What a very unique, and at times hideous, tale! And the worst/best thing about it is that I can absolutely see the logic of where the seed of this idea came from.
A near-future London in which all risk and reward from trading and business has virtually vanished results in City workers seeking ever more dangerous alternatives to showcase their determination, their ambition, and their willingness to climb the greasy pole of corporate business.
This culture has led to, quite simply, sleeping one’s way to the top, only that is no longer enough. How can anyone truly see your ambition if no one knows who you’ve had sex with.
Enter the horrifying world of STIs worn as markers of position and power, their damaging side effects mitigated through nanotechnology and immunosuppressants.
And enter into this world Dr Kester Lowe, a man who believes that viruses can and should be beautiful, that if people are going to have sex to get ahead, they may as well look good in the aftermath instead of covered in scabs and sores as a mark of their prowess.
This is very much a story of awful people doing awful things to each other, and a handful of decent, fairly nice but flawed people who are drawn into this world with promises of power, money, influence, unlimited research budgets…
It asks the question: just how strict are your morals? If you were offered everything by Big Pharma to do ‘real’ science, to pursue your dream of making the world better, at what point would you bend – just a little – to take that chance? And, of course, what happens, when they know you’ll bend and can therefore bend some more, and more, and more, what then?
When all the money, all the power, and all the influence sits in the hands of corporates, would you sell your soul to make a real difference? The final pages in the book, in particular, really drive home this question in the most horrific way.
This was a viscerally uncomfortable read in places, and despite being more than 10 years old, holds up extremely well in light of today’s politics and ‘politicians/influencers/ celebrities for hire’, who will shill anything for a price.
NOTE: I picked up a sample of this on ebook as I’m working with Smith on her new novel and wanted to get a sense of her style and interests. And then I immediately bought the rest of the book because I was so horribly fascinated by the premise I had to keep reading. I’m really looking forward to helping Smith shape her next work for publication – stay tuned! ~ Anna
The Write Advice 