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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Science Fiction, October 3, 2003
This review is from: Excelsior (Paperback)
Wealthy entrepreneur Miles Cash travels to space station Excelsior, a combination lab and luxury motel, to pitch investors on his domed-city project. He is also there to meet Leena Doda, a pleasure-clone. But for Miles, nothing goes as planned. The woman he loves is held on Excelsior as property, and his project, the dream of a lifetime, is dangerously under-funded. Meanwhile, a career U.S. Intelligence officer has put a plot in motion to destroy China, and the Chinese are willing to take drastic action to prevent the apocalypse. Miles Cash wants to "rescue" Leena, but he may not get the chance... "Excelsior" is an odd hybrid of good old-fashioned suspense, philosophy, ethics, and politics, coupled with the very best in cutting-edge science. The author is a brilliant futurist. His cultural, political and technological projections are flawlessly integrated. The prose is clean and fast-moving. The plot is an absolute gem. This book deserves to be a classic. Simply put, it's the best science fiction novel I've read in a decade. I can't recommend it highly enough.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful sex clones and bio-terrorism. A love story., November 19, 2003
This review is from: Excelsior (Paperback)
Read this book and you may never look at a stunningly beautiful woman with the same eyes again. That's a good thing. Ask Miles Cash, wealthy businessman, adventurist, and "owner" of Leena. This is a fun science-fiction love story. It is, at the same time, a touching and thought-provoking exploration of political racism, bio-terrorism, and orbital space travel in the near future. It is a wonderful novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. Excelsior did for me what I need a book to do. It involved me. I forgot I was reading. And I can't wait for the sequel. Way to go Mr. Paul
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding SciFi, October 20, 2003
This review is from: Excelsior (Paperback)
This is a compelling tale that intertwines a futuristic love story between wealthy Miles Cash and a beautiful, intelligent clone named Leena with a fast paced Clancy style thriller. There's intrigue involving a potential pathogen that could wipe out China, a plot that involves a space station being the target of terrorism and many fascinating characters along the way. I really enjoyed how the very detailed scientific stuff about bio-terrorism and space station technology flowed easily around more "human" stuff like the relationship issues between an odd threesome of reporters on the cloning story and the Miles' depth and passion as a human being. Most interesting to me, though only a minor plot point, was Leena's participation in a "Goddess" oriented spiritual group of clones that was sweet and inspirational. This won't bog down male readers who may prefer the speedy pace of the narrative, but it will likely resonate with female readers because it's unexpected and gives the female lead another interesting dimension. The afterward hints at a second novel which I greatly anticipate. This is a great read! Highly recommended.
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