In the future, when we hover in zero-gravity chairs, wipe away genetic imperfections and take vitamin showers, we also can have virtual sex with whomever we choose. In Nate Kenyon’s PRIME, there’s a machine just for that, whether you want a hunk or Henry VIIII.
But it’s killed three people recently. Is it due to a virus? Human tampering? The religious right? Celebrity bug-hunter William Bellow is brought in by the New London corporation to find out why its technology is short-circuiting its users.
Enlisting the help of a former sex-trade worker named Kara, Bellow investigates, taking him from tower to sewer. He learns that one of the deceased was involved in a top-secret program named Prime, and runs across vats of naked clones. How it all ties together is swiftly, smartly rendered.
Kenyon’s novella is just the right length, blending the sci-fi and mystery genres into a clean narrative that reminds one of BLADE RUNNER. With the exception of a confusing (albeit action-packed) prologue, the author maximizes a minimal page count, packing a lot of story into a small space. His vision of the future may not be markedly different than the writers the back cover name-checks (Philip K. Dick, Neal Stephenson and Richard K. Morgan), but his grasp of the material is strong. The guy can do more than mere horror. —Rod Lott
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• BLOODSTONE by Nate Kenyon
• THE BONE FACTORY by Nate Kenyon
• THE REACH by Nate Kenyon
Related posts:
- Star Wars: The New Jedi Order – Vector Prime
- Prime Books announces BEST OF genre anthologies
- Bloodstone
- The Bone Factory
- The Reach
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What, no XXX excerpt? Don’t tell me there are no sci-fi sex juicy bits?
Sorry, Steve, but Kenyon is the master of the cutaway on this one.