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Nylon
Angel by Marianne de Pierres check out website: www.orbitbooks.co.uk and www.mariannedepierres.com
The division between rich and poor is bigger than ever, with the less salubrious citizens of the city forced to live on the poison-laced ground where refineries and industry used to stand while the rich shelter in spotless mansions behind guards and barbed wire. With crime
lords fighting for every inch of poisoned soil and a thousand-and-one hazards
waiting for the unwary, life is cheap and the slums of the Tert are a dangerous
place to live. Desperate
for a way to escape his clutches, Parrish sees her chance when one of the Network's
star reporters is assassinated. Hunting down the main suspect in the hope of linking
up with his powerful employers, she finds herself quickly drawn into a world of
intrigue where nothing is as it seems and everybody has an ulterior motive. On
the run and hunted by just about every faction there is, Parrish discovers a far
more sinister threat than the petty bickering of the gangs, as the Angel begins
to unfurl its wings... 'Nylon Angel' is written from the point of view of Parrish Plessis, and is done so in a very easy-going, relaxed manner that makes it an effortless read. The reader is dropped straight in at the deep end, the first-person perspective meaning as yet unexplained references to places, people and objects are common and the slang is flowing thick and fast. Marianne de Pierres' relaxed style makes it clear enough what's happening without understanding exactly what every word Parrish uses actually means and clarifications are made throughout the book at a comfortable pace. By the last page, the reader
will be comfortable with Goboys, Canrats, Terros and more and it all adds a little
verisimilitude to the rough and ready world of Vivacity's underside. On top of
that, de Pierres has a talent for evocative description without descending into
flowery prose and the dialogue is snappy, realistic and, at times, amusing. First impressions of 'Nylon Angel' are uninspiring. The setting seems nothing new and the first few pages portray Parrish Plessis as little more than a surly loner, short on brains and careless of other people - in other words, a stereotypical anti-heroine. Combined with the easy-to-read style this gives the feeling that the book is going to be light on plot and depth, the author more interested in showing what a hard-ass her heroine is than developing her as a person. That
feeling is wrong. Push past the first couple of chapters to the point where everything
starts going seriously wrong for poor old Parrish and you see a surprising amount
of characterisation emerge, both of our cyberpunk heroine and the secondary players
around her. The plot, too, develops layer after layer as the story progresses and the crises really being to pile up, the intrigue and infighting between the numerous factions becoming interesting and engaging. The only
problem with the plot lies in the nasty and terrible secret that emerges during
Parrish's struggles. Somehow, despite its potential ramifications for all of mankind,
this aspect of the plot is under-emphasized, taking a back seat to the gang warfare
and failing to seem as serious as it probably should. Nonetheless,
'Nylon Angel' is a fun and exciting read once you get past the introductory chapters
and while not being particularly original is refreshing enough to keep the pages
turning at a furious rate. A well-written cliff-hanger ending makes it abundantly
clear there is going to be a second book in the series and if it is as good as
the first there could be a bright future ahead of Marianne de Pierres. As such,
'Nylon Angel' finds a welcome place on my 'Quality Cyberpunk' shelf. Martin
Jenner
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OTHER REVIEWS - December 2003
Other reviews this month Dreams Underfoot by Charles De Lint Spirits In The Wires by Charles De Lint First Rider's Call by Kristen Britain Roma Eterna by Robert Silverberg The Life Eaters by David Brin and Scott Hamilton Midnight Lamp by Gwyneth Jones Dreams of the Compass Rose by Vera Nazarian One Lamp: Alternative History Stories edited by Gordon Van Gelder The Druid King by Norman Spinrad Star Trek: Nemesis novelisation by J.M. Dillard Unto Leviathan by Richard Paul Russo The Sundering by Walter Jon Williams Nylon Angel by Marianne de Pierres Falling Out Of Cars by Jeff Noon The Darkest Part Of The Woods by Ramsey Campbell Lord Of Snow And Shadows by Sarah Ash Tales Of Ten Worlds by Arthur C. Clarke Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Radio Sunnydale Dante's Equation by Jane Jensen Archform: Beauty by L. E. Modesit Jr
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Nylon Angel' is set on the east coast of
future Australia, in the metropolis of Vivacity. It is one of the
super-cities, massive conglomerations of previously existing settlements
that have meshed as they grew into one another. 
The
media control everything, manipulating the lives of the city's citizens
to win ratings and having both the money and the influence to be
able to do anything they want, de facto rulers of Viva.
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