(1998) Alexander Besher, Orbit, £9.99, trdpbk, 306pp, ISBN 1-85723-531-2
Not-quite-follow-up to his previous, Rim, in that the hero is the son saved by the father in the first book from being trapped in a virtual realm. I've got to say I've grown sick and tired of cyber-thrillers and techno-shockers on the whole, but this one isn't that bad... Sentient tattoos act as intermediaries between the intelligences that wish to break out of cyberspace, and the techno-fied denizens of the real world. Most of the book is a not-quite-chase romp through the over-detailed backdrop, and it all ends in a bit of a wet fizzle. I didn't hate this book by any means, it just didn't really grab me. Finishing the book became a duty, rather than a desire (other than the desire that it all be over), and I just can't think of much to say about it that's positive. How about, 'inoffensive beach trash'?
Tony Chester
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