The Octagonal Raven [Hardcover]

L. E. Modesitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 24, 2001

Being a child of wealth hasn't made life easy for Daryn Alwyn but he hasn't wanted it easy and he's always been determined to choose his own path, abandoning the possibility of power and leisure with his family's giant Media Network for a solo career, first as a military space pilot, later as a freelance media consultant. Only when he becomes the target of a series of deadly attacks does he begin to realize the true depth of responsibility his heritage forces on him. And when his sister is assassinated and he becomes one of the wealthiest people in the world he learns that his real troubles are only beginning.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

North by Northwest meets Logan's Run in this SF novel, complete with intriguing philosophical passages, by the author of The Saga of Recluce series. The result is an action-oriented, if somewhat didactic, thriller. At some point in the distant future someone is trying to kill space pilot and media consultant Daryn Alwyn. His attackers presumably want to make him a martyr, though the actual motives behind repeated attempts on his life are far more mysterious. Well born and with preselected genetic advantages, Alwyn seeks out his attackers, including the beautiful but enigmatic Elysa Mujaz-Kitab. When his sister is killed, Alwyn suddenly becomes one of the wealthiest men in the world, and the stakes are raised still higher. The surprising conclusion sees Alwyn becoming a hero to some, a villain to others, and leads the author to a detailed dissection of the inner workings of the powerful elite that runs society. Heinlein once exhorted SF writers to be boldly imaginative in projecting the world of tomorrow; by contrast, Modesitt's distant future looks and sounds remarkably like 2001: the computer-system equivalents are similar to the PCs and Macs of today, and everyone seems to speak in the argot of the late 20th century. Still, Modesitt handles action sequences capably--the attempts on Alwyn's life are intriguingly detailed--and the mystery-suspense angle is thoughtfully adumbrated. For readers seeking a hybrid of the SF and spy genres with a soup‡on of mystery, this rates as passable if slightly elongated--entertainment.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Born to privilege and wealth, former space pilot Daryn Alwyn enjoys life as a media consultant until he becomes the target for an assassin and finds himself on the run from hidden and powerful enemies. The author of the "Recluce" series demonstrates his talent for near future techno-thrillers in this standalone tale of intrigue and adventure. Modesitt's careful examination of his characters' motivations and perceptions creates a sense of immediacy that lends credibility to his story. A good choice for sf collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (February 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031287720X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312877200
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,976,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After spending years writing poetry, political speeches and analyses, as well as economic and technical reports on extraordinarily detailed and often boring subjects, I finally got around to writing my first short story, which was published in 1973. I kept submitting and occasionally having published stories until an editor indicated he'd refuse to buy any more until I wrote a novel. So I did, and it was published in 1982, and I've been writing novels -- along with a few short stories -- ever since.

If you want to know more, you can visit my website at www.lemodesittjr.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Raven Among Eagles, July 16, 2007

By 

Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Octagonal Raven (Mass Market Paperback)

The Octagonal Raven (2001) is a standalone SF novel in the Archform: Beauty universe. Over four centuries after Flash, Earth has a number of colonies linked by interstellar Gates. The Federal Union is the overgovernment of Earth and the colonies.

In this novel, Daryn Alwyn comes from a rich family and has the advantage of preselected genes. However, he did not join UniComm, the family business, but instead became a Federal Service pilot. Now he has retired from FS and started his own business as a consulting methodizer and is also an up and coming edart composer. Most of his consulting work is for the networks, but never for UniComm.

Attending a concert party organized by his cousin Kharl, Daryn meets an interesting young lady named Elysa. When the room becomes a bit warm, Daryn and Elysa step outside on the veranda. While outside, Daryn becomes a little flushed and dizzy. He returns to the house and immediately collapses. Elysa fades into the night and then cannot be found in the public databases.

Recovering enough to have an extended conversation, Daryn finds that he has been more or less unconscious for two weeks. Apparently he had an anaphylactic reaction, but later learns that this shock had been caused by unknown nanites. Kharl had treated him with specialized search and destroy nanites that cleared out all other nanites from his system. Then Kharl restores his normal nanetic protection and releases him from treatment.

In this story, Daryn is attacked several times by a hidden cabal. He reports some of these attacks, but the Civil Authority either cannot detect the attacks or is unable to follow up the available evidence. Daryn only knows one assailant -- Elysa -- so he keeps trying to discover her true identity. However, two of the attacks occur while he is tracking down the single physical clue to her identity.

Daryn revisits an old acquaintance -- Majora Hyriss -- who had been at Kharl's party. Daryn had originally been introduced to Majora by his mother, the matchmaker, and so he had been polite but reserved at the time. In the last few years, he has begun to regret his coolness. When he finds his own system to be snooped, Daryn pays her a visit to use her system for his data searches. After a while, he really begins to regret his prior coolness.

This story was published before Arch-Form: Beauty and Flash, but seems to have some common elements. Apparently this novel is a sequel to these other books, taking place hundreds of years afterward. One such element is the Noram Commonacracy. Yet this book also has a PST Trust -- the cabal entity -- although that acronym may have another meaning than the PST in Flash. But the role is the same in both books.

Highly recommended for Modesitt fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of differing societies, hidden conspiracies, and understated romance.

=Arthur W. Jordin

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Modesitt Has Done Better..., February 24, 2001

By 

James D. DeWitt "Alaska Fan" (Fairbanks, AK United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Octagonal Raven (Hardcover)

Modesitt is best known for his Recluce novels. I discovered "The Magic of Recluce" through Science Fiction Book Club, and was captivated. It's a brilliant book, with some genuinely new ideas on the shop-worn coming of age theme, and a truly new set of ideas for a the operating rules of a universe.

When he leaves Recluce, it seems to me, Modesitt fares less well. "Raven" is an interesting yarn, speculating on societal balance if we had genetic engineering and on-demand nanotech assistance. If those benefits were available only at a steep price, how would the society be affected? Would the wealthy establish a plutocracy?

This is hardly a new theme in science fiction. Zelazny's "Lord of Light" probably defined this plot line. Modesitt is not Zelazny. While the protagonist, himself one of the augmented elite, acts on behalf of the disadvantaged, he doesn't do so from any higher principle than self-protection: it's to stop the shadowy bad guys from killing him. And he doesn't act to make things better; he preserves the deeply flawed status quo to keep things from getting still worse.

At times the plotting and dialogue sinks to the potboiler yarn, reminiscent of the recent Julian May "Perseus Spur" series; likeable enough but annoying because you know the author can do much better.

In some ways, Modesitt seems to just be grinding out the books now, no longer bringing to them the soaring invention and new ideas that characterized the first few Recluce books. He's still worth reading, but keep your expectations firmly under control... And let's hope for a return to form.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not his best, a bit slow moving at times, February 7, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: The Octagonal Raven (Hardcover)

Because of his family's wealth, Daryn Alwyn has been the recipient of genetic enhancements and nanotech augmentations. Still, Daryn prefers to succeed on his own, rejecting the opportunity to join in the giant media firm, UniComm, run by his family. Instead, he becomes federal starship pilot and ultimately serves as a media consultant.

However, Daryn's perfect world is knocked off its axle when a woman tries to kill him at a party. After recovering from "poison," Daryn can not find the elusive culprit. His world spins further out of orbit when his sister dies in a suspicious looking accident. More attempts on his own life and other selected murders have Daryn, a raven among eagles, investigating who will benefit from the deaths of his family ands other key UniComm officials.

THE OCTAGAONAL RAVEN is a well written, but somewhat slow science fiction thriller. The story line is fabulous when it concentrates on the social issues of the haves vs. the have nots which involve "modern" medical techniques such as the genetic enhancements that give an added edge to the rich. When the plot focuses on a conspiracy, it teeters a bit as if L.E. Modesitt, Jr. was undecided between a social statement and a futuristic take over the world thriller. Science fiction fans will want more of the latter as that type of tale provides quite an impact when well written and Mr. Modesitt, Jr. can tell a terrific tale.

Harriet Klausner