694 pages
English language
Published Jan. 6, 2003 by Ace Books.
The once-utopian Chasm City -a doomed human settlement on an otherwise inhospitable planet- has been overrun by a virus known as the Melding Plague, capable of infecting any body, organic or computerized. Now, with the entire city corrupted -from the people to the very buildings they inhabit- only the most wretched sort of existence remains. For security operative Tanner Mirabel, it is the landscape of nightmares through which he searches for a low-life postmortal killer. But the stakes are raised when his search brings him face to face with a centuries-old atrocity that history would rather forget.
Great read, kinda Noir-ish but in its own unique way. I liked the grittiness of Chasm City.
Veering off on a tangent from Reveleation Space, Wales' best ever SF writer (please point out other serious contenders for this title, if you know of any) takes us on a tour of the nano-plague infested Chasm City, as seen through the eyes of Tanner Mirabel. Or does he? In fact, the 1st person narrator is a completely sick, psychopathic mass-murderer who thinks he's a totally a-moral weapons dealing murderer who thinks he's an a-moral mercenary with a sense of honour who thinks he's infected with a virus that causes him to worship the person he actually is.
This ends up being a bit bewildering by the time it's all revealed, not only for the protagonist but for the reader. It also stopped me feeling greatly sympathetic to the character, although he seems to become steadily more likeable as the story progresses - until he finally knows who he is …
Veering off on a tangent from Reveleation Space, Wales' best ever SF writer (please point out other serious contenders for this title, if you know of any) takes us on a tour of the nano-plague infested Chasm City, as seen through the eyes of Tanner Mirabel. Or does he? In fact, the 1st person narrator is a completely sick, psychopathic mass-murderer who thinks he's a totally a-moral weapons dealing murderer who thinks he's an a-moral mercenary with a sense of honour who thinks he's infected with a virus that causes him to worship the person he actually is.
This ends up being a bit bewildering by the time it's all revealed, not only for the protagonist but for the reader. It also stopped me feeling greatly sympathetic to the character, although he seems to become steadily more likeable as the story progresses - until he finally knows who he is and ends the novel determined to make atonement for his sins or search for redemption. He starts this project by setting up a business that requires hiring assassins...
It's a fun read and first time round, surprising.
PS. Did I mention that there's a nutso, sadistic dolphin, too? At least he knows who he is, though.
