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Sisters of Glass
Karl Latte doesn't like the 21st century. Not recombinants, not Ultimate Reality, not Digitally Mastered Immortals. Most of all he dislikes the talent that's damned him–the ability to see into minds. A forty-year-old ex cop with bad knees and a arrhythmic heart, he may be the last man in 2030 LA without a stcom implanted in his cortex. A 21st century Luddite with the skills of a gun-for-hire, he returns to take a case that's already left nine agents parted out. The assignment takes him to a sea platform owned by the genetic conglomerate, Genesistems. His find Romy, one of the last surviving first-generation recombinants. Tall, slender, gifted, with a beauty as artificial as she is, Romy is the apogee of genetic perfection–and everything Karl loathes in a woman. All Karl wants is to go home–but before he can he must smuggle Romy off the platform alive. Easier said than done. Genesistems wants them dead, a sadistic cabal murders Sisters two a night, and a 21st century demon lurks just out of sight, craving possession of them both. Most alarming for Karl, as he grows to know the patented life form he has come to protect, his most charished prejudices teeter as his concept of what is human and what is not skews bewilderingly.
496 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 7, 2015
Note, Sept. 7, 2015: I just edited this slightly, to correct two misspelled words.
Goodreads' description for this book is taken from the jacket copy, which is perhaps somewhat sensationalized, but essentially accurate. Set in a near-future (nearer now than it was in 1999!) dystopian U.S., this is a chillingly plausible extrapolation of where various trends already present could take us. These include genetic engineering and tinkering, and the patenting of life forms; cybernetic technology and the Internet, with all its potential for hair-raising abuses; cultural hostility to printed books; polarization of society into a small super-wealthy elite (which is largely above the law and devoid of any kind of ethics) and a vast, poor proletariat; and the atrophy of civil liberties and democracy in the face of an unaccountable, pistol-rich government, operating almost as if it were an occupying power, holding a subject population under a security-obsessed surveillance state.
Like its dystopian predecessors, such as 1984 and Brave New World, Sisters of Glass makes the grim conditions of its world real and immediate by setting a few individuals you come to care about against that dark background. But unlike the earlier two novels, it blends its sociological science fiction with a plot and conventions taken from the action-adventure genre, including violent action and a high body count. (Our protagonist works for a clandestine security bureau.) A more important dissimilarity is that here, author St. John refuses to succumb to hopeless despair; the unmitigated triumph of evil is not viewed as inevitable, and human actions do make differences. The fact that the author is a Christian, and gives his tale some very low-key Christian content, is related to this; but while the book has no explicit sex (and little illicit sex at all) and keeps its bad language in bounds, this is not sanitized ECPA-style "Christian fiction." It's definitely much grittier in content and tone than the latter.
Probably because of the length of the book and the difficulty of always remembering what he'd written earlier, there are a few instances where St. John gets his details or chronology tangled, or forgets that a potential conflict was already resolved and resurrects it, etc. Those minor flaws, though, didn't keep me from really liking the book overall. It's well conceived, with a gripping, never-a-dull-moment plot; credible, likable main characters, and sound messages. Though not well known, it's one of the better contemporary novels I've read!
By way of disclosure, my copy of the book was a gift (some eight years ago, after it was already out of print) from the author. He didn't anticipate my ever reviewing it publicly (Goodreads didn't even exist at the time!).
Goodreads' description for this book is taken from the jacket copy, which is perhaps somewhat sensationalized, but essentially accurate. Set in a near-future (nearer now than it was in 1999!) dystopian U.S., this is a chillingly plausible extrapolation of where various trends already present could take us. These include genetic engineering and tinkering, and the patenting of life forms; cybernetic technology and the Internet, with all its potential for hair-raising abuses; cultural hostility to printed books; polarization of society into a small super-wealthy elite (which is largely above the law and devoid of any kind of ethics) and a vast, poor proletariat; and the atrophy of civil liberties and democracy in the face of an unaccountable, pistol-rich government, operating almost as if it were an occupying power, holding a subject population under a security-obsessed surveillance state.
Like its dystopian predecessors, such as 1984 and Brave New World, Sisters of Glass makes the grim conditions of its world real and immediate by setting a few individuals you come to care about against that dark background. But unlike the earlier two novels, it blends its sociological science fiction with a plot and conventions taken from the action-adventure genre, including violent action and a high body count. (Our protagonist works for a clandestine security bureau.) A more important dissimilarity is that here, author St. John refuses to succumb to hopeless despair; the unmitigated triumph of evil is not viewed as inevitable, and human actions do make differences. The fact that the author is a Christian, and gives his tale some very low-key Christian content, is related to this; but while the book has no explicit sex (and little illicit sex at all) and keeps its bad language in bounds, this is not sanitized ECPA-style "Christian fiction." It's definitely much grittier in content and tone than the latter.
Probably because of the length of the book and the difficulty of always remembering what he'd written earlier, there are a few instances where St. John gets his details or chronology tangled, or forgets that a potential conflict was already resolved and resurrects it, etc. Those minor flaws, though, didn't keep me from really liking the book overall. It's well conceived, with a gripping, never-a-dull-moment plot; credible, likable main characters, and sound messages. Though not well known, it's one of the better contemporary novels I've read!
By way of disclosure, my copy of the book was a gift (some eight years ago, after it was already out of print) from the author. He didn't anticipate my ever reviewing it publicly (Goodreads didn't even exist at the time!).
November 10, 2011
Shockingly good. Took some time getting into the flow--and the flow was often choppy--but worth the effort. Despite being twelve years old, the themes--even the technology--resonates with what is or may be happening today. Nice way with words, but needed a good proofing.
Quibbles: the protag is physically crippled, but not only survives but bounces back from physical abuse that, if it didn't kill him, should had granted him permanent resident status in the nearest ICU. Access between the platform and the shore is too quick and too easy. If LA was under water, they'd just build on the new shore, not in the still subsiding old location.
Ten percent fiery optimism scattered among the darkest pessimism. About the right mix. ;-)
Probably too much science fiction for those who dislike the genre; not enough for those who do. But the same could probably be said for the mix of dark detective, romance, adventure, spirituality, and shooter tale. Gores quite a few sacred cows along the way.
In the end its about responsibility and redemption, among other things. Not all of us get what we deserve, for which we should be thankful.
Quibbles: the protag is physically crippled, but not only survives but bounces back from physical abuse that, if it didn't kill him, should had granted him permanent resident status in the nearest ICU. Access between the platform and the shore is too quick and too easy. If LA was under water, they'd just build on the new shore, not in the still subsiding old location.
Ten percent fiery optimism scattered among the darkest pessimism. About the right mix. ;-)
Probably too much science fiction for those who dislike the genre; not enough for those who do. But the same could probably be said for the mix of dark detective, romance, adventure, spirituality, and shooter tale. Gores quite a few sacred cows along the way.
In the end its about responsibility and redemption, among other things. Not all of us get what we deserve, for which we should be thankful.
February 18, 2011
The choppy, present-tense style took a bit of getting used to, and there are a few formatting errors, but wow, this story dragged me along at breakneck pace from beginning to end (and it's pretty long!). If you enjoy a dystopian vision of the near future, this one is both chilling and surprisingly realistic.
July 13, 2011
How could I resist a book with a swashbuckling homesteader as a hero? I also really loved the world-building --- we've learned to clone humans and have figured out that if we add short segments of plant or animal DNA, the results are not technically human and can now be patented and used as possessions. The problem was that Sisters of Glass felt a bit too formula romantic suspense. There were a lot of scenes where the two main characters misunderstood each other in stupid ways just to extend the romantic tension. Come on --- communicate!
January 30, 2010
This novel is dark dark dark. The quote hero end quote is kind of an antihero. He's flawed. That's sure. He's a freak and the heroine is too. They both change, tho, and for the better. It reminds me of Raymond Chandler kind of, the way there is so much power held back in this story. I really cared about the guy and gal in this one and cared that they grew to care about each other. Looking at other reviews, people either like it or hate it.
April 26, 2013
I FINALLY finished this book...and I am glad I read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although it was somewhat bigger than most books I read and it took me a long time to get through it. I liked the combination of mystery, action and science-fiction (with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure). Parts of the book were a bit sluggish, but those parts didn't usually last long before the story picked up. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes science-fiction.
October 15, 2008
Noirish scifi is a weakness of myne. This fits pretty well with that description, and I enjoyed it very much.
December 18, 2019
Luckily, I got this free. Love the concept; hate the present tense. Sentences are all over the place: this really needed an editor. Sentences didn't hang together, and it was often difficult to figure out what was going on. (Another reviewer points to some later scenes where the author apparently forgot what he'd already written and claims that that's a "minor" problem. Not minor: the author is expected to fix that before hitting "publish.")
Why are the heroes of these things always so tediously alike? Smug, self-important, and proud of being some sort of "throwback" to an earlier time when everybody knew their place and admired the swaggering knucklehead. Boring. Predictable. I like an adventure as much as anybody, but can't we also have a realistic character with some qualms and concern for other people, for a change?
Bleh. Deleted.
Why are the heroes of these things always so tediously alike? Smug, self-important, and proud of being some sort of "throwback" to an earlier time when everybody knew their place and admired the swaggering knucklehead. Boring. Predictable. I like an adventure as much as anybody, but can't we also have a realistic character with some qualms and concern for other people, for a change?
Bleh. Deleted.
January 5, 2015
As I was reading this book, I kept thinking the general plot line wouldn't make a half-bad movie.
There are two main story lines, firstly, everyone is hooked up to digitally through implants in their head, and when they die, people can buy the ability to download themselves digitally. The second storyline is that there are 1,000 genetically modified women, who serve as a sort of non-physical escort service, who are being murdered at an alarming rate.
So, someone decides to drag Karl away from his precious farm. Karl has a special little attribute, in that he can read minds. He is hired to protect one of the modified woman, named Romy. And Karl doesn't like it. Karl doesn't like anything except cows and steak really. Karl hates other races, anyone that thinks differently then him. Karl is kind of an idiot. I know that reading minds probably made him feel cynical about how humans can be, and that his time as a cop exposed him to some seriously bad people. But he moves through this story sort of like a tank, he's clumsy and destructive, and the only thing he's good for is taking a lot of hits and beatings and not letting that stop him.
This story would have benefited from some Bruce Willis. Remember Bruce as Corbin Dallas in the Fifth Element? Ex-cop turned taxi driver? Cynical, and drug into the story against his will to help a damsel in distress? It would have done better with a more likable underdog.
There are two main story lines, firstly, everyone is hooked up to digitally through implants in their head, and when they die, people can buy the ability to download themselves digitally. The second storyline is that there are 1,000 genetically modified women, who serve as a sort of non-physical escort service, who are being murdered at an alarming rate.
So, someone decides to drag Karl away from his precious farm. Karl has a special little attribute, in that he can read minds. He is hired to protect one of the modified woman, named Romy. And Karl doesn't like it. Karl doesn't like anything except cows and steak really. Karl hates other races, anyone that thinks differently then him. Karl is kind of an idiot. I know that reading minds probably made him feel cynical about how humans can be, and that his time as a cop exposed him to some seriously bad people. But he moves through this story sort of like a tank, he's clumsy and destructive, and the only thing he's good for is taking a lot of hits and beatings and not letting that stop him.
This story would have benefited from some Bruce Willis. Remember Bruce as Corbin Dallas in the Fifth Element? Ex-cop turned taxi driver? Cynical, and drug into the story against his will to help a damsel in distress? It would have done better with a more likable underdog.
February 18, 2013
I wanted to like this book, and in the beginning I thought I might. I got over the present-tense narrative (so few people do that well) and gradually got as close as I could to liking Karl. I sympathized with not wanting to deal with being Connected all the time, but I hate irrational prejudice, and his hatred of gays did not add any depth to his character. Loving his dog did not make up for it.
I couldn't finish it. This is a sad attempt at a hard-boiled mystery twenty minutes into the future. The setting doesn't function as a character, it's too alien to the protagonist to work that way.
I couldn't finish it. This is a sad attempt at a hard-boiled mystery twenty minutes into the future. The setting doesn't function as a character, it's too alien to the protagonist to work that way.
October 14, 2011
I enjoyed this e-book. The characters are well developed and interesting. You can connect with them and like them or not but they come off as real. The story has lots of action and plenty of science fiction elements without being excessively violent, graphic or overly technical. Idownloaded this book from baen.com.
August 3, 2011
I hate to say this, but this book is probably the worst I've read in a long time. The story is confusing, the narration is disjointed, and the tension is intermittent at best. In other words, don't bother.
September 10, 2012
I couldn't get into this book at all. This was mainly due to the shortage of many coherent sentences. It may have been the intention of the author to portray urgency in the writing by having phrases, exclamations and part sentences, but unfortunately it put me off reading past the first few pages.
July 1, 2013
It was an excellent book a bit choppy at times causing me to get lost but I stuck it out each time and glad I did as it was an extremely unusual storyline but far to easily a possibility in this day and age.
April 11, 2009
I am not very fond of hard boiled mystery and this book combines that with science fiction. It lost me before the end of the second chapter but others might like it.
March 8, 2011
This book was a bit too sci-fi for me, and was hard to follow at times. Can't really explain what it is about either. Will definitely be archiving this one.
March 12, 2014
Waiting for the author to write more novels in this genre!
August 12, 2014
Great book well worth the time.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews