Will Sargent reviewed Rule 34 by Charles Stross
Review of 'Rule 34' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
Rule 34 is set in the same world as Halting State with many of the same characters. It does not have the same plot though -- the chaos and memedropping that was so prevalent during Halting State seems to be turned down, and it's evident that everyone involved has grown up since those times.
The characterization is strong, and you can tell instantly whose POV you are reading from simply by the contractions and things that different people notice. Liz is analytical and always on the lookout for what is "appropriate". Anwar thinks he's very clever. And the Toymaker... well, the less said about him the better.
There's only so much I can say about this, except that it has the neatest solution for ending spam that I've ever seen. Recommended.