Customer Reviews

Less Than Human

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McArthur's third novel is a near-future police-procedural whodunnit set in Japan. The Japanese setting is the most interesting part of the novel, I thought -- the author lived there for 16 years, returning to Australia in 1996. The protagonist, a female gaijin robotics scientist working in industrial R&D, is well-drawn and sympathetic. And the book is smoothly-written. Do you see the upcoming "but"?

The sfnal McGuffin, a high-tech cult called the Silver Angels -- their leader, Adam, wants to rule Japan (today Japan -- tomorrow the world!) -- didn't work nearly as well, imo. The cultists' bafflegab computer-tech is confusing and unconvincing. The cult's leaders/bad guys are, well, central-casting cardboard. Well-researched cardboard, mind, but novelistically unconvincing. And their Eevil Deeds are all too obviously tailored to the story.

Plus, it's bloody startling to hear tough Osaka cops speaking in Australian, mates....

Still, a decent novel, which might be of particular interest to Japanophiles. "B-" for me -- I preferred her first novel, TIME FUTURE (2001).

Happy reading--
Pete Tillman
Google Groups for my review of Time Future

Dropping hints right and left as the hero compares himself to a character from police manga, and the heroine exchanges graphic novels with her niece, I believe that this novel is nothing less (but much more) than an extended pro-written, mass-market-published, fat-novel-length fanfiction prequel to Evangelion.

The heroine may be considered typical of self-insertion stories, her name "Eleanor McGuire" resembling the author's unmistakably, but despite her red hair and sexier than average figure, there's more Susan Casper than Mary Sue in this robotics engineer investigating a series of deaths by robot.

Then again, she's also married, though she neglects her husband to work on her humanoid robot, Sam. But he and his family draw her attention as her niece, Mari, gets involved with the Silver Angels, a cyberpunk style cult led by the inventor of its high tech salvation, known publicly only as Adam.

McArthur's story of the origins of Adam and the Evas / Angels is completely readable by anyone, whether or not familiar with anime, but fans of Evangelion who enjoy good gen fanfic will probably get twice the kick out of this novel. Whether you see it as I do, or only as a bit of homage and nod to the anime - give it a read, maybe you will enjoy it as much as I did.