From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Oct 20 12:39:23 1999 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed2.news.luth.se!luth.se!newspump.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!howland.erols.net!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!usenet From: "Rob Slade, doting grandpa of Ryan and Trevor" Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: "Ribofunk", Paul Di Filippo Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 19 Oct 1999 11:11:36 -0400 Organization: Vancouver Institute for Research into User Lines: 66 Sender: wex@deepspace.media.mit.edu Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Message-ID: Reply-To: rslade@sprint.ca NNTP-Posting-Host: deepspace.media.mit.edu X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.5/Emacs 20.3 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.sf.reviews:2485 "Ribofunk", Paul Di Filippo Review Copyright 1999 Robert M. Slade I have previously commented on the timidity of science fiction writers, particularly when dealing with the far future. This particular collection of stories is set less than a hundred years on, but is very bold in prognosticating for the fields of biological research and genetics and, to a lesser extent, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence. Bold, but by no means foolhardy. While specific technologies will undoubtedly run into difficulties, the power of the topics, and the rapid changes they might create, are presented realistically and entertainingly. While technical details are not examined in great depth, there are still a few troublesome areas. Power and energy requirements are seldom mentioned, and are unrealistic in the case of DNA enhancements that temporarily create great strength and endurance, as well as a river, the flow of which is enhanced by a nanotechnical component. A number of systems are used for espionage and defence. Containment measures, such as programmed "expiry" dates, are mentioned, but in only one case does the technology escape its bounds. Genetic engineering and body modification are the major subjects in most stories. Prejudice, both social and legal, against deviation from "basal" human genetic stock is a fairly common thread. A social spectrum of reactions for and against modification is nicely arrayed for examination. The activities and function proposed tend to be realistic or, at least, capable of construction in some way. Nanotechnology is mentioned, and used, fairly often, but isn't explained or reviewed in any depth. Di Filippo is fairly reserved in this regard, although the concept does turn out to be the most powerful one in the book. Artificial intelligence turns up frequently, but is not a strong point. A nice touch is the use of a rating scale measured in "Turings," but comparison between the various levels is difficult. If Hans Moravec's forecast is correct then Di Filippo is a little conservative, but not by much. While there is generally a "genopunk" feel to a lot of the material, the mood is remarkably upbeat. Virtue tends to be rewarded, and bad manners punished. Humour is fairly broad, with a lot of heavy handed and unsubtle irony. The attempt to build a future slang can be difficult to read. "Trumps" and "forbeses" references are easy enough to figure out when dealing with economic activity, but "kibe," "Peej," and "Haj" still have me somewhat puzzled. Did I also detect a Kaminsky reference in one of the stories? It would fit with the general tone. Overall, however, the meaning of the narrative is easy enough to follow, even if the origin of some terms is not clear. This author is creative and imaginative, and, with a little maturing, could be very interesting indeed. %A Paul Di Filippo %C 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019 %D 1996 %G 0-380-73076-6 %I Avon Books %O +1-800-238-0658 http://www.avonbooks.com/Eos %P 241 p. %T "Ribofunk" ====================== (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer) rslade@vcn.bc.ca rslade@sprint.ca slade@victoria.tc.ca p1@canada.com Canada, the designated driver of North America - John Rogers http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev or http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~rslade