Hot-Wired Dodo (The Wonderland Gambit, No. 3) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jack L. Chalker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 1997

TRUMP CARD

Reality wasn't what it used to be. Life after life, as man, woman, and child, Cory Maddox was trapped in an endless cycle of ever-changing realities, on the run from his ruthless companions and from the shadowy figures that seemed to exist outside the increasingly unstable matrix.

As each new world proved increasingly bizarre, Cory wanted nothing more than to find the way home. Fragments of knowledge--a mysterious UFO crash, alien technology, glimpses of a computer that was controlling his fate--all pointed toward Matthew Brand, the virtual reality genius. But Brand had vanished long ago, into, or perhaps beyond, the borders of reality.

To break the cycle of cyber-reincarnation, Cory had to find Brand--before the actions of his enemies destroyed reality altogether . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In the conclusion to sf veteran Chalker's trilogy, Cory Maddox is stuck inside the cycle of cyber-reincarnation of a virtual reality box created by the missing Matthew Brand. Sentient computers live vicariously through him and 51 other people trapped in virtual reality, and Brand is the key to their escape. It is essential to have read the first two books to comprehend this novel. Buy to complete the collection.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

TRUMP CARD

Reality wasn't what it used to be. Life after life, as man, woman, and child, Cory Maddox was trapped in an endless cycle of ever-changing realities, on the run from his ruthless companions and from the shadowy figures that seemed to exist outside the increasingly unstable matrix.

As each new world proved increasingly bizarre, Cory wanted nothing more than to find the way home. Fragments of knowledge--a mysterious UFO crash, alien technology, glimpses of a computer that was controlling his fate--all pointed toward Matthew Brand, the virtual reality genius. But Brand had vanished long ago, into, or perhaps beyond, the borders of reality.

To break the cycle of cyber-reincarnation, Cory had to find Brand--before the actions of his enemies destroyed reality altogether . . .

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 338 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (December 27, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345388496
• ISBN-13: 978-0345388490
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,414,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chalker's best to date, October 14, 1999

By 

Duane Krause - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hot-Wired Dodo (The Wonderland Gambit, No. 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is fantastic stuff. I read through the whole series very quickly, always wanting to see what happened next. Chalker is a great storyteller, with excellent character development and retroactive exposition that will continue after you have finished the book, while you wonder just what the "real" reality is. BTW, I think "The Matrix" _did_ steal heavily from this series.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ghost-written with the ghost of Philip Dick?, February 27, 2000

By 

"striped_knees" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hot-Wired Dodo (The Wonderland Gambit, No. 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

Actually, Chalker manages to incorporate his favourite themes: that stagnation leads to Hell, his fascination with how much power corrupts, and what some call an obsession with transformation. If nothing else, his "first world" in this book brilliantly analyses what would happen if women really did have power. David Brin did an equally good (albeit different) job, and few others have avoided the standard clichés. As a conclusion to his most paranoid trilogy, the book is brilliant, up to the last chapter. Fans of the late Phil Dick (of whom I am one) should recognise it as the last chapter of Dick's own book UBIK. This lack of originality nonetheless fits in with one of the most paranoid trilogies I have ever read.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wrapped Up - but Why?, May 29, 2001

By 

Elderbear (Loma Linda, Aztlan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Hot-Wired Dodo (The Wonderland Gambit, Book 3) (Paperback)

I enjoyed the first two books of the trilogy. I found this last one a bit more fantastic than what had come before. It almost moved into Piers Anthony territory, but without the puns. Yes, we encounter "realities" (Everything you think you know is wrong) where not just politics and technological evolution are different, but the "human" species has evolved differently, too. Fun to play with these speculative worlds, but not as entrancing (for me) as the ones that more nearly paralleled _this_ world.

And yes, the reader finally gets the Holy Grail in this novel, but is it really anything more than just another cup? It doesn't matter, the quest was a lot of fun. We even got a bit of character development in the process. The worst thing about this book is how hard it is to get ahold of. It took me three months to track one down. If you're contemplating reading the trilogy (a worthwhile endeavor), then make certain you have a copy of this book in your hands before you begin!