Rule 34 / Charles Stross

Rule 34 by Charles Stross. 358 p.

"Rule 34" is, of course, the internet meme that states, "If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions." Edinburgh Police Inspector Kavanaugh's job is to monitor that stuff on the internet and try to predict problems before they become unmanageable--a career comedown for her. She notices a trend of odd "accidental" deaths worldwide involving people who make illegal fabrications. Her boss doesn't want to hear it at first, but she does end up getting more and more involved in what turns out to be a horrifying series of murders. There are also secondary narrator characters, but I found Kavanaugh by far the most compelling. Stross' extrapolations of what people would do if 3D fabricator technology became widely available are plausible and horrifying.

This is the second Stross book I've read where the entire book is written in second person. That sounds really horrible, but I've found that after a few pages I don't even notice. I'm sure the book would have a radically different feel if it used traditional third-person narration, so don't let scare you off.

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