Rating: 
Summary: Creatively written, poorly edited
Review: I enjoyed "Fool on the Hill" a decade ago and have been checking for a second novel off and on ever since. Unfortunately, the wit and innovativeness of Ruff's first novel have taken a cynical turn in "Sewer, Gas & Electric". My biggest disappointment was the book's lack of balance, and for that I hold the editor responsible. The Ayn Rand element is vital, but way, way overplayed. There are also strange little allusions left dangling (e.g. one of our hero's contracting chicken pox in the last pages). A serious pruning - to two-thirds of its final length - would have made a much better book.
Rating: 
Summary: Lethally humorous, Diabolically Subversive.
Review: Matt Ruff is a talented bartender, mixing interesting characters with cultural references both obscure and hip into a delightful cocktail that will satisfy your thirst and leave you wanting more. If Ayn Rand had a sense of humor and some perspective, she might have wanted to write a book like this. A warning; at the end of this book, you might find you don't take philosophy as seriously as you used to. I think that is a positive step, and it makes reading this book an imperative.
Rating: 
Summary: Creative and absurd and a bit confusing
Review:
Sewer personnel patrol the sewers for mutant wildlife. The boy scouts engage in "urban scouting". Computers and robots run amok, - nanoviruses, eco terrorism and a virtual Ayn Rand are all mixed into a zany / absurd vision of New York City of the future.
It's funny in parts, - but generally more absurd than funny. The plot starts a bit slowly and is a little confusing in the first half of the book. But the 2nd half really draws the reader in and the plot ultimately is very imaginative.
Some of the characters and plotlines could have been developed better, but overall this book is well worth reading if quasi-intellectual sci-fi appeals to you.
I'll definitely read other books by Matt Ruff.
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