Fast Forward Book Review for April 2008

  Infoquake
by
David Louis Edelman
New York: Pyr Books, 2006
http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/

A review by
Colleen R. Cahill

The far future is often either a place of wonder or disaster in science fiction. There are marvelous views of almost utopias, such as in Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward, to dark visions of humanity's collapse, as in H. G. Well's The Time Machine. Between these two extremes is David Louis Edelman's Infoquake from Pyr Books, presenting a future of fantastic advances but one where humanity could be living on the edge of destruction.

Hundreds of years from now the hottest field to work in is bio/logics, code written to augment human bodily functions. This can be as serious as keeping a weak heart stable or as frivolous as having eye color match your clothing -- all achievable with bio/logics. Natch is a master of this science and he is driven to take his fiefcorp to the top, even if that requires some less than scrupulous methods. Not all of his staff agree with this, especially Jara, the public relations officer, who fears Natch does not see or care about the people he could be hurting. She becomes more concerned after an offer arrives from Margaret Surina, head of a scientific dynasty that has shaped that world for centuries. Margaret asks Natch to join in the release of Multireal, a program that could change mankind. Natch soon finds this is not a simple request and that he is swimming in deep waters, ones that will require all his skills in half-truth and deception.

Edelman has created a fascinating world, one where buildings "compress themselves overnight to conserve space" and puff up "like blowfish" when the morning's work hours begin. It's a place were the real and the virtual mix, humans live on several planets and where an economic plunge can send masses into poverty. The dangers of bio/logics and Multireal are echoed in the book’s cover quote: hack the body and the mind will follow. Will this new invention be a wonderful tool or a technological pit: something that will give power to some and slavery to others?

As interesting as his world is, it is Edelman's characters that make this book shine. Natch might be good at bio/logics, but he mostly seems motivated by revenge: as his friend Horvil points out, Natch only seems to succeed when he is beating someone else. The interactions between Natch, Horvil and Jara (who is both attracted to and disturbed by her boss) are volatile, complex and very, very realistic. It is easy to believe in these people, and even feel like maybe this is a future that is not too far away.

Although this title is not a new release, now is a good time to get a copy, as this is Volume 1 of the Jump 225 trilogy and the next volume, Multireal, will be released this July. It would be good to have a few months to ponder Infoquake before plunging into the next work, as I plan to do this summer, exploring more of this utopian/distopia and enjoying a truly compelling tale.