pine for the sort of cutting - edge dystopian future we were promise way back in the 1980s ? Simon Morden ’s Equations of Life may be just the hacker thriller for you .
Morden ’s publisher , Orbit Books , has been touting him as the next Richard K. Morgan . While I hope Morden has the form of success with this first novel that Altered Carbon enjoy , this first instalment of the fast - paced Samuil Petrovitch Trilogy has stronger similarity to other works by Walter Jon Williams , Neal Stephenson , Bruce Sterling , and that perennial darling of the gleam , black , low - slung set — William Gibson .
Yeah , I got spoilers , but less than you ’d think . A heckuva mint happens in less than 400 pages and I ’m just give you a glimpse .
Equations of Life ’s opening paragraph describe the London Metrozone of 2025 with an honest poetry missing from Neuromancer ’s briefer , yet less accurate , all in - channel sky * . Metrozone is a rusting , jerry - rigged urban hell teeming with the worst cutthroat refugee from every corner of the ball . A decade earlier , every flavor of foam - at - the - mouth religious fundamentalist went on a rampage known as the Armageddon . Whole country were convey down and jillion upon millions were killed or displaced by dirty nuclear warhead and bloody coups .
Our foul - mouthed amoral admirer calls himself Samuil Petrovitch . He clawed his way out of radioactive St. Petersburg to London by Any Means Necessary and take no regret . His fearful past times has earned him a spirit that scarcely keep beating with the aid of a souped - up SA node and that street - lethal Bad Attitude so essential to this type of SF villain . With a genius - level IQ and some shady patronage he ’s on the cusp of a doctor’s degree at the Physics Department of the University of London , Imperial College all the while surviving the crushing poorness and fury of the Metrozone .
Petrovitch begins his day with a snarky confrontation with a skate courier who could be the sister of YT from Snow Crash . Almost like a shot afterwards he witnesses the attempted abduction of a vernal adult female on a bustling street . Counter to every instinct , this self - centered survivalist does the unthinkable ; he acquire Involved . For this monster occurrence of altruism Petrovitch is severely exhaust and suddenly smack dab between a feud between the local franchise of the one-time - school Russian organitskaya and a neo - Yakuza orporation . His cardiac implants are only barely working ; he could go at any minute yet finds himself running for his life ; a morsel like the film Crank if Jason Statham were replaced by a papery picket , scrawny smartass Russian .
Like the Tin Woodsman , Petrovicth will take a whole fresh heart . The head teacher of the deplorable zaibatsu — whose daughter our antihero has just saved — is only too willing to provide a unexampled ticker for him and necessitate him in the Oshicora Clan ’s mangus opus . Around the clock time of the Armageddon , the integral Japanese archipelago dip beneath the waves in a devastating quake . Oshicora is using a massively sinewy quantum estimator to produce a practical homeland : a fully immersive digital Japan down to the petite falling sakura petal . Being such a tough individualist , Petrovitch would rather not have their patronage . He grudgingly accepts to guard off the homicidal attention of mobsters from the Motherland who wax nostalgic for the good honest-to-goodness years of Stalinisim . Other tenuous ally include the needed cynical law tec , an American expatriate computer programmer whose salutary lo ’ son doofus exterior may hide out a past as grim as Petrovitch ’s own , and – get this – a two - beat - tall , torpedo - tug teenage nun buoy .
Sister Madeleine is probably the most memorable type in Equations of Life . She is a novice of the Order of Saint Joan , aver to protect the clergy from tribe who sense less than charitable towards church in this post - Armageddon world . She look to be killed in the rail line of tariff before her 20th natal day . There ’s shape - fitting scrap armor under her habit and she can blow you full of stigmata at fifty pace with her Vatican Special robotlike pistol . Madeline is easily pee-pee off and — surprisal — drop - dead gorgeous . Petrovitch ’s cold , black heart hop-skip a beat whenever she strides into view . He chalks that up to yet another malfunction with his artificial pacemaker .
He and his fresh associate must bide one step forward of at least three warring gang — four , if you count the cops — as they vie for restraint of the battle - charge Metrozone . And what the perdition is the New Machine Jihad ? No one knows who or what to confide . Even the automated cars and building are out for blood .
Despite his carefully - construct selfish mercenary role Petrovitch continue observe himself on the road to redemption ; saving the girl and fight the Metrozone against threat that defy imagination . Think 9/11 on skill - fable steroids . Through it all , our unwilling submarine spouts a torrent of meet , Russian profanity . ab initio tonic and unparalleled , some readers may find the constant consumption of such gems as raspizdyai , chyort , pizdobol , and idi v’zhopu to be too precious or tedious . I opted to see it as an educational experience and looked up some online Russian slang dictionaries . I also found it original that Mr. Badass Hacker keep find himself ineffectual to detect a unafraid web connection – he does n’t even have a phone . This reminded me of Fraa Raz from Anathem , out to redeem the world with a protractor and some string . Petrovitch also has an intellect , resourcefulness , and world - weariness that may solicit credulity . Science fiction devotee are no stranger to hyper - competent character from apocalyptic press - cooker bringing up , but this nipper is scantily old enough to plane . My notion was sufficiently suspended , but your mileage may deviate .
Poor Petrovitch would rather forge his own death and feed or resume work the Grand Unified Theory with his University colleague . There actually is good chance of the latter . Is limitless destitute energy and control of gravity just around the bend ? The next book in the trilogy is titled Theories of Flight . I mistrust Samuil Petrovitch ’s humans is designate to get much , much bigger .
Look for the retina - wrench op - fine art cover charge and pluck these books up from your local main bookseller today !
The commenter and book reviewer gray area is know to all his tovarisches as Chris Hsiang . He stargaze of perogis and cortical interface implant .
- That famous first sentence from Neuromancer always tap me . It sounds coolheaded and jittery , but what kind of meteorological stipulation produce flickering static ? Of course , younger reviewer born in the digital age will think , “ So the sky is dark ? Big whoop . ”
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