Mainline [Hardcover]

Deborah Christian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1996

Reva, the assassin, always gets her man, and anyone caught in the crossfire won't live to tell about it. But don't tell that to bodyguard Yavobo. His alien physiology and resistance to pain make him a walking machine of destruction. And when Reva takes out his boss, Yavobo swears a blood oath to track down and kill the assassin.384 pp.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The high-tech action in Christian's debut is propelled by an intriguing conceit: that Reva, an assassin, can pick her way across different realities branching out from her "Now," allowing her to choose an alternate "line" where she can take advantage of gaps in a victim's security system. Once Reva has switched one line too many, however, she has no way of recognizing, and returning to, her original "Mainline." Reva has spent her entire life learning to adapt to this truth, which has rendered friends, relatives and lovers into slightly, or even wholly, different people than the ones she first knew. But now Reva has grown infatuated with Lish, a female "holdout" who smuggles illicit goods to the watery planet R'debh. Reva desperately wants to remain on Lish's Mainline. As the action reaches a frantic peak, smugglers, cops, aliens and sea gods converge, and it seems ever more unlikely that Reva will be able to stay in the reality she knows, with the people she has grown to love. Christian uses this premise to explore the opacity of other's true selves. While she does not give this theme the full care it deserves, she manages to pack a lot of plot into an intelligent and thoughtful package.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Reva, an assassin for hire, can slip between alternate timelines to evade detection. When the smuggler Lish befriends her, Reva vows to remain in the mainline to protect this woman?a commitment she's never before made. When security agent Vask infiltrates Lish's organization and discovers Reva's secret, the three must escape an alien hunter, foil terrorists, and outwit a crime boss while saving Lish's assets. The intricately drawn characterizations and the believability of Reva and Vask's timeslips strengthen the solid plotting. This first novel contains all the ingredients of a science fiction thriller, making this a good choice for sf collections.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 382 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (June 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312860293
• ISBN-13: 978-0312860295
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,796,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Welcome to my author's page. I now write under my full name of Deborah Teramis Christian. The way Amazon is set up, I can't directly share DTC books with you here on the DC page. And since I've been writing under this name for a decade now, works that I have going forward will all be showing up under the Teramis moniker.

For more of my older rpg material, see this page and my pen name Terry Randall: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005C38X40. If you want to catch up on what's new with Deborah Christian's writing, please step over to this url, where you will find lots of updates on my science fiction, fantasy, short stories, and several other projects under my current authorial name: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005C32H0G. There's a lot of exciting things coming down the pike, and that's where you can read all about it.

See you there!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting (but confusing) many-worlds first novel, November 10, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: Mainline (Mass Market Paperback)

Reva, a renowned assassin, has the useful ability to cross worldlines, to avoid pursuit or to penetrate a well-protected target. In fact, she can see several worldlines at once, the better to dodge trouble. But, if she travels too far from her Mainline, she can't find her way home -- so she leads a self-contained, lonely life.

As the story unfolds, Reva gets involved with a young smuggler, and tries to stay in that mainline to maintain the friendship. Complications ensue.

Mainline has some of the cheerful amorality of early Delany, and an interesting study of the implications of worldline-crossing in a many-worlds universe. Reva's ability is psi-based -- she is something of an adult, conflicted Telzey Amberdon. She does turn out to be an assassin with a heart of gold (gag), but it's more complex than that, thank heavens. The major good guys are well-drawn, but her villains are pretty cartoonish. The frequent POV shifts are distracting, and, like many first novelists, Christian tries to cram in too much stuff. And there's some dodgy (to be polite) economics in the world-building. But, overall, a worthy first effort and a fine, gripping story.

Here's a cover blurb from Nicola Griffith: It's a "refreshing change to read about a woman who kills people for a living, instead of worrying about their well-being."

Happy reading!
Cheers -- Pete Tillman

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of a woman who is ruthless but has compassion, August 22, 1998

By 

[e-mail] or Jay Jackson (Livonia, MI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mainline (Mass Market Paperback)

In this book, I had the feeling I was reading from a mature writer who has a good grasp of how to entertain her readers. Few authors would have had the capacity to evoke an understanding and sympathy in readers for an essentially all-powerful being--an assassin at that--who seemingly cannot be harmed because of her ability to travel to various realities to kill someone or escape pursuit. Christian does this with greate ease. From the loss of her family to the loss of her friend, Reva is a character who gains sympathy despite her powers. Also, from beginning to end, Mainline keeps action and interest flowing--so much I read it all in just one sitting. A curious but compelling tale of a far-future woman in a tale few authors can handle. I hightly recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Femme Nikita of a future world..., June 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mainline (Mass Market Paperback)

I've just finished reading Mainline and found it truly masterful.  It has all the elements of suspense and action as well as character development that a reader hopes for in any science fiction book as well as delightfully creative worlds as invented by the author. The quick scene changes helps keep the pace and suspense going as if one were watching a movie.   Reva is like the Femme Nikita of the future world--tough on the outside, vulnerable on the inside. Supporting characters help keep the readers on their toes as plotlines overlap and cross over one another to the climax of the novel.