Review of The Cybergypsies by Indra Sinha

The cyber world before the advent of the Internet - a dark and forbidding place where one met unspeakable villains and gallant knights. A place evocative of the Dark Ages, complete with evil plotting magicians turning out viruses by the thousand, white magicians who sought to counter them with their own anti-viral viruses and battles in virtual dungeons.

Indra Sinha takes us on a truly unforgettable journey of the ice age of the Internet. As bulletin boards gained in popularity, a new jetset is born, taking the world by storm. London, New York and Paris, all at the same time is business as usual for them. It is into this world that the author takes his first steps, and as he does so, he is sucked into it completely, losing control over himself as his cyber alter ego takes up all his time. He fights a desperate battle against an addiction that is so strong that it threatens to destroy all that he holds dear. All the while, he is also trying to come to terms with the alternate realities that he faces.

A lucid style, complemented by vivid imagery, stands out as Sinha describes landscapes, in the real world as well as in his mind. The bizarre things he sees and does in cyberspace, he brings to life with his words. His imagery and his descriptions of his feelings leaves one gasping for breath. At times, the things he describes are so mindblowing that one has to forcibly detach oneself from reality in order to even understand what he says. A powerful book which will take your mind by storm. Read this and your perception of reality will never be the same again.