Emissaries from the Dead
Set in an artificial ecosystem, the novel follows a woman investigator as she untangles two murders. Tension between species, and the boundary between violence and diplomacy, are explored within a tightly sealed science-fiction world.
Work Information
Two murders in a sealed artificial world set the investigation in motion.
Against the backdrop of an artificial ecosystem, the novel follows a murder investigation entangled with political tension. Negotiation with alien-like beings and personal ethics emerge as one and the same problem.
Review Summaries
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Readers appreciate the closed-world setting and the tension of the investigation. Some find the SF exposition heavy, so it tends to be received as a book that divides opinion.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Voyager
- Published
- 2008-02-26
- Pages
- 387 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 10.8 x 2.54 x 17.15 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780061443725
- ISBN-10
- 0061443727
- Price
- 887 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Mystery & Thrillers/Thrillers
Two murders have occurred on One One One, an artificial ecosystem created by the universe's dominant AIs to house several engineered species, including a violent, sentient race of sloth-like creatures. Under order from the Diplomatic Corps, Counselor Andrea Cort has come to this cylinder world where an indentured human community hangs suspended high above a poisoned, acid atmosphere. Her assignment is to choose a suitable homicide suspect from among those who have sold their futures to escape existences even worse than this one. And no matter where the trail leads her she must do nothing to implicate the hosts, who hold the power to obliterate humankind in an instant. But Andrea Cort is not about to hold back in her hunt for a killer. For she has nothing to lose and harbors no love for her masters or fellow indentures. And she herself has felt the terrible exhilaration of taking life . . . .
Reviews
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Anyone who gave this story two or three stars does not know good science fiction when they read it and should read something else becuase this book is the best sci fi detective story i have ever read and i have read a lot only Jack L chalkers G.O.D. sequals is as good as MR castros andrea cort novels. I love sci fi detective stories and this novel had me hooked from the first page i was pretty sure who commited the murders on one one one and i was completly suprised when the murderer was revealed. the pace and plotting of the story was intense as it was engrossing the characters were very realistic and complex i can identify with andrea cort and the rest of the characters who considered themselves to be outsiders just as i can identify with characters that jack l chalker writes about becuase they are people with noble ideas and wont settle for conforming to the status quo for the sake of social convience they fight against the grain for the betterment of society and themselves. Andrea cort is considered a monster by everyone but, she is really a woman whose circumstances made her into something everybody abhors yet she is a woman who wants humanity to aspire to something they have lost freedom from the control of the artificial intelligence that dictates humanities existence. Andrea cort is a fragile woman despite her austere demenor and dangerous reputation and i really bonded with this character as i read this story becuase i had empathy for her feelings of alienation and anti social sentiment people often cause you more pain than you can handle so its often best to keep them at arms length. This novel is unique in its setting and alien creatures i especialy liked the dragons. If you like sci fi detective novels this book is a must read.
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Definitely belongs to the best SciFi books I've read. Extremely thrilling. And Andrea Cort is an absolutely fascinating character with a very unique personality.
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Totally and completely fresh and unexpected, not a cliche in sight! Do yourself a favour and read this. Only one complaint and it has nothing to do with the novel. Whoever proofed in for e-format didn't do a very good job and the errors are a bit annoying.
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A gem! Beautifully written principal character who has a sharp tongue and a wit, in the context of a mystery in a mysterious setting. Enjoyable and underrated. Do read it!
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The thing about this novel is that you have a trifecta of goodness: Good character development of the main character, whom you like despite her misanthropic outlook; a crazy new world where down is up and up is down and life is in the bottom of trees where you fight not to fall up (and where our protagonist is deathly afraid of heights!); and a murder mystery that's more convoluted than anything I can recall reading in years. Top that with prose that is engaging and well written, and this start to a series is very, very worth your reading time. If you like military sf tales, mysteries or hard science sf, you will likely find the drama and tension in this book works for you.