Cass, Moke, and Dosh do not know what they are getting themselves into when they sign a contract to star in a cyber-cinema film, which enables audiences to plug into the star's emotions
Wilhelmina Baird was born in 1935 in Dunfermline, Fife, but was brought up in England. She took up teaching temporarily while she tried to finish her MA thesis. However, her Open University teaching continued, and the MA was sidelined. She describes herself as 'the classic taught-everything-everywhere-can't-stand-still guy'. She dabbled in writing short stories and thrillers but was published only when she retired from teaching. Wilhelmina Baird lives in France with one and a half cats, her computer and the local taxes.
I originally chose to read this book because I needed to read women I had not read for the Women of Genre Fiction challenge, this one had been nominated for the PKD and Locus sci-fi awards, and the premise sounded interesting. It turned out to conveniently be also suited to two other challenges that I was doing. The Second Best challenge is to read nominees for major sci-fi and fantasy awards that didn't actually win, which I just started doing late in the year; and I didn't find out until after I had started reading it that the three main characters - Cass, the protagonist, her boyfriend Dosh, and his boyfriend and Cass's sometime lover Moke, are a bisexual polyamorous triad. Well; it's not clear if Cass is bisexual (though she might be; there's a scene later on in which a woman tries to seduce her, but the circumstances are a bit complicated and I'm not sure how she would have reacted had the situation been different), but the guys definitely are. Weirdly, this is something that seems to have been either missed or completely ignored by the people who wrote the blurb for the book, but it's clearly stated; although, to give sincere credit where it's due, this is treated casually, and is not harped on as a major plot point, other than in how it affects the relationship between the three major characters; which is worthy on its own of a tip of the hat to a book written in the 90s. (I was thrown out of a restaurant for being kissy with my girlfriend in 1992; that's where we were in terms of LGBTQ civil rights).
Cass is a thief, Dosh is a prostitute, and Moke is a street artist. They live together and try to make things work on the streets of a cyberpunk future. There are four classes of people; the Umps (the street folk and the common poor); the Techs, the Arts, and the Aris (who are the ruling, moneyed elite; owners of corporations and the like, who have vast powers in this dystopian future). When Dosh gets tortured once too often by a violent client, he signs their triad up to participate in a big-money film. The catch is that these modern films are designed not only to tell you a story, but to make you feel the emotions of the participating characters. Which means that they use real people living their real lives, and you often can't tell where reality ends and the movie begins.
A handful of things immediately happen and you're left to guess which ones are part of the show (if any); someone tries to kill Cass for refusing a contract for a heist; a young, lost girl from a higher class who ran away to get away from her abusive father ends up being rescued by the boys of the trio, who take her in; and a high-class Ari art collector offers to patronize Moke (in the classic sense of supporting and funding his work). And . . . go!
It's great stuff. Much of it centers around these three very well-written and very human characters being human. All of their strengths and all of their flaws come into play, and an astute reader can see how things may have unfolded in an entirely different way if the three had been different people. The ending is not quite what you expect either. The writing is hypnotic and it takes you immediately along for the ride. We see the world through Cass' eyes, speaking in a very personal first person using the slang and the context of her time period (which is completely self-invented; and there's only the faintest trace of 1990s roots that perhaps no one who wasn't a youth in the 1990s might notice). Once the action starts you don't want to put it down.
There is one glaring plot hole that is never quite resolved. It becomes clear later on that the viewer of the video movie will be seeing and feeling things through the perspective of the actors. So then why are real people with real lives necessary at all? Still, if you close your eyes and ignore that, the book is truly excellent. It's why I didn't give it a five star rating though.
This book was a very influential one, perhaps directly leading to our later fascinations with cyberpunk and dystopia, and virtual reality-enhanced art, so definitely pick it up and give it a try. I just might pick up the sequels; all the other reviewers I've read say they aren't up to the caliber of this one, but this one is good enough that they might be able to afford the loss.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Unfortunately read this a few months ago and forgot to write a review; now I've just about forgotten everything. That being said, it was a perfectly entertaining novel whose originality when published in 1993 might have been more appreciated than it is now, but is still a fine book to read for a cyberpunk dork (albeit it lacks the sensational expectations).
I read this novel while doing a blitz through whatever cyberpunk fiction I could get on my hands on, and this book both did, and did not, satisfy the expectations and trope-expression sought from the subgenre. The book has a cast of three, Cass, Moke and Dosh, and these are low-class thieves/prostitutes/artists who are just trying to *get by without the man, man!* As is the case with cyberpunk, there's the incredibly dark (literally) underworld where most people live and suffer in filth and crime and low-fi computer hacking, and then this Paradiso upper-world where a gluttonous rich are, well, gluttonously rich.
In Crashcourse though, you don't get the normal cyberpunk adventure, where there's this cautionary, rather amoral approach to the upperworld while still being drenched in the behaviors and values of the lower. Cyberpunk sort-of defines itself by having pretty shithead main characters; the core purpose is that you can't define what's "good and bad," that the information age has really scalded moral certainty, and now we get all these characters who we don't necessarily root for, often being drug addicts or not Robin Hood-like criminals, but at least want to see finish up whatever their dreams are. With Crashcourse, Cass, Moke and Dosh are Good Guys, and the upperworld are Bad Guys. This is probably the biggest problem with the book in terms of being fun, but whatever; can be forgiven...
Overall, this novel is a pretty flat, black-and-white take on morality; basically, rich people are so rich they make "films" out of real-life catastrophes (which their movie studios are responsible for causing). There's some technology, just some magical piece of unexplained technology, that lets the viewer feel the emotions of whoever they are watching, so if they're scared/aroused/violent/etc. then the viewer gets to feel that way as well--- which the rich upperworld appreciates, because they're soooo rich and soooo evil that they can't feel anything otherwise. So basically the hapless trio sign their lives away for this sudden offer to be in a film after they mess up and are low on cash and then that's sort-of the whole book. They get involved in a "plot" which "may or may not be that movie contract we just signed," and then yeah; some expected twists here and there, and then it's over.
It's not a great book at all, but I did remember thinking it was fine? It's fluent, you can read it fast and enjoyably--- but I don't really know what the takeaway is. It doesn't have the fun Cyberpunk tropes and images sought for, and as a sci-fi thriller it just isn't that thrilling. It's not a bad book though. I think, possibly, somebody could really like this. The main female character, Cass, is really a lot of fun as a cyber-thief as well--- but there's definitely not enough done with either her skillset or actions to stand out enough. So just a "Fine..." book; moving on now!
I enjoyed Crashcourse, actually. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I had the option to. There's more diversity than I expected when I picked up the book.
The main three characters are Cass, Moke, and Dosh. They all share a remodeled warehouse as an apartment in a sci-fi future that doesn't care about the little guys down on the street. The world is screwed up in too many ways to count, honestly. Cass has made her living as a thief with underworld friends. Moke is a sculptor. Dosh is a prostitute. Together, they hope to earn enough money to get off planet and live somewhere nice, away from their life of fighting for scraps on the streets.
You see the whole story from Cass's perspective, who is much more streetwise than her housemates. When Moke and Dosh sign up to be in a movie for more money than they've ever seen in their life per person, they drag Cass along for the ride.
The concept of movies being sensory because they're truly real people and real reactions should horrify anyone. Real people dying for drama? Definitely not ideal. Why anyone would sign up for a movie where it might be their heads on the chopping block is beyond me.
My favorite character was Swordfish. Easily. He's the biggest hard ass in the book and spends 99.9% of the book invisible because he's physically altered himself in a number of horrifying ways.
Personally, I found the diversity in this book to be an unanticipated delight. Within a chapter, it's revealed that both Moke and Dosh are interested in both men and women. Later, Cass describes herself as being dark, meaning she's not your typical white girl protagonist. I'm hopeful that meant she was black because that's how I pictured her for the rest of the book. The villian is also revealed to be interested in both men and women, though she's obviously not meant to be liked.
Cass wasn't my favorite main character. For being a professional thief, she rarely got to use those skills and walks off into the sunset at the end with a man she doesn't love who has money. She also doesn't speak up for herself when she senses that something's off until it's too late to protect herself and her friends.
The other thing that bugged me was the things in the future that were normal that weren't quite explained. On the on hand, it's nice that they didn't spend an eternity explaining everything, but a little explanation about the history of how it went from now to then would have really solidified this world for me. I was never really comfortable pegging where exactly this was supposed to be taking place.
I enjoyed this book, but I don't think I'd reread it. I would recommend this to people that like dystopian futures with future slang. Think Clockwork Orange lite, but with a kind of militarized street gang vibe.
Book review – CrashCourse - Baird, Wilhelmina (pseudonym of Joyce Carstairs Hutchinson)
Last year I bought a armful of science fiction novels from the used bookstore. I have been slowly reading my way through them. This was one of them. This wasn’t a terrible book. It is very much an echo of the resonating waves of cyberpunk content I the 90’s that emanated from William Gibson blowing the lid off with Neuromancer and Burning Chrome in the 80’s. And in that sense a product of its time and place. It is the first of a four novels set in a dystopian near-future London. For once I randomly bought a book that was the first in the series. The characters were fairly well written with the protagonist, Cass, being built the best. You were rooting for her. I liked the combination of thieves and artists in the underground parts of society – because artists always end up slumming when they pursue their work. The bad guys being a near-future-dystopian reality TV syndicate was spot on and ages well! The dialogue was intended to be noir-ish and cycber-punky but ended up being confusing to read. It was hard to stay in the action of the story when you had to pause to reread something, like Champollion trying to parse the Rosetta Stone in flight. It truthfully created a lot of friction when trying to stay engaged with the story. Very good effort, especially for a debut novel. Worth the used-book-paperback price if you’re a cyberpunk fan. Chris Russell ChrisRussellAuthor dot com
I try not to buy too many cheap books from charity shops by authors I've never heard from as I only have so much space in my house.
However, with an endorsement from William Gibson and the fact that it was described as cyber-punk, with a female author and only 50 cents, I thought I should give it a go.
The story is great. It's fun, ludicrous, violent, and set in a very very grimey London of the future. Some of the characters were a bit underdeveloped and two of the supporting characters were too similar for me to care about too much. However Cass the protagonist was excellent, a real hard-boiled, noir-ish character with a relatable streak of vanity and a penchant for nice clothes. She has a genuine arc in the story and displays some real human qualities, she is written in a way that demands empathy.
I know very little of the writer but she has a great style; similar to Gibson the book starts with vague futuristic techno gobbledegook that slowly twists into some decipherable form of language allowing the reader to get a picture of what is going on, but Baird also has the ability to have quick and impactful instances of action which brought a fast-paced and exciting tempo to the story.
This book... it took me a long time to decide how I wanted to rate it. I think my biggest problem with the book is that it feels like you're dropped already in the middle of the story. The author uses words like you already know what they are, and doesn't explain them at all. Which is really frustrating. When I am reading a cool action scene I want to make sure that I know whats happening. The book had a bit off odd, writing style for me. And thats where I struggled the most.
I didn't enjoy most of the characters in this book. I liked Swordfish and Hallway. I like Cassandra.... like 3/4th of the time. Dosh was one of my least favorite characters, in my opinion there isn't really a reason to like him. And I thought Moke, didn't really start to shine until Dosh died which was frustrating. Its hard to explain this book, im pretty sure I had fun, but sometimes I'm not really sure. I read this book as a recommendation, but I doubt I would return to it or return to the series.
The concept of the story was interesting to be sure and the action parts were fun. But I often didn't feel for the characters, and as a polyamorous person, I was disappointed in the "polyamorous" representation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Cass is a thief living with Moke, a struggling artist, and Dosh, a male prostitute. They exist at the lower levels of society, struggling to earn enough money to escape their squalor and emigrate to an off-world destination that may offer more hope. In a desperate attempt to achieve their goal they sign a movie contract which promises huge rewards. Their problem is they don't know what the movie is about, when it is being filmed and that their chances of surviving it are quite slim.
I had difficulty at the start of the book coming to grips with the narrative style. At times I thought about giving the rest of the story a miss, but I persisted and while the writing style continued to challenge, the effort was worth it in the end.
Probably more like 3.5* The first 2/3 of this book were great with interesting characters and a unique premise but it all falls apart in the final third. It’s almost like the author ran out of steam and the wraps it all up way too neatly. There are two more books in the series that I will read simply because the main character here was well done. The style was solid and there were lots of cool ideas tossed in, but I’d expected a little more Witt thr glowing quote from William Gibson on the cover. That said, it’s not bad by any means.
This is a fast-paced, quick read. The characters are incredibly foolish and naive, failing to see the obvious betrayal that's right in front of them, even when people tell them outright, which is disappointing. The futuristic sci-fi and slang are a bit over the top, as this book came out in the cyberpunk era, and it tries to fit in. And the main character's ability to call up on near-infinite resources never makes much sense. So, fun if you're into this particular genre, but don't take it at all seriously; there's no depth here.
I originally read this when it was fresh off its first printing. So my recollections of it are through the lense of a much younger version than what stands before you today. That said, I still count this as one of my all-time favorite Cyberpunk novels.
A thrift store find which turned out to be a winner. Clear cyberpunk/dark future themes but the highlight of the novel is the lingo used throughout which gives the story a character of its own.
I really liked the narrative voice of Cassandra Blaine, the dialogue, and the texture of the setting. The plot was a little flimsy for my taste, but I will certainly want to try more of Wilhelmina Baird's books.
This book yanked me in by the hair, and I stayed for the duration. I have often imagined this book as a movie, with Information Society's "Peace And Love Incorporated" album as the soundtrack. Images from this book linger with me, for over a decade. I love this book.
Read this one back in 1998 and loved it to pieces. The sequels weren't up to scratch, especially the last volume in the trilogy, but this one was quite enjoyable. Recommended.
Later edit: It was worth reading a second time around, too.
Unfortunately I read the back cover copy after three or four chapters which pretty much gave removed the mystery, which was the only reason to keep reading.