
George Alec Effinger's 'When Gravity Fails' is a cyberpunk detective noir novel set in a future Middle Eastern world where the protagonist, Marid Audran, navigates a dark and gritty society filled with sex, drugs, and murder. The story follows Marid as he becomes entangled in solving a mystery while exploring themes of identity, faith, and societal issues in a world where technology plays a significant role in modifying personalities.
Effinger's writing style combines elements of hard-boiled detective fiction with cyberpunk, creating a unique and immersive world that blends traditional noir storytelling with futuristic technology. The narrative delves into the complexities of the characters and the setting, offering a fast-paced and intriguing read that keeps readers engaged from start to finish.
Genres:
Tropes/Plot Devices:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include drug use, graphic violence, and themes related to sexuality and identity.
Has Romance?
There are romantic elements present, but they are not the central focus of the narrative.
From The Publisher:
In a decadent world of cheap pleasures and easy death, Marid Audrian has kept his independence the hardway. Still, like everything else in the Budayeen, he's available…for a price.
For a new kind of killer roams the streets of the Arab ghetto, a madman whose bootlegged personality cartridges range from a sinister James Bond to a sadistic disemboweler named Khan. And Marid Audrian has been made an offer he can't refuse.
The 200-year-old "godfather" of the Budayeen's underworld has enlisted Marid as his instrument of vengeance. But first Marid must undergo the most sophisticated of surgical implants before he dares to confront a killer who carries the power of every psychopath since the beginning of time.
Wry, savage, and unignorable, When Gravity Fails was hailed as a classic by Effinger's fellow SF writers on its original publication in 1987, and the sequence of "Marid Audrian" novels it begins were the culmination of his career.
Ratings (4)
Incredible (2) | |
Loved It (1) | |
Liked It (1) |
Reader Stats (13):
Read It (4) | |
Want To Read (6) | |
Not Interested (3) |
About the Author:
A winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, George Alec Effinger was the author of What Entropy Means to Me and Schrodinger's Kitten. He died in 2002.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.