Silicon Sunset | |||||
Scott T. Grusky | |||||
InfoNet Press, 297 pages | |||||
A review by Lisa DuMond
Silicon Sunset jumps ahead to the 21st century and to a
world totally foreign to civilization as we know it. Thoughts, questions,
decisions -- all have been replaced by the smooth workings of a computer net.
Absolute certainty and instantaneous information control every action and keep
society moving without a jolt. In short, the fine, flawed brains Citizen X is
used to having have been replaced by computer workings. Which is all well and good,
unless someone wants to use their own grey matter, in which case they are out
of luck. And possibly, in big trouble.
Kale Keeler is about to plunge herself into that kind of trouble.
Before she's done, she may take everyone she's ever met down with her. What the hell?
Maybe she will just pull civilization in with her.
But, she's not the bad guy, that much is obvious. If she's not the
villain of the piece, who is? Who is monitoring her every move?
Grusky has created a world that appears all too possible. Rely on the
intuition, curiosity, and work ethic of humans and you've got a good
chance of ending up as flesh avatars for a collection of machines. Depend
on the integrity of the corporate world and you are just begging for it to happen.
There are always a healthy percentage of the population
who think absolute ruler has a certain ring to it.
Admittedly, the wave that overcomes humanity in
1984, Fahrenheit 451, and other cautionary tales is more
subtle and, therefore, more genuinely threatening. The humour behind Silicon Sunset
and the exaggerations in character make it more akin to Aesop's fables -- possible, but seriously improbable.
That isn't synonymous with impossible. Besides, Grusky's easy, seemingly
effortless style makes a lesson go down that much easier.
Consider all that against the fact that the bulk of Grusky's tale was
written ten years ago, and it's his first novel, and you may see a hint
of the visionary in his work. He knew about the web and the net... maybe,
it's not so farfetched, after all. Okay, so we might be headed for disaster, but if it hits
while you're reading Silicon Sunset, at least, you'll go out with a smile on your face.
Lisa DuMond writes science fiction and humour. She co-authored the 45th anniversary issue cover of MAD Magazine. Previews of her latest, as yet unpublished, novel are available at Hades Online. |
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