THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

by T. Ernesto Bethancourt ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 1977

Composed of short clips--transcripts, memos, the thoughts of agents and others on the case--this is a staccato sci-fi thriller in the form of a federal investigation. The subject is one Eddie Rodriguez, a nineteen-year-old genius from Spanish Harlem who has gained control of the world money markets, and then disappeared. Eddie's dead body is found, but the being from the future who, we learn, has occupied it is still very much in business. Eventually he/it/Eddie takes up residence not in a human body but in ODIN, the government's top secret central computer through which he plans to run the world. The investigators' style is semi-tough (""All I had to do was explain to the President how I had turned over control of the western world to an insane Puerto Rican slum kid who thought he was God""), the mechanics of the plot and of Eddie's possession are ingenious yet easily accessible, and the whole is a proficient simulation of a popular adult form, subtly trimmed to junior proportions.

Pub Date: March 15, 1977

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1977

Categories: FICTION