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DeltaNet
86 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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April 19, 2023
I'm very happy that I'm now able to move this from my 'too difficult' list to my 'read' list - I didn't want to mark it as 'in progress' in case I had to move it back for a second time!
Published in 1999, DeltaNet is the fifth novel from Andras Millward (RIP). I thought it'd be a bit of a laugh reading a novel written in the nineties about Big Tech™ that was completely unimaginable at the time, but once I got underway it was very easy to forget this novel is 1) for learners, and 2) over 20 years old. In fact, its themes are very interesting through a 2023 lens, where the vast majority of folks in the West (yes, including me) love their smart-tech. I don't own an Apple watch nor is my phone top-of-the-range, but the latter is still my camera, my calendar, my e-mail inbox, my map, and my alarm clock. I have a Google Home device that reads out the weather, sets timers to raise my bread by, and plays Radio Cymru when I get up in the morning. You get my drift. We love tech. And so does the world that Millward writes about in DeltaNet; to the point of ruthlessness, cover-ups and violence to ensure success.
As expected from the cover and the blurb, the story is a short, gritty thriller. The sinister nature of the plot lends itself very well to missing details and secrecy, so you could quite easily imagine having just as colourful a side to his story if one had been written from his perspective. Same goes for Julie - while I didn't warm to her as a character, there's plenty of interest in her background too. And, of course, even though the ending is .
Regarding the difficulty: learning the short-form past tense, especially in third-person, makes all the difference in DeltaNet, so if you've reached or passed the Uned 6 revision in Sylfaen you should be OK. Of course, there's still some unfamiliar vocab. As is usual with Nofelau Nawr publications there isn't a geirfa at the back (which I really would've liked this time round) but some of it can be figured out through context. Keep a dictionary to hand.
This is the first full-length work of Millward's I've read, but previously I'd read a short passage of his for Lingo Newydd in Stori a mwy, and upon googling him I noticed he'd also written for Warhammer 40K. I've wishlisted some of his other Welsh-language works so I'll be sure to procure copies of those soon, because I was completely gripped by DeltaNet from start to finish once I was able to grasp the language.
Would definitely read again for pleasure!
Published in 1999, DeltaNet is the fifth novel from Andras Millward (RIP). I thought it'd be a bit of a laugh reading a novel written in the nineties about Big Tech™ that was completely unimaginable at the time, but once I got underway it was very easy to forget this novel is 1) for learners, and 2) over 20 years old. In fact, its themes are very interesting through a 2023 lens, where the vast majority of folks in the West (yes, including me) love their smart-tech. I don't own an Apple watch nor is my phone top-of-the-range, but the latter is still my camera, my calendar, my e-mail inbox, my map, and my alarm clock. I have a Google Home device that reads out the weather, sets timers to raise my bread by, and plays Radio Cymru when I get up in the morning. You get my drift. We love tech. And so does the world that Millward writes about in DeltaNet; to the point of ruthlessness, cover-ups and violence to ensure success.
As expected from the cover and the blurb, the story is a short, gritty thriller. The sinister nature of the plot lends itself very well to missing details and secrecy, so you could quite easily imagine having just as colourful a side to his story if one had been written from his perspective. Same goes for Julie - while I didn't warm to her as a character, there's plenty of interest in her background too. And, of course, even though the ending is .
Regarding the difficulty: learning the short-form past tense, especially in third-person, makes all the difference in DeltaNet, so if you've reached or passed the Uned 6 revision in Sylfaen you should be OK. Of course, there's still some unfamiliar vocab. As is usual with Nofelau Nawr publications there isn't a geirfa at the back (which I really would've liked this time round) but some of it can be figured out through context. Keep a dictionary to hand.
This is the first full-length work of Millward's I've read, but previously I'd read a short passage of his for Lingo Newydd in Stori a mwy, and upon googling him I noticed he'd also written for Warhammer 40K. I've wishlisted some of his other Welsh-language works so I'll be sure to procure copies of those soon, because I was completely gripped by DeltaNet from start to finish once I was able to grasp the language.
Would definitely read again for pleasure!
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review