Comments on: Beautiful Red http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/ News from the Staff of Podiobooks.com Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:41:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: ken http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-328064 ken Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:44:01 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-328064 Good book. A little too similar to the dexter books. Good book. A little too similar to the dexter books.

]]> By: Paul http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-327428 Paul Thu, 31 Mar 2011 04:43:33 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-327428 Just finished listening to this book. Overall I really like the writing and narration. The ending felt a little abrupt but OK. Good job of building a world that reminds me a little (not too much) of “True Names” by Vernor Vinge and “Trouble and Her Friends” by Melissa Scott. WARNING: serious spoilers in comment left by “Ollie” September 14th, 2010 at 1:28 pm. Just finished listening to this book. Overall I really like the writing and narration. The ending felt a little abrupt but OK. Good job of building a world that reminds me a little (not too much) of “True Names” by Vernor Vinge and “Trouble and Her Friends” by Melissa Scott.

WARNING: serious spoilers in comment left by “Ollie” September 14th, 2010 at 1:28 pm.

]]> By: Brian http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-327332 Brian Sat, 26 Mar 2011 22:15:45 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-327332 Hopefully, I'm not giving anything way, but *SPOILER ALERT* just in case. The two final surprise revelations seem incredibly unlikely to me. What are the odds that those, plus the main events, would all occur around Jack? Despite this strain on suspension of disbelief, the story as a whole was well done. Hopefully, I’m not giving anything way, but
*SPOILER ALERT* just in case.
The two final surprise revelations seem incredibly unlikely to me. What are the odds that those, plus the main events, would all occur around Jack?
Despite this strain on suspension of disbelief, the story as a whole was well done.

]]> By: BritOnTour http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-322838 BritOnTour Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:56:45 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-322838 ***** WARNING: SPOILER ALERT ***** BE careful reading these comments as Ollie felt it necessary to write/complain about the ending of the story. ollie, you may have been disappointed in the ending, but there really is no need to ruin it for everyone else. It seems that a lot of people actually enjoyed the story, myself included. I'm just glad I finished it before reading these comments. If you can edit your comments, I would appreciate it if you could add a warning for the sake of those who do not want the story ruined by your unhappiness. ***** WARNING: SPOILER ALERT *****
BE careful reading these comments as Ollie felt it necessary to write/complain about the ending of the story. ollie, you may have been disappointed in the ending, but there really is no need to ruin it for everyone else. It seems that a lot of people actually enjoyed the story, myself included. I’m just glad I finished it before reading these comments.

If you can edit your comments, I would appreciate it if you could add a warning for the sake of those who do not want the story ruined by your unhappiness.

]]> By: Ollie http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-321123 Ollie Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:28:51 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-321123 Just finished reading this book from my book reader app on my phone and felt compelled to make a comment somewhere about the book. Thought the first half was brilliantly put together. The ideas about the future were brilliant, and the story was built well around this. Now the bad parts, was massively confused about the "blackout" chapters, why put them in if they had no bearing on the final outcome of the story? Also, the ending was a complete anti-climax! Was expecting Jack to take out the leaders of the "Red" or at least pass the details on to her superiors and take the glory....but a memory wipe?! Come on! Was really wound up by this! Just thought I would pass this on to anyone who is thinking about downloading this! Just finished reading this book from my book reader app on my phone and felt compelled to make a comment somewhere about the book.
Thought the first half was brilliantly put together. The ideas about the future were brilliant, and the story was built well around this. Now the bad parts, was massively confused about the “blackout” chapters, why put them in if they had no bearing on the final outcome of the story?
Also, the ending was a complete anti-climax! Was expecting Jack to take out the leaders of the “Red” or at least pass the details on to her superiors and take the glory….but a memory wipe?! Come on! Was really wound up by this! Just thought I would pass this on to anyone who is thinking about downloading this!

]]> By: radioCat http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-321005 radioCat Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:51:41 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-321005 I have come to Beautiful Red long after its completion, but I think, not too late. Many of the comments made on PodioBooks have been appreciative, and a few not so. I must throw my hand in with the book's supporters. Beautiful Red is a well crafted cyberpunk story involving a dystopian near future of big corporations, social fragmentation and an earnest threat to humanity. It is a thriller with a hacker-detective protagonist and complex bad guys. For the sake of anyone who has not yet listened to Beautiful Red I will try to avoid spoilers. I was particularly taken by the authentic tone of the writer. Jack is a network cracker turned security operative paid to cover her employer's corporate arse. Yes, Jack is a woman, as opposed to Gill her co-worker, who is a guy. When Jack switches from simulation-view to code-view, to avoid the horror of what she uncovers, or to see its design detail, we believe her. And we understand only too well that she needs to break the user interface of her new toy spy device before she can get the most out of it. I am only amazed that Darusha doesn't refer to its API. I guess it's an insider's book. Once the story gets going the narrative unfolds evenly and Jack's character undergoes a parallel development. Initially, living her life on the 'Nets' connected through her cybernetic implants, she discovers slowly the richness of the un-plugged real world, otherwise abandoned to dilettante social misfits and the unemployed. When she infiltrates the misfits organisation, we understand that Jack is not immune to their sympathetic character. They are rather, a bastion of humanity in a dangerously alienated world. But Jack does not know who to trust, and she is right to distrust everyone. The imagined period detail helps bring us into Jack's world, although we got the point of the dual-fuel motor scooter much quicker than the book thought we would. And why the desperate need for hard disks and not processors or RAM? I imagined this was an unnecessary concession to lay readership. Unnecessary because, if we had followed Darusha through her software interface descriptions, we would be unlikely to trip up over a bit more hardware detail. Darusha maintains the momentum, the intrigue and the suspense. It is well written and narrated in a beautifully dry voice so befitting the world it describes. There is one literary device however, that did give me problems. That was the periodic '00010' type intermissions, skipping into an alternate narrative frame. On paper I would have slowed down and re-read, whereas in audio I was carried on at a constant rate and left with an uneasy feeling of having missed a connection. I eventually re-visited some of those story parts after hearing the last chapter, and concluded that the device was very powerful, dramatic and clever. It was critical in unifying the experience of the alienated protagonists, I only wish I had got it sooner. I have come to Beautiful Red long after its completion, but I think, not too late. Many of the comments made on PodioBooks have been appreciative, and a few not so. I must throw my hand in with the book’s supporters. Beautiful Red is a well crafted cyberpunk story involving a dystopian near future of big corporations, social fragmentation and an earnest threat to humanity. It is a thriller with a hacker-detective protagonist and complex bad guys. For the sake of anyone who has not yet listened to Beautiful Red I will try to avoid spoilers. I was particularly taken by the authentic tone of the writer. Jack is a network cracker turned security operative paid to cover her employer’s corporate arse. Yes, Jack is a woman, as opposed to Gill her co-worker, who is a guy. When Jack switches from simulation-view to code-view, to avoid the horror of what she uncovers, or to see its design detail, we believe her. And we understand only too well that she needs to break the user interface of her new toy spy device before she can get the most out of it. I am only amazed that Darusha doesn’t refer to its API. I guess it’s an insider’s book. Once the story gets going the narrative unfolds evenly and Jack’s character undergoes a parallel development. Initially, living her life on the ‘Nets’ connected through her cybernetic implants, she discovers slowly the richness of the un-plugged real world, otherwise abandoned to dilettante social misfits and the unemployed. When she infiltrates the misfits organisation, we understand that Jack is not immune to their sympathetic character. They are rather, a bastion of humanity in a dangerously alienated world. But Jack does not know who to trust, and she is right to distrust everyone.

The imagined period detail helps bring us into Jack’s world, although we got the point of the dual-fuel motor scooter much quicker than the book thought we would. And why the desperate need for hard disks and not processors or RAM? I imagined this was an unnecessary concession to lay readership. Unnecessary because, if we had followed Darusha through her software interface descriptions, we would be unlikely to trip up over a bit more hardware detail. Darusha maintains the momentum, the intrigue and the suspense. It is well written and narrated in a beautifully dry voice so befitting the world it describes. There is one literary device however, that did give me problems. That was the periodic ’00010′ type intermissions, skipping into an alternate narrative frame. On paper I would have slowed down and re-read, whereas in audio I was carried on at a constant rate and left with an uneasy feeling of having missed a connection. I eventually re-visited some of those story parts after hearing the last chapter, and concluded that the device was very powerful, dramatic and clever. It was critical in unifying the experience of the alienated protagonists, I only wish I had got it sooner.

]]> By: Ernie http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-320730 Ernie Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:09:59 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-320730 Loved the story, I couldn't wait to get back to it when interrupted. Loved the story, I couldn’t wait to get back to it when interrupted.

]]> By: Erin http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-320065 Erin Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:10:37 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-320065 To the guy who "could not get to the end of the 2nd episode" -- keep listening. It did start out a bit slow, but I think that was necessary to show the main character's mundane everyday existence before The Plot Thickens. This is one of those books that makes me hope the author is not a prophet (Tad Williams' Otherland was another). It is a very plausible future in which people are connected to everything and everyone via the net, but truly having no real human connection at all. I think Darusha did a great job, showing not only the tech side of this possible future, but also the disturbing sociological side. And now, I'm going to get OFF the net, and go hug my husband. :-) To the guy who “could not get to the end of the 2nd episode” — keep listening. It did start out a bit slow, but I think that was necessary to show the main character’s mundane everyday existence before The Plot Thickens. This is one of those books that makes me hope the author is not a prophet (Tad Williams’ Otherland was another). It is a very plausible future in which people are connected to everything and everyone via the net, but truly having no real human connection at all.

I think Darusha did a great job, showing not only the tech side of this possible future, but also the disturbing sociological side.

And now, I’m going to get OFF the net, and go hug my husband. :-)

]]> By: Graham Pollard http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-317734 Graham Pollard Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:01:35 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-317734 Oh dear me. I could not get to the end of the 2nd episode. Quite simply this is boring. I have rated it with 1 star but frankly it deserves NON. Oh dear me. I could not get to the end of the 2nd episode. Quite simply this is boring. I have rated it with 1 star but frankly it deserves NON.

]]> By: Paul J. Joseph http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-296611 Paul J. Joseph Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:27:40 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-296611 Darusha, I have just finished listening to Beautiful Red and I am EXTREMELLY impressed! From the description I had no idea just how interesting and thought provoking an adventure Beautiful Red would be. Of all the possible interpretations of the future I have seen within the last five years or so, I would actually claim that yours is probably the most accurate. I don't say that lightly. I subscribe to the views of Ray Kurzweil and his description of "singularity." I have seen a few authors try to capture this, including myself, but your approach is amazingly detailed and thorough, and it deals with many areas I hadn't even thought of. This brings me to my one sincere complaint. You need to write another book soon! After listening to Beautiful Red, I immediately wanted more. Don't keep us waiting too long! Paul J. Darusha,

I have just finished listening to Beautiful Red and I am EXTREMELLY impressed! From the description I had no idea just how interesting and thought provoking an adventure Beautiful Red would be. Of all the possible interpretations of the future I have seen within the last five years or so, I would actually claim that yours is probably the most accurate. I don’t say that lightly. I subscribe to the views of Ray Kurzweil and his description of “singularity.” I have seen a few authors try to capture this, including myself, but your approach is amazingly detailed and thorough, and it deals with many areas I hadn’t even thought of. This brings me to my one sincere complaint.

You need to write another book soon! After listening to Beautiful Red, I immediately wanted more. Don’t keep us waiting too long!

Paul J.

]]> By: Grizzly Smith http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-296273 Grizzly Smith Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:20:42 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-296273 I just reviewed the book (and played the promo) on my Grizzly's Growls live show on BTR, and after editing, the review is part of Episode 102 of my regular podcast. Think I should just copy-and-paste from my script for that? I could... Anyway, liked the book -- and I did have clever stuff to say about it on my show. Hmmm... think I'll copy it over to my blog, too. I just reviewed the book (and played the promo) on my Grizzly’s Growls live show on BTR, and after editing, the review is part of Episode 102 of my regular podcast. Think I should just copy-and-paste from my script for that? I could…

Anyway, liked the book — and I did have clever stuff to say about it on my show. Hmmm… think I’ll copy it over to my blog, too.

]]> By: audiofile http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-288397 audiofile Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:17:58 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-288397 Umm, I've listened to the first six episodes and I'm still waiting for something interesting to happen. Definitely a book for those who think the Internet is life and want to be organically connected to it like the character in this book. Umm, I’ve listened to the first six episodes and I’m still waiting for something interesting to happen. Definitely a book for those who think the Internet is life and want to be organically connected to it like the character in this book.

]]> By: Stunnn http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-280181 Stunnn Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:37:01 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-280181 Great Book! Absolutly fantastic. Really enjoyed it, thank you. Can't wait to see what others Darusha has written. I hear what Jim said about the "downbeat monotone", but disagree. I started the first chapter not being impressed at the style, but feel that it was in keeping with the book and much better than some others that I won't mention here. Darusha, you can chalk up another fan. ;-) Great Book!
Absolutly fantastic. Really enjoyed it, thank you.

Can’t wait to see what others Darusha has written.

I hear what Jim said about the “downbeat monotone”, but disagree. I started the first chapter not being impressed at the style, but feel that it was in keeping with the book and much better than some others that I won’t mention here.

Darusha, you can chalk up another fan. ;-)

]]> By: JaneInPA http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-276581 JaneInPA Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:54:15 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-276581 Darusha, what a thought-provoking story! And great production quality too. It just flew by. Thank you for presenting your work in this format and I look forward to whatever you choose to present next. Darusha, what a thought-provoking story! And great production quality too. It just flew by. Thank you for presenting your work in this format and I look forward to whatever you choose to present next.

]]> By: Cryptocrat http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-227078 Cryptocrat Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:30:57 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-227078 Only about half way through but wanted to check in and say: Wow! Is this really a debut novel? As a computer scientist, one of the rants my friends get tired of hearing me talk about centers around the question: What happens when we have the next paradigm shift in user interface? When you think about it, we still basically interact with computers the same way we have since the 1970s. Computers continue to (almost) follow Moore's law, but the interface remains the same. This novel explores this question in a most satisfying way. Engaging fiction with enough scientific validity to not break suspension of disbelief (at least for this geek). 12:00 Only about half way through but wanted to check in and say:

Wow!

Is this really a debut novel?

As a computer scientist, one of the rants my friends get tired of hearing me talk about centers around the question: What happens when we have the next paradigm shift in user interface? When you think about it, we still basically interact with computers the same way we have since the 1970s. Computers continue to (almost) follow Moore’s law, but the interface remains the same.

This novel explores this question in a most satisfying way. Engaging fiction with enough scientific validity to not break suspension of disbelief (at least for this geek).

12:00

]]> By: Robo http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-127310 Robo Wed, 16 Jan 2008 04:46:23 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-127310 Darusha- Thank you for the incredible podcast. I loved your voice, the plot, and am very sad the book has ended. I am looking forward to your next podcast and hope it comes quickly. Thanks again for sharing the story with us. Darusha-

Thank you for the incredible podcast. I loved your voice, the plot, and am very sad the book has ended. I am looking forward to your next podcast and hope it comes quickly. Thanks again for sharing the story with us.

]]> By: Evo http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-126483 Evo Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:48:11 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-126483 Zevick, I just clicked the link for Episode nine. Works like a champ. If you can get through that "tehcnorunaround", I'd like to hear more about the issue you are having. Evo Zevick,

I just clicked the link for Episode nine. Works like a champ. If you can get through that “tehcnorunaround”, I’d like to hear more about the issue you are having.

Evo

]]> By: zevick http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-125159 zevick Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:57:03 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-125159 Episode 9 does not download. First of all, I must thank you for a wonderful story--so far. Episodes 1 - 8 have been great, and I've already downloaded episode 10, but when I tried to download E09 (repeatedly) I only get a few KB. I tried to "Report a problem with an episode" but got some kind of TechnoRunAround. Sorry to bother you with maintenance, but it's your fault for making your story so addictive. Good job, and Thanks, Zevick siegel@jct.ac.il Episode 9 does not download.

First of all, I must thank you for a wonderful story–so far. Episodes 1 – 8 have been great, and I’ve already downloaded episode 10, but when I tried to download E09 (repeatedly) I only get a few KB. I tried to “Report a problem with an episode” but got some kind of TechnoRunAround. Sorry to bother you with maintenance, but it’s your fault for making your story so addictive.

Good job, and Thanks,

Zevick
siegel@jct.ac.il

]]> By: Evo http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-122695 Evo Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:14:01 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-122695 The good news, Zippy, is that those are easily corrected. I notice these as a listener from time to time and make it a point to let the author know what episode had the error, and the approximate time stamp of when it happened. So far, they've all been very good about getting me a new episode uploaded quickly so that no others hear the mistakes. Use the "report a problem with an episode" link right above where you make new comments, and we'll make sure to get it to Darusha right away. The good news, Zippy, is that those are easily corrected. I notice these as a listener from time to time and make it a point to let the author know what episode had the error, and the approximate time stamp of when it happened. So far, they’ve all been very good about getting me a new episode uploaded quickly so that no others hear the mistakes.

Use the “report a problem with an episode” link right above where you make new comments, and we’ll make sure to get it to Darusha right away.

]]> By: Zippy http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/comment-page-1/#comment-122485 Zippy Sun, 06 Jan 2008 08:33:46 +0000 http://www.podiobooks.com/blog/2007/08/26/beautiful-red/#comment-122485 I quite enjoyed the story and I hope you write more stories based int his universe, however I did feel compelled to give a low rating for the audio quality when you made the extremely newbish mistake of neglecting to remove your editing fingerclicks. Keep up the good work ^^ I quite enjoyed the story and I hope you write more stories based int his universe, however I did feel compelled to give a low rating for the audio quality when you made the extremely newbish mistake of neglecting to remove your editing fingerclicks.
Keep up the good work ^^

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