Schismatrix Plus

Fascinating world-building revolving around humanity evolving with the technology, and then adding some aliens.

The story itself though started out well enough but after a while, it was a pattern not a plot. Fast-talking Shaper, Lindsay, finds himself in various difficult situations but talks his way into successful enterprises (some fraudulent) and gets all the major power players on board. He jumps ship when the going gets tough.

All of his adventures are structured this way and it happens about half a dozen times before finally wrapping up. The novel was actually quite short so I'm not sure why I should have lost interest since I liked the character, I liked the premise. Even the conflict with his frenemy Constantine didn't give the novel enough tension.

Big love for the short stories at the end though, especially “Spider Rose” which was both a heart-breaker and a mind-bender.

Sterling's version of a space opera brimful of ideas and visions of the future. The evolution of humanity splits into two main factions/ideologies: the shapers (gene manipulation) and the mechanists (cybernetic enhancements). Either you're pro bacteria or con. The storyline jumps from world to world, constantly reinvents itself and never stays put. Everything is political and it's gritty and you love it.

If I'm not wrong, Ilya Prigogine is the only one to be referenced as a person of the past, as humanity is approaching his 5th level of complexity, posthumanism.