by Pat Cadigan
First published 2012
Gina works as a synner, pulling raw visual data directly from performers' minds and processing it into marketable content. She connects neural interfaces to artists and musicians, downloading their brain patterns to create immersive experiences for consumers. The technology blurs every boundary between mind and machine, making it nearly impossible to distinguish between authentic thoughts and artificial input. When the latest neural enhancement hits the market, it brings with it a wave of digital crimes that law enforcement cannot understand or control. Gina finds herself caught between the human performers who trust her with their consciousness and the corporate systems that treat minds like any other data source. The external world becomes indistinguishable from internal experience as people lose track of what originates in their own thoughts versus what comes through the network.
Genres: science-fiction, 21st-century, artificial-intelligence, cyberpunk
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: corporate-corruption, identity-crisis, technology-gone-wrong
497 pages · Kindle Edition · Gollancz
Content warnings: mental-illness