Rating: 
Summary: Good but not Great
Review: Having read the Shaper/Mechanist stories in their paperback anthology form, I was familiar with the worlds amd mechanics of the cycle. The story covers a lot of levels, the one that struck me most was the underlying theme of young vs. old that shapes a lot of events in the story. Sterling's characters read a lot like Gordon R. Dickson's-you can identify with them readily enough, but they don't seem to be fully-fleshed out until there's a conflict of some kind. At least Sterling's characters have mostly internal conflicts, unlike the Donal Graemes of the fictional universe. Bruce Sterling is lumped in with the cyberpunk subgenre, and even edited an anthology of such work (Mirrorshades), but has little in common with authors like William Gibson, with his Blade Runner sensibility, or Rudy Rucker (Software/Wetware/Freeware, among others) with his boppers and moldies, or even godfather of the genre John Shirley. Except for Rucker, most of these authors work in a serie noir format, and all three concentrate on the reasonably near future. Sterling's stuff has more kinship with Golden Age SF authors, especially that of Jack Vance (worldbuilder extraordinaire). Even so, this is easily the most successful work of fiction that Sterling has done to date, and you won't go wrong checking it out. Just stay away from the Difference Engine (his collaboration with Gibson), which is supposed to be like the Professor Thintwhistle strip that used to run in Heavy Metal, but just falls flat.
Rating: 
Summary: Superb Sci Fi Reminiscent of Heinlein and Gibson
Review: I became interested in Bruce Sterling's writing because he co-authored a book with my favorite sci-fi writer, William Gibson, called "The Difference Engine" about an alternative history of Victorian England. Sterling's Schismatrix Plus shows that he is truly Gibson's equal as a science fiction writer, capable of inventing a complete alternate universe. The Schismatrix novel, and the short stories that accompany it in this edition, take place in the future, where human beings have migrated to space stations and circumlunar colonies within the solar system. The schism at the heart of the universe is between two sects; the Shapers, who are genetic engineers; and the Mechanists, who believe in cybernetics. The Schismatrix novel follows the character Abelard Lindsay through his several hundred years of life, first starting out as a Shaper revolutionary, then after his exile becoming a pirate, and eventually the father of a new sect called Posthumanism. The book is reminiscent of Heinlein's "Time Enough For Love" -- we follow Lindsay through his several re-creations of himself much like we do Lazarus Long in Heinlein's work. The book has an eery beauty to it; the posthuman universe, although melancholy, is not without charm. Central to the work is a distrust of ideology -- the blood feuds in the work between the various sects are extremely destructive of the characters' personal relationships; but Sterling's message is still positive -- all narrow sects are doomed in the end by the shock of the new future, and all old revolutionaries are outdone by their descendants. The short stories that accompany the novel are also very good; and they are helpgul in explaining, in shorthand, the universe of the author. Sterling does not coddle the reader -- his universe is believable in part because he does not explain its cleverness in long narrative passages -- you discover it as you go. This makes the book's many turns seem as shocking as they are to the characters themselves. An excellent work, a must for any modern sci-fi collection.
Rating:
Summary: A good book but could have been better.
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. His description and ideas were amazing and I loved the world he created but I didn't like the way that the individual parts ended, otherwise, I think it was a great read and would recomend reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and Strange
Review: I first read Schismatrix when it was originally published in paperback -- and made the mistake of 'permanently' loaning the book to a friend. Of the many, many science fiction novels I have read over the years -- my original reading of Schismatrix left one of the most powerfull impressions. I recently purchased and re-read this expand volume because I wanted to see if the book was as good as I remembered. The book is quite old and, when compared to recent novels like Ventus and the Nake God trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton, shows its age. Some of the ideas, and especially the visions of technology, haven't held up very well when compared with current novels. But, once again, I was captivated by the broad vision of the novel, its awe inspiring scope, quirky storyline and its characters. I was also better able to appreciate how influential this novel has been on subsequent authors. Visionary is a strong word, but also appropriate in describing this work when placed in the context of when it was written. Many of the more recent 'cyberpunk' and 'nanotech' novels owe more than a pasing debt to Bruce Sterling and this novel. The additional short stories, appearing at the end of the book, also add a lot to the story and round out the Shaper/Mechanist universe. Whether you've already read the novel, and are wondering if the expanded edition is worth it, or are going to read this seminal story for the first time -- this book is well worth your money.
Rating:
Summary: it's like us...only crazier
Review: I needed a quick fix after reading the Neuromancer series. I picked up this book and became hooked ever since. It's very similiar to our world as we know it. Our politics, our society, our goals and our failures. Only real difference was that somebody left the fast forward button on a little too long. Very quick read.
Rating:
Summary: Read it, it is a SF masterpeice
Review: I originally read some of these as short stories in Analog and other places. Reading all the stories together is just a million percent better. It is worth reading just for the neologism, some of which I suspect will and are seeping into our language right now...
Rating:
Summary: Read it, it is a SF masterpeice
Review: I originally read some of these as short stories in Analog and other places. Reading all the stories together is just a million percent better. It is worth reading just for the neologism, some of which I suspect will and are seeping into our language right now...
Rating:
Summary: spontaneous riots break out in BA at reprint
Review: Ice hot prose combines with panoramic characterization to create a group of stories that is as exciting (and a marginally plausible alternative to) as the hyper-rationalism of Larry Niven's Known Space or Asimov's Foundation.
Luckily, this reprint puts together all of the Shaper/Mechanist stories with an afterword by Sterling (extra bonus). The novel reads well, but is typical of the episodic novel format (Trainspotting is a recent non sf example of this that I have read) -- a bit spotty at times in terms of character development and sometimes too neat (don't know where to end this plot thread? forget it, lead the main character somewhere else)
The short stories (also reprinted in Crystal Express) fit neatly into the world of the novel proper -- maybe too neatly. At time, S+ feels too well mapped out or retreaded. To plagarize and bastardize -- a bit of the ol' ultralogic seems to be seeping in. plug x into equation,...
However, these are all nit-picking details. This novel far surpasses much of what passes for literate fiction (much less sf -- if you suffered the utter triviality of Idoru you know what I mean). Minor problems are easily overlooked. Besides, most library copies were stolen years ago, when this edition approaches the end of its run, you'll want to own a copy.
Rating:
Summary: Confusing but compelling
Review: Not being well-read in the Science Fiction genre, there are quite a few allusions I am sure I missed throughout Sterling's Schismatric. Nevertheless, I found it a compelling book, due in large part to his constructed environments and the philosophy developed and bandied about by the characters. In addition, the characters (Lindsay, most importantly) had personalities which Sterling played with skillfully, giving a spin on the "nature vs. nurture" argument. For example, Lindsay, who is a person who has been structured through mind alteration and genetic breeding, is a personality with cunning charm and an adaptability to cultural and emotional clues in the people he is interacting with. Nevertheless, he has some moral imperative driving him, either through advancement of his own pleasure and security, the fulfillment of the needs he has as the person he has been constructed, or perhaps deep, deep down, past all the layers of biological manipulation, a "human" quest for seeing the "right" thing done. If that seems convoluted, then you are probably seeing a good example of the multiplicity of "future shock" ideas running through this book. Very intriguing. His writing is great--solid and quite readable even when the ideas are not so easily grasped. The book falls down, though, when he relies on simple descriptions of the characters' clothing or the environments (perhaps thinking of how it might be picked up by a studio and translated to film?). The descriptions seem simplistic and almost petty reflected against the higher aims of the novel. Even if he is using these descriptions as some sort of eveidence towards semiotics in this future world, they still stand out as clunky and pandering to the Trekkies out there. It's refreshing for one who reads literary fiction to delve into the Science Fiction genre, and I would highly recommend this book over others as representative of the potential for depth and artistry in SciFi. Overall, a good read and an interesting bunch of ideas for one's mind to chew on
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING!!!!
Review: One of the most coherent and enjoyable novels I have ever read...The pace is absolutely perfect, as are the characters, the world he creates, in addition to some smart and well placed sci-fi ideas and predictions. Its rare that a piece of sci fi is able to combine all these aspects into one piece, but Sterling does it, and in a coherent and absolutely enjoyable way. The only disappointing aspect is that it doesn't keep going...I feel like I could follow Lindsay's explorations and evolutions forever. He is constantly evolving, and adapting with a very human and nostalgic respect for his past, yet complete absorption in whatever environment his fate takes him to...
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