"Masking meant that Venetians could remain themselves beneath the masks instead of pretending they were barefaced and honest. When in truth everyone masked and those who learned to do it with their faces showing to the world were merely creating another mask, a more dangerous one."

Twenty-plus years ago, when this book was published, the Internet was a very different creature than it is now. Lewitt's imaginings are amazingly prescient (the fight for net neutrality, the ubiquity of online shopping, the dangers of Internet fraud, savvy applications of virtual reality, the preference for some of avatars rather than engaging with "the meat world"), and while we don't have information guilds as such, Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Apple are perfect stand ins. As a story of intrigue, Interface Masque mostly satisfies and as sci fi, it's mostly successful (although I agree with some other readers that aliens* as ghosts in the machine is a little much).

The things that worked for me: I really enjoyed the Venetian setting, the idea of and ideas around the role of masks and music, and as a jazz fan I was ... jazzed by her descriptions of that genre's ability to spark creativity.

Where the book misses: small details such as more than one reference to "ice cream" rather than gelato, given the Italian setting; the ways in which some storylines aren't fully developed; and the ending isn't particularly rewarding.

All in all though, this was a fun read. I don't regret the time spent reading it.

*Getting back to the aliens, her conception of an alien mind is intriguing, but I just didn't feel it needed to be part of this story, which already had a lot going on. ( )

Definitely an overlooked work of the cyberpunk genre.
In a future Venice still redolent of the past, brilliant young people and experts are recruited into Septs - organizations that are a combination of corporation, cult and convent/monastery.
Cecile, a novice, is proud to have been accepted into Sept-Fortune, which specializes in data management. However, when she's given her "final exam" - a test with pass-or-be-expelled consequences, it's an assignment which violates all the ethical standards the Sept has so carefully inculcated in her, involving stealing private data.
In deciding what path she should take, Cecile unwittingly becomes drawn into depths she hadn't guessed at - blackmail, terrorist plots, forbidden jazz concerts at underground nightclubs...
It's a fun, exciting story with the importance of free expression and free speech as a major theme. Rich with music, I was almost-convinced that I like jazz a lot more than I do in real life!
My one problem with the book was that at one point there's a major (and really indefensible) terrorist act. It happens - and then it's not really dealt with. I'm not asking that all fictional perpetrators of violence get punished... but the emotional repercussions, and the deeper ramifications of such an act are just kind of slid over, I felt. It was a little disturbing to me.
Still, I very much enjoyed it, overall. The 'feel' of the book reminded me a lot of Melissa Scott's "Dreaming Metal," (which came out the same year). If you're a fan of that book, I'd highly recommend this one. ( )