Rating: 
Summary: Rudy Rucker's NICE book - Beaver Cleaver, Clean & Sober
Review: Nice, yeah, like warm milk and chocolate chip cookies. (Rudy, what were attempting? did you get what you wanted? what your editors wanted?) This book doesn't have the insane edge, like his earlier three books of the same series (Software, Wetware, Freeware), as well as, Hacker & the Ants. I've read all these other books at least 3 times each and own numerous copies of them. I think they are great reads and have given copies out to friends for years to turn them onto Rucker. But this latest? It ends with a wonderful double wedding and everyone lives happily every after. Yucch! Too Wholesome. I get the impression that Rucker was trying for a "Caledcott" award winner. Vapid & insipid, as accused above? Yes, I'd have to agree. I'm still a Rucker fan. But this one tastes like baby pablum.
Rating: 
Summary: delightful
Review: rucker's fiction is as good if not better than his non-fiction. the entire 'ware series takes sci-fi/cyberpunk/"transrealism" to a whole new uh, dimension. realware was a surprisingly fresh culmination of the ideas and characters of the previous three novels. it's got a slap in the face style, great plotlines, and real MATH fiction, what else could one say? good stuff. really freakin' good cyberpunk-esque literature. it makes math nice and twisted, it slaps euclid against a wall and throws 360 degree triangles at him. wholesome tasty fun for anyone who likes philosophy, math, or just a plain old good story. yummy.
Rating:
Summary: delightful
Review: rucker's fiction is as good if not better than his non-fiction. the entire 'ware series takes sci-fi/cyberpunk/"transrealism" to a whole new uh, dimension. realware was a surprisingly fresh culmination of the ideas and characters of the previous three novels. it's got a slap in the face style, great plotlines, and real MATH fiction, what else could one say? good stuff. really freakin' good cyberpunk-esque literature. it makes math nice and twisted, it slaps euclid against a wall and throws 360 degree triangles at him. wholesome tasty fun for anyone who likes philosophy, math, or just a plain old good story. yummy.
Rating: 
Summary: New, Different, but Good
Review: Rudy has done something different with his new book, Realware. The Fourth in the Software saga starts out with a familiar cast of characters stemming from his previous book, Freeware. The book follows the paths of Yoke, a girl with 3 minds in one head and Phil, a straight edger whose father has been swallowed by a presence from the Fourth Dimension. Rudy's books can never be truly blurbed well because they sound like some 50s deranged Sci Fi movie with plastic monsters. Well, maybe his books are like this, but with a twist and much more cyberpunk fun. The Cyber Punk genre was made famous by Ruckers Software, White Light and Hacker and the Ants. Now it is continued with this latest creation. The book starts of with new technology, new slang and new everything. The book is basically impossible to understand unless you've read his previous novels. His intent is once again the same, to stretch the readers mind to the limits of ones imagination, but actually with a logical and reasonable sense. I'm a huge fan of RR, and I did like this book. I recommend this book to Rucker enthusiasts and those who love Sex, Drugs, Robots and Rock and Roll. Always detailed and entertaining, Rudy has never failed, but this book isn't in his Transreal hall of fame. A little more hokey and much more gobbledeegook. In conclusion, familiar readers enjoy the continuation of a truly great saga. New readers beware. -JDOC out
Rating:
Summary: Stuzzy culmination of the 'ware series
Review: The only works of Rudy Rucker that I have read are the 'ware series. These works are a bit more skanky in nature than my normal read; however, after I've read them, I'm always glad that I did. They are always entertaining and thought provoking. The latest episode in the 'ware series, Realware, is no exception. I did find the level of skank in this novel to be somewhat less in magnitude than that of its antecedents. I finished this book feeling a nice sense of resolution with regard to the characters, although I know the story could easily be carried forward into further stories about its set of characters. What I like most about this series is the discussion of the effects of radical technological paradigm shifts on individuals of many types and the society as a whole. If you've read the other books in the 'ware series, you simply must read Realware - you'll be glad you stayed with it.
Rating:
Summary: Stuzzy culmination of the 'ware series
Review: The only works of Rudy Rucker that I have read are the 'ware series. These works are a bit more skanky in nature than my normal read; however, after I've read them, I'm always glad that I did. They are always entertaining and thought provoking. The latest episode in the 'ware series, Realware, is no exception. I did find the level of skank in this novel to be somewhat less in magnitude than that of its antecedents. I finished this book feeling a nice sense of resolution with regard to the characters, although I know the story could easily be carried forward into further stories about its set of characters. What I like most about this series is the discussion of the effects of radical technological paradigm shifts on individuals of many types and the society as a whole. If you've read the other books in the 'ware series, you simply must read Realware - you'll be glad you stayed with it.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed ...
Review: While the first three novels in this series were enjoyable books, Realware falls a little short. The book, while still marginally readable, has a glaring flaw - unadulterated sappiness. Rudy has managed to craft what could be "the feel-good cyberpunk novel of the year." (The movie version will probably be appearing shortly on Hallmark theatre.) Everybody's happy, cleaning up, and falling in love. However, little of it is really convincing. The pop-tart romance between Phil and Yoke is barely believable ("What's your name? I Love You!") There's just too little evidence of chemistry for them to have gone that far as fast as they did. Phil also utters the phrase "clean and sober" so often that it feels like you're reading a piece of high school anti-drug propaganda. Phil's constant espousing on how great life is ("Thank you God for making the world!") is nauseating at first, but then shifts into overdrive after his trip into the 4th dimension. At that point, Realware could almost be classified as a religious novel. Everybody gets to talk about their death experiences, how they discovered that souls are shaped like butterflies, how happy they were to look in the face of God, etc. Couple all that with a poorly-executed deus ex machina ending, and you have the trappings of a substandard science fiction novel. Some people will still probably enjoy it - most likely those that had no previous experience with this series. Those who are expecting another book like the first three will likely walk away disappointed.
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