The latter might be even tickled to find cognitive estrangement at work here as life/reality/existence here has been fashioned into a startling and startlingly effective novum. And, given the synthesis of machine and body (to the point where the protagonists have literally become ‘ghosts in the machine’) a satisfied Sterling might also readily categorize this work as postmodern cyberpunk .
But the real question here is if Freud would be pleased. The answer is – perhaps? Brissett utilizes his concept of repetition compulsion to some insightful effect, from recycling character names to crafting similar scenarios and even repeating key phrasing (e.g. – description of The Twelve). That repetition compulsion is most often seen in the aftermath of trauma offers critical insight into the psychology of the colonized, a key understanding that is highlighted by the book’s