📚心得【電馭叛客2077_絕非巧合】｜Review《Cyberpunk: No Coincidence 》 by Rafal Kosik, 2023

#cyberpunk #oligarchy #dystopia #corruption #meaninglessness

《絕非巧合》是Cyberpunk官方CDPR的第一本小說，故事約莫發生在Cyberpunk遊戲結局後的數個月後，除了Night City各個地理區塊的名稱、基本職業、企業集團外，基本與遊戲內的角色、事件無關，沒玩過遊戲或看過《邊緣行者》也能直接看這本，反正都一樣要查專有名詞 😅

平時喜歡挑Space Opera等敘事規模更大、跳脫人類視野作品看的我一般是不會來翻這類作品的，會看這本純粹是因為中華科幻協會邀請了譯者李函老師來11月中的讀書會，今年觀望著還沒參加過的自己覺得這次主題自己還算有點興趣就趕緊讀了，結果開始前也只看了60%左右而已，還沒進到最後核心階段，這幾天旅遊拉車期間終於是給它看完了。

對不了解Cyberpunk世界設定的人而言，我覺得這是部極不友善的官方作品。我是直接看英譯電子書的，所以不知道中譯版有沒有加入給新讀者方便的註釋（後來去書店翻中譯版，沒有），專有名詞如ICE（防火牆與防駭編程）、C-Link（類似USB-C）、AeroZeps（空中貨櫃氣艇）、CHOOH2（虛構的高毒性植物基底燃料）等都要讀者自己去查官方wiki，更不用說虛構歷史事件如Crash of ‘94、美國各州與中央內戰、企業戰爭、Militech控制下的NUSA成立、Arasaka挺自由城邦、傳奇Data Krash、rogue AI之亂、NetWatch建立Blackwall等，甚至還有各個企業、幫派、地區發展背景，連遊戲、動畫皆食完的我都得去查到底歷史設定上發生過哪些事件，得先看過不小篇幅的虛構歷史才能完全了解各勢力間的愛恨情仇，作者假設讀者了解的知識過多、過於複雜。

這類問題也經常發生在《星際大戰》、《獵魔士》、DC、Marvel類的官方作品上，我認為現在光是讀者就已經夠少了，應該要想辦法降低新讀者進入作品的門檻，不該再有這種“請去閱讀前作”的態度。

人們絕對不會希望生活在故事中2077夜城的環境中，正常的空氣、水、食物皆稀有，戰爭後的破壞與汙染使得在郊區靠農耕畜牧自給自足困難，社會福利與醫療服務基本不存在，國際網路癱瘓，地區網路被全面控制，各種高科技產品存在但皆被壟斷，政府即是無關自己利益就不管事的領頭企業們，街上幫派橫行，導致非企業員工的大眾們心裡所想的都是如何賺快錢來買企業的產品續命。設定中的美國根本是地獄，但在夜城，你至少有機會做個地獄裡的頭頭，即使依然無法活得自由、完全脫離他人掌控。

《絕非巧合》的故事主角群共有5人，從原本的素不相識到後來的相互合作利用，經歷了多次搶劫任務（heists），敘事角度不斷在人物間切換，卻不在段落開頭附註現在是誰的視角，讀者必須先往後看一小段、確認角色立場後再回頭讀起，這對我來說閱讀體驗非常糟糕。

以下開雷。

撇開敘事、對新讀者不友善的缺點，就算理解了故事上發生了什麼事，我還是有非常多劇情上的邏輯疑問，如什麼都沒查清的警探Liam在整個事件中角色的存在意義？Milena真的是吃飽太閒就來尋死？Ron為何在沒有被竄改記憶的情況下會忘記曾經幫Zor aka Jay動過手術？Albert為何在知道Data Krash與rogue AI歷史的情況下，還會樂觀地認為黑牆外的個體們會「歡迎」他？Arasaka的Katsuo明明知道刺殺資訊，也完全有本錢和勢力能活捉Militech的AI，幹嘛還要放下身段給Zor機會刺殺自己也要與之溝通？邏輯上無法牽上，就導致容易出戲，又也許是我真的讀不明白吧。

結局的部分，我不是很喜歡這種「一切都在模擬控制中」的調調，只是相比Jeremy Robinson的《Infinite》那樣都在全虛幻VR裡，這次是由Militech在現實中Arasaka掌控大半的自由城Night City內放生數個AI，各自進行不顧後果的直接模擬（Zor是ArS-03，我猜想沒人類情緒的Juliena或身體不受自己控制的Aya會是ArS-04，而ArS-01或ArS-02可能是向Juliena說過”I used to be just like you”且Juliena聽到後竟然有反應的Maelstromer Dixie），展現出「小蝦米們不管如何掙扎都仍是在大鯨魚肚子內」的完全無力感，即使是鐵錚錚的事實我也覺得過於負面，動畫《Cyberpunk_Edge Runner 邊緣行者》最後就算只有Lucy活下，至少Lucy還記得、珍惜著那份逝去的正面情感與記憶，《No Coincidence 絕非巧合》呢？我不知道整部作品除了對企業隻手遮天與人性的絕望外，還想表達什麼。

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IMO總分：52分，明明故事應該是能寫得不錯的，但缺點實在多到自己稱讚不下去。

核心思想：★★☆☆☆ 核心討論議題是否有趣*5

劇情細節：★★★☆☆ 綜觀整體劇情的質與量*4

角色刻畫：★★★☆☆ 角色群的必要性與深度*3

科學軟硬：★★★★☆ 是否符合現實物理現象*3

結局滿意：★☆☆☆☆ 結局滿意度與有無餘韻*3

易讀程度：★★★☆☆ 閱讀時章節是否難消化*2

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#cyberpunk #oligarchy #dystopia #corruption #nihilism

《No Coincidence》 is the first official novel from Cyberpunk by CDPR, set roughly several months after the conclusion of the Cyberpunk game. While it references the names of different geographic districts in Night City, basic factions and corporate groups, it has little connection to the game's characters or events. Even those who haven't played the game or watched their anime show 《Cyberpunk: Edgerunners》 can enjoy this novel, as you'll still need to look up proper nouns anyway 😅

As someone who usually prefers grand narrative scales in Space Opera and stories that transcend human perspectives, I generally wouldn't touch this kind of material. However, I decided to read this because the Chinese Sci-Fi Association invited translator Mr. Li to a sharing session in mid-November. Feeling like I should participate more this year, and given my mild interest in the theme, I quickly picked it up — though I only went through about 60% before diving into its core. It wasn't until during these few days of traveling that I finally finished it.

For those unfamiliar with Cyberpunk's world-building, I'd say this is an extremely unfriendly official work. I read the English e-book directly, so I don't know if the Chinese translation includes annotations to ease new readers into the story (spoiler: it doesn't. I checked the physical copy). Terms like ICE (firewalls and anti-hacking programs), C-Link (similar to USB-C), AeroZeps (air cargo zeppelins), CHOOH2 (a fictional highly toxic plant-based fuel), etc., all require readers to look them up on the official wiki. And there are also fictional historical events, like the Crash of '94, the US civil war between states and the federal government, corporate wars, Militech's establishment of NUSA under their control, Arasaka's Free City-States, the Legend of Data Krash, the rogue AI chaos, NetWatch building Blackwall; plus the backgrounds of various corporations, gangs, and regions. Even for someone who has consumed both the game and anime, diving into this book still requires researching the extensive fictional history to fully grasp the conflicts between different factions. The author assumes an excessive amount of prior knowledge from readers that might be too complex to handle.

This type of issue also frequently occurs in official works like 《Star Wars》, 《The Witcher》, DC, and Marvel franchises. I believe that with the current readership already being low, efforts should be made to lower the barrier for new readers to enter the series, rather than maintaining this attitude of "please read the previous works first."

People would never want to live in an environment like the 2077 Night City, where normal air, water, and food are scarce. The destruction and pollution from wars make it difficult to self-sustain through farming or livestock in the suburbs. Social welfare and medical services are practically non-existent. The global internet had long been paralysed, while regional networks are fully controlled. High-tech products exist but are monopolized. Governments operate like leading enterprises that only act in their own interests. Street gangs run rampant, leaving ordinary people who aren't enterprise employees to think solely about how to make quick money to buy the enterprises' products to stay alive. The America depicted here is essentially hell, but in Night City at least, you have the chance to become a kingpin in hell — even if you still can't live freely or completely free from others' control.

The story features five main characters who go from complete strangers to collaborating and exploiting each other through multiple heists. The narrative perspective shifts between the characters, but it doesn't specify whose viewpoint we're seeing at the beginning of each section. This forces readers to keep reading forward to understand the character's stance before going back, which made the reading experience very unpleasant for me.

Enough of complaints, spoilers ahead.

Putting aside the narrative issues and its unfriendliness to new readers, even after understanding what happens in the story, I still have a lot of logical questions about the plot. For example: What's the purpose of Investigator Liam, who seemingly accomplishes nothing without any lead? Was Milena really just bored and decided to die? Why does Ron forget that he once operated on Zor aka Jay without his memory being altered? Why is Albert so optimistic in believing that individuals outside the Black Wall would "welcome" him, despite knowing the history of Data Krash and rogue AI? And why would Katsuo of Arasaka, who obviously knows about the assassination info and has both the means and power to capture Militech's AI, stoop down to give Zor an opportunity to kill him just to communicate with him? The logic doesn't add up, making it easy to lose immersion. Maybe I'm just not getting it.

The ending left me unimpressed by its "everything is just simulation" vibe. While it's a far cry from Jeremy Robinson's novel 《Infinite》, where everything takes place entirely within a virtual reality, this time around, Militech lets several AI loose around Night City in reality, controlled mostly by Arasaka. These AIs run simulations without regard for consequences. Zor being ArS-03, and I wonder if Juliena, without human emotions, or Aya, whose body isn't under her own control, would be classified as ArS-04. Meanwhile, ArS-01 or ArS-02 might refer to Maelstromer Dixie, who told Juliena, "I used to be just like you," and surprisingly, Juliena reacted upon hearing that. This setup highlights the sense of nihilism, where these "small fishes" are still trapped within "giant whale's belly," no matter how they struggle. Even though it's supposed to be a hard truth, I find it overly negative. In contrast, in the anime 《Cyberpunk: Edge Runner》, at least Lucy survives and holds onto those lost positive emotions and memories. But what does 《No Coincidence》 aim to convey beyond its critique of corporate overreach and despair regarding humanity? I have no idea.

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IMO Rating: 52. Story has the potential to be well written, yet the shortcomings are so numerous that I can't quite compliment it.

Core Theme: ★★☆☆☆ (*5)

Plot Quality: ★★★☆☆ (*4)

Character Development: ★★★☆☆ (*3)

Science Validity: ★★★★☆ (*3)

Ending Satisfaction: ★☆☆☆☆ (*3)

Readability: ★★★☆☆ (*2)