Rule 34

Charles Stross

Jul 2011 · A Halting State Novel Book 2 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Meet Edinburgh Detective Inspector Liz Kavanaugh, head of the Innovative Crimes Investigation Unit, otherwise known as the Rule 34 Squad. They monitor the Internet for potential criminal activity, analyzing trends in the extreme fringes of explicit content. And occasionally, even more disturbing patterns arise…

Three ex-cons have been murdered in Germany, Italy, and Scotland. The only things they had in common were arrests for spamming—and a taste for unorthodox entertainment. As the first officer on the scene of the most recent death, Liz finds herself sucked into an international investigation that isn’t so much asking who the killer is, but what—and if she doesn't find the answer soon, the homicides could go viral.

Ratings and reviews

I enjoyed this return to the future depicted in Halting State. I like reading Stross' books for entertainment value and Rule 34 doesn't disappoint. Nothing too deep here, but enough interesting tech, characters and social commentary to keep things engaging. All in all a good one time read. I'd recommend it to my scifi minded friends.

The second person perspective was jarring at first but you get used to it and it serves a valuable narrative purpose. A story about illegal 3D printing is right up my alley.

Outstanding storyline, the author spells some things in an odd manner that causes you to sound things out, which reinforces the scottish accent that the characters speak(and think) with. This book will draw you in, it's multiple parallel storylines are beautifly intertwined and keep you guessing about what will happen next. I have not enjoyed a book this much since I read the entire Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series

About the author

Charles Stross was born in Leeds, England in 1964. He holds degrees in pharmacy and computer science, and has worked in a variety of jobs including pharmacist, technical author, software engineer, and freelance journalist. He is now a full-time writer.