ready wealth to live a life of comfort near the top of the building (and by implication being back inside but with his freedom intact).

Avoiding spoilers, he has some apparent luck, and makes a start on realising his dream even though it involves mixing with some unsavoury characters. Just when it looks like it is working out his luck vanishes and he ends up in unfamiliar territory, having to think of things for himself and outside his normal networks. This enforced reflection, facilitated by a couple of new characters that treat him almost like an intelligent child, leads him to some startling revelations, and his resulting actions to try and save his skin have wider consequences.

The book is rather shorter than most I’ve read recently, but still thought provoking and very well put together. The background doesn’t get in the way of the story, but makes it interesting, and the early quibbles I had about the setting were very effectively dealt with in the last part of the story when the main character starts to question the environment. I think it deliberately leaves a lot of mystery and there are several hooks for a follow-on, although I would have liked the story to continue a bit further, the ending it does have is satisfying and consistent with the general thrust of the story.

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a great, grim cyberpunk world, but some aspects of the world I don't think I got.

Ny Axxter is a freelance image collector/human cosmetic designer who lives out on the Vertical. In his world, warfare between gangs is ever-present, and people even try to make money designing logos and buying stock in them. Ny's fortunes are bad when all of a sudden, he gets an offer from one of the biggest gangs on the Cylinder. Havoc Mass wants him to design their new logo.

However it goes foul very fast, and Ny barely escapes death, stranded on the far side of the Cylinder with mega-assasins chasing after him. Can he survive, especially if his only option is to go into the depths of the Cylinder itself?

I loved the sense of invention the book has. Ny is gritty and one step away from destitution in a world that's barbaric but at the same time normal. That contrast makes for an interesting book, especially with the surreal elements like the gas angels. The best cyberpunk has that mixture of of surrealistic oddity and mundane reality, and this blends them well. I'd like more of it, mostly because the book creates so many fascinating mysteries about the world and doesn't answer most of them.

The only problem I had was trying to visualize the Cylinder. It's a cylindrical building, but so massive that it has morning and evening sides, and people use motorcycles to travel on it via transit cables. It's big enough that a small communications satellite orbits it, and people bounce signals off of it to communicate. One battle scene that Ny encounters has a hole an entire kilometer across. It's hard to get the sense of scale and still think of it as a building.

Other than that, this book reminded me of why I fell in love in SF in the first place. Crazy invented worlds that reveal truths about human nature are why I read them for, not politics or romance or the author's own pet theories about the world. I recommend this book, especially if you have a streak of the visual in you-I'd love to see this filmed.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reader's only insights and explanations into the setting--the magnificent, arcology-like Cylinder--are filtered through the lens of the story's protagonist, Ny Axxter. Axxter, like the rest of the Cylinder's morningside inhabitants, is a shallow, self-absorbed individual focused on money, fame, and comfort, with absolutely no interest in large questions. Particularly, no interest in the large questions that occur immediately to the reader: What is the Cylinder? Why was it created? Is this far-future Earth? If so, what happened to the surface? Who are the Angels? What was the "Wars"? Why are the morningside and eveningside so segregated? How can anyone even breathe, outside? These questions have no answers. Axxter goes beyond mere uninterest in these matters, to the point of actively shutting down discussion of 'ancient history'. As a result, the only character who might have shed some illumination never does.

As an example of his depraved society, Axxter is a piece of work. He is clearly not as clever as he thinks he is, barely ticking the needle on the self-awareness meter. The fact that he spends the first twenty pages in a series of long bickering whines with an agent and broker do nothing to endear him to the reader.

This is all part of the story's noirish atmosphere of a completely mercenary society that has lost touch with whatever greatness it once held. Now in a state of decay, its members have turned inward with brutal War Tribe entertainments and repression of the least fortunate. A society which doesn't make anything anymore as much as market it, where image and perception is all-important. These themes are common in cyberpunk stories, but developing this atmosphere in a story setting that feels more traditionally science fiction (the Big Dumb Object that is the Cylinder) is something new. I can't say that I particularly liked it this way, because by the end I was screaming for explanations of the setting.

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο κυριολεκτικά γαμάει (επίσης σπέρνει, θερίζει, κρατάει σοδειά για τη σπορά του επόμενου χρόνου και σου φτιάχνει και την περίφραξη). Ή, για να εναρμονιστώ με την πολιτική ορθότητα των καιρών μας, είναι ένα από τα πιο ανατρεπτικά και εντυπωσιακά έργα στην επιστημονική φαντασία, συνδυάζοντας αριστοτεχνικά το χτίσιμο ατμοσφαιρικής έντασης (καθώς μια «απρόσμενη τοπολογία» αποκαλύπτεται μπροστά στα μάτια του αναγνώστη) με την εξαιρετική γραφή και τον βαθύ προβληματισμό γύρω από την ανθρώπινη φύση και την τεχνολογία. Ο Jeter με μαεστρία μεταφέρει τον αναγνώστη σε έναν κόσμο γεμάτο σκοτεινές αλληγορίες και μια προκαλεί μια έντονη αίσθηση του "άγνωστου", όπου η τεχνολογία και η ανθρωπιά συγκρούονται με έναν αποκαλυπτικό τρόπο.

Ένα από τα πιο συναρπαστικά στοιχεία του βιβλίου είναι ο τρόπος που ο Jeter πλέκει την ιστορία γύρω από την αμφιλεγόμενη σχέση μεταξύ του ανθρώπινου μυαλού και της τεχνολογίας. Σημειοτέον, το κάνει αυτό το 1989, όταν η αβάν γκάρντ των υπολογιστών είναι οι επεξεργαστές 80286 και η δισκέτα 3.5” (για να μην πω για τις μουντές μονόχρωμες πράσινες -ή πορτοκαλί- οθόνες που ενέπνευσαν το Matrix). Η πρόθεση του συγγραφέα να αμφισβητήσει τα όρια της πραγματικότητας και να εισάγει ερωτήματα γύρω από τη φύση του ανθρώπου στον τεχνολογικό κόσμο είναι τόσο εύστοχα διατυπωμένα που το βιβλίο παραμένει επίκαιρο και προβληματισμένο, ακόμα και χρόνια μετά την κυκλοφορία του. Η τεχνολογία δεν απεικονίζεται απλώς ως εργαλείο ή εξέλιξη, αλλά ως δύναμη που αλλοιώνει τις ανθρώπινες αξίες και τη συνείδηση, οδηγώντας στην απομόνωση και την αποξένωση.

Η αίσθηση της αποξένωσης και της απομόνωσης είναι κεντρική στο έργο του Jeter, που δεν αφορά μόνο τη συναισθηματική κατάσταση των χαρακτήρων, αλλά και την κοινωνική διάσταση της τεχνολογίας (υπενθυμίζω, ότι τα social δίκτυα την εποχή που γράφεται το βιβλίο δεν είναι ακόμα ούτε λάμψη στο μάτι του γαλατά της μητέρας του Ζούκερμπεργκ). Ο κόσμος που περιγράφει είναι γεμάτος από ανθρώπους που, παρά τις συνδέσεις που προσφέρει η τεχνολογία, είναι πιο μοναχικοί και απομονωμένοι από ποτέ. Η τεχνολογία, ενώ παρέχει τρόπους επικοινωνίας και σύνδεσης, τελικά απομακρύνει τους ανθρώπους ο ένας από τον άλλο, δημιουργώντας μια αίσθηση αποξένωσης που διαπερνά το βιβλίο και αναδεικνύει την αδυναμία του ανθρώπου να συνδεθεί πραγματικά με το περιβάλλον του.

Η πλοκή, αν και συχνά ανατρέπει τις προσδοκίες με απρόσμενους ρυθμούς και ανατροπές, καταφέρνει να κρατήσει τον αναγνώστη σε εγρήγορση και ενθουσιασμό, αποφεύγοντας τη συνηθισμένη μονοτονία που συχνά χαρακτηρίζει τα έργα επιστημονικής φαντασίας. Όμως, πέρα από τις εξωτερικές ανατροπές, η δυναμική της αφήγησης εξελίσσεται μέσω της αποδόμησης της πραγματικότητας και της ανθρώπινης φύσης. Κάθε βήμα της ιστορίας γίνεται όλο και πιο αβέβαιο, ακριβώς όπως οι χαρακτήρες νιώθουν όλο και πιο απομακρυσμένοι από την ίδια την αίσθηση της "πραγματικότητας", και όλα αυτά πολύ πριν τις μυριάδες ηλιθίων που κατέληξαν χάσκουσες και καθηλωμένες στα smartphones να σκρολάρουν με το δάχτυλο.

Αξιοσημείωτο είναι το γεγονός ότι η πολυπλοκότητα των χαρακτήρων ενισχύει την αίσθηση της ανθρωπιάς, ακόμα και μέσα στη σκοτεινιά του κόσμου του βιβλίου. Ο Jeter δεν προσφέρει εύκολες απαντήσεις για την τεχνολογική πρόοδο ή τις ηθικές συνέπειες της σύγκρουσης ανθρώπου και μηχανής. Αντίθετα, οι χαρακτήρες του είναι αντιφατικοί, γεμάτοι εσωτερικές συγκρούσεις και αδυναμίες, κάτι που τους καθιστά ιδιαίτερα ανθρώπινους και πειστικούς, κάτι που προσφέρει στον αναγνώστη τη δυνατότητα να δεθεί συναισθηματικά με την ιστορία και να αναλογιστεί τις δικές του αξίες και αντιφάσεις, αλλά και τον ρόλο της τεχνολογίας στη ζωή του, όσο οξύμωρο κι αν φαίνεται αυτό αν διαβάζετε -υπνωτισμένοι από τα led της οθόνης- την κριτική αυτή στο κινητό ή το laptop σας.

Η γλώσσα του βιβλίου είναι πυκνή και έντονα περιγραφική, αλλά δεν κουράζει τον αναγνώστη. Κάθε εικόνα του κόσμου που δημιουργεί ο Jeter είναι αποτυπωμένη με εξαιρετική ακρίβεια, δίνοντας ζωή σε ένα περιβάλλον τεχνολογικής παρακμής και απομόνωσης. Οι περιγραφές αυτές δεν περιορίζονται στην απλή αποτύπωση ενός φανταστικού κόσμου, αλλά ενισχύουν τη συναισθηματική ένταση της αφήγησης, καθιστώντας το βιβλίο όχι μόνο μια φιλοσοφική εξόρμηση, αλλά και ένα… οπτικό (έχει σημασία αυτό στην πλοκή) και ψυχολογικό ταξίδι για τον αναγνώστη.

Πέρα από την προφητικότητά του, είναι η φιλοσοφική διάσταση του έργου είναι που το καθιστά τόσο σημαντικό και διαχρονικό. Ο Jeter εξετάζει με σοβαρότητα τις συνέπειες της τεχνολογικής εξέλιξης, τις ηθικές διαστάσεις της και τον αντίκτυπο που έχουν αυτές στον άνθρωπο. Εξετάζει τη φύση της ελευθερίας, τη σχέση του ανθρώπου με την τεχνολογία και την έννοια της πραγματικότητας σε έναν κόσμο που αλλάζει με ραγδαίους ρυθμούς. Σας θυμίζει κάτι; Και μιλάμε για μια εποχή που έβγαινε καινούργιο μοντέλο… fax κάθε 5 χρόνια. Το βιβλίο δεν προσφέρει μια ουτοπική εικόνα του μέλλοντος, αλλά μια προειδοποίηση για την κατεύθυνση στην οποία κινείται η ανθρωπότητα, θέτοντας ερωτήματα που είναι τόσο επίκαιρα (όπως κάθε πραγματικά διαχρονικό ζήτημα) όσο και καθολικά.

Μια από τις πιο ενδιαφέρουσες προεκτάσεις του έργου είναι η έλλειψη ενός παραδοσιακού ήρωα, κάτι που ανατρέπει τις κλασικές αφηγηματικές φόρμες της επιστημονικής φαντασίας. Ο κακογαμημένος «γραφίστας» που ακολουθούμε στο βιβλίο, είναι περισσότερο αντιήρωας (αλλά όχι ακριβώς), χαμένος μέσα σε ένα σύμπαν που του δείχνει την έξοδο και ο κόσμος του Jeter δεν προσφέρει απλοϊκές λύσεις ή σαφή διαχωριστικά μεταξύ καλού και κακού. Η όποια σύγκρουση αναπτύσσεται είναι εσωτερική και ηθική∙ οι ήρωες είναι άνθρωποι με αντιφάσεις, αναζητήσεις και, κυρίως, αδιέξοδα. Κάτι που ίσως διέφυγε από τις ορδές ηλιθίων που έθαψαν με 3,7 αυτό το αριστούργημα, είναι ότι αυτή ακριβώς η έλλειψη παραδοσιακής ηρωικής φιγούρας αποτυπώνει πιο ρεαλιστικά την ανθρώπινη κατάσταση στην εποχή της τεχνολογικής κυριαρχίας. Σας γαμάνε οι μηχανές, ηλίθιοι (και δεν αναφέρομαι στα μηχανοκίνητα σεξουαλικά σας βοηθήματα, αυτά καλώς τα έχετε)!

Το έργο του Jeter, σε κοινή συχνότητα με έργα συγγραφέων όπως ο Philip K. Dick και ο William Gibson, δημιουργεί μια αμφιλεγόμενη και σκοτεινή προοπτική για το μέλλον της ανθρωπότητας. Αντί να προσφέρει αισιόδοξες εικόνες ενός μελλοντικού κόσμου, διερευνά τις ηθικές, ψυχολογικές και κοινωνικές συνέπειες του ανθρώπινου αγώνα να συμβιβαστεί με την τεχνολογία. Βέβαια, έκτοτε και με την ανάδυση της τεχνητής νοημοσύνης έχουμε χάσει τον αγώνα και έχουμε δώσει κώλο στην τεχνολογία.

Τέλος πάντων, το Farewell Horizontal είναι αδιαμφισβήτητο αριστούργημα που απευθύνεται σε όποιον έχει απαιτήσεις από τις σελίδες που περνάνε μπροστά από τα μάτια του. Ο μέσος πίθηκος θα μείνει στην πλοκή (η οποία, ναι, είναι ευρηματική και έξυπνη). Μέσα από την αλληλεπίδραση του ανθρώπου με την τεχνολογία, το έργο του Jeter όχι μόνο μας προσκαλεί να εξετάσουμε το μέλλον της ανθρωπότητας, αλλά και να αναλογιστούμε την ουσία της δικής μας ύπαρξης και των αξιών που καθορίζουν τον κόσμο μας, το χάλι στο οποίο έχουμε περιπέσει μετά από δεκαετίες προειδοποιήσεων (διάολε, οι συγγραφείς Ε.Φ. τα είχαν προβλέψει σχεδόν όλα εκτός από το κινητό τηλέφωνο, το οποίο τελικά υποδούλωσε το σύγχρονο άνθρωπο).

Αυτή η εξερεύνηση της τεχνολογικής προόδου και των ηθικών διλημμάτων που αυτή γεννά είναι, χωρίς αμφιβολία, το μεγαλύτερο επίτευγμα του βιβλίου. Το βιβλίο δεν απαντά στα ερωτήματα που θέτει, προφανώς, γιατί δεν απευθύνεται σε αναγνώστες που θέλουν να τους φτύνει κάποιος μασημένη τροφή στον ανοιχτό καταπιόνα, αλλά μας αναγκάζει να τα αναλογιστούμε με έναν βαθύ, ανησυχητικό (στα όρια του τρομακτικού) και, εν τέλει, διαχρονικό τρόπο.

[Alexander Theofanidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Farewell Horizontal by K.W. Jeter is, quite literally, a fucking masterpiece. Or, to align with the political correctness of our time, it is one of the most subversive and striking works in science fiction, artfully combining atmospheric tension (as an "unexpected topology" unfolds before the reader's eyes) with exquisite writing and profound reflection on human nature and technology. Jeter masterfully transports the reader into a world filled with dark allegories, provoking a strong sense of the unknown, where technology and humanity collide in a revelatory manner.

One of the most fascinating elements of the book is the way Jeter weaves the story around the controversial relationship between the human mind and technology. Notably, this was done in 1989, when the avant-garde of computers were the 80286 processors and the 3.5" floppy disk (not to mention the dreary monochrome green—or orange—screens that inspired The Matrix). The author's intention to challenge the boundaries of reality and introduce questions about human nature in a technological world is so effectively articulated that the book remains relevant and thought-provoking even years after its release. Technology is not merely portrayed as a tool or progression but as a force that alters human values and consciousness, leading to isolation and alienation.

The sense of alienation and isolation is central to Jeter's work, which not only concerns the emotional state of the characters but also the social dimension of technology (let me remind you, social networks weren’t even a glimmer in Zuckerberg's mother's milkman’s eye when this book was written). The world he describes is filled with people who, despite the connections offered by technology, are lonelier and more isolated than ever before. Technology, while providing ways of communication and connection, ultimately drives people apart, creating a sense of estrangement that permeates the book and highlights humanity’s inability to truly connect with its environment.

The plot, though often subverting expectations with unexpected rhythms and twists, manages to keep the reader alert and excited, avoiding the usual monotony that often characterizes science fiction works. However, beyond the external twists, the narrative dynamic evolves through the deconstruction of reality and human nature. Every step in the story becomes more and more uncertain, just as the characters feel increasingly disconnected from their very sense of reality, and all this well before the myriad of idiots who ended up staring blankly at their smartphones, scrolling with their fingers.

Remarkably, the complexity of the characters enhances the sense of humanity, even within the darkness of the book's world. Jeter does not offer easy answers about technological progress or the ethical consequences of the clash between man and machine. Instead, his characters are contradictory, full of internal struggles and flaws, making them particularly human and believable, offering the reader an opportunity to emotionally bond with the story and reflect on their own values and contradictions, as well as the role of technology in their lives—however paradoxical it may seem as you read this critique on your mobile or laptop screen.

The language of the book is dense and highly descriptive, but never tiresome to the reader. Every image of the world that Jeter creates is captured with exceptional precision, breathing life into a setting of technological decay and isolation. These descriptions go beyond merely capturing a fantastical world; they enhance the emotional intensity of the narrative, making the book not only a philosophical journey but also a visual (this is important for the plot) and psychological trip for the reader.

Beyond its prophetic nature, the philosophical dimension of the work is what makes it so significant and timeless. Jeter seriously examines the consequences of technological development, its ethical dimensions, and the impact they have on humans. He explores the nature of freedom, humanity’s relationship with technology, and the concept of reality in a world that is changing at a rapid pace. Does this remind you of anything? And we're talking about an era when a new fax model came out every 5 years. The book does not offer an utopian vision of the future, but a warning about the direction humanity is heading, raising questions that are as timely (as every truly timeless issue) as they are universal.

One of the most interesting extensions of the work is the lack of a traditional hero, something that overturns the classic narrative forms of science fiction. The damned graphic designer we follow in the book is more of an anti-hero (but not exactly), lost in a universe that shows him the exit, and Jeter's world does not provide simplistic solutions or clear divides between good and evil. Any conflict that develops is internal and moral; the heroes are people with contradictions, quests, and, most importantly, dead-ends. What may have escaped the hordes of idiots who buried this masterpiece with a 3.7 rating is that this very lack of a traditional heroic figure more realistically portrays the human condition in the age of technological dominance. The machines screw you, idiots (and no, I’m not referring to your mechanical sexual aids; you’ve got those right).

Jeter’s work, in common frequency with the works of authors like Philip K. Dick and William Gibson, creates a controversial and dark outlook for the future of humanity. Rather than offering optimistic visions of a future world, it explores the moral, psychological, and social consequences of humanity’s struggle to come to terms with technology. Of course, since then, with the rise of artificial intelligence, we’ve lost the battle and given in to technology.

In any case, Farewell Horizontal is an indisputable masterpiece that speaks to anyone who has high expectations from the pages that pass before their eyes. The average monkey will remain on the plot (which, yes, is clever and inventive). Through humanity's interaction with technology, Jeter's work not only invites us to examine the future of mankind but also forces us to reflect on the essence of our own existence and the values that shape our world—the mess we’ve fallen into after decades of warnings (damn it, sci-fi authors predicted nearly everything except the mobile phone, which ultimately enslaved modern man).

This exploration of technological progress and the ethical dilemmas it raises is, without a doubt, the book’s greatest achievement. The book does not answer the questions it poses, of course, because it’s not aimed at readers who want to be spoon-fed pre-digested food, but it forces us to consider them in a deep, unsettling (on the edge of terrifying), and ultimately timeless way.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 1 out of 5]

An unlikely chance encounter with a pair of gas angels making, um, "space love?" gives the protagonist, Axxter, a video recording to sell to Ask & Receive, the primary information clearinghouse agency servicing the residents of Cylinder. He gets practically nothing in return, however, because Ask & Receive knows how desperate he is. Still, the money he does get keeps him on the wall another day, but he needs something better than gas angels to make it work. If he could just get hired by one of the two big tribes that rule Cylinder’s known wall, he'd be set. Freelancer's dream, though, right?

This book was nominated for several awards, the author is well known and fairly respected, and the main premise of the book sounded good to me when I bought it. So why didn't I finish it? Well, this may sound stupid, but I couldn't get past the image of a sci fi novel opening with images of two angels floating around in the air/space, having torid/sensual/whatever sex in full view of everyone, even though it's apparently quite rare to see, and of how Axxter gets his dated camera and lens and videos this, zooming in on the hottie female angel and her exquisite face and expressions, and then, after their mid-air gyrations, their expressions of post-coital bliss as they float away from each other. It just seems TOO DAMN STUPID! How the hell are you supposed to take a cyberpunk/dystopian book seriously after reading that shit? Literal angels? Having sex? And if my memory serves me correctly, I believe the protagonist even wondered about angel babies? I've read more stupid sci fi scenes, believe it or not, but this is pretty high on my list. So, I just couldn't go on no matter how promising the book was alleged to have been. Thus, even though it has a rating of over a 3.7 on Goodreads, I can only give it one star and say that I cannot recommend it.

[Bax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good proto-cyberpunk offering from a contemporary of Phil Dick and Tim Powers

Lately he has degenerated into a hack-for-hire, churning out Star Wars novelizations, but his early stuff is interesting and well worth checking out.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm, rarely impressed by originality in science fiction novels. Yhis one, however, displays it big time and has an exciting story to boot. Not only is the reader intrigued by the plot, but by the unfolding of the artificial world Jeter has created.

[Ted Pikul · Rating 4 out of 5]

life is tough for a freelance video journalist slash cybernetic animated graffex tattoo artist making death gifs for demented mad max gangs to wear in the middle of warfare up and down the vertical outer wall of a cylindrical arcology stretching hundreds of km in all directions

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the first ten pages of the book, a guy sees two aliens having sex, and tries to covertly record them to sell the footage, but he is repeatedly interrupted by his own throbbing boner. That's about when I decided to put the book down.

[Richard Sommery-Gade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very edgy sci fi book, that not everyone will like. Your mind has to be very elastic to encompass the world created by Mr. Jeter, to understand what is happening in this saga. Personally it is not my cup of tea, though it is well written and very creative on the edge sort of work. It's just a little too far out for my tastes, though a lot of new agers will probably love it. Hard living on the edge of a destroyed civilization, where a man struggling to survive on his terms, finds that the system that he is supposed to use and trust as absolute, is absolutely corrupted by the top people he wants to get lose to and who in the end are out to eliminate him, due to his knowledge. Fast paced, rock 'em sock 'em gore type of novel that the Gen. Exers will love. I give it a 4.5 on my scale out of 5 Stars.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is only the building, cylindrical and huge. And, choices are few: live a dull and conventional life on one of the horizontal levels, or live a creative, yet precarious, vertical existence on the building’s exterior.

Ny Axxter lives in a cyberpunk world, dystopian and corporate controlled. He’s just another gutsy punk trying to cut it on the fringes of a society run by faceless corporations. His journey is fueled by the need to survive. If he’s lucky, he might learn something on his journey, but in the end his hard gained knowledge will only scratch the surface of the unknown. However, only by surviving another day, and growing slightly wiser, does progress occur. It’s an exciting journey. Come along for the ride.

[Kostas · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

Ένα ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο που θυμίζει πολύ του στυλ Philip K. Dick, μιας και ήταν και φίλοι, με τον Jeter α φέρνει μια κυβερνοπάνκ ιστορία επιστημονικής φαντασίας.
Η συγκεκριμένη, πλέον αρχαία, έκδοση είναι αρκετά κακή όσον αναφορά προς την επιμέλειά της όμως παρ' όλα αυτά η ιστορία από πίσω είναι καλή αν αγνοήσουμε παντελώς αυτά τα λάθη.
Η ιστορία κυλάει αρκετά καλά με τον Jeter να καταφέρνει να κρατήσει τον ενδιαφέρον μέχρι το τέλος. Δεν θα το έλεγα ένα εξαιρετικό βιβλίο, αλλά για όποιον λάτρη της ΕΦ ψάχνει να εξερευνήσει τον χώρο αυτό σε λίγο πιο άγνωστα μέρη τότε σίγουρα αξίζει μια ματιά εδώ.

[John Houlihan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic from Jeter - a fantastic premise (living on and traversing the outside surface of a massive building structure) and some really clever ideas (death ikons, tattoos, Ask & Receive) unite to make this a true SF Classic. Re-reading it now, after many years, it's surprising how many of the ideas have made it into our everyday lives. Ask & Receive = Google/Amazon, locaters = GPS. Still waiting for a grazing Norton though!

[Raq · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this, because I was impressed with the Cylinder and the angels (for different reasons - I loved how the Cylinder totally changed up the frame of reference, and I just liked the concept of the angels). Ultimately, though, I didn't care much. I didn't really want the main character to win, as I didn't like him at all, or think he deserved it.

[Tai Viinikka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic and imaginative, this early Jeter is more magic realism than SF, but the author keeps swerving back and forth across that line. The marriage of technology and whimsy has rarely been more satisfying.

[Pavel Lishin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite fictional worlds, described in enough detail to make it feel real, but without so much that I can't spend time imagining more about it.

I wish there was more set in this world; hell, I wish there was an RPG campaign set in it.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another great fast read with good characters and a great plot.

Read it.

[Jim Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Farewell Horizontal sets up what could be an intriguing world, but some of the description is vague enough that in many ways it's a lost opportunity. Sometime in the future, after a war (and there is no real description of it other than the implication that it must have been big), most of humanity (I think; again it's not clear) lives in a large structure called the Cylinder. Many live inside, on the Horizontal, but a number of people -- mostly warring gangs but other tech misfits -- live on the outside, on the Vertical, suspended from the side. The main character, Ny Axxter, is a freelancer, who makes his living by gathering and selling information. But when a job he takes for one of the two major gangs backfires, he winds up on the run and on the other side of the Cylinder (again, it is not clear how this works).

The second half of the book is a fast moving adventure story, as Axxter tries to avoid assassins and get home, but overall the book feels like a missed opportunity. How does the Cylinder really work? How do people living on the outside have major gatherings? And so on. One of the characters that Axxter meets on the other side even raises these questions, telling Axxter he was to look into it as the Cylinder violates the laws of physics and Axxter's assumption about it are wrong, but Axxter, not interested, ignores him, and we never hear more about this.

Axxter himself is an often annoying character. When people on the other side try to help him, he's downright rude and dismissive of them (yet they continue to try to help him, for no good reason).

Jeter clearly has skills as a writer, but this is one of those rare books that would have been better had it been a bit longer and had the world fleshed out a bit more.

[Archer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Axxter was a thoroughly frustrating and unlikeable character to follow and the pacing was so slow it was like wading through waist-high mud. He didn't ask any of the obvious questions and even though all of the few female characters were more competent than him, they were treated like props that were only there so Axxter could look up their skirts.

Beyond that, the plot didn't actually kick in until 70% of the way through the book and then nothing interesting happened until the final four chapters and most of that was due to Sai and Felony, who had cool concepts, but only existed to give the reader a ridiculously large info/exposition dump.

This book genuinely would have been better if it started where it ended.

Overall this was just very poorly paced out and all the information was crammed into the final 4-5 chapters. It did not help that the entire book was formatted like one giant paragraph with little to no breaks except between chapters.

There were some interesting concepts, like the history and details around the cylinder's existence, the war, how "hackers" can usurp other people's bodies, the people living inside the cylinder, and the existence of the gas angels. Sadly, none of them are given even a fraction of the page time as cartoonish biker gang villains or Axxter's complaining about everything while actively making his own life worse (never questioning the status quo, allowing himself to get openly scammed by Brevis, cheating on his girlfriend, Ree, who I forgot existed more than once because she is given so little thought, etc) and either lusting after Guyver or leering at the gas angel that helped him.

[Jenny Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read. It's a cyberpunk story in which the main characters all eke out a rather bleak existence using wires to travel along the side of a massive building. This colossal structure has been divided into territories under the thrall of a bunch of violent, toxically masculine feuding gangs (think Mad Max but everyone is perpetually online).

The logistics of the world-building are a bit hand-wavy... I can only assume that everyone living on the vertical has incredible core strength, and I'm still unclear on how this society handles basic biologic necessities. The female characters are all either prostitutes or receptionists. Actually, that's not quite true: late in the book, our hero befriends a hacker/serial killer whose consciousness is in the body of a female victim, but the killer may or may not actually personally identify as female. Incidentally, our hero spends roughly zero seconds pondering the morality of his serial killer companion once assured that he himself won't become a victim - Felony prefers young, sexy, female bodies.

So yeah... not my cup of tea.

[Hugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light SF novel with echoes of cyberpunk, written as the Cold War era segues into the age of the Internet, so it's a full-tilt novel of paranoia, hard graft, and day-to-day living presaging a world of user-generated video content and gig economies, people divided into those living within its massive Cylinder and those toiling on its vertical outside; there's a terrific Terry Gilliam movie starring Rainn Wilson in here somewhere.

Jeter goes for broke with a fast paced, if abbreviated ending, giving us hints of his world's origin, but leaving so much tantalisingly unspoken and unexplained; absent a sequel, perhaps a couple of allusions to ant-related fables give Jeter's view on the world and people he has created here.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual and engaging novel with elements of cyberpunk. Jeter creates an unusual society in which everyone lives in or on a massive building called the Cylinder. The less adventurous live on the horizontal floors near the exterior of the cylinder. The adventurous live on the vertical exterior utilizing cables and pithons to cling to the surface. The Vertical is dominated by warrior tribes that serve both as entertainment and as a ruling caste. The protagonist of the book, Ny, is a struggling graffex artist who creates imagery for the tribes. He finds himself embroiled in the struggle between these tribes, and he learns much more about the Cylinder.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was aware of Jeter as the author of the Bladerunner sequels and I picked up this one and "Noir" last weekend at Canty's secondhand books in Canberra.
I love the cover art of this book and the story didn't disappoint!!
Combining elements of Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Cyberpunk Jeter creates a quirky world which we discover with our character who lives in a space he doesn't fully understand beyond the needs of his own survival.
An inventive, quirky & brilliantly executed piece of entertainment.

[James DiGiovanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original world-building, rapid plotting, swift prose.

Those works as both a page-turner and truly original work of world-building. Set on the walls of a giant spire whose inhabitants know nothing else, not even what’s on the first 1000 floors, it plays out like a bizarro mix of Orwell, Huxley and a blood-thirsty Dr. Seuss.

[Darien McCormack · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best science fiction books, I have read in a long time. So good to read a book that is fresh and not an idea done before. Stayed in bed all day, just reading it.