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Post by dem bones on Jan 23, 2008 12:26:22 GMT
Theodore Roszak - Bugs (Granada, 1984) Terry Oaks Born from the innocent mind of a child and the sinister brains of the world's most advanced computers.
They were like nothing ever seen before. First they caused rashes. Then bites. Then bloody slaughter. They came out of the computers, paralysing a whole civilization.
BUGS - the ultimate terror of the microchip age!Another of those horror-SF crossovers that make me wonder if maybe we should change the name of the board to Vault Of Sci-Fi and have done with it. Maybe not .... This one has a weird topicality about it in view of recent scandals. Washington: The National Centre of Data Control - universally referred to as 'The Brain' - is the lifework of Dr. Thomas Heller, mad computer scientist. Heller is a philanthropic soul but not exactly devoid of megalomaniac tendencies and now his plans for world data domination are under threat from civil liberties beatniks outraged at the Brain's compulsive accumulation of personal information. Normally, Heller can fend off do-gooders, but once the first instance of 'data pox' has been reported things swiftly spin out of control. Soon his entire workforce is fighting off unseen cyber-insects and the situation becomes critical when a paying visitor to the centre is attacked by a swarm of "white fleas" which burrow under her skin. This time one of the bugs is captured and taken for analysis: it's the dead spit of the cartoonish 'bug' drawn by Daphne Hecate, a little girl in the studio during Heller's recent TV appearance. Not only is it an unrecognised species, it doesn't even conform to any known life form! And ... it has the nasty habit of eating people's eyes which is disgusting! Justin is lukewarm about Bugs in the current Fanatic and I'm not sure I'll get through the remaining 300 pages but the attack on the security guard and hippie geek Willis is gory enough, that's for sure. Looks like there's a witchcraft connection, too ....
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Post by redbrain on Jan 23, 2008 12:52:40 GMT
Noting the surnames mentioned in the summary, I wonder whether this is a return to the tradition of giving characters surnames to match their nature. I think, for example, of Henry Fielding's Squire Allworthy and (probably my favourite) the tutor Dr Thwackum.
Heller suggests to me "You may call that Hell - but I'm Heller"
Hecate was, of course, a Greek earth goddess whose concerns included magic.
Willis? Giving people the willies? Or is that going too far?
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Post by franklinmarsh on Jan 23, 2008 13:12:46 GMT
Who on earth would emply a hippy geek as a security guard? Or (ahem) is it two different characters?
Can't help wondering if Michael Crichton read this before writing Prey. (Snigger)
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Post by dem bones on Jan 23, 2008 17:39:48 GMT
Sorry, FM - two different characters. Actually, the security team detest (black) hippy Willis because he shows up for work as and when he feels, has the run of the entire building and generally makes their job that much harder. They even tough him up a couple of times when he gets weird (which is often). Heller keeps him around because he's the brainiest person ever or something. Noting the surnames mentioned in the summary, I wonder whether this is a return to the tradition of giving characters surnames to match their nature. Heller suggests to me "You may call that Hell - but I'm Heller" Hecate was, of course, a Greek earth goddess whose concerns included magic. Willis? Giving people the willies? Or is that going too far? The 'Hecate' thing is definitely an allusion to the Goddess. It's the name adopted by Daphne's mother for her artwork which is all very New Age and occulty. I think you may be reading too much into the 'Heller' and 'Willis' names but the murdered guard was 'Ziggy Champolsky' if that's any help.
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