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 Distress by Greg Egan
reviewed by XXXXX
Original appearance: Albedo one issue ??, date?
The heroes of Greg Egan's novels are not necessarily flesh and blood. In fact, it is likely to be the concept around which the novel is based that takes centre stage rather than any mere construct of flesh and blood. This is not to say that he lacks facility with the creation of living, breathing characters. Rather that the strength of the idea can sometimes overwhelm the carbon units which carry the weight of the plot.
Normally I find that my plot synopses begin something like... There's this bloke, see... But in the case of DISTRESS I find myself forced to start from... There's this disease, right? Called Distress, naturally. And this bloke (hey, he's here already - the hero, I mean), this tele-journalist bloke, is asked to do a documentary on it. But the journo, Andrew Worth, has just finished a high-tech documentary with a medical slant which has offended his morals and he wants a bit of a rest from the horror of it all. So, using the weight of his reputation, he persuades SeeNet (the cyberspace TV network and information provider) to give him an assignment for which he is patently unsuited - a profile of Violet Masala, Nobel Prize winning quantum physicist.
Masala will be presenting her 'Theory of Everything', which will explain the meaning of life, the universe and... well, everything, at a seminar on a genetically engineered island in the Pacific Ocean, called Stateless. The bio-engineering technology used in constructing (more correctly growing) the island was stolen, and the corporation which owns the patents works constantly to undermine the island, both physically and politically. Masala's impending theory of everything is opposed by several neo-luddite groups. Distress cases are multiplying far in advance of statistical probability in the background. Andrew's documentary is falling apart and what's worse, someone infects him with a strain of cholera that is resistant to the limited range of drugs available on Stateless.
DISTRESS is a (reasonably) near-future techno-thriller which is both complex and intelligent. Unfortunately in parts, the furniture gets in the way of the action and the characters feel a wee bit soulless. However, for fans of hard SF, these minor criticisms should be interpreted as virtues. Stacked up against the average mindless trash, aimed at lowest common denominators which seems to flow unchecked across the Atlantic, Egan's work is a breath of fresh air. While it may not be an unqualified winner, it is definitely worth investigating.
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