โ Scribed by Stableford, Brian
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
The futuristic biotech world of Stableford's acclaimed SF novella Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil), expanded upon in last year's novel Inherit the Earth, provides the foundation for this sequel. After an ecological collapse brought on by biological warfare and a runaway greenhouse effect, nanotechnology is regrowing lost forests as well as offering near-immortality to those who can afford it. Although the United Nations calls itself a World Government, the true power rests with the MegaMall, a company produced by generations of multinational mergers and buyouts. On this cusp of a new world, someone is murdering the pioneering scientists of the New Human Race, and it's up to Detective Sgt. Charlotte Holmes and Inspector Hal Watson, of the U.N. Police, to stop the killing. Charlotte and Hal are assisted by Michael Lowenthal, a "special investigator" from the MegaMall, and Oscar Wilde, a legendary bioengineer of specialty flowers. Evidence indicates that the murderer, a mysterious young woman, is somehow related to a genetic engineer who calls himself Rappaccini (after a character in a Hawthorne story). As the team investigates the murders, they realize that Rappaccini's taut game of hide-and-seek is leading them to the truth behind a much darker secret. Stableford's skill at creating technologically overwhelmed future worlds is evident here. His narrative teems with vivid, believable descriptions of man-eating flowers, hundred-year-old artists and rampant genetic engineering. His talent for mystery is less sure, featuring characters whose roles blur unconvincingly as the plot picks up speed. Although the novel's ending is weakened by premature revelations of Rappaccini's motives, the scale and audacity of Stableford's vision is a wonder. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The bizarre murder of a prominent architect of the new Decivilization of the world draws New York investigator Charlotte Holmes into a complicated web of murderous intrigue involving death by genetically altered flowers. Aided by a brilliant and occasionally maddening "expert witness" with the unlikely name of Oscar Wilde, Holmes seeks solutions to a series of puzzles rooted in the poets and authors of the 19th century. Set in the same distant future as Inherit the Earth, this literary sf mystery, based on the short story "Flowers of Evil," belongs in most sf collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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