Mappa Mundi [Paperback]

Justina Robson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 11, 2002

An novel of hard SF exploring the nature of identity both inherited and engineered, from one of Britain's most acclaimed new talents. In the near future, when medical nanotechnology has made it possible to map a model of the living human brain, radical psychologist Natalie Armstrong sees her work suddenly become crucial to a cutting-edge military project for creating comprehensive mind-control. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Jude Westhorpe, FBI specialist, is tracking a cold war defector long involved in everything from gene sequencing to mind-mapping. But his investigation has begun to affect matters of national security -- throwing Jude and Natalie together as partners in trouble. Deep trouble from every direction. This fascinating novel explores the nature of humanity in the near future, and how technologies can develop whose power and potential demand that we adapt ourselves to their existence - whatever the price.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. British author Robson's third novel to appear in the U.S. (after Natural History and Silver Screen) maintains throat-tightening suspense from its teasingly enigmatic introduction of its major characters to its painful conclusion that evil will succeed if well-meaning people try to achieve good at any cost. "Matter is only energy with information and identity was only information" is the guiding hypothesis of a number of idealists attempting to improve humanity through "Mappa Mundi," a mind-altering program. FBI specialist Jude Westhorpe, who's part Cherokee, tracks soulless Mikhail Guskov, the mastermind of a plot to steal the program's secrets, while fey genius-level British psychologist Natalie Armstrong fights inner battles against a father she can never please and her own debilitating self-pity. Meanwhile, the CIA and Pentagon work on developing mind-control technology worse than anything George Orwell imagined in 1984. Shortlisted for the 2001 Arthur C. Clarke Award, this near-future SF thriller presents convincing characters caught in profound moral dilemmas brought home through exquisite attention to plot details and setting. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Booklist

The living human brain has finally been mapped, and there is software in development that can read and write to living minds. Psychiatric psychologist Natalie Armstrong sees in this an opportunity to help people with depression and other mental disorders. The military sees it as an opportunity for good old-fashioned mind control. FBI agent Jude Westhorpe, on the trail of a cold war criminal with his fingers in every imaginable pie, and Natalie are thrown together after Jude's sister is nearly killed in what appears to be a test of mind-control software. Jude seeks Natalie out for answers, and they wind up working together in a race to keep the technology out of hands that will abuse its more sinister possibilities. Robson's take on the problems associated with anything that can rewrite a human personality is a complex one, and also a solidly written, entertaining story. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan (October 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330375679
• ISBN-13: 978-0330375672
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,431,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Justina Robson is the author of Keeping It Real, Selling Out, Going Under, and Chasing the Dragon (Books 1-4 of the Quantum Gravity series). Her first novel, Silver Screen, published in August 1999 in the UK and in 2005 by Pyr, was short-listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the BSFA Award, and is currently nominated for the Philip K. Dick award. Her second novel, Mappa Mundi, together with Silver Screen, won the Amazon.co.uk Writer's Bursary 2000 and was also short-listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2001. A third novel, Natural History, a far future novel, placed second in the 2004 John W. Campbell Award and was short-listed for the Best Novel of 2003 in the British Science Fiction Association Awards and the Philip K. Dick Award. A fourth novel, Living Next Door to the God of Love, was a finalist for the BSFA Award. Visit Justina Robson's website at www.justinarobson.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, well-written read!, October 10, 2006

By 

S. S. White "Calico Reaction" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mappa Mundi (Paperback)

The first thing I read of Robson's was her LIVING NEXT DOOR TO THE GOD OF LOVE, which I wasn't too thrilled with. However, I recognized a fine writing talent at work, and since MAPPA MUNDI certainly sounded like a very different story, I decided to give Robson another chance.

I'm so glad I did.

First off, I'm still enthralled and amused by the cleverness of this book. It took me a hundred pages to understand why, but the book's divided into four parts: "Legend", "Compass Rose", "Map", and "Update". "Legend" is, at first glance, very odd: each chapter is focused on a character, and they read like vignettes, or short stories. It's odd, but I stuck with it because Robson has a marvelous way of capturing the intangible. Childhood, emotion, human reaction. All of this is jam-packed in the very beginning of the story, which kept me reading, even when I didn't know what was going on.

What I figured out, once I reached "Compass Rose", is that each part is like an element of a map: "Legend" is the key. It sets up the players of the novel by giving you a kernel of who they were at one point in their lives. It's very personal, and makes every single one of them human. "Compass Rose", then, gives us the direction of the story. The inciting incident that brings all the characters together. And of course, "Map" is the story itself. And "Update" is more of a sidenote, an epilogue that lets the reader know what's come out of all these events. A rather non-traditional part of the book, but still cool. Note the mosquitoes.

I can't stress how wonderfully the story is done. In the hands of other writers, this would've been a mess teeming with coincidence, but here, it just worked. I think part of what sold this for me was the fact I met the characters independent of each other, so once I realized their paths were crossing in more ways than one in the story, I was really excited to see how it would all play out. Better still, Robson does an excellent job with her antagonists. Not a single character in here is flat: every one is well portrayed and has its own level of heartbreak. Robson excels at human dynamics in this book.

It's also generally incredibly hard for the reader to know what's going on when their protagonist doesn't. It's easy to see the protagonist as stupid for not seeing the "obvious" clues in front of him/her (anyone who's watched the show Alias knows what I mean), but in this book, it works fabulously. I think it's because Robson takes great care with her characters and plot, making sure that each character is acting true to himself/herself, so that a real tension is created between people because the reader can't wait to figure out how this house of cards is going to collapse.

Plot itself? Very well done. I like how things tie together, and while I always zone out a bit on the science aspects of science fiction (I know, that makes me a bad science fiction reader), this works really well. I liked seeing the different levels of how the science worked in the story (some where this is called a medical thriller, and that would fit the bill), and how everything, in the end, played out like it was supposed to.

Overall, this book left me very satisfied, and it's something I can easily recommend to anyone reading or writing SF. This does just about everything well, and since Robson's a stylist, the prose is almost always a joy to read. I will warn that she has a wonderful handle on metaphor, but because this is speculative fiction, there are times, especially at the beginning, where one isn't sure if what's happening is literal or not. This is definitely not a deal breaker, and this isn't a problem once you get into the story itself. But it is something to be aware of. :)

I'll definitely be looking into more of her books.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific thought provoking medical science fiction mystery, September 3, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mappa Mundi (Paperback)

In England research psychologist Dr. Natalie Armstrong diligently works on mapping the human brain so that physicians will one day be able to mend traumatized brains and truly cure the mentally ill. She is closing in on her objective thanks in part to MAPPA MUNDI software.

As Natalie knows she nears achieving her life's goal, FBI Specialists Jude Westhorpe and Mary Delany investigate the activities of a Russian defector Mikhail Guskov who has been involved in gene mapping and other scientific breakthroughs. Jude and Mary believe that Mikhail has plans for Natalie's research and are assigned to prevent him from doing so. However across the Atlantic, Jude, though afraid, realizes he is no longer an obscure field agent as someone wants him dead; he assumes it is Mikhail while Natalie is stunned that instead of freeing humanity, her nanotechnology is wanted by powerful entities to mentally enslave people.

This is a terrific thought provoking medical science fiction mystery that grips the audience with its theme that good intentions can lead to bad endings if abused by those in charge. Readers will ponder the options between thought control slaves vs. healthy and happy people as initially most of the audience will say no that is in no way possible, but soon begin to realize it is absolutely plausible; even without the nano technology, manipulation is the norm rationalized to anchor the power base. Justina Robson provides a powerful thriller that will haunt fans who will compare events to what is going on today as science and politics are manipulated to serve selfish purposes.

Harriet Klausner

4.0 out of 5 stars Jude & Natalie ROMANCE: I'm a believer, May 5, 2011

By 

Jose Bay (Pour Le Monde) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mappa Mundi (Paperback)

I am single, cynical & nihilist on romance between men/women - but this book got me believing. I can't believe no one's reviewed it (shame on you Amazon;)...as it's my favourite novel of all time. High tech; with startling visions of a possible Big Brother future. This book also embraces a realistic love between a heterosexual women & a gay man. But there's more to it than that, the characteristaion/narratives presented are deep, insightful & philsophical. A master author. Real treat of a novel. [Written: March 6, 2004].