Where Does 'Going Infinite' Take Place?

I just finished reading 'Going Infinite' and the setting blew me away. Most of the action happens in a sprawling cyberpunk megacity called Neo-Shanghai, where neon lights never turn off and corporate skyscrapers pierce the smog-filled sky. The story occasionally jumps to the virtual world called the Infinite Realm, a digitized universe where people upload their consciousness. The contrast between the gritty, rain-soaked streets of Neo-Shanghai and the pristine digital landscapes creates this awesome tension throughout the novel. There's also a brief but memorable segment set on an orbital station where the wealthy elite live in zero-gravity luxury, completely detached from the suffering down below.

The geographical scope of 'Going Infinite' surprised me with how thoughtfully it mirrors the themes. Neo-Shanghai serves as the primary setting, a dystopian metropolis divided into vertical classes - the wealthy in upper levels near the sky, the middle class in the habitation zones, and the impoverished in the underground slums. The city feels alive with its hybrid culture blending Eastern and Western influences, where street vendors sell synthetic noodles next to holographic temples.

When characters enter the Infinite Realm, the rules change completely. This virtual world manifests differently for each user, reflecting their psyche. Some see medieval castles, others futuristic cities or abstract dreamscapes. The most fascinating part is how the author shows the blurred line between these realities - certain characters begin experiencing glitches where digital elements bleed into the physical world.

The orbital station Arcadia appears later in the story as this gleaming contrast to Neo-Shanghai's decay. Its sterile white corridors and artificial gardens highlight the disconnect between the ruling class and everyone else. What makes the settings special is how they're not just backdrops but active participants in the narrative, shaping the characters' decisions and worldviews.

As someone who analyzes settings as characters, 'Going Infinite' delivers masterclass worldbuilding. Neo-Shanghai isn't just another cyberpunk city - it's a character with moods. The downtown districts always smell like ozone and fried street food, while the corporate zones feel eerily clean with their self-cleaning nanofloors. You can practically feel the humidity sticking to your skin during the monsoon season chapters.

The Infinite Realm sections switch to this surreal, liquid prose style that perfectly captures virtual reality's fluid nature. Locations morph mid-scene, physics behave oddly, and perspectives shift unexpectedly. I lost count of how many times I had to re-read passages just to soak in the imaginative environments.

That orbital station interlude? Pure claustrophobic brilliance. The way the author describes the curved horizons and artificial sunlight makes you feel both awed and uneasy. What impressed me most was how all three main settings tie together through recurring visual motifs - the color blue represents different things in each environment, and certain architectural patterns repeat across realities.