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Horror/Fantasy/SF Book ReviewsCosm by Gregory BenfordEos, Feb., 1998.Hardcover, 344 pages. ISBN: 0380974355. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
Alicia Butterworth, a brilliant black
physicist who has a slight weight problem
and a non-existent social life, makes a
remarkable discovery during a high-energy
physics experiment attempting to recreate the
conditions present before the Big Bang which
began our universe.
As a result of an accident from an experiment
which damaged the collider,
an unusual metallic-like
sphere has formed. Suspecting that the sphere
may provide insight into what went wrong,
she sneaks the sphere out of the lab.
Against her best friend's
wishes, who wants her to spend her time checking out the local
singles' scene,
she and her students begin to study the object
which has unusual physical properties. With the
help of a colleague, Max Jalon, she discovers
that the sphere may be a window into
another universe which is developing at
ever-increasing rate, which could provide fascinating
information about the formation and nature of our own Universe. But
when a freak accident occurs in the lab and
word about the strange object gets picked up in
the media, the race is on to find out its secrets
before the government, the University or the
press can take control of the project. In addition to the stresses
of the project, Alicia and Max must contend with their growing
attraction for one another.
Cosm is a compelling adventure into the unknown with exciting details and insight into the development of our solar system and Universe. Gregory Benford, author and professor of physics at the University of California at Irvine, has crafted a winning tale that is appealing both for its skillful presentation of complex scientific theories and a compelling human interest story. Freeware by Rudy RuckerEos, March 1998.Paperback, 262 pages. ISBN: 038078159X. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
On Earth in 2053, there are two sentient
species: humans and moldies. Moldies are artificial
lifeforms made from imoplex, a soft plastic material
and a mixture of gene-tweaked fungi and algae which
give off a "cheesy" smell. The moldies main goal
in life is to get enough imoplex to reproduce themselves;
therefore, they end up taking a lot of menial jobs for humans
to make the money to purchase the coveted material.
Humans and moldies cohabit fairly peaceably, although
extremes of both groups despise each other and often
resort to violence. Some humans like the moldies for their
malleable bodies -- such humans are known as cheeseballs for
their unnatural sexual attraction to the moldies. Freeware
follows the lives of several moldies and fleshers (humans)
which all ultimately intersect when a very real threat to
Earth appears in the form of a new invention which will
allow alien personalities from other galaxies to inhabit
both human and moldies' bodies and to wipe out the original
hosts' minds.
The third book following Software and Wetware, Freeware is classic Rucker: zany, irreverent, brazen, funny and definitely not for the conservative or faint of heart. But for those who like their SF on the edge with a cyberpunk twist are in for a typically hilarious Ruckerian rollercoaster ride through the cosmos. Hand of Prophecy by Severna ParkEos, March 1998.Hardcover, 384 pages. ISBN: 0380976390. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
On the planet Bellea-Naya, slavegirl Frenna serves the brutish
veterinarian Olney Mallau of the Emirate Extension Service. Bred
for generations to be the perfect companions by the former
occupants of the planet, the Faraqui, Frenna's bloodlines mark
her as a "Favored One." Like the other slaves in the conqured territories
Frenna has been dosed at the age of 18 with a virus which gives
her perfect health and no aging for twenty years. When the twenty
years is up, the slave "Fails" and dies, agonizingly. When
the Faraqui threaten to reinvade their old territories, Frenna's slave
friends reveal that there is a cure for the Failure and that slaves
don't have to die at the end of the 20 years. With three doses of
the cure, Frenna escapes from Bellea-Naya only to be picked up
by Rasha, one of the legendary Faraqui who bred the Favored Ones
to be genetically attracted and subservient to the Faraqui. When
Frenna resists this new life of slavery, Rasha dumps her on another
Emirate world where she is taken on as a medic in an arena which
uses slaves in gladitorial games. There she meets Troah, Rasha's
disgraced, enslaved prophetess sister and Hallie a gladiator, and
becomes involved in the underground movement to free the slaves.
Severna Park, author of the acclaimed Speaking Dreams, has crafted an intriguing tale with Hand of Prophecy. Although readers who have no interest in gladiator games may be less than thrilled with the lengthy details of the games and individual matches, they will nevertheless be drawn into the fascinating tale of Frenna's journey to freedom and a new identity. Although the novel is set in another world, readers will identify with many of the themes of the book: the power struggles in all relationships and the search for an identity by an outsider. Frenna's struggles to find out who she is and what she wants out of a life that before the cure was found had no choices or freedom at all are compelling and resonate with insight because of Park's gifts with language and her abilities to get inside the intricacies of human relationships. A thought provoking and surprisingly moving novel. Return to Book Reviews Index ** To visit the archives of fantasy/sf books reviewed in The IWJ, please click here. |