Jack Potter, the son of intelligence officers who defected to Red China, has almost achieved his goal, a tenured position at the prestigious Academe of Pure and Applied Sciences. he is on the verge of a fantastic new discovery, but his competitor for tenure at the Academe, Cruner, is hot on his heels, and the National Security Office, thanks to his folks, have him under suspicion for being a spy. Things look dark until Jack accidentally initiates contact with Wheeler, an alien from a far off galaxy, looking to trade for new knowledge and technology. Jack thinks Wheeler could spell the end of his troubles, but business is business, and its not long before he finds himself the middleman between the NSO, China, friends, double agents, and alien races in a world of cutthroat deals and double-crosses.
Signal to Noise, the new novel from Eric S. Nylund, is a 90s pulp novel, with all of its trademark witty dialog, dense plotting, and heavy smoking. Nylund writes at a rapid, kinetic pace, keeping the reader hooked on his complex tale of a future gone haywire. This fast plotting may be the reason behind the novel being touted as the beginning of a new SciFi genre called Hyperpunk. An obvious reference - and cash-in - to Cyberpunk, the genre founded by William Gibson's Neuormancer, it refers to Nylunds approach to dealing with computer programming. While other SF novels drown their readers in technobabble, leaving the novice SF reader lost and confused, Nylund avoids this problem through bubbles - virtual reality computers which present data to characters through metaphorical images. For example, when Jack hacks into the NSOs computer, Nylund describes what normally would be some pretty mundane code-breaking as a rough trip through a jungle filled with wild animals.
Nylund beleives that technology, at its best, makes people more human. This sentiment endows this enjoyable fantasy with a heart that lifts it above the rest.
This review originally appeared in The Albuquerque Journal.
© Todd Meigs
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