Holy Fire
(BRUCE STERLING)
At the end of the twenty-first century the world is
dominated by a medical-industrial complex devoted to life-extension technology.
Those who don''t abide by the rules don''t get access to the more expensive
treatments and, having survived plagues in the first half of the century, a
cautious gerontocratic elite run things ? largely benevolently, but also rather
boringly. When ninety-four year old Mia Ziemann, a respectable medical
economist, undergoes a novel treatment which gives her the body and brain of a
twenty year-old, she breaks loose. Going underground in the avant-garde circles
of central Europe, she attempts to find
liberation and fulfillment in art.
Sterling
packs a lot into Holy Fire, but the plot is relatively slow-moving:
the result is definitely no cyberpunk thriller. He gives us an assortment of
fascinating characters, a complex (and surprisingly plausible) imagined future,
lots of neat throw-away ideas (enhanced dogs, translating wigs, living cities,
and more), and some serious philosophical exposition (something which usually
kills a novel, but Sterling pulls it off). Some of the larger themes include
the psychological effects of aging, the balance between creativity and security
(for both individuals and societies), and the nature and source of artistic
inspiration. Holy Fire may lack mass appeal, but it is a success both
as a novel and as a philosophical exploration: I recommend it to anyone who
likes intelligent science fiction.
Resumos Relacionados
- The Clan Of The Cave Bear
- The Clan Of The Cave Bear
- Pervers Girl
- The Da Vinci Code
- Woyzeck
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