 | EUROPE'S MOST VISITED SF/F WEB SITE |
|
Archform:
Beauty by L. E. Modesit Jr check out website: www.orbitbooks.co.uk
The Earth of
this story is a technological wonderland: nanites protect the body from harm (all
harm, if you can afford upgrades), everyone has a 'link' (an internal communication
system allowing contact with anyone else just by thinking, a kind of techno-telepathy),
criminals are 'altered' to become law-abiding and useful servants and everyone's
basic needs are provided for...
It's also a world in which the occurrences
like the death of six million people, those who can't afford the protective nanomeds,
from a mutated bio-weapon, ebol4, appears to be a fact of life. Regrettable, yes,
but it's not the first time it's happened and the implication is that it won't
be the last. In this world, music is used to force subliminal messages
into the brain (resonance advertising or 'rezads') for everything from drinks
to which politician to support - the man with the most effective rezads (read,
the most money to pay for them) being the one who gets into office. It's all about
control and it starts at an early age with the networks vying subliminally to
gain and keep the loyalty of children... Ignore the blurb on the back
of the book that implies this Earth should be viewed as Utopia. It very obviously
isn't from almost the first page. This is not a nice place to be, even if you're
filch. It's told from five points of view - Luara Cornett - Professor of Music, the terse Lt Eugene Tang Chiang - Trends Analysis Co-ordinator (the trends in question being criminal ones), Jude Parsfal - reporter with a penchant for getting more involved in his stories than is safe, Chris Kemal - CEO of KC Constructors (and involved in some rather nasty, and deadly, financial manipulations) and Senator Elden Cannon - whose main concern appears to be keeping his office. All of them have a major role to play in the unravelling of the plot and
despite the hints and clues along the way, the resolution comes as something of
a surprise. Overall, it's an enjoyable book. The five main characters are written in distinctively different and highly appropriate first-person styles - very skilfully, in my opinion. Far too often, it's difficult to tell characters apart: that isn't the case here. The author has also managed to make each of them believable, dropping little snippets of memory and rationalisation into the story, creating well-rounded personalities for each of the five. I could, however, have lived without the male characters all effectively falling in love with the female - smacked too much of the infamous 'Mary Sue' style of writing for my taste! I'm not too sure I agree with the book's continual insistence
that beauty can be found in everything either. I'd agree that in context, yes,
I can see why the characters would insist that their perception of beauty is correct.
I'm just not sure they make their respective cases strongly enough to be completely
convincing. So, who would enjoy 'Archform: Beauty'? Anyone who likes
a meaty detective story that requires a certain amount of intelligent thought.
The book can be read without working out the clues but it's a more satisfying
read if they are picked up along the way. Joules Taylor
|
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
| ||||||||
Supposedly set four hundred years into the
future - although the sociology is really not that much different
from today. 
That's
basic needs. Anything more than that has to be worked for, unless
you happen to be filch (a contraction of 'filthy rich' with overtones
of theft from the other, lower classes - a nifty use of language
on the part of the author).
 | |
| nest home | search engine | site directory | shop | library | tools | about us | | |
| |
... www.sfcrowsnest.com © 2001 CWant a ? Then send an e-mail to: hologramtales-subscribe@topica.com