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Biased and superficial Science Fiction reviews

           
     
To Hold Infinity

Copyright 1998 by John Meaney

In Association with Amazon.co.uk
SOJALS rating:     
one SOJALS point one SOJALS point one SOJALS point no SOJALS point no SOJALS point    Good (3/5)

I first read this in February 1999 and most recently on the 30th July 2010

On the world of Fulgor, the "Luculenti" are the privileged few who have undergone the implantation of nano-technology "plexcores". These plexcores vastly increase their intellectual capabilities and the Luculenti have become the new aristocracy of their world.

Tetsuo Sunadomari has just been through this process, but he's still untrained and abuse of the new potential could kill him.

In the meantime, he's trying to support himself by doing a little business, but business on Fulgor is cut-throat in the extreme, and he's seriously out of his depth. In a stupid act of desperation, he's stolen something from some very dangerous people.

Yoshiko is Tetsuo's mother. Her husband has died, and Yoshiko has decided that she doesn't want to live without him. She leaves Earth for one last trip: to say farewell to her son.

But when Yoshiko arrives on Fulgor, her son is missing and his house is in ruins following an armed attack by unknown assailants. So Yoshiko is going to have to pull herself together and find her son, and Tetsuo has got to grow up very quickly to survive what's happening to him.

This is very impressive, especially for a first novel. Our protagonists reveal hidden resources, so hidden that they surprise even themselves.

It's full of excitement, enthralling you from the first chapter. The writing is excellent, in particular the dialogue - I especially enjoyed the scenes with Yoshiko and Maggie. Their drunken antics are a delight, and are convincing. Vin and Tetsuo also are very believable characters.

What's it got? Well, quite a lot so here we go: direct brain to computer interfacing, faster-than-light travel and communications, electronic enhancement of intellect, nano-computing, cloning, guns and murder, mind-rape and Japanese martial arts.

This aobe review was done in June 2001. I've just read the book again and it was a blast. Only the last few pages seem to wander a little. Jolly well done, John Meaney

Loaded on the 9th June 2001.
    
Cover of To Hold Infinity
Cover art by Jim Burns

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Bios
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Reviews of other works with covers by Jim Burns and Don Puckey:
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The Neutronium Alchemist - Conflict
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