|
The virtual reality tale has become a mainstay of science fiction, a frequently used template for books and films that explore the increasingly intimate interplay between human beings and technology. It is territory well worth exploring, as more and more human-to-human interaction in the real world is modeled and replicated in the digital environment of the Internet, an environment that is as pervasive as it is profound in its effect on civilization. But as with any genre, the difference between mainstay and cliché is defined by the skills of the storyteller.
With IDLEWILD, his first novel, author Nick Sagan has distinguished himself as a storyteller of considerable talent. Sagan, the son of the late scientist and author Carl Sagan, has crafted a story that delivers everything one expects in a cyberpunk/virtual reality novel. But IDLEWILD throws enough curves at the reader to keep the story well out of reach of the clichés that might otherwise mark it as yet another cut-and-paste virtual reality clone.
IDLEWILD opens as a young man awakens in the middle of a field, having been rendered unconscious by some unidentified trauma. He is unable to remember who or where he is. His environment reveals itself to be a fantastic place, populated by strange creatures with strange powers. As his memory slowly returns he realizes that this fantasy world is a virtual environment of his own creation and the strange creatures are his classmates in Idlewild, an exclusive midwestern prep school that uses sophisticated virtual environments as classrooms.
Gabe, the young man, learns that the trauma he suffered was a potentially fatal electric shock and that the massive current surged through his body as he lay wired into his virtual reality world. Gabe suspects that the shock was no accident and begins a cautious investigation of his classmates and of Ellison, the artificial intelligence that acts as the virtual headmaster of the school. Who would want to kill him, and why? As Gabe digs deeper into the mystery, the lines between the real and the virtual worlds blur and with each answer comes a new question. Gabe's paranoia increases as he learns that even his own perceptions are suspect.
To describe the storytelling technique Sagan uses in IDLEWILD would be to reveal too much of this intricate tale. But it can be safely revealed that Sagan has deftly juggled multiple storylines to produce a slick cyberpunk whodunit with a tight and energetic narrative and an apocalyptic kick. Good stuff from a writer with a bright future.
--- Reviewed by Bob Rhubart
 Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.
© Copyright 1996-2008, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.
Back to top.
|
