Rating: 
Summary: Funny 'n' Nasty
Review: Found this book at a used book store. It's the Britishversion, with the funky black cover, and the only things on it werethe title and the phrase "May we introduce Stark. Oh, and by the way, good luck...." I flipped it open to skim the first couple pages and it hooked me. I was laughing in the store. I had to buy it. It didn't disappoint me. It was a convoluted book, alternately funny, nasty, and tragic, with a cast of characters that constantly surprised me, and a flurry of intriguing new concepts. The one that sticks out most for me was this: "The reason that it seems to take less time to return from a place than it was to get there in the first place, is because the way back is actually shorter".The second time I read it, the comedy wasn't as sharp, which was fine, because it made the real story, the tragedy, stand out all the more. I'm not doing this book justice at all. I can't. Buy it, borrow it, do anything to wrap your hands around it. And read it. And read it again. I'm going to.
Rating:
Summary: Funny 'n' Nasty
Review: Found this book at a used book store. It's the Britishversion, with the funky black cover, and the only things on it werethe title and the phrase "May we introduce Stark. Oh, and by the way, good luck...." I flipped it open to skim the first couple pages and it hooked me. I was laughing in the store. I had to buy it. It didn't disappoint me. It was a convoluted book, alternately funny, nasty, and tragic, with a cast of characters that constantly surprised me, and a flurry of intriguing new concepts. The one that sticks out most for me was this: "The reason that it seems to take less time to return from a place than it was to get there in the first place, is because the way back is actually shorter". The second time I read it, the comedy wasn't as sharp, which was fine, because it made the real story, the tragedy, stand out all the more. I'm not doing this book justice at all. I can't. Buy it, borrow it, do anything to wrap your hands around it. And read it. And read it again. I'm going to.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Friend of mine gave me this books to read. One of the best sci-fi I have ever read. Amazing story. Very close to cyberpunk kind of style.
Rating:
Summary: You won't forget this book
Review: Gripping from the first page, this classy and unique combination of speculative fiction, adventure, and thriller will keep the reader's attention. Some of the author's ideas and insights are extremely thought-provoking. I originally took this book out of the library -- I enjoyed it enough that I ordered a copy for my personal library, and sent one on to a friend. Read _Spares_ next -- very good, very disturbing, and very different from _Only Forward_.
Rating: 
Summary: overrated
Review: I debated about what rating to give this book because even now, a few years after I first read it, I'm still not sure whether I liked it or not. I can say this with absolute honesty -- it is one of the strangest books I have ever read. I liked the first half. It started out seeming like a fun hard-boiled P.I.-type novel set in a zany science fictional alternate universe, filled with action and wacky hijinks. In this world, everthing is divided into different neighborhoods. There's Action Center, where everything is all about business and being productive; Color, where artists live and experiment with, you guessed it, color; Red Neighborhood, where you can get anything you want if you've got enough money; and so on. Everyone is divided into these little sub-sections of humanity and almost no one ventures outside of their little corner of it. All you know is your Neighborhood. I liked the concept of the Neighborhoods, and the author certainly seemed to have a lot of fun with it. But that's just the tip of the iceburg. Every other novel I've ever read follows a pattern. A roadmap, if you will. Once you've read the first few chapters, once you know what kind of book you've got, you know in general where it will end up. You may not know all the twists and turns of the plot, but you're familiar with the general landscape. Not so with _Only Forward_. This book ended in a completely different place than it began. It began with wacky hijinks and wisecracking P.I.s, but it ended...somewhere else entirely. I don't what to be more specific than that, so I don't spoil it for unsuspecting readers out there. I'm still not sure if I'm glad I went there, but it was interesting, without a doubt. Original, unquestionably. Intense, with plenty of food for thought. At the beginning of this review, I said I wasn't sure what to rate this book because I wasn't sure if I liked it. I'm still not sure. But I gave it a 4 because I didn't dislike it, and I still think about it and ponder the issues it raised to this day. _Only Forward_ is unusual. It stays with you. It's worth a read for that alone.
Rating: 
Summary: Only Forward, Only Typing
Review: I just finished this book and I must ay that it was a spectacularly boring collection inane sentences. It starts off ambitiously enough, written in a general and uniquely abstract style, it lets you know from the get go that its first-person, narrator-unreliable. Good enough, always nice to see new forms of writing in the field. Then, however, it plummets. Like many inept Brit science fiction writers, the author attempts to turn everyday optical illusions and quirky perceptions into witty existential-scientific theories, and abstract social theories into reality, without any interpretation. I guess because Douglas Adams pulled it off in Hitchhiker's guide, book editors now let any hack from across the pond try it. Unfortunately, as is usual, it failed. Instead of thgought provoking, amusing prose on things we never think about, we are weighed down with boring chaotic nonsense. Only Forward shows all the brilliance of a shorted-out low watt bulb, covered in mud. The plot is choppy and lacks any coherent purpose, the characters are dull, one dimensional, and devoid of interest. In this reader's opinion: the description on the back of the book is a heck of a lot more interesting than the book itself. Maybe next time the author will try writing that instead of the disjointed nonsense he slopped inside.
Rating:
Summary: Ab Fab
Review: I must say- this book is absolutely fabulous. It was very unexpected, and I envy Mr. Marshall his grasp of language and tone. I wish I could write like this! This fellow has got quite a grasp on life, and humor, and the way he gets it across is very unique. I loved this book so much, I plan to take it away to college with me. This book is like the tangible world of my imagination--- I wish I had a CloazValet....
Rating:
Summary: an incredible world, an incredible journey
Review: I read Only Forward back when it was only published in the UK. I feel it's one of the most amazing books I've ever read, a true mix of sci fi, fantasy and horror. Raw and funny, reccommended to anyone who likes a great suprise. Read his other stuff too!
Rating:
Summary: Exhilirating, witty, and original
Review: I read this book over four years ago and it's still my number one recommendation to someone who asks if I've read any good books lately. I have read the one page introduction aloud to numerous people, each person was hooked. Over the years, I've bought two copies to put into circulation among my friends. It's good to see that it is finally available in the United States.
Rating:
Summary: My Best Book of the Year, 1994
Review: I was blown away. A friend I was living with found it on a remaindered book trolley outside an Australian suburban mall, and told me to read it. Since then, I've bought five copies to distributed to friends. My best book of 1995 was Snowcrash; this was 1994. An amazing book. I reread it about every six months, and get something different every time.
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