JABLOKOV, ALEXANDER

Peter Ambrose lives in a near future where brain implants can improve or modify almost anything. In fact, Peter himself is quite good at installing these "virts" along with playing the piano in a Jazz band. He suddenly finds that friends from his past, a past he has all but erased, are being murdered.

During the recent Devolution Wars, Peter (aka Theo Bronkman) and his friends were involved in the Nimbus Project. They were the pioneers of the implant technology which became commonplace after the war. The group broke up after their 'boss' died in a plane crash.

Peter sets out to discover who is killing his ex-colleagues and why.

The book is a blend of detective story with a cyberpunk feel. It didn't quite deliver in my opinion. At times I found it difficult to follow what the characters were up to. Perhaps this book is best read in longer sittings than I was able to give it.

Average  (5.5)
 

JACKSON, SHIRLEY

A small group of people is invited to spend some time at a ‘haunted’ house to help Dr Montague investigate psychic phenomenon. Eleanor has looked after her mother for the past decade and escapes to the adventure that is Hill House. Dr Montague, Eleanor, Theodore and Luke take separate rooms in the house and wait to see what will happen.

Well, not a lot does happen. There are a number of the usual classic ghost story episodes that, in their time may have generated more thrills, but I found it to be a fairly run of the mill classic ghost story.

If you want for this type of ghost story, the movie THE OTHERS starring Nicole Kidman, would be a much more preferable way to spend your time. This particular book was the inspiration for the movie THE HAUNTING starring Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta Jones, which I have yet to see.

Good  (7)

April 2002
 

JETER, K.W.

Limmit runs the brothel on a very unusual chicken ranch in Phoenix. He quits his job so he can deliver a black suitcase to the infamous Dr. Adder in Los Angeles. Dr. Adder performs various surgical 'enhancements' on the prostitutes who live on the Interface - a sleazy street containing all manner of low-lifes.

Mox is the leader of a group from Orange County who wants to clean up the Interface and destroy Dr. Adder.

A very graphic portrayal of a very unpleasant near-future. Existence is either a case of living on the Interface with all its sleaze, or in the neighbouring slums known as Rattown, or under the streets in the world of sewers and unused underground rail tunnels, or the much more sanitary Orange County where half the population exist in a coma-like state and the other half peddle their own forms of perversity. Limmit journeys through each of these and ends up near suicidal by the end.

There are a lot of surprises along Limmits journey that keep the reader entertained. Some of the gory, descriptive language will not be to everybody's liking, but this book has encouraged me to seek out more of Jeter's work.

Very Good  (9)
 

JETER, K.W.

This story follows on from H. G. Wells’ THE TIME MACHINE, shortly after the traveller recounts his tale. Walking home from this gathering, Edwin Hocker and Dr. Ambrose discuss the evening’s events. Hocker soon becomes convinced the doctor is insane and someone to be avoided.

I was looking forward to this story as I enjoyed the original very much and the sequel by Baxter, THE TIME SHIPS, is another favourite. Jeter has written in a style that captures the feel of Wells’ classic and the story did hold early promise. I started to have doubts when Jeter threw in both Merlin and King Arthur and the story began to feel more fantasy than sf. When I stopped at about half way, Merlin was attempting to get Arthur to lead the fight against invading Morlocks who have stolen the time machine.
 

Average  (5)

January 2005
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