Bought while trawling charity shops yesterday. Duplicate copy for bookcrossing.

Synopsis: Michael Marshall Smith's surreal, groundbreaking, and award-winning debut which resonates with wild humour interlaced with dark recollections of an emotional minefield. Now part of the Voyager Classics collection. Stark is the hero the future is waiting for -- God help it. He's smart, alarmingly cool, and has immaculate taste in shirts. He's a troubleshooter in the City, a lawless sprawl of Neighbourhoods which covers the country from coast to coast. Each is totally geared to the desires of those who live in it, from can-do corporate types, through deranged criminals, to people who just don't like loud noises. Stark accepts a job from Zenda Renn, the human face of the Action Centre -- where people who have to be doing something all the time hang out. Someone's missing. Zenda needs him found, and soon. In a world where the past and future, reality and dreams meet and have a fist fight, Stark is the only man who can make a difference. Time's running out and there's no going back. Only Forward.

Book Ring Rules (Adapted from psychjo and kleptokitty)

1) Everybody should leave a journal entry when receiving the book and after the read! Please let us all know what you think about it...
2) Also PM the next person on the list for a mailing address and when that person doesn't answer within 7 days MAX! please PM the one after...
3) Everybody should also try to read the book soon (max - one month?)- but in a joyful speed. It's not about how many books someone can read within a certain amount of time - it's about enjoying it...
4) You can send the book via surface mail or airmail - that is completely up to you.
5) If you find you don't have the time to read it when it's your turn please PM and I'll move you to a later slot.
6) Enjoy :-)


Participants

...
Shimmy-crazy (UK)
Samulli (Germany)
bilbi (France)
katfysh (Oz*)
catsalive (Oz*)
GateGypsy (Canada)
fanclub (USA)
Nell-Lu (UK)
rainbowandrain (UK)
Sidney1 (Germany)
boirina (Portugal)
newk (Australia)

RELEASE NOTES:

Off to start the bookring.

Arrived yesterday which was perfect timing as I finished my book last night so I could start it on the train this morning.

Thanks to Daemonwolf for starting this ring

Sorry for taking so long with this one. I thought it was fantastic, it starts as a kind of sci fi detective story and part way through it turns really really strange. Oh and the cats were great too!

Sent to Samulli last week (7th February)

Arrived here today. I will get to it as soon as I finished my current read.

I loved this book. I used to think my science-fiction days were over, but this is certainly a book worth reading. I don't wanna spoil the plot for the following readers, so I will keep my entry here short (I'll post a longer review in my blog sometime).
I will definitely get a copy of this book for myself to re-read at a later time, and check out more of Smith's writing.
Thanks a lot, daemonwolf, for giving me the opportunity to find another potential favorite writer! ;o)
I have PMed bilbi already and will send off the book as soon as I get the address.

I have mailed out the book to France.

Received today. Thanks. Two bookrings to read before starting this one !
Happy BC to you all \o/

It was great to follow Stark along. I love to discover new scifi world and this was a very puzzling and interesting one !
Thanks for sharing.

Received, thank you bilbi. Just finishing another and then I'll be starting on this one.

Interesting story, great writing style that was easy to laugh out loud to. I'm not a huge sci fi fan but I really enjoyed this book and will definitely check out some of the author's other writing.

PMing catsalive to send on.

Thanks, katfysh.

I really enjoyed the first half, great fun & bizarre. The 2nd half got a bit bogged down & while I could see what was happening, the whole nightmare thing being about Stark, I got a bit tired of it. I wasn't expecting the real-life 400 years ago. I loved all the cats & could picture Spangle in my mind's eye. All up, very entertaining & totally weird.

Thanks, daemonwolf. Just awaiting GateGypsy's address.

Posted to GateGypsy via surface mail.

Arrived in the mail today, YaY! Unfortunately, as you all must know, it's feast or famine when it comes to bookrings, and I right now have FIVE bookring books (including the one I am currently reading) that arrived before this one. I will work very hard to get through them all ASAP (though I warn you, one of them is The Grapes of Wrath, eeps!) and on to this one. Thanks for making this one available, daemonwolf. I'm looking forward to it!

Well, I finally got through Grapes of Wrath and managed to get on to Only Forward. Did it ever surprise me! I mean, it starts out as a rather entertaining, wryly funny, private-detective-in-the-left-fieldish-strange-future sort of story (I''ve never read it, but I suspect Dirk Gently''s Holistic Detective Agency might be in the same vein), but it changes, too. I mean, it still goes detective-with-a-dark-past is hired by girl-he-likes for job-that-isn''t-what-it-seems and then must face arch-nemesis (at least, I assume that''s much like what these stories go like... isn''t that how it went for Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?)

Still, when Stark dodged around his hazy past, I doubt anyone really guessed at what it was going to be until he got around to telling us. I know I didn''t. I spent a lot of the book confused about the title and subtitle: "Only Forward" and "Ever wondered where you go to dream?" I kept wondering what on earth those things had to do with the story I was reading. Eventually the reason became clear, and it was in a most surprising and satisfying way.

I have to say I was impressed and touched by the main character, and his personal pain. Having to come to grips with the simple linear fact of time: you can only go forward. You can''t go back. Not only that, but you can''t stay in one place, either, because everything else is moving forwrad.

The future envisioned by Smith is unlike one I''ve ever encountered in science fiction before (although I admit to not reading all that much of it.) It''s far from Utopian, and so very... odd **laughs** I think that I may have ended up living in Colour Neighbourhood, too, as I can''t wear watches, either. I thought that Spangle and his part-time residence with Stark and part-time residence in Cat Neighbourhood was a neat little twist, and am pleased that Smith obviously loves cats as much as I do. Or, at least he credits them with eerie intelligence **laughs** Which is very manifest in the mere existance of such a neighbourhood.

I am very glad to have had the chance to read this book. This is yet another book that, had it not been for bookcrossing, I probably never would have known it existed. I appreciate your willingness to share it with all of us, daemonwolf, and thank you again so very much for your patience with me! I have PMed fanclub and will post this book when I next visit the post office.

Finally got this down to the post office, Sept 22, and it's been relinquished to the care of Canada Post. fanclub should receive it in a reasonable amount of time, since we're at least on the same continent **laughs** Thanks for sharing! And thanks for your patience.

Arrived today safe & sound. Almost finished with my current read, and I'll start this one ASAP.

I started this book and found myself thinking ... "Great, a sci-fi mystery novel ... sigh." I trudged on for a bit, and a couple of times considered just putting it down - I wasn't in the mood for sci-fi or mystery. I am so incredibly glad I did not! This book is astounding, funny, moving, and contains some of the most eloquent passages I have read in a while. Thanks so much for this ring - I am definitely going to look out for other books by this author!

*10/22/07* I have the address and will be mailing off this week!

This just arrived - thank you fanclub for posting it, daemonwolf for starting the ring, and everyone else for getting it this far. I'm looking forward to reading only forward. It's next up, after my current book.

I enjoyed this, thanks again daemonwolf. I liked the writing style; some of the imagery was very effective and the descriptions were extremely visual so allowed the world Stark lives in to be imagined. I found things tailed off a little towards the end and I didn't really appreciate the twist that explained Stark's childhood. But, the overall impression was great and I'll certainly look out for Smith's other novels.

rainbowandrain has asked to be skipped, so I have Sidney1's address. But, I'm afraid I won't be able to get this out until next week sometime; sorry to cause a delay. I'll post an update when the book has been sent.

I posted only forward to Sidney1 this afternoon, by airmail. Happy reading!

Book arrived safely in yesterday's post,thank you Nell-Lu and of course daemonwolf for oranising this. Have read the first 30 pages. Weird but wonderful so far. I'll keep you updated.

This is, to say the least, a strange book. It starts off as a cool thriller, and I think I like that part best. It’s laughing out loud funny in parts, particularly when the hero describes and comments on the character of certain machines – I really laughed about the quiet revolution of the elevator and Stark’s comment: “Way to go, Fight ‘em from within.”. I also liked the machines they have in the future – who doesn’t need a CloazValet! But the Jeamland sequences were just too mad, too imagined, too weird for my liking. Yes, I liked the final explanation of Stark’s past, and no, I hadn’t cottoned on. But that part is too slim for my liking, while the Jeamland parts are too long. Also, it’s really quite graphically violent in parts, which seems unnecessary.

The book gets rather philosophical in parts. I find the idea that the past never lets you go and that we leave parts of us behind if something bad happens rather depressing. I did like the image that each of us has a little child locked up inside us which hardly ever sees the sun, which we neglect. But I don’t thinks “you love because you want to need someone the way you did when you were a child”. In fact, positive love should not include a desperate feeling of needing the person like a child does, you should not be dependent on the other.

Still, I am very pleased I read the book. The style is hard-boiled, fast-paced, very descriptive and still personal. Good writing.

I so totally agree with GateGypsy: if it had not been for Bookcrossing, I would never have discovered this book (by the way, love your review, GateGypsy, and samulli’s blog). Thank you for sharing, daemonwolf.

I’ve got boirina’s address and will send the book on tomorrow.

The book got here safely today. Thanks!

I really enjoyed the beginning of the book. I thought it was brilliant, intriguing and hilarious. Then I sort of found myself in a weird place. And in the end it all fell into place and made sense. :)

Forgive me for not saying more. I've enjoyed it, it's just that I don't want to spoil it for whoever comes after.

The book is on its way to Newk in Australia. Enjoy!

Thankyou for including me. I now have it.

A rather strange book. I raced into it and now have only a few pages to go. Trouble is that I have had only these few pages to go for some weeks now and I just don't care any more. I enjoyed the first bit A LOT. It was an unusual look at a rather unusual future. It didn't quite hang together and maybe I am going to find out why in the next few pages.
Look, that said, I am not entirely negative and have recognised a talent and am now three quarters of the way through Spares by the same author, and may even finish it first. It is also rather dystopic but I think that MMS has progressed as a writer and I intend, over the next few years, to read all of his books.
So thanks to daemonwolf for introducing me to the author. As discussed with wolfy this book is destined to travel to the upcoming Australian convention. It did travel with me to London but also came home.

added later...I took it to a meet up and gave it to HINERANGI who promised to give it a go

cheers all and happy bookcrossing.

Oh yeah do we "while" away the hours or "wile"? and can an ::electric:: helicopter run out of gas? I don't know for sure. Just posing the questions.

and finally to DW I hope this note finds you well and hearty

RELEASE NOTES:

caught at tonights meetup

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

on bus stop seat