Just Read: The Secret Of Life, Paul McAuley

[blufive]

[amazon.co.uk]

Sinister machinations abound as corporate and government interests struggle to control research into Martian life, as well as conceal the existence and origin of a related organism which is adding to the ecological havoc of 21^st century Earth. A lone scientist, trapped in the middle, tries to get to Mars and survive with her principles intact.

McAuley's vision of a world where corporations control the majority of scientific research is a chilling warning of the kind of place we could end up in before too long. I enjoyed it, not least because of the biologist's-eye view of the sort of story that is more normally seen from the computer-geek's perpective.

Comments

[fridgemagnet.livejournal.com]

McAuley is excellent. I read a few of his books a while back. He was one of the lights of the bio-cyberpunk thing, which was briefly called "ribofunk"... which is a crap name.

[blufive.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I never quite got on with his space opera (eternal light, the confluence series, and others) but his near-future stuff is superb, as is Pasquale's Angel. Nice bloke, too, and a very thoughtful speaker.

Re:

[fridgemagnet.livejournal.com]

Have you met him?

[blufive.livejournal.com]

Ah, the perils of namedropping.

Yes, on a couple of signing tours, and when he was GOH at Seccond (which was organised by major_clanger and bugshaw)