Rule 34 | |
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Front cover 1st edition (hardcover, US), 2011 |
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Author(s) | Charles Stross |
Cover artist | Alberto Seveso |
Country | US/UK |
Language | English |
Series | Halting State series |
Genre(s) | science fiction |
Publisher | Ace (US) / Orbit (UK) |
Publication date | July 2011 |
Pages | 368 |
ISBN | 978-0-441-02034-8 |
Preceded by | Halting State |
Followed by | The Lambda Functionary |
Rule 34 is a near-future science fiction novel by Charles Stross.[1][2] It is a loose sequel to Halting State, and was released on July 5 (US) and 7th (UK), 2011.[1][3] 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."[1][4]
The novel is told in second-person singular but from three points of view: Edinburgh Police Inspector Kavanaugh who investigates spammers murdered in 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.
Reviews have been favorable, with Cory Doctorow calling the novel, "savvy, funny, viciously inventive".[5] Kirkus Reviews gives it a star, saying, "Dazzling, chilling and brilliant",[6] Publisher's Weekly calls "the whole more than the sum of its parts",[7] and there are generally positive reviews in The Guardian[8] and The Scotsman.[9]