When Gravity Fails

Review: When Gravity Fails, by George Alec Effinger

So, to put it simply, this is one of the best cyberpunk books I have read, right up there with Snow Crash. It is different than Snow Crash, but very well-written, well-researched, and just fun to read.
As an indication: I purchased this book in the Concord Bookshop this past Sunday, around 1:00PM. I had finished the 284 page volume by 5:00PM on Monday, some 28 hours later.
It is that good.
The book centers around Marid Audran, a fixer/PI who lives by his wits in the Budayeen, a dangerous city in an unnamed Arab country. Although there are lots of references to the political condition of the world, the only thing the reader needs to understand is the idea of an economic collapse, and of some serious cybernetics.
A large theme in this book is change. The cybernetics described are ones that change who you are, at a base level. The most popular enhancement is a brain tap, most often used to plug in personality modification modules, or "moddies". There are also modules which enhance some of you brain's capabilities, called "daddies", but other than language modules, these seem to be less commonplace.
Marid has insisted that he will not modify his brain, and takes the disadvantages he gets when dealing with modifed people as a challenge. He is fiercely independent, and that becomes very important to the core story.
First, let me say that Marid Audran is a character I identified with very easily. His motivations and personality pop out at you, and there are certain parts of the book where you will be sharing Audran's emotions as the events in the story are thrown at him.
Also, the book is well researched. I somehow doubt (though I could be wrong) that Effinger was Islamic, but the book's setting feels very genuine and real, despite being something I am not familiar with firsthand. It makes for a unique setting for this type of novel, far away from Neo-Tokyo or BAMA.
And finally, the story is a first-rate detective mystery spun into this Cyberpunk universe. The plot could not occur without the conceits of the futuristic setting, but any mystery fan who isn't entirely repelled by the technology element would find this to be a riveting mystery.
I give this my wholehearted recommendation, and will be scouring a bookstore for Effinger's other two Audran novels the next time I can get off camp.