Murder in the Solid State [Mass Market Paperback]

Wil McCarthy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1998

David Sanger, an ambitious young physicist, attends a party at which a pompous older scientist, who just happens to have thrwarted the younger man's innovative ideas, is murdered. Suddenly it is not just David's career, but his life that is at stake. Are his ideas that important? Who's out to stop David from changing the world?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In early 21st-century America, the law-and-order Gray Party rules through fear of crime and the Vandergroot Molecular Sniffer, which can detect molecules associated with almost any form of illegal activity. A nanotechnological chemist in Philadelphia, David Sanger, develops nanoware that can block the Sniffer. He promptly finds himself assaulted, arrested, framed for three murders and on the run. David's flight takes him through the Philadelphia ghetto and a virtual-reality role-playing game, and into a climactic assault on the Gray headquarters. The pacing is brisk, even too much so at times, with Sanger's ethical transformation and some plot turns likely to race past readers. McCarthy (Flies in the Amber) offers memorable characters, however, and manages to tell an enjoyable and imaginative tale of social and technological speculation without loading on the hardware.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this hard-science 21st-century suspense novel, Dr. David Sanger discovers nanotechnology that renders ineffective the Vandergroot Molecular Sniffer?the ultimate detector of everything illegal. When Otto Vandergroot is murdered at a scientific conference, Sanger battles to save his life, his career, and his technology while his mentor and his best friend/lawyer die trying to protect him. This fast-paced adventure will appeal to techno-freaks and anti-totalitarians. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction (November 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812553926
• ISBN-13: 978-0812553925
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,595,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the most believable nanotechnology in SF today, April 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Murder in the Solid State (Hardcover)

Although he doesn't prove completely immune in his other works (Fall of Sirius, and especially BLOOM), in this work Wil McCarthy proves himself one of the only writers in modern science fiction with the restraint and realism to tackle nanotechnology and not resort to deus ex machine. I've read most of the nanotech related stuff out there, and, as one of those people actually involved in the developing physics behind it, I've been horrified at the depth of ignorance and panic strewn fantasy rampant in the literature. I'm not sure if Linda Nagata or Kathleen Goonan is the worst offender, but I do know that all of the writers out there portray worlds that are not only unrealistic, but generally incoherent, once nanotechnology is involved. The only merciful exceptions I've found are Dave Wolverton, who is a good enough writer, but likes his overly dramatic flourishes, and, in this novel, Wil McCarthy. The story blends elements of conspiracy and intrigue with a believable technological and political world. The scientific community felt more real than any I've encountered in fiction before this. I could see people I knew in that crowd. But most importantly, I could see the mind and motives behind the protaganist, and believe in them. Sanger was a very real scientist. His world was equally real. The action was a little slower than is typical of the genre, and of the author. I did not find this a fault, but I hadn't expected a light romp to pass the time. The book was not overly preachy, but it did have a lot to make a reader think about. Most importantly, unlike the majority of books in the genre, it was science fiction, not thinly disguised surrealistic fantasy.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great combination of thriller and science fiction, February 4, 2001

By 

"g_williams" (Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder in the Solid State (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this one-- it was, to me, the perfect combination of a thriller and a thought-provoking science fiction novel. The novel takes place in the research laboratories of the beginning days of nanotechnology (prefiguring the awesome nanotech of McCarthy's later novel BLOOM). There is some interesting speculation about the effects of longevity on society, and the effects of nanotechnology, but the science speculation is not overshadowed by the thriller plot and the realistic characterization. A definite rec if you like both thrillers and sf, as I do.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder And Early Nano, January 23, 2002

By 

Kevin Spoering (Buffalo, Missouri United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder in the Solid State (Mass Market Paperback)

I have never read anything by Wil McCarthy previously, and he seems to be a decent writer. This novel is a combination murder mystery and science fiction tale. David Sanger is a nanotechnology researcher (the science of manipulating the ultra small, in case you don't know) and during a trade convention becomes entangled with a murder he did not commit, and it gets intense and complicated from that point on..........no more here, no spoilers!

Although it was not a page turner for me (it almost was) still it is one of only a handful of science fiction novels that portray the coming era of nanotechnology, in this novel it is in only the nascent beginnings. This is hard science fiction without any fantasy whatsoever, completely to my tastes. Character and plot development were acceptable, although the ending seemed to be a trifle rushed. Also, the novel could have been a bit longer to flesh out the nanotechnology ideas more thoroughly.