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Timberjak
To save the Indigo Wild, Hone and his friends must first avoid being destroyed by it!
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Timberjak
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By Don DeBrandt
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Ace Books
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$5.99/$7.99 Canada
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Paperback, April 1999
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ISBN 0-441-00626-4
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Review by A.M. Dellamonica
 imberjak begins less than a breath from where Don DeBrandt's previous novel Steeldriver left off. The cybernetic assassin named Hone is back, along with a pair of newlyweds--the artificial intelligence Melody and her husband Mike Blink. Mike is the disembodied mind of the best pilot in the galaxy, and when the novel begins he is leading a desperate chase. The trio is on the run from their former owner, Intrastellar Operations. Six bloodthirsty cyber-ships called Manticores are hot on their trail, and not even Mike can shake them.
The trio finds refuge at Shinnkaria, a forest world which is the galaxy's only source of korala wood, a precious substance that generates force fields necessary for myriad technologies. The three fugitives are taken in by Paul Banyen. Like the Paul Bunyan of old, Banyen is a logger's logger, complete with a devoted bodyguard--the Shinnkarien Ox, Bob--who never leaves his side. Using the korala's economic leverage, Banyen holds off the Manticores and makes Mel, Hone and Mike an offer--help him with the eco-terrorist plaguing his logging operation, and he will shelter them from Intrastellar.
DeBrandt sets out to tell the ultimate tall tale in Timberjak. Everything in the novel is extreme--Mel is the sexiest AI, Hone the deadliest assassin. The eco-terrorist, Johnny Rainforest, is the biggest baddest tree-hugger ever. The lone human able to enter the hostile forest known as the Indigo Wild, Johnny has a rapport with nature so strong that the deadly predators of the forest obey his will entirely. He unleashes those creatures against Banyen's loggers, with horrifically bloody results, and Mel, Hone and Mike find themselves in a race to catch him...before it's too late to save Shinnkaria itself.
Paul Bunyan goes interstellar
Timberjak is utterly hilarious. Even readers who don't usually laugh out loud may find themselves chuckling at the ludicrous tales told by Paul and Bob to the essentially humorless Hone. DeBrandt knows what he's doing, too. The steady diet of literary whoppers sets the table for an ending that is nothing less than a feast--Mike flying the ultimate stunt. As a setting, Shinnkaria exudes larger-than-life atmosphere, complete with whimsical animal names, a fabulous ecology and a huge cast of colorful, off-beat characters.
The book may not suit everyone. The science and story line in Timberjak sometimes waver into vagueness. Readers fond of Mike Blink's Steeldriver incarnation, Jon Hundred, will find little of Jon's soul in the hotshot pilot, and the deadly Hone is watered down. The ultimate assassin, he does a lot of surviving in the Indigo Wild, but doesn't chalk up any big wins in combat. And though DeBrandt is very even-handed when commenting on forest industry practices, readers may disagree with Timberjak's slant on logging and environmentalism.
Timberjak's only other flaw is that it suffers from an embarrassment of riches. Fast-paced and funny, it leaves its best characters--the alien Stowaway, a villainous lawyer, even Melody--lurking at the edges of the story, emerging into the spotlight only when it is time for them to fuel the runaway plot. Meanwhile, minor characters such as the Manticore named Blood Three sneak onstage and steal the show.
Despite these quibbles, Timberjak is a lot of fun, and if DeBrandt wants to write another novel in this universe, he's got an endlessly explorable concept, a likable voice, and plenty of material.
This is a romp, the kind of book that will make readers feel like summer really is on the way.
-- A.M.
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The Extremes
It's a crime to kill reality
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The Extremes
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By Christopher Priest
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St. Martin's Press
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$24.95
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Hardcover, May 1999
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ISBN 0-312-20541-4
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Review by Susan Dunman
 n the near future, society continues its fascination with violence and people satisfy criminal cravings by injecting virtual reality into their nervous systems. Extreme Experiences are so realistic that ExEx users rarely consider the risks associated with regularly injecting nanochips into a valve implant on their spinal columns. VR software companies who program the chips cater to the baser instincts of human nature, and some of the more popular scenarios offer multiple points of view for particularly heinous crimes. For almost any crime, customers can choose to be the perpetrator, victim or innocent bystander.
FBI agent Teresa Simmons is familiar with extreme experiences because the Bureau uses extreme technology throughout its training programs. Teresa carries the telltale bulge at the base of her neck marking an ExEx valve implant, but the only thing on Teresa's mind is stark reality as she painfully copes with the murder of her husband, who was killed by a berserk gunman in Kingwood City, Texas.
In an effort to put her life back together, Teresa travels to the quiet coastal village of Bulverton, England, for an extended working vacation. She begins a personal investigation into the circumstances surrounding a spree killing in Bulverton that occurred on the same day as the mass-murder incident which took her husband's life in Texas. While visiting the local ExEx club to gather information, Teresa gradually uncovers frightening coincidences and begins to suspect that events played out in extreme scenarios could have disastrous consequences for the real world.
Trial and terror
The premise of Christopher Priest's latest novel takes a somewhat different slant on virtual reality than SF readers are used to. Factual, detail-laden vignettes of actual crimes are recreated in virtual reality to be used as training scenarios for FBI agents. The main character, Teresa, specializes in mass-murder cases, so most of the episodes depict the apprehension of crazed gunmen. The narrative accurately depicts the sheer terror of random killings and their impact on individuals and communities. Agents must successfully "complete" each scenario, and it often takes multiple tries before they survive the rampage and "get their man."
In an effort to demonstrate how slight variations in actions can change outcomes in interdiction activities, readers are occasionally subjected to repetitive scenes, each one containing only slight differences in the actions of agents or criminals. This may prove the point, but it can also make for tedious reading in some sections. On the other hand, visions of what might happen when extreme technology becomes available to the general public reveal insight and a depressingly accurate view of the darker side of commercial entertainment.
Although much of the novel is about violence, readers are thankfully spared the gory details. Emphasis is not on the violence itself, but the effect it has on definitions of reality. Once again, an author envisions the pitfalls and potentials of enhanced technology. Efforts to solve the mystery which this technology possesses expose Teresa to the overwhelming desperation that both criminals and victims feel and allow to control their lives.
Priest asks some questions that make for good reading, but he doesn't provide many answers. Best suited for those with a high tolerance for ambiguity.
-- Susan
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