Buy this book at Amazon.co.uk
To Past Reviews Index
Back to Last Page
Title/Author

Reckless Sleep

Roger Levy

Average Review Rating Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)
Book Details

Publisher : Victor Gollancz

Published : 2000

Copyright : Roger Levy 2000

ISBN-10 : PB 0-575-06899-X
ISBN-13 : PB 978-0-575-06899-5

Publisher's Write-Up

Reckless Sleep is a supremely assured and visionary SF debut. It presents an apocalyptic, high tech future twisted by paranoia and false dreams. A future made for Far Warrior Jon Sciler.

After the disastrous failure of the first expedition to Dirangesept, the Far Warriors were sent to take over the planet. They were our last hope. Controlling autoid combat machines from orbit by remote links, the Warriors thought they were invulnerable. They were wrong. As thousands of autoids were destroyed by what appeared to be fabulously beautiful beasts the mental agony suffered by the Warriors tipped their minds over the edge. And now, years later, on an Earth close to geological collapse, someone is killing the surviving Far Warriors.

As ash from volcanic eruptions drifts in the streets of London and villages disappear overnight into fresh fault lines, the population seeks escape in the addictive gamezones of Virtual Reality. The companies who control the phantom zones stand to make billions if they can develop ever more perfect virtual environments and to do so they need men who have become attuned to the highest military grade virtual software; the Far Warriors. The testers need to be able to keep secrets. Secrets about the gamezones, secrets about what really happened on Dirangesept, secrets about what lies in VR, waiting to get out. Secrets to die for.

Column Ends

space

Reader Reviews

Why not Submit a Review your own Review for this book?

Review by Nigel (300601) Rating (8/10)

Review by Nigel
Rating 8/10
In a future where the earth's crust is breaking up, following a terrorist detonation of nuclear devices in the San Andreas fault line, man has tried to colonise the planet Dirangesept. However, two attempts at establishing a foot hold have failed due to the indigenous life and mankind is desperate for salvation.

The main story revolves around the employment of Jon Sciler, a Far Warrior, as a games tester for Maze. The Far Warriors are the survivors from the second Dirangesept expedition who are hated on Earth for failing to capture the planet.

The game Maze is developing is far superior to anything currently available. The brain is tapped directly and the player experiences, for all intents and purposes, another perfect reality. As time passes Jon comes to realises there is more to Maze than meets the eye. With other testers dying in the game, and then in 'real' life, a race is on to find out what is really happening.

This novel is an excellent debut by the author Roger Levy. In much the same manner as Greg Egan, he explores how we perceive reality, as well as spinning a very readable science fiction thriller.
Nigel (30th June 2001)

Back to Top of Page
Column Ends

space