Archform: Beauty (Mass Market Paperback)

by L. E. Modesitt Jr. (Author) "As the last notes of the orchestra fade into oblivion, the audience surges to its feet, the applause thundering across the hall..." (more)
Key Phrases: nanite systems, rez stuff, privacy cone, Senator Cannon, Jude Parsfal, Les Kerras (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Technology, philosophy, politics, and mystery combine in this well-told tale of murder and corporate machination. Archform: Beauty weaves together the stories of five people in 24th-century North America who find themselves involved in a political conspiracy that spawns a string of murders. An old-style singer despairs over graceless contemporary music that uses overlaid resonances to emotionally manipulate the listener; a police investigator identifies a disturbing pattern of suicides and murders; a powerful senator and an equally powerful corporate tycoon pursue their own agendas toward a potentially violent collision; and a news researcher with a flair for background finds himself drawn into all of their affairs as pieces of various puzzles begin to come together.

Modessit handles the five voices well, particularly those of the detective, singer, and researcher, and sets their stories against a well-realized social and political background, incorporating interesting philosophical questions about reality and beauty into the action without slowing the pace. --Roz Genessee --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
Best known for his fantasy fiction (the Saga of Recluce), Modesitt has outdone himself in this highly original SF novel, using future technology to satirize and amplify the gulf that separates science from art. In the 24th century, politics remains much the same, with radical, Islamic fundamentalism still posing a threat. The author rapidly introduces five separate narrators, but since he delineates each with the skill of a latter-day Dickens, the reader doesn't feel overwhelmed. Nor does Modesitt overdo the future slang, which is always clear in context (what was once the United States is now "NorAm"). One of the five narrators, Senator Cannon of the Deseret District, insists on sticking to his principles in seeking re-election. Meanwhile, Lt. Eugene Chiang, who shows how little police work has changed, is investigating the "impossible" suicides of a string of concertgoers. Chiang's engaging exchanges with classical music teacher Cornett illuminate the ways technology can undermine an art form. One is reminded of Arthur C. Clarke's tale "The Ultimate Melody," as Cornett battles to make others appreciate music as art instead of as product. Set against a background of biological terrorism, Modesitt's tale explores social issues (only the rich can afford privacy as well as injections of microscopic, medical robots to stay healthy) sure to resonate with many readers. This brilliant novel is as thought provoking as it is entertaining.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction (May 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765343649
• ISBN-13: 978-0765343642
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #891,953 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well thought out future thriller, August 22, 2003

By	lb136 "lb136" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

In "Archform Beauty" the prolific L.E. Modesitt, master of the plain tale plainly told, opts for something more complicated--an intricate five-voices point of view (a singer, a reporter, a cop, a politician, and a businessman), and a tangled plot line. He resolves everything nicely, as the five protagonists, who don't know each other when the book begins, converge by the end.

While the book is set in the 25th century, it has more of a near-future feel (change the Martian Republic to some rogue state on earth and it's likely the technology described is no more than a generation or two away). People communicate instantly via "linking"; fabricated food is fabricated in "formulators"; cars are electric.

And the author doesn't relish the future he imagines--one in which "resonance" enhances music, and maybe manipulates minds as well. In short, it's a world without beauty, and this irks Mr. Modesitt more than somewhat, and he'll probably get you on his side also.

It's seemlessly written and fast paced. And it's less of a whodunit than it is a "how will they figure it out?" You know what the bad guys are up to before the good guys do and, as Alfred Hitchcock knew well, that is the kind of scenario that creates the most suspense of all.

Notes and asides: Sigh. Like most futuristas, Modesitt feels compelled to make reference to "the holos." But since he actually describes how this tech might work instead of search and replacing "movies" with "holos" after he completed his first draft, I am not deducting any stars. The shortening of city names is disconcerting and not believable and sometime merely silly (Denv for Denver). Paris has been around a long time, and nobody's ever tried to shorten it to Pris.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The way near-future novels should be written!, October 20, 2002

By	Jon R. Patrick (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Archform: Beauty (Hardcover)

Mr. Modesitt is one of my favorite authors of all time. His character development, focusing on regular people who *influence* history by reacting to situtations they're forced into gives each and every novel a depth and realism not often found.
In Archform: Beauty, Mr. Modesitt follows one timeline, through the eyes and situtations of 5 distinct people. Sometimes, the story is advanced through one person, and a time period, be it hours or days, may pass before the next 'chapter' is begun and the next character picks up the story. Othertimes, you'll be reading a chapter that overlaps with a previous chapter.
Regardless, this book is complex and believable. Futuristic technology that is just a *streach* beyond what we have and know to be possible. Politics that are infinitely believeable, with water disputes, terrorism, new diseases springing up, the 'haves and have-nots', and obtuse threats from the 'third-world' equivalent. And through it all, individuals who are worried about their jobs, families, and finding the money to pay for necessary repairs to their homes. This is *life*, just a bit in the future.

The most impressive thing about this book is simply that Mr. Modesitt presents extra or extraneous situtations and items that you will try desperately to figure out how they all tie in together, until in the last portion of the book you realize the actual thrust of the book, and that the additional items are all just the depth and coloring of the world. Amazing work here.

I gave this book 5 stars, although it is not perfect. Mr. Modesitt often introduces new words to books, and I feel seldom exactly defines them adequately. I tend to appreciate explanations laid out simply and obviously, and in this book there are several new terms presented which you must figure out their intent throughout the book.

I highly recommend this book; it is among the best developed I've read, and an example of the continuing excellence of my favorite author!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Near-future crime story, a moral, and good characters--great, July 28, 2002

By	booksforabuck "BooksForABuck.com" (Dallas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Archform: Beauty (Hardcover)

Police Lieutenant Chiang is overwhelmed with work--the last thing he needs is a series of strange overdose cases--cases where no excessive drugs or alcohol seem involved. As he investigates, he learns that the cases may be involved with something even more sinister. Someone is attempting to take over one of the largest Earth-based technology companies and murder is no object.

Author L. E. Modesitt, Jr. delivers a futuristic earth with close ties to today's technologies and dangers. Extrapolating on trends in science (nanotechnology is the dominant means of producing food, protecting buildings, and preventing disease), the Internet (everyone has a built-in web connection), biological warfare (there an outbreak of an e-bola virus during the story), and space technology (Mars inhabitants are bombarding the earth with supposedly out-of-control asteroid debris), Modesitt's earth is both believable and interesting.

Modesitt uses his novel as a polemic in favor of the arts and beauty--support for 'great art' rather than popular art, and for the irrational over pure rationalism, but this sermon is delivered well in the context of the story (except for occasional essay bits inserted to make sure the reader doesn't miss the points--trust us, Modesitt, we would have got it without them). The mystery, a number of sympathetic characters, and even a hint of a romance add up to a compelling read.

Highly recommended.