Alternative Worlds
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When Gravity Fails
George Alec Effinger
Orb, Nov 2005, $13.95
ISBN 0765313588
In the future, the residents of the North African city of Budayeen are in a state of fear as a serial killer, using the “moddie” technique of plug in personalities to enhance his or her skills by becoming someone else, tortures and murder his prey. No one seems capable of stopping this maniacal predator.
None of the competing factions that control the city own private detective Marid Audran as the sleuth has little ambition to succeed so has never became beholden to anyone. Instead all he desires out of life is just enough cash to pay for his heavy drug use that makes life bearable. As the killer murders some of Marid’s friends, two century old crime kingpin Friedlander Bey demands Marid investigate and eradicate the killer, who is causing problems for his lucrative business. In exchange for doing so, the mob chieftain offers plug-ins to the detective. Though he courageously says no, circumstance pulls the reluctant Marid into the case of stopping a killing machine at the cost of those who respect him.
This is a reprint of a fabulous futuristic Arabic private investigative thriller first released in the mid 1980s. The hero is a classic 1930s hardboiled detective except the time and place are so radically different, which in turn makes him at variance with the Spade-Marlowe prototype in many ways. Plug-ins and “medicines” are a standard way of life at least in Marid’s mind, but not to be used to enhance serial killing as the cartridge enhanced murderer does; this is what he must face along with partnering with the devil in what is a terrific sci fi who-done-it.
George Alec Effinger
Orb, Nov 2005, $13.95
ISBN 0765313588
In the future, the residents of the North African city of Budayeen are in a state of fear as a serial killer, using the “moddie” technique of plug in personalities to enhance his or her skills by becoming someone else, tortures and murder his prey. No one seems capable of stopping this maniacal predator.
None of the competing factions that control the city own private detective Marid Audran as the sleuth has little ambition to succeed so has never became beholden to anyone. Instead all he desires out of life is just enough cash to pay for his heavy drug use that makes life bearable. As the killer murders some of Marid’s friends, two century old crime kingpin Friedlander Bey demands Marid investigate and eradicate the killer, who is causing problems for his lucrative business. In exchange for doing so, the mob chieftain offers plug-ins to the detective. Though he courageously says no, circumstance pulls the reluctant Marid into the case of stopping a killing machine at the cost of those who respect him.
This is a reprint of a fabulous futuristic Arabic private investigative thriller first released in the mid 1980s. The hero is a classic 1930s hardboiled detective except the time and place are so radically different, which in turn makes him at variance with the Spade-Marlowe prototype in many ways. Plug-ins and “medicines” are a standard way of life at least in Marid’s mind, but not to be used to enhance serial killing as the cartridge enhanced murderer does; this is what he must face along with partnering with the devil in what is a terrific sci fi who-done-it.
