"A chilling winner"
The four orphan "swans" grew up together as pals at the
Falling Leaves Monastery. Three of them (Garth, Teresa,
and Eduard) have the ability to HOPSCOTCH into and receive
other bodies. The other friend Daragon cannot move about,
but can "see" the true identity of an individual. While Garth's ardor is painting, Teresa turns to
spiritualism, and Daragon joins the Bureau of Tracing and
Location (BTL). Eduard "sells" his body so that others can
avoid temporarily pain and illness like the flu. However,
this time something is different as the person Eduard
exchanged bodies with apparently has decided to keep the
host body. Desperate to find his own body and cleanse
himself, Eduard turns to his friends for help. The premise is frightening yet intriguing as Kevin J.
Anderson provides a terrifying look at the future of
virtual reality. The story line is loaded and fast-paced
especially when Eduard and cohorts search for his body or
even when the monastery monk and the head of
BTL "interfere". The central theme of the tale, when the
trio switches bodies actually slow down the amateur sleuth
investigation that serves as the prime plot. Still fans
who relish tales that focus on the impact on society of
technology out of control will want to read this science
fiction novel and HOPSCOTCH over to award winning Mr.
Anderson's strong back list of best sellers. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted December 23, 2001
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