READ A BOOK! Charles Stross: Rule 34 – If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions!

Charles Stross’s latest techno thriller, Rule 34, is a clear view at the dark side of nerd culture, Stross has produced a grotesque and gripping page-turner. Rule 34 is a near-future science fiction novel by Charles Stross. Rule 34 is a loose sequel to Halting State.  The title is a reference to the meme Rule 34 of the Internet, a meme which states that “If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions.”  Rule 34 is told in second-person singular but from three points of view:  Edinburgh Police Inspector Kavanaugh who investigates spammers murdered in a gruesome and inventive ways, and learns about similar cases in other parts of Europe; Anwar, a former identity thief who becomes Scottish honorary consul for a fictional Central Asian state; and “The Toymaker”, an enforcer and organizer for the criminal “Operation”. Their interactions and conflicts drive the story.

It’s a slow Tuesday afternoon, and you’re coming to the end of your shift on the West End control desk when Sergeant McDougall IMs you: INSPECTOR WANTED ON FATACC SCENE. Read the full article »»»»