Book Review: Sqinks by Rudy Rucker

 

 

 

 

Sqinks by Rudy Rucker

256 pages, Paperback
Published November 15, 2025 by Transreal Books

Rudy Rucker is a cyberpunk legend, who won the first-ever Philip K. Dick award so I was very excited to find out he had written another novel. I bought and reviewed his last novel, Juicy Ghosts. Right after I heard this was coming, I found out that he was going to be on a panel at SF in SF with us talking about Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. So I was able to snag a signed #42 of the first 75. After reading it, Rudy came on the live Tuesday night PKD hangout to talk about it.

Just for a baseline, Rudy has pretty much walked away from traditional publishing and come up with a model that frees him up. He does this by funding through Kickstarter, ends up making more money than traditional publishing, and since his books are trans-real, as he would call it, or weird as hell, the rest of it would call it, this is a good thing. He has no publisher telling him to explain it better or make things clearer, which is not needed.

Sqinks is set in a slightly near-future San Francisco and is, in a way, autobiographical. Like Rudy, the main character Oliver is a science fiction writer who recently lost a wife. Had a tough go and eventually met a new love, in this case Carol. This future has self-driving cars (We got those), but we don’t have twirlware (internal mental internet thingy).

As with every Rucker book, it is weird, funny, and at times head-stratching, but that is what you sign up for. Weird adventures, with aliens that eat brains, wormholes, strange drugs, and math-inspired SF.

Sqinks are aliens from another like virtual tribbles that feed off creative energy, thus they become a metaphor or analogy for large language learning AI and how they are fucking artists, at least that was my read. Some of the best moments are when the fourth wall of the novel melts away and Rucker comments on writing or the genre.

Great stuff and big thumbs up. 

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SF in SF Panel, Left to Right, Rudy, Me, Jacob Weisman and David Gill

 Rudy on the Live PKD hangout! They happen every Tuesday night!