Fate's Mirror [NOOK Book]

Cyberpunky Goodness!

Margaret Yang and Harry Campion collectively known as M. H. Mead has got to be one of the best things to come out of the cyberpunk genre in *years* not since Nueromancer have I so connected with a hacker protagonist. Most of them are a bit boring, seemingly omniscient and all powerful in AND out of cyberspace, Sueism at its finest. But not Morris, a fantastically flawed successor to Gibson's Case, Morris is a viker (Mead's term for a the elite hackers of her fictional `verse) who is also agoraphobic. Even going outside for a few moments is pure torture, but the main thrust of the novel in this reviewers opinion forces exactly this, many of the most poignant and page-turning moments of this work come when you find yourself wondering if Morris is going to be able to last just a little bit longer. Cope just a little bit more. Outlast the neurosis that's driving him to quite. It is, to say the least, gripping. Not to mention the treatment of AI's, cyberspace, and technology in general. This is a cyberpunk tale that is fairly novel (please pardon the pun) in its approach to these things, the world itself is pretty realistic, with the probable of tomorrow being the possible of today. If you're anything like me this in itself is a 'win'; I like my fiction either annoyingly realistic or heroically UN-realistic. I found that the first time I read this book I missed many of the details I found in the second (and third!) readings. This is in this reviewer's humble opinion the sign of a wonderful and talented author. Keep your eyes to the horizon, I can foresee Mead's star rising, it may not be meteoric but it will be one that stays and lasts far into the future.

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Chock full of cyberpunky goodness

FATE'S MIRROR by M.H. Mead is a fun read full of cyberpunky goodness. Morris is a hacker supreme (called a viker in this book), who is recruited by the NSA to hunt and destroy three powerful Electronic Consciousnesses. Should he fail, they will trigger a worldwide electromagnetic pulse to ensure the AIs' destruction. It sounds a little far-fetched, but then this IS cyberpunk. The battle scenes between Morris and the AIs are couched like eighteenth-century naval battles, with cannonades between ships and boarding parties. I thought there was a little too much wandering between narrative point-of-views, although I did enjoy the creative glimpses of the AIs' POV. Morris isn't the most likeable character in the world, but as I said before, this IS cyberpunk. The action is written well, the manuscript is free of errors, and it's a fast read.

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