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Spaceland
Rudy Rucker Book Review

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Plot Summary of Spaceland
"

Tor, Jun 2002, 24.95, 304 pp.
ISBN: 0765303663

To add spice to his sagging marriage on the millennium's New Year's Eve, hi tech middle manager Joe Cube plans a special night with his increasingly discontented wife. He brings food, drink, and an experimental TV. However, Joe's idea of fun fails to match that of Jena, who prefers a night of hot sex than watching another of her husband's electronic gadgets.

While Jena finds solace in the arms of Joe's engineering buddy, the three dimensional TV he brought home thrusts Momo, a siren from the fourth dimension, into our world. Momo tricks Joe into assisting her people the Kluppers in the fight with their mortal enemies the Dronners as the techie “controls” the three-dimensional reality of SPACELAND that separates the warring races.

SPACELAND is a strange satirical science fiction tale that successfully mixes humor with mathematical theory in order to slice the sacred technological icons of modern society.   The story line simply asks at what prices do we get more technology, but does so with humor. Using mirth and irony, Rudy Rucker provides a powerful indictment of the technological damning of all of us.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Spaceland
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%




Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy story on current Earth
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Plotlets: - dimension travel
Romance Yes
Romance plotlets: - two lovers coping with tough mission - love triangle/polygon
Parody Yes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - computer programmer
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Earth setting: - medium future 22-24th century
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript
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