Science fiction whodunit set in the same future as Inherit the Earth (1998) from Stableford (to whom, last time out, Kirkus ascribed the output of fellow-Britisher Brian Lumley—apologies to both authors). By 2495, the MegaMall more or less owns and runs the world; old-type humans carry health-preserving internal technology and can undergo a maximum of three rejuvenations, while members of the New Human Race require neither and, barring accident, have attained immortality. United Nations police officers Charlotte Holmes and Hal Watson investigate the murder of old gene engineer Gabriel King: he was gobbled up by black flowers delivered by a beautiful but unidentified young woman. Also joining the case are MegaMall special investigator Michael Lowenthal and famous flower-geneticist Oscar Wilde (who, given to pontificating, lacks both wit and epigrams). Naturally, Wilde himself is a suspect, along with rival gene engineers Jafri Biasiolo and old Walter Czastka. Other victims, killed in the same manner and visited by the same woman, soon show up. The victims all attended college together. Walter Czastka clearly knows something but clams up. As the DOA list lengthens, it emerges that chief suspect Biasiolo is Czastka’s son—Czastka performed illegal genetic experiments that the others helped cover up—while the elusive young woman is genetically his mother! Even so, Jafri Biasiolo died months ago. Impressive biological speculations and an intriguing setup, but the stodgy investigation isn—t helped either by the obscure motive or the tale’s overstuffing with pointless Victoriana.
Pub Date: Sept. 8, 1999
ISBN: 0-312-87207-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
Scientific fiction enclosed in a frame — wanderer meets a tattooed man whose images foretell the future, leaving a space to preview the destiny of the viewer. Here is an open circuit on ideas, which range from religion, to racial questions, to the atom bomb, rocket travel (of course), literature, escape to the past, dreams and hypnotism, children and their selfish and impersonal acceptance of immediate concepts, robots, etc. Note that here the emphasis is on fiction instead of science, and that the stories — in spite of space and futurities — have some validity, even if the derivations can be traced. Sample The Veldt, or This Man, or Fire Balloons, or The Last Night In the World for the really special qualities. A book which is not limited by its special field.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1950
ISBN: 0062079972
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: March 20, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1950
Irredeemable in any world, real or virtual.
In this cyberpunk fiction debut, a massively popular online game has real-world consequences.
Ashley Akachi is a mixed-race woman who’s known as “Ashura the Terrible” to millions of fans of Infinite Game, which is watched around the world. In a near-future Florida that’s half drowned by rising sea levels, she sits inside a haptic chamber that converts her movements into gameplay in the ultraviolent competition. Former NFL player Kluwe (Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies, 2013) describes the game’s mechanics at length, at times giving the book the feel of watching someone else play a video game. (The game’s racist and misogynist online message boards also feature prominently.) Eventually, Ash uncovers a vast conspiracy involving not only Infinite Game, but also her love interest, Hamlin, who’s hiding a secret of his own. Unfortunately, there’s not enough space in this brief review to examine everything that’s obnoxious or distasteful in this novel, from its opening bullet-point infodump, lazily passed off as worldbuilding, to its eye-rolling last line. One may wonder if any women were involved in this book’s publication in any meaningful way. Only a male author could believe a woman thinks about “dicks” this often; when facing gender inequality, Ash huffs, “Must be nice to have a dick”; before castrating a would-be rapist, she scoffs, “You thought your dick made you a man? You’ll never be a man again.” Characters' attacks on Ash are all viciously gender-specific; in addition to being threatened with rape throughout, she's repeatedly called “slut,” “whore,” and “cunt.” Meanwhile, Ash herself reads like an unintentional parody of an empowered woman; she leers suggestively at a woman’s behind and then laments her small bust size, at length, before deciding “boobs are overrated.” At the book’s climax, Ash thinks that she’s “so tired of shitty men and their shitty dreams.” After reading this, readers will surely feel the same.
Irredeemable in any world, real or virtual.Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-20393-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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