TERMINUS

This ponderous tale pits Amber, an inmate of the Martian prison called Camp Deadend, against Dionysius, high priest of the Universal Fellowship of the Stigmata, a cult that believes salvation is to be found through the self-infliction of pain. The discovery of a strange alien city brings Dionysius and Amber together on Mars, along with a motley company that includes a scientist who has discovered a drug that heightens the user's sense of empathy, and Zelie, the nymphet daughter of the president of Eurafrica. The relationship between Zelie and her father strikes an attractive note, but these goings-on, although intended to be apocalyptic, rise only to the level of dullness.