From Publishers Weekly
North by Northwest meets Logan's Run in this SF novel, complete with intriguing philosophical passages, by the author of The Saga of Recluce series. The result is an action-oriented, if somewhat didactic, thriller. At some point in the distant future someone is trying to kill space pilot and media consultant Daryn Alwyn. His attackers presumably want to make him a martyr, though the actual motives behind repeated attempts on his life are far more mysterious. Well born and with preselected genetic advantages, Alwyn seeks out his attackers, including the beautiful but enigmatic Elysa Mujaz-Kitab. When his sister is killed, Alwyn suddenly becomes one of the wealthiest men in the world, and the stakes are raised still higher. The surprising conclusion sees Alwyn becoming a hero to some, a villain to others, and leads the author to a detailed dissection of the inner workings of the powerful elite that runs society. Heinlein once exhorted SF writers to be boldly imaginative in projecting the world of tomorrow; by contrast, Modesitt's distant future looks and sounds remarkably like 2001: the computer-system equivalents are similar to the PCs and Macs of today, and everyone seems to speak in the argot of the late 20th century. Still, Modesitt handles action sequences capably--the attempts on Alwyn's life are intriguingly detailed--and the mystery-suspense angle is thoughtfully adumbrated. For readers seeking a hybrid of the SF and spy genres with a soup‡on of mystery, this rates as passable if slightly elongated--entertainment.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.From Library Journal
Born to privilege and wealth, former space pilot Daryn Alwyn enjoys life as a media consultant until he becomes the target for an assassin and finds himself on the run from hidden and powerful enemies. The author of the "Recluce" series demonstrates his talent for near future techno-thrillers in this standalone tale of intrigue and adventure. Modesitt's careful examination of his characters' motivations and perceptions creates a sense of immediacy that lends credibility to his story. A good choice for sf collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Modesitt departs from labor on his various series to field a freestanding, plausible near-future thriller. In a world in which genetic enhancement has created an effective oligarchy of wealth and ability, intrigues among that oligarchy have become as numerous as those of the Italian Renaissance. Backstabbing abounds, sometimes literally. Daryn Alwyn, a member of one oligarchic family, is a major player in the global media system. He has used his enhancements to also compile a notable record as an athlete and a combat pilot. His combined physical and mental agility save his life when the head of the family, his sister, is assassinated. After that, it requires all his skills to survive, as he becomes one of the ruling oligarchs and, therefore, a more lucrative target for his enemies. Daryn resembles some of the protagonists in Modesitt's other books yet is well developed in his own right. The pacing is excellent, and the sociopolitical expatiating on the plot proves integral to the story, not just sermonizing. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"As usual, Modesitt does an exceptional job of painting an environmentally informed society, plotting an exciting yarn, assembling an interesting cast, and leading it all in an interesting direction. I recommend this one heartily." --Analog on The Octagonal Raven
Book Description
Someone is trying to kill Daryn Alwyn. Born to privilege, with pre-selected genetic advantages and the best nanotech augmentation his father's fabulous money can buy, Daryn spurned the lucrative family Media Network to seek his own path, a crafty raven among soaring eagles. After serving with distinction as a space pilot in the military, he enjoys success as a media consultant. But when he finds himself the target of sophisticated murder attempts, his world is turned upside down. It seems unlikely his success outside the family business could have inspired such expensive assassination attempts, and his father and brother and sister would be more obvious targets within the family. Then his sister is killed, and Daryn is her heir--suddenly one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. Modesitt's new SF thriller lays bare the prejudices of the powerful in a fascinating future society, and reads like an express train.
About the Author
L. E. Modesitt, Jr., is the bestselling author of the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce, Corean Chronicles, and the Imager Portfolio. His science fiction includes Adiamante, the Ecolitan novels, the Forever Hero Trilogy, and Archform: Beauty. Besides a writer, Modesitt has been a U.S. Navy pilot, a director of research for a political campaign, legislative assistant and staff director for a U.S. Congressman, Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues, and a college lecturer. He lives in Cedar City, Utah.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
Earth Orbit, 375 N.E.
Had the orbital watch alert satellite contained a human being, or even a sophisticated duoclone, that being might have scanned the data and reported something like, Object classified as cometoid…spherical-octagonal, diameter forty-three meters, density two point five, composition approximately eight-two point four percent water…carbides and carbonates approximately fifteen percent…iron and sulfides, silicates and oxides below detection levels…orbital…trajectory at variance with origin in either Oort Cloud or Kuiper Belt…
Instead, the AI merely squirted its data analysis to the Long Watch Asteroid Collision Center satellite inhabiting the L5 point above the water planet below. In turn, the AI calculated orbital mechanics, trajectory, and mass composition and, after ensuring the object did not trigger any action parameters, stored the data for later retrieval.
In time, the comet-like object intersected the thin upper atmosphere on the planet's night side, creating a long and brilliant trail that flashed across the high latitudes and lasted but for a few long seconds before vanishing.
The thousands of particle-sized contaminants also eventually slowed and began to drift through the atmosphere toward the oceans and landmasses below.
The central AI in the Long Watch Asteroid Collision Center satellite received the report of the ice-meteorite's dissolution and added the data to the records of others of that class.
Eventually, a human methodizer reviewed the date, frowned at the octagonal dimensions, checked it again, and then shrugged.
Copyright © 2001 by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
Earth Orbit, 375 N.E.
Had the orbital watch alert satellite contained a human being, or even a sophisticated duoclone, that being might have scanned the data and reported something like, Object classified as cometoid…spherical-octagonal, diameter forty-three meters, density two point five, composition approximately eight-two point four percent water…carbides and carbonates approximately fifteen percent…iron and sulfides, silicates and oxides below detection levels…orbital…trajectory at variance with origin in either Oort Cloud or Kuiper Belt…
Instead, the AI merely squirted its data analysis to the Long Watch Asteroid Collision Center satellite inhabiting the L5 point above the water planet below. In turn, the AI calculated orbital mechanics, trajectory, and mass composition and, after ensuring the object did not trigger any action parameters, stored the data for later retrieval.
In time, the comet-like object intersected the thin upper atmosphere on the planet's night side, creating a long and brilliant trail that flashed across the high latitudes and lasted but for a few long seconds before vanishing.
The thousands of particle-sized contaminants also eventually slowed and began to drift through the atmosphere toward the oceans and landmasses below.
The central AI in the Long Watch Asteroid Collision Center satellite received the report of the ice-meteorite's dissolution and added the data to the records of others of that class.
Eventually, a human methodizer reviewed the date, frowned at the octagonal dimensions, checked it again, and then shrugged.
Copyright © 2001 by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
