148 pages

English language

Published Dec. 30, 1997 by s.n.].

ISBN:
978-1-56865-279-5
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OCLC Number:
37212194

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3 stars (1 review)

1 edition

reviewed Press enter by John Varley (The Science Fiction Book Club collection)

Review of 'Press enter' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Published in 1984, this novella is a decent horror/tech story for its time.

Surprisingly, the author knew very little about computers at the time of writing. His research worked, because the lingo feels right, if the capabilities are a little beyond the CPUs of the time. The main characters are flawed by their experiences in back-to-back wars. Kluge, though dead, is also an interesting character, a lone hacker.

The plot moves along at the start and end of this book, but sags in the middle. While a computer-illiterate character allows the author to show more than tell, it still feels a bit forced. In the decade after 1984, I would have given this 4 stars for originality and sheer horror.