Dervish is Digital : Book Review
Dervish is Digital is a Cyberpunk novel wrttien by Pat Cadigan.
Plot summary:
Detective Konstantin is in charge of Technocrime, Artificial Reality Division. This proves difficult as actions in Artificial Reality (AR) are not real (other than copyright infringement), so harassment and theft don’t exist.
Konstantin is investigating the allegations of stalking in AR by a womans ex-husband. But the trail to find him proves difficult with government jurisdictions and laws prohibiting investigations, and nonsensical ideas that this man has traded places with an Artificial Intelligence. A rollercoaster of visual description provides an insane and weird world, a melting pot of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Lawnmower man”. Between AR participants watching their “billable time” to their ISP, and trying to get work done cheaper than in the real world, weird series of surrealistic events unfold. Interesting concepts:
Dervish is digital touches on a few concepts which really smack of the cyberpunk genre:
- Total visual and physical immersion in the Artificial reality. People are placed in special suits, audio-visual gear in pods to completely immerse themselves in the constructed reality. However, the body reacts to visual/mental stimulation physically (such as sweating, exhaustion, dribbling) and undergoes a kind of jetlag or adjustment period after an AR session.
- Transhumanism. Some characters in the story reportedly are fully immersed in AR all the time, paying external parties to nourish, feed and clean them. Somehow, the AR seems more real and in focus, giving individuals more power and control than in their normal lives.
Overall: This is my first shot at a Pat Cadigan novel. A different feel to other authors, such as Gibson, Rucker, Sterling, etc, but quite refreshing. I probably should have read “Tea from an Empty Cup” first (as this preceeds this novel), but definetely worth a read. This is a cyberpunk work from 2000, which is a somewhat nearer future, and slightly less bleak future than the noir grandfather works of the 80’s . Rating: 8/10