Right off the bat, let me just say that David Louis Edelman's Infoquake just might be one of the very best science fiction debuts I have ever read. The book deserves all the praise it has garnered, and then some! Only rarely will a debut author produce the sort of work which habitually comes from celebrated veterans... Infoquake takes speculative fiction into uncharted waters: the corporate boardroom of the future. And as such, Edelman's debut is truly unique in its approach. Technological advancements such as virtual reality and cybernetic enhancements have become staples in the genre. And yet, with David Louis Edelman's professional background in programming, software development, and marketing, the author's take on the technology and its cutthroat marketplace feels extremely genuine. Edelman brings a fresh vision to "old" ideas and clichés, which makes Infoquake something special.

Ambitious, vast in scope, with a deftly executed plot and impeccable prose from start to finish, David Louis Edelman's Infoquake is a fascinating read. 2006 was one of the best years in memory in terms of impressive speculative fiction debuts. Had I read it when it was originally released, Infoquake would have trumped Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon, Brian Ruckley's Winterbirth, and Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself.

Highly recommended. I can't wait to sink my teeth into the sequel, MultiReal.

-- Fantasy Hotlist