An intensely strange, and surreal novel, where the author really steps up his game. Elements of my two previous favorites of his; American Psycho, and The Informers, are combined to delightful effect in this story. Though Ellis is relying on his usual rich, nihilistic, drug and sex inundated characters, it all seems new.
This is definitely a different take on the lifestyle, with more dramatic consequences of the character's actions. There is some really tense and uncomfortable action scenes, and the main character really has some ethical quandaries. The symbolism is writ much larger, the allusions are bigger and more obvious, though some of it is a little hard to puzzle out.
If you've read some of Ellis's other works, and found yourself being bored by an endless string of events that didn't seem to add up to anything, this book If at first it seems like a rehash, wait it out until the second half. You won't be able to put it down, trying desperately to figure out just what the hell is going on. The resolution left a bit to be desired, as everything isn't wrapped up neatly, and many questions are left unanswered.
This adds to the book's mystery, however. It's not a straightforward story, but a parable. The characters and situations are meant to be symbolic representations of things in our culture, and as such, you can't interpret everything in the novel literally.
All in all, it was quite worthwhile and I enjoyed it profoundly
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