"Science fiction as it was meant to be"
Three decades have passed since the Great War left
mankind on the brink of extinction. The devastating twenty-
first century is a period of initial greatness throughout
the solar system that turned deadly with weapons of mass
destruction seemingly in use everywhere especially the
biological ones on earth. Now that the century nears its
end, humanity seems to have begun recovering especially in
the Jupiter-Saturn region, but much more gradually on Earth
where the Southern Hemisphere is starting to recuperate. In 2097 on the moon Ganymede, Alex Ligon, son of a
family of trading giants, has rebuilt the "seine" computer
network. However, his program predicts humanity will
become extinct in less than a hundred years. On the
asteroids near Jupiter, SETI researcher Milly Wu believes
she has received an alien communication. Rustum "Bat"
Battachariya, who collects weapons from the Great War,
follows rumors of a doomsday weapon. He consults with
Milly and her SETI peers on her findings even as Alex tries
to meet with him on a family matter. When Bat learns that
earthling Sebastian contains strange nodules inside his
head, he wonders what they are and what damage they can
cause. DARK AS DAY, the sequel to COLD AS ICE, is incredibly
complex yet brilliantly entertaining as the deep story line
traverses the solar system. The plot contains cleverly
inspired enigmas and even smarter solutions that work at
hyperspeed due to the believable ensemble. Though quite
dark, humor eases the tale from going too deep into the
abyss. Even with a powerful vivid story line, the
authentic feel to characters make Charles Sheffield's
cerebral dark futuristic tale a triumph for genre fans. Harriet Klausner - Copyright © 2002
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted February 21, 2002
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