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G.O.D. Inc. #2
The Shadow Dancers
Book by Chalker, Jack L.
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
Jack L. Chalker
130 books362 followersBesides being a science fiction author, Jack Laurence Chalker was a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for a time, a member of the Washington Science Fiction Association, and was involved in the founding of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Some of his books said that he was born in Norfolk, Virginia although he later claimed that was a mistake.
He attended all but one of the World Science Fiction Conventions from 1965 until 2004. He published an amateur SF journal, Mirage, from 1960 to 1971 (a Hugo nominee in 1963 for Best Fanzine).
Chalker was married in 1978 and had two sons.
His stated hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees. He had a great interest in ferryboats, and, at his wife's suggestion, their marriage was performed on the Roaring Bull Ferry.
Chalker's awards included the Daedalus Award (1983), The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books (1984), Skylark Award (1985), Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award (1979), as well as others of varying prestige. He was a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo Award twice. He was posthumously awarded the Phoenix Award by the Southern Fandom Confederation on April 9, 2005.
On September 18, 2003, during Hurricane Isabel, Chalker passed out and was rushed to the hospital with a diagnosis of a heart attack. He was later released, but was severely weakened. On December 6, 2004, he was again rushed to hospital with breathing problems and disorientation, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and a collapsed lung. Chalker was hospitalized in critical condition, then upgraded to stable on December 9, though he didn't regain consciousness until December 15. After several more weeks in deteriorating condition and in a persistent vegetative state, with several transfers to different hospitals, he died on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure and sepsis in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.
Chalker is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, the first of which is Midnight at the Well of Souls (Well World, #1).
He attended all but one of the World Science Fiction Conventions from 1965 until 2004. He published an amateur SF journal, Mirage, from 1960 to 1971 (a Hugo nominee in 1963 for Best Fanzine).
Chalker was married in 1978 and had two sons.
His stated hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees. He had a great interest in ferryboats, and, at his wife's suggestion, their marriage was performed on the Roaring Bull Ferry.
Chalker's awards included the Daedalus Award (1983), The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books (1984), Skylark Award (1985), Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award (1979), as well as others of varying prestige. He was a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo Award twice. He was posthumously awarded the Phoenix Award by the Southern Fandom Confederation on April 9, 2005.
On September 18, 2003, during Hurricane Isabel, Chalker passed out and was rushed to the hospital with a diagnosis of a heart attack. He was later released, but was severely weakened. On December 6, 2004, he was again rushed to hospital with breathing problems and disorientation, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and a collapsed lung. Chalker was hospitalized in critical condition, then upgraded to stable on December 9, though he didn't regain consciousness until December 15. After several more weeks in deteriorating condition and in a persistent vegetative state, with several transfers to different hospitals, he died on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure and sepsis in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.
Chalker is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, the first of which is Midnight at the Well of Souls (Well World, #1).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 18, 2012
Book one was written in third-person, book two in first-person. If that wasn't jarring enough, the PoV character is an under-educated inner city black woman, complete with slang and dialect.
Dropped the book after ten pages of irritation.
Dropped the book after ten pages of irritation.
October 20, 2026
If book one was about discovering the trans-dimensional subway line, book two is a hard-boiled race against time to stop an interdimensional zombie drug. It’s a wild mashup of Miami Vice, The Twilight Zone, and classic detective noir. If you like seeing a husband-and-wife sleuth team outsmart evil masterminds on completely backward alternate Earths, you'll have a grand old time. Our favorite detective duo, Brandy and Sam Horowitz, are officially working cases for G.O.D. Inc. (the massive outfit that runs the "Labyrinth" connecting all the alternate versions of Earth). Some total lunatics have cooked up a terrible new narcotic that acts like a highly contagious venereal disease. One touch hooks you forever, overrides your mind, and turns you into a mindless, obedient zombie—a "Shadow Dancer". If this thing spreads across the Labyrinth, it’ll destroy whole civilizations. To smash the source of the drug, Sam and Brandy have to hunt for leads across two wild parallel Earths: one world that never heard of civil rights, and another world where the Nazis actually won WWII. To make matters worse, the bad guys are one step ahead. They’ve set up evil, clone lookalikes of Sam and Brandy at the dimension headquarters to throw everyone off the scent. Our heroes have to figure out who to trust while avoiding getting replaced by their own spooky doppelgängers. It's a fast-paced, high-concept sequel that expands the universe beautifully. It’s like a classic pulp detective novel that took a wrong turn into a sci-fi funhouse.
March 7, 2023
I love first person perspective. I probably prefer it. But definitely not this. Our protagonist is a self-proclaimed ignorant, black women… so yeah, this might strike the modern reader a bit differently. Not that I believe the author to be racist. I believe he was making a conscious effort even, not to be. But I did not enjoy this point of view, the slang used and such.
The second strike is the very long excruciating info dump of an explanation of the that is, and supposedly is to come… Can’t tell you for sure how it went because I didn’t finish it.
And the third strike. When it finally got to telling the actual story, this too was awful.
The second strike is the very long excruciating info dump of an explanation of the that is, and supposedly is to come… Can’t tell you for sure how it went because I didn’t finish it.
And the third strike. When it finally got to telling the actual story, this too was awful.
June 1, 2020
Still good entertainment.
July 21, 2009
Second book in the alternate universe PIs series
January 9, 2012
Grade D-. Book Gi2.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews