|
-
Hivemind social net
-
News
- Features
- Blogs
- Events
Calendar
- Editorials
- Monthly
Zine
- Offworld
Report
- Our Daily
RSS Feed
- Google Toolbar scifi
- Movie/TV
Reviews
> Recent movies
> Movies by year
> Movies by title
- Book
Reviews
> Recent books
> Books by year
> Books by title
- Home
- Worlds
- Biography
- Bibliography
- Appearances
- Reviews
- Blog
- Community
- Press
- Links
Become
an Advertiser
- Web
Site Directory
- Search
the Net
- StephenHunt.net
- WoodenRocket.com
- Check
your E-mail
- Non Sci-Fi
News
|
Flash by L.E. Modesitt, Jr
01/01/2005 . Source: Joules Taylor 
pub: TOR. 480 page hardback. Price: $25.95 (US), $35.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-765-31128-3. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.tor.com
Ten years ago, Jonat deVrai resigned from the Marines after surviving atrocities - and losing significant numbers of his fellow marines - during the Reclamation of Guyana. He made his reasons plainly and abundantly clear to his superiors at the time, which eventually resulted in his reputation for honesty and plain talking.
Now he is a freelance consultant, advising clients on the most effective use of 'prod' - product placement - advertising through subliminals and 'rez'. This is a form of sonic branding whose resonant frequencies are copyrighted and protected as stringently as logos and trade marks used to be, before the ecological disasters of the Collapse changed the face of the planet.
deVrai's life is satisfactory, if a little lonely. Apart from his visits to his sister Aliora, her husband and their two children, he has no real social life, his work takes up most of his time. He's a highly-renowned expert in his field and in considerable demand.
Then he's commissioned to study the effects of rez on political campaigns by the Centre for Societal Research and suddenly his life is thrown into chaos. Attempts on his life, the murder of his sister and brother-in-law and the handing over of their children into his care, the discovery that the AI controlling the police and Safety Office has evolved into a reasoning, feeling being...
Unable to trust anyone, deVrai is forced to turn to his old military skills to survive. Driven by self-preservation, concern about the children, a desire for revenge and aided by a female cydroid, deVrai races to find out who has targeted him and why, only to discover a conspiracy far deeper than he could have imagined.
'Flash' is a rousing tale, beautifully paced and intriguing, keeping the reader guessing to the end and the action is well-depicted. It's also plausible, especially in the light of political events over the last few years. Most of the story is written in the first person, from deVrai's point of view, which while enabling a glimpse into his mind, also runs the risk of being either over the top or too cold and restrained, but the author manages to avoid both pitfalls. deVrai comes across as cool and self-contained, but that is perfectly in keeping with his temperament.
'Flash' can be read as a stand alone, though it would be very useful to have some knowledge of the world in which it's placed. A page of notes, explaining the unfamiliar terms used in the books would be most helpful. Some become clear further into the book. A safo, for example, is a safety officer. Some remain a puzzle to the end. A book to be enjoyed by anyone who likes mystery, conspiracy theory and crime.
Joules Taylor
www.wordwrights.co.uk 
|
|
