Chimera [Mass Market Paperback]

Mary Rosenblum (Author)

Book Description

"Mary Rosenblum paints a fascinating future landscape with all the skill of a true artist. CHIMERA is a book to savor and enjoy over and over again."
PAT CADIGAN
David Chen severed his family ties to become a virtual reality artist on the Net. Jewel Martina left an impoverished family in the 'burbs to become a medical aid, on her way to becoming a VR deal-broker in the economic network that spanned the world. When Jewel saves David's partner's life, it becomes clear someone wanted him dead. There is trouble brewing on the Net, and as Jewel and David are caught up in it, they search the Net, the flesh world, and their own unhappy pasts for some answers. Nothing was ever as it seemed on the Net, where illusion was the rule of the game--but for Jewel and David, the difference beween real and virtual was a matter of life and death....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rosenblum's compelling second novel examines the limits of reality and unreality in a universe whose business and pleasure are run from the confines of a worldwide network of virtual reality booths. At the center of the story is Jewel Martina, a woman of suspect parentage who, through deceit, has worked herself up from poverty into the VR labyrinth of economic intrigue and personal ambition. Her influential boss, Harmon Alcourt, cannot get enough economic power or personal prestige to satisfy himself in his underground pleasure compound in Antarctica. Jewel is caught in the web of international scandal with David Chen and Flanders, two of Alcourts's creative employees who find themselves in over their heads as their boss makes a final push to control all webs in the VR marketplace. Toss in a sassy, curious teenager, a lost love, a power hungry ex-husband and a mysterious guardian angel who reveals herself to Jewel, and you have a fine cast of characters. Rosenblum ( The Drylands ) handles the technical and philosophical complexities of VR with clarity and generosity.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

"Mary Rosenblum paints a fascinating future landscape with all the skill of a true artist. CHIMERA is a book to savor and enjoy over and over again."
PAT CADIGAN
David Chen severed his family ties to become a virtual reality artist on the Net. Jewel Martina left an impoverished family in the 'burbs to become a medical aid, on her way to becoming a VR deal-broker in the economic network that spanned the world. When Jewel saves David's partner's life, it becomes clear someone wanted him dead. There is trouble brewing on the Net, and as Jewel and David are caught up in it, they search the Net, the flesh world, and their own unhappy pasts for some answers. Nothing was ever as it seemed on the Net, where illusion was the rule of the game--but for Jewel and David, the difference beween real and virtual was a matter of life and death....

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (October 4, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345385284
• ISBN-13: 978-0345385284
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,422,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars #scifi @bantamspectra A fondly remembered favorite, September 11, 2009

By 

W. Frederick Zimmerman "W. Frederick Zimmerman" (Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chimera (Mass Market Paperback)

This was the very first book I ever reviewed on the Internet -- it was given to me by Ellen Key Harris of Del Rey books, who was a huge Internet pioneer for Random House. Mary Rosenblum has gone on to a successful career -- she's gifted both with a solid science background and with the ability to create empathetic, tough-minded, appealing characters. Well worth buying if you're a Rosenblum fan!

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary Rosenblum is my nominee for best sf writer!, May 3, 2008

By 

Barbara A. Simpson "Joss rocks" (Wellesley, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chimera (Mass Market Paperback)

The other review for this book states a couple of facts regarding the plot of this book that are correct. But the feel...I have never been more immersed in a book, I read it and look up and I have completely forgotten my own life for the moment. Antartica, the internet, the slums of the future, all so beautifully painted. And this was written in the early 90's, yet it feels very fresh. I cannot recommend this highly enough to lovers of good science fiction! And if you do enjoy it, her other stuff, particularly HORIZONS, is also stellar (so to speak!).

2 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dystopian cyber-punk, September 4, 2004

By 

Michele Lloyd "SF reader" (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chimera (Mass Market Paperback)

Jewel Martina is the lead character of this novel about a dystopian future where the suburbs are in decay and the very rich live in Antarctica. The primary male character has a male lover.