Rating: 
Summary: an uneven ride
Review: First of all, the guys at Avon Eos definitely DO need a new editor for Nylund - in my paperback there were some spelling errors, and some words omitted (I guess they were omitted, as the grammar did not quite make sense). Plus, there was a part of the novel repeated at the end of the book, in the "teaser" section (as if some brain-dead body would run and buy another copy), with excerpts from some other novels - and the criteria for selecting those were totally beyond me. I mean, a fantasy game novelization (Feist's "Krondor. The Betrayal")? Spare me.
The novel itself has logical holes - our supposedly adult hero is more like a babe in the woods, actually, he knows nothing about the world he lives in. His friend from outside the US, the Zero character, does not let on that the Great Wall (ask the author) is cutting off the US, and not China, from the outside world, and so on, and so forth. However, when the action gets quick and dirty, I was tempted to forgive Nylund a lot, even his jejune concepts of world politics. Hence the 4 stars (never 5, though).
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book, Made me Feel like I was in a Bubble
Review: Nylund throws down a great premise and then blasts you with all of these concepts of bubbles, VR, and even some hard science. The science was rather well researched and I almost wished he could have gone more into it but that's cause I am a nerd. The way in which he almost makes it difficult to decipher reality versus virtual reality portrays perfectly what the characters themselves have to go through. Well designed because the technology in it (aliens excluded) is totally possible and that makes it all the more meaningful. Well done.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard to put down, but not completely satisfying
Review: Signal To Noise is a fun, fast book. Nylund's style is completely readable, and he frequently had me on the edge of my seat--this is the kind of novel where you can read two hundred pages in one sitting. The plot is suitably complex, and some of Nylund's ideas are quite interesting. All in all, I enjoyed it a lot...but as my star rating indicates, there are major problems. The protagonist is decently well-developed, but all the other characters are quite thin. When one character is supposed to be undergoing a significant personality change, it has no impact on the reader because we barely know what she was like originally. The writing style is also uneven; there are some very clumsy sentences in here, as well as some misused words. (Nylund must need a new editor--one would think that a good one wouldn't leave untouched mistakes that a high school student could catch.) Finally, some aspects of Nylund's future don't quite ring true. He falls into the commmon trap of always using physical metaphors for computer functions, even though computers don't, and probably never will, work in the same way that the physical world does. The different types of aliens were also able to communicate with humanity much too easily. Image files constructed by one operating system aren't even always readable by another OS designed by the same species, let alone a different one! Eos has promoted this novel as "hyperpunk," but they have never said exactly what this means. It suggests some kind of relationship with cyberpunk, but this Signal to Noise doesn't really have a cyberpunk feel, even if some of the technology is similar. I don't think that there is any need to create a new subgenre for this book. It's a science fiction novel. Those who are going to read this book may wish to know that the ending is grim in the extreme. This hasn't changed my rating, of course, but it might be a disappointment if you are reading for light amusement. It does, however, set things up for a potentially very interesting sequel, and one which I will probably buy, despite this book's flaws.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic read
Review: Nylund really did a great job with this book. As a programmer and amatuer physicist, I really enjoyed the descriptions put into the book. A little slow and confusing at first, but still a great great read. I highly reccomend it.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable.
Review: While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I read the sequel first, which I wouldn't usually do. But the sequel stands very well on it's own. (See my review there.) This book has less edge-of-your-seat action, but it it very well written nevertheless. It does involve you very quickly in the story, and keeps you reading and coming back for more. This book would make a great movie, though I don't know how you could do that with the sequel. Oh, well. Bottom line: Buy this book and the sequel and hang on!
Rating:
Summary: Hard Sci Fi that you can't put down
Review: I'm always on the lookout for good "hard" science fiction, so it was with great pleasure that I read this book. Nylund's confident grasp of a wide range of advanced theoretical physics is mixed with a humorous writing style and meticulous attention to story line and character. The "T"s are crossed and the "I"s dotted (no loose ends or deux ex machina solutions) -- and the story goes at such a clip you'll have a hard time putting it down. I'm looking forward to more from this author!
Rating:
Summary: Fun, but don't expect too much more...
Review: Signal to Noise is an enjoyable read but certainly not the brilliant new riff on post-cyberpunk for which I was hoping. It has several good points: firstly, the excellent idea and execution of the virtual environments or 'bubbles', in which most of the characters work, and often live and interact to a high degree. I particularly liked the way in which, linked directly people's brains, they worked by visual metaphor; and Nylund also convincingly conveyed the pain and panic of the characters when they were forced into the real world. Secondly, I liked the way in which the alien race were discoved through complex cryptographic analysis of seemingly random noise patterns - is cryptography the new nanotech (which was the new cyberspace) in sci-fi? Thirdly, the amoral aliens, who of course are only seen as virtual representations, which bypassses the problem of describing alien beings - no unbelievable human-sized insectoids here. Finally, the end of the world was good - I enjoy a good apocalypse, but perhaps I am just too misanthropic. On the downside, Nylund's characterisation was dreadful. Using stock figures works in the hands of someone like William Gibson because his novels have a strong element of pastiche and irony (not that some people notice!), however here they are just irritating cardboard cut-outs, in particular the Chinese spy, Panda - I think the name says more than I could about cultural stereotyping! Nylund seems to be doing his best to encourage the view that hackers don't know anything about women - his female characters make Neil Stephenson's women look like well-rounded individuals. Secondly - sometimes the descriptions of the mathematics and cryptography involved were too didactic; Stephenson and Greg Egan both do it far better. Finally, I found the underlying politics slightly one-sided: despite having resulted in the destruction of the world, rampant individualism and free trade seems to be the only way that the characters can envisage saving humanity. Perhaps this is an satirical commnetary by Nylund but, given the thoroughly irony-free content of the rest of the book, I doubt it. I will read the sequel, simply because the story is moderately involving and fun, but I will not hold out hopes of it being a great work of science fiction this time.
Rating:
Summary: Loved the story!!!
Review: I read the first page of the sequel and thought - whoa, what a Master of Ideas Eric Nylund is... Then, noticed that I've just read the whole story of the first book. Well, I found it in the bookstore anyway and gave it my usual "trial read" - only 5-10 min. ... Two days later I emerged back to the real world. Instead of just showing you a story, this book challenges you to think. This is a hell of a rollecoaster. I was deeply disturbed AND surprised every few pages. In the reviews, some people said that the sequel was better - not for me. The sequel is a must read of course, but the first one is the 5-star. This book is not for everyone, though. Give it a trial read (10-15 pages) to make sure it's your style. Enjoy... Mmmm, I envy you - you are just entering ...
Rating: 
Summary: An ok idea, but terrible writing
Review: The overall ideas are good, both the major premise driving the story as well as the bubble environments used for research and some interaction. I particularly enjoyed the panic the lead character experiences the few times he's forced to communicate without the available metaphors that are typically generated for him when he uses his bubble. But that is all there is to enjoy. The writing is simply amateurish, and certain key associations are beaten to death...This is a second draft, not a finished book. At times it was so difficult to read I had to put it down and read some magazine article simply to be able to trudge on and find out the ending. I can't get myself to read the sequel, even though I did finish this one.
Rating:
Summary: Quite a ride!
Review: This book is a wonderful combination of mystery, science, and conspiracy. I was caught up in this book from the beginning, anxious to follow the main character as he gets caught up in a web of international, and ultimately, interglobal conflict. Some people might be afraid that the terminology and constant reference to some very advanced sciences would detract from the power of the book. If you have an open mind, it's very easy to look at it as plain scientific jarble. None of it is crucial to the plot. Every time I thought the book had reached the peak of action, it got better. The back-stabbing actions of the world nations and their agents kept me asking who? when? why? Nylund does a wonderful job explaining technology, the unique characters, and the setting of the story in a post-earthquake-apocalyptic world. The depth of all the facets is astounding. Bottom line: if you like mystery, politics, or technology, buy this book. It will give you a new perspective on our society here on Earth and a curious view of the future.
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