Days of Atonement [Mass Market Paperback]

Walter Jon Williams (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Williams's ( Angel Station ) flawed futuristic thriller is set at the beginning of the next century, during the "days of atonement" observed by the Church of the Apostles, a period of contemplation, each day devoted to one of the seven deadly sins. Loren Hawn, police chief of Atocha, N.M., is driven by overwhelming rage, religious fervor and the desire to "guard his marriage, his daughters, his community"; he styles himself "the sword and arm of the Lord." Then an experiment at the nearby Advanced Technology Laboratories leaves a body on Loren's doorstep--apparently that of a man who died 20 years ago. As Loren investigates the "John Doe"--is his appearance some sort of miracle?--he gradually comes to believe that he has been betrayed by all he cherished--his family, his town, his church. Ironically, he is right--ATL is involved in a crime--but Loren is over the edge. He is ultimately overtaken by rage and driven to a frenzy of murder and destruction. Although not completely successful in his portrayal of Loren's disintegrating personality, Williams does present a credible exploration of a near-future community.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The police chief of Atocha, New Mexico finds himself in trouble from all sides when his investigation of an impossible murder forces him to cross wills with a nearby research institute conducting secret experiments involving space and time. The author of Hardwired ( LJ 6/15/86) brings his gift for hardcore realism to this near-future tale of one man's confrontation with the unknown. For most sf collections.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (January 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812501802
• ISBN-13: 978-0812501803
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,497,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unlikely success., January 31, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Days of Atonement (Hardcover)

I didn't expect to like this book. In fact, I left it sitting on my pile for months before I gave it a chance. An unlikely combination of police procedural and hard science fiction, this novel somehow manages to pull it all together perfectly, making it one of Williams' best (which is saying a lot). Try it

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent political/police-procedural/SF thriller, September 7, 2002

By 

Peter D. Tillman (Taos, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Days of Atonement (Hardcover)

______________________________________________
Just a quick heads-up re this excellent New Mexico political/police-procedural/SF thriller, which I just reread.

It's a terrific page-turner -- kept me up til the small hours. I enjoyed it more the second time than the first -- I hadn't remembered it as being so good, and put it on the reread pile after someone online commented on how good the book is.

This is as good a portrayal of red rage as you're likely to see anywhere.

There are nits to pick -- a 3 digit code to unlock the heavies' Uzis! -- but they won't bother you during the read.

This was WJW's "crossover" novel before The Rift, and it's a far, far better book -- one of his best. Don't miss. Out of print, but readily available.

Happy reading--
Pete Tillman

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rambo vs Einstein, May 21, 2008

By 

Vind3d - See all my reviews

This review is from: Days of Atonement (Mass Market Paperback)

Remember the small town cop from the first Rambo movie, First Blood? He's a good comparison of our main character, Loren Hawn, the small town, good ole boy, sheriff who gets things done, even if he has to break a few laws to do it.

He loves his family, his town, his way of life.

But forces come into play that try to upset everything.

Drug dealers, local teen hoodlums, mean drunks, crazy street people, eco-terrorists all turn on Loren and try to change his town and the people he has sworn to protect.

Then there is the strange goings on at the new local Physics lab. William Patience, Hawn's nemesis, is the head of security of the lab and does everything by the book, his book, that is.

On top of all the other problems for Loren there is the Murder. The recent murder of someone who died in a car wreck 20 years before. And Loren is sure Patience and his lab are somehow mixed up in it.

As Loren tries to find the killer many of the towns dark secrets are pushed out into the light. And his hard-knock methods cause his friends to turn on him.

But that's alright, Loren gets things done anyway as he sets out to right wrongs because he is the Sword and Arm of the Lord!

This book shows Walter Jon Williams' versatility as a writer. Although it has Sci-Fi and cyberpunk elements, it's really nothing like my other two favorite books of his, Voice of the Whirlwind, and Hardwired.

If you are fans of those works, be ready for a change of direction.

A fantastic story of one man's fight for what he thinks is right!Days of Atonement