Customer Reviews

Chimera

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once upon a future, there was a vegetarian, well born PI named Max and a chimera/critter (jaguar/human) named Zoe. Max takes on Zoe's case to find her "mother's" murderer for which Zoe is framed. Max's task is complicated by Zoe's lowly status in the not-so-brave new world. Critters have no civil rights, are "property" though are not called slaves. Everything in this Libertarian government is privately owned, including the police force, which is manned by Bots (trained robots.)

"Chimera" is a lively, fun, fast-paced story with ethical resonance. Some reviewers objected to the lack of depth in discussing the moral problems; I disagree. The author allows us to make our own decisions regarding what "rights" non-human entities should have. To make it more interesting, critters and A1s can reproduce among themselves and with humans.

The story takes place in LA, a ferment of sharply divided neighborhoods well described and plausible. Radical critters who hate all humans call them "skins." A human who consorts with a critter is a "furry." Critters that go inexplicably crazy are "wilding." The characters are sharply etched and most are likeable, some with remarkable (to us) attributes. Max has an Infinite Pocket attached to his wrist. You can't see it; it is about the size of a small backpack and holds his 9mm SIG Recoilless that has an infinite clip (he never needs to reload.) Zoe is amazingly fast, balanced and has a purring sort of voice. (She also has a furry ears that the author finds endearing.)

"Chimera" is good-natured, and I rooted for Max and Zoe shamelessly. The book is clever and highly readable. Treat yourself to something a little different and read "Chimera."

A great new SF detective story! Our detective hero follows in the tradition of Phillip Marlowe and Sam Spade, as he finds himself with a beautiful client who is also a murder suspect. His client also happens to be part jaguar; in the future,genetic technology has permitted the creation of "critters", mixtures of human and animal genes. These critters have become the new underclass, used as sex slaves and worse. Shetterly presents a very interesting society, an attempt to present a Libertarian dystopia, where respect for private property has permitted the enslavement of sentient beings and machines. In addition to these interesting societal ideas, Shetterly has dreamed up one of the coolest gadgets in recent memory, the Infinite Pocket. I sure wish I had one! A fine, fun novel, with plenty of action and lots of good ideas. You'll enjoy it!

A chimera is a being produced by gene-splicing human genes with those of assorted mammals, the result being an intelligent "critter" who's not quite a slave -- but who doesn't have much in the way of civil rights, either. Having found that much in the flap copy, I thought immediately of one of my favorite stories: "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell," by Cordwainer Smith. Well, Zoe Domingo isn't C'Mell and Shetterly isn't Smith, but it's still a pretty good yarn, though a little heavy on the moralizing. What makes it fun is the mix of noir crime fiction style (think Philip Marlowe as a vegetarian PI) and a semi-cyberpunk vision of the future (everyday teleportation, space-warping as a personal "pocket," and Libertarian terrorists). Two-thirds of the way through, I began to wonder how Shetterly was going to tie up all the narrative threads, but he manages it in quite well -- though I shall be waiting with greater interest for the next "Bordertown" book.

Private detective Chase "Max" Maxwell was doing his usual losing a bundle of money while gambling when Zoe Domingo entered the casino. She informs him that she has need of a sleuth so he grabs her cash and watch to call his hand, but loses anyway. To his shock, Max learns from a sniffing chimera that his client is part human and part jaguar, making her a chimera too. Since these genetically engineered critters have no rights beyond that of a slave they cannot hire humans, but Zoe insists her former master, abolitionist Janna Gold freed her.

Someone killed Janna and the police believe that someone is Zoe. She wants Max to prove her innocence because she insists the robo-cops murdered her liberator. The investigation quickly turns ugly and soon everyone chases after Max and Zoe because they want a powerful earring that Janna gave to her. With no place to hide or run, Max and Zoe are in deep trouble. If they somehow live, they probably will spend a few decades in jail.

CHIMERA is dark science fiction novel that uses genetic engineering to tell a human rights story. The story line is faster than a speeding rocket ship and loaded with excitement yet allows room for the human rights element to flourish without slowing down the pace. Max is a classic hard-boiled detective placed in a future world and Zoe is his femme fatale though reengineered. Readers who enjoy science fiction mysteries will believe Will Sletterly's latest tale, CHIMERA, is simply out of this world.

Harriet Klausner

Will Shetterly's new novel Chimera mixes together a few fairly familiar SF themes: human/animal combinations, artificial intelligences, the issue of rights for both of the above, and a somewhat balkanized (or at least decentralized) future US. The plot is taken from a familiar mystery trope (not uncommon in SF): the hardboiled detective with a heart of gold who gets mixed up in a vulnerable woman's problems despite himself. The end result is not bad: the book is fun reading, with very sympathetic main characters, and a fast-moving if sometimes a bit unconvincing plot. I liked this novel, but I didn't quite love it: I felt it brushed up against some profound thematic material without really fully engaging it, and I felt that the future depicted was more an assemblage of neat bits than a fully imagined, or fully plausible, future society. Perhaps I am simply guilty of wanting to read a book the author didn't intend to write: certainly Shetterly has delivered a good read, which at least asks the reader to think about some important themes.

The narrator is Chase Maxwell, a former UN security man, who left that job after an assignment went bad. He retains one useful (and really neat!) piece of tech: an Infinite Pocket, an area of warped space attached to his arm, in which he can apparently store things of nearly arbitrary size. Including his gun, which has a similar bit of tech: a sort of "Infinite Magazine". He's down on his luck (naturally!) when a jaguar-human hybrid named Zoe Domingo asks him to track down her "mother"'s murderer. Janna Gold, the human Zoe calls her mother (she bought her out of slavery), has just been killed, apparently by berserk "copbots". But the police department is much more likely to finger Zoe for the murder, given the prejudice against "critters". Moreover, Zoe has a mysterious earring Janna gave her, which seems to be a piece of special tech that lots of highly placed people really want.

Max is reluctant to take the case: he doesn't work for critters. But he's in a bit of a bind, so he agrees to help. What follows is a nearly nonstop chase, as Max and Zoe encounter first the police, then a series of people who seem to be peripherally involved: Krista Blake, a police expert who takes a sudden shine to Max; Amos Tauber, an advocate for full rights for both "critters" and Artificial Intelligences; and Oberon Chain, the head of a high-tech company who is also an AI rights crusader. When some of these people begin to get murdered as well, the frame is in, and Max and Zoe are the designated suspects. At the same time, Max is realizing that his feelings for Zoe may be a lot deeper than it is prudent for a human to have with respect to a critter.

From there we encounter a number of different aspects of this future, such as the indentured service camps that have replaced jails; and the "critter" side of town, complete with riots and reverse prejudice against "skins" (ordinary humans); plus scenes of critters "werewolfing": suddenly going berserk and killing everybody in sight; as well as a very well put argument about the ethics of downloading human brains into computers, and vice versa, and plenty more. As I said, the plot is fast moving, and I was always interested, but at times things happen a bit conveniently for the heroes.

Chimera raises some questions that I didn't feel were fully answered. Chief among these is "Why were the "critters" created?" I honestly don't believe that, starting from the present day, the essentially purposeful creation of a new underclass, of that particular nature, is very likely. I also thought his future US a bit unlikely, politically. But both of these reservations are really quibbles, and he does portray his future society quite interestingly. But always at the back of our mind is a desire to more fully engage the submerged issues: equal rights for "critters", and equal rights for AIs. Those questions are raised, but mostly brushed aside, in the interests of maintaining narrative pace. Certainly a longtime SF reader cannot help thinking of Cordwainer Smith's classic "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell", about a "catwoman" who gives all in the pursuit of rights for the "underpeople". But though such issues are present here, they simply don't resonate the way they did in Smith's great story. Nonetheless, though I may (perhaps unfairly) regard Chimera as a missed opportunity to be something really special, it's still a fun read, with its heart in the right place.

This novel is set in that science fictional rarity, a libertarian dystopia. Despite the grim setting, it's a lot of fun, combining all the elements of film noir-- a tough and beautiful damsel in distress, narration by a wisecracking private detective, and complex conspiracies-- with an effortless flow of sf invention: Infinite Pockets, copbots, werewolfing, Crittertown, and much more. The style may owe a lot to Chandler and Hammett, but the overall feel is reminiscent of early Heinlein or John Varley.

This is a big departure from Will Shetterly's last novel, that evocative memoir-as-fantasy "Dogland." That one snuck up on you; this one grabs you by the shirt-front and won't let go until you've finished reading. It's witty, fast-paced, and reminded me of the thrill of discovery I felt a long time ago, when I was a teenager first discovering science fiction, reading about all those amazing things.

Here's the way I can tell if I enjoy a book: if the world the story is set in is compelling enough that I want to see more, with our without the characters of the book. Shetterly's Chimera is exactly that sort of world. I am as intrigued by his not-too-distant, not-too-unbelievable Libertarian America as I am by Zoe and Max.

This is a light and enjoyable science fiction noir mystery that manages to be gritty and optimistic in the same breath. Further, Shetterly manages a very great trick in creating protagonists who are initially rather unlikeable (if not downright annoying) but giving them the space and believable reasons to change.

It's not the deepest read in the world, there is meaning muddled by a rapid-fire plot, but if you're looking for an compelling and enveloping read, Chimera is a good choice.

Don't get me wrong: this novel is not bad, but it could have been better.

Shetterly uses the hard-boiled detective genre to good effect in this mystery/science fiction book. Unfortunately, he missed a better plot and philosophical/moral discussion (see below).

Chimeras are genetically altered humans, a mixture of human and animal genetic material: pigs, bears, dogs, among others. Each chimera "breed" retains some of the characteristics of their animal donor species--strength, enhanced hearing, etc. Chimeras are accepted in the society in the sense that no one seems to think twice about the ethics of their existence. They are, however, considered second- or third-class citizens--virtual slaves which fill certain lower level jobs.

When a chimera is framed for the murder of a full human scientist, she searches for the only P.I. that can help her, a sarcastic man with a caustic wit.

The thing that bothered me most was that there was virtually no discussion of the ethical revolution that had to have taken place in the world to get to this point. In my opinion, the book would have been more interesting if it were set in the earlier timeframe. How did the religious groups react to the genetic manipulation? Medical personnel? Political parties? Labor unions? The general public?

Shetterly attempts to discuss the inequality of our current world by using the chimeras and artificial intelligences as an allegory for those that are discriminated against today. I'm not sure that he fully realized this goal.

Nothing wrong with the book from a general escapist read, but in my opinion, the deeper meaning was somewhat flat.

Chimera was a very exciting book that dealt with a lot of interesting ideas and concepts concerning artificial intelligence and genetic manipulation. The problem with the book though, is that there is too many concepts that the reader has to grasp. There seems to be so many things occuring at one time in this book (a mere 288 pages) that it is hard to follow the plot. On the other hand, Zoe was a very real to life character and it was easy to identify with her problems. If you are into Shetterly, read this book. If you are not, you may wan't to pass it by.

Anthropomorphizing at it's greatest. A gene splice here, a nip and tuck and whala you get a Chimera, also called critters, a being that walks, talks, thinks and feels but is still considered property under the law. Now take one beautiful jaguar girl, a private eye who really tries to be hard bitten, a few machines with artificial intelligence (kind of like a blond dyeing her hair brown,) mix them up in a future LA and you get one heck of a fast paced sort-of-detective story.

A lot of action, a bit of sex and even a little romance, and yes even though I am a man I know there is a difference. (But like any REAL man I don't care.) You can't help but cheer for the good guys, hiss at the baddies and in general have a heck of a good time as this futuristic romp unfolds.

Some of the scenarios within the story aren't consistence and a wee bit unbelievable even for a SF story, but for the most part who cares? I had fun and I think you will too.

I highly RECOMMEND this book.