When Gravity Fails

Neuromancer in the Middle East

This is another noir cyberpunk story with a reluctant hero who works for people he swore he'd never work for, doing things he swore he'd never do. If you've read "Neuromancer" or "Altered Carbon", you've read "When Gravity Fails". Just replace future-Tokyo or future-San Francisco with future-Damascus. (Actually, the city is never actually named: it could just as easily be Beirut or Amman or Jerusalem or Cairo.) While this was a good story, I'm thinking it was nominated for a Hugo and Nebula in 1988 because "Whoa, dude! Cyberpunk! In the Middle East! Like, everyone's Muslim!"

Aside from that novelty factor, When Gravity Fails serves up what you expect in a cyberpunk novel: digital personalities, downloaded brain modifications, surgically altered bodies, fractured nation-states, and lots of crime and grit and whores.

Marid Audrian is a Moroccan son of a prostitute who's your fairly standard noir protagonist: he hangs out in the Budayeen, an Arab ghetto in an unnamed Middle Eastern city, and his friends, lovers, and business associates are all grifters, bartenders, prostitutes, various-shades-of-dirty cops, street hustlers, just trying to get by, preying on rich tourists and their fellow citizens alike.

Marid gets dragged into a convoluted plot involving a serial killer who initially uses a James Bond persona, which was a mildly clever touch. Since he begins the story stating his abhorrence of having his brain modified, we know he's going to wind up chipped and jacked to the max.

The action scenes are fast-paced and well-written and the technology blends smoothly with the Middle Eastern setting. The "mystery" is a bit of a let-down, as I was expecting something more clever and twisted, but it ultimately made sense, and why should the real killer be some shocking Big Reveal instead of just another grimy scumbag?

Effinger's handling of Middle Eastern culture from a first-person POV did not, I think, exoticize it too much. Marid, while not devout himself, sees Arab culture and Islam as the default, so if he's sometimes critical or even mocking of it, it's no more so than an agnostic American who's not above taking shots at American culture and Christianity.

There are a lot of sex-changed characters in the book, including Marid's girlfriend. I wouldn't say it's particularly sensitive to trans people (there are the usual jokes about "You didn't know she used to be a man?"), but they seem to be accepted like everyone else. When Gravity Fails was probably pretty progressive for 1988. The "Whores! Whores! Whores!" sensibility is pretty de rigueur for cyberpunk. (That said, if you want cyberpunk that's not full of whores and nipply breasts, try Neal Stephenson or Hannu Rajaniemi.)

Like Neuromancer, When Gravity Fails is a book that might have been edgy and mind-blowing in the 80s, but now has nothing you haven't seen rolled out in mass production by Hollywood and dozens of SF imitators. This story about a street operator tracking down a serial killer in an unnamed futuristic Middle Eastern city is an entertaining enough read, but unless either cyberpunk or the Middle Eastern setting holds special appeal for you, it isn't something I'd recommend you go out of your way for.

25 of 26 people found this review helpful

A must have series!

Would you consider the audio edition of When Gravity Fails to be better than the print version?

Both are top notch. I couldn't say one was better than the other.

What did you like best about this story?

This is one of the must read cyberpunk series. Mr. Effinger died too young as I would have like to see hum expand on this series. He has a unique fully formed world. It is arabic in nature but also loosely based on the French Quarter in New Orleans where the author was known to hang out quite a bit. he caught the sleazy feel of the area and the internal desperation of the charachters caught in it. The Cyber elements may seem a little trope now, but he was the first one to develop a lot of these concepts.

What about Jonathan Davis’s performance did you like?

He has great range. Each character was distinct and unique. he also really caught the feeling and emotional content of the book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Just the overall desperation of the main character. He isn't the standard sci fi/fantasy superhero. He is very flawed and often goes and gets drunk or high rather than deal with his issues.

Any additional comments?

This is a must have as I said in the header.

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

renewed aquaintence

Any additional comments?

I read this series several years ago and enjoyed them immensely. Recently I saw they were offered as audio-books and I took a chance - hoping they were as good as I recalled.

The voice actor is PERFECT for Marid - just the right blend of accent/age/humor. He manages to differentiate all the other voices/ethnicities of the book as well, so there aren't any moments of wondering "who said that".

So glad I gambled on this

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Brings Marid & the Budayeen to life, lots of fun

Loved it!! I have been waiting for any electronic versions of these, for me, definitive Effinger works. The story I already knew but Jonathan Davis did a wonderful job adding life to the characters. Actually Davis delivered voices very close to what was in my head each time I read the novels. If you like pulpy detective fiction, a taste of cyberpunk and the story taking place in an exotic (to us in the US anyway) part of the world you should enjoy this one a lot.

It's not an ordinary story there is drug use, mature subjects though tame dialog so know it's probably best to listen before deciding if it's for your kids. Depends on the kids. But the story is fun if let yourself get into things. And also it's a nice light read or listen, so I consider it sort of escapist material for those days when I just want to get away from news and the world. ;)

It is also refreshing to read a non-negative story with Muslim society as a plot mechanism. Granted these were written several decades ago. But it's nice none the less.

I can't wait until next month when I can burn a credit on the next book.

20 of 22 people found this review helpful

Excellent narrator!

The story was so-so, but the world was good, and the narrator was excellent!

I'm disappointed that all of the women or trans women are vapid secondary characters. However since this is more of a mystery it can *almost* be excused, since mysteries don't rely on character development as much.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Riveting story, incredible narrator!

I'm enjoying every word of this interesting story and it is narrated so well by Jonathan Davis. I am looking forward to listening to books 2 and 3.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

Too many drugs

Would you try another book from George Alec Effinger and/or Jonathan Davis?

I love Jonathan Davis, as a narrator. He is excellent. He was the reason I downloaded this book.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I could not reach the end of this book as the constant reference to drug use became what this book was all about. An interesting storyline and great take on detective noir was spoilt by the constant description of drugs, love of drugs, how many drugs and the effect they had on the protagonist. They are obviously important to the environment but it was all he seemed to discuss.

Which scene was your favorite?

The one without drugs. Oh wait, there wasn't one.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from When Gravity Fails?

If I was the editor I would have toned down the explicit use of illicit substances and focussed more on the character development and the other excellent cultural references in this book.

13 of 18 people found this review helpful

got tired of Allah this and Allah that

George Alec Effinger published this in 1986. Not too much about muslims then so it is interesting he has this dystopian thriller set in the future where the USA is fully broken, new boundaries formed and almost everyone is muslim... ok, I can live with that. Robert Ferrigno did it exceptionally well in his Assassins trilogy. But somewhere about 1/3 or 1/2 into this book, it is so heavily peppered with "allah bring you peace' and 'allah bless you' and 'by the will of allah' and allah be praised' and 'if allah desires' and 'allah praise your house'. Now I am not talking about any religious setting... it's used in every other sentence... 'it may rain, if allah wills' or 'goodbye and see you later, if it is the will of allah'' and 'would you like a ride, allah bless your children' sort of thing and it gets really tiresome. Take away all the allah lines and the last part of this book would be considerably reduced. Like taking away 90% of the adjectives from the latest Anne Rice books.

That said, I did not understand why all the sex changes. It seems no matter what sex a person was born, he/she wanted a sex change. Makes no sense. I realize our intrepid hero lives in the heart of the sex district, has several 'female' friends who used to be male. And vice versa. (I guess they like their vice, versa?) Still does not explain all the sex changes.

I have to say I never got to like Marid Audran. I realize he is meant to be a flawed protagonist and that's not usually a problem for me. But when you have a hard time caring if the lead character lives or dies, that is a problem. "Sandman Slim" (by Richard Kadrey) is certainly a flawed character and I LOVE him.

Effinger definitely created an intriguing, complex world and the writing is strong (minus all the allahs) and Jonathan Davis is brilliant as the reader but I am really slogging away trying to finish it.

16 of 23 people found this review helpful

Great Cyberpunk

Would you listen to When Gravity Fails again? Why?

I was hesitant to listen based on some of the other reviews. Most of the negative reviews couldn't be more wrong, this is great science fiction that presents the gritty Cyberpunk noir world.

What did you like best about this story?

The plot unfolds quickly, and while perhaps not completely unpredictable, take place in a middle eastern ghetto. The cultural variations are a wonder nuance to the Cyberpunk world.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've never heard of this author before, but I'm going to listen to more of his books.

Any additional comments?

Do your self a favor - ignore the negative comments. Enjoy this book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Thrilling!

This is an original and well-crafted story w vivid characters and compelling narration. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy action/mystery/nuance and thrill.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful