The Silicon Dagger [Hardcover]

Jack Williamson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999

In a novel that marks his eighth decade of publication, Grand Master Jack Williamson projects today's headlines into the near future to tell a tale of murder, conspiracy, and revolution.

When his investigative reporter brother is murdered while researching a story, Clay Barstow follows his trail into Kentucky and begins an investigation of his own. Behind the idyllic landscape and quiet houses of McAdam County he finds an undercurrent of paranoia and secrecy swirling around something hinted at in his brother's notes, a new technology of astonishing power called "the silicon dagger."

As Clay delves further into the secrets of McAdam County and the ruling family that is its namesake, he finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into the conspiracy--as its target. Framed for murder and on the run from the bloodthirsty local militia, Clay desperately seeks his brother's killers and the secrets of the silicon dagger. Because if he can't reveal them in time, they just might enable the people of McAdam County to do what no one has dared in a century and a half--declare independence from the United States of America....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A divided America provides the setting for Williamson's (The Black Sun) unfortunate latest, an ill-considered scenario in which one small Kentucky county threatens the U.S. government with an ultimate weapon. When his journalist brother is slain for investigating possible terrorist activity in McAdam County, Clay Barstow, who had been working as his brother's research assistant, is recruited by the FBI to pose as a graduate student and investigate. Despite his lack of expertise in espionage, Barstow agrees. He soon meets the members of the Kentucky Rifles, a local militia bent on defending themselves against "the liberal crazies in Washington and the international bankers." The editor of the local newspaper explains the pervasive mistrust in the county of big government by describing information technology as "the silicon dagger... a weapon of stealth" that enslaves much of the populace to "the elite classes." Barstow's link with the FBI is soon compromised; he runs afoul of the militia and the locals realize he's that nosy journalist's brother. The militia seizes power and declares the county's independence. Although the president refuses to back down, the county's silicon shieldAa force fieldAstops any missiles or planes from breaking through, forcing a negotiation for the county's nationhood. Burdened by excessive discourse on individual rights and a contrived narrative, this novel reads more like a thesis against the Internet and its intrusiveness than the work of a renowned SF veteran.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The murder of his brother draws investigator Clay Barstow to McAdam City, KY, to search for the killer. Along the way, Barstow discovers the existence of a new technology powerful enough to force the government to the brink of civil war. Veteran sf author Williamson (The Black Sun, LJ 2/15/97) deftly weaves together modern concerns with old-fashioned storytelling in this fast-moving sf thriller, which belongs in large collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 2nd edition (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312865406
• ISBN-13: 978-0312865405
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,527,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wretched, November 9, 2001

By 

C. R. S. Schanck (Marriottsville, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Silicon Dagger (Hardcover)

I wanted to like this book; I wanted to go with the author down the libertarian/encroaching government theme. But the book is awful.

The characters are less than 1 dimensional. So few motivations for the characters' actions are presented that it became a farce by the end. You could have fun only by creating reasons out of thin air for the characters actions. Kind of like Mad Libs as you read -- except you paid for this.

The plot is alternatingly high-speed and dead stop.

Neither of the 2 "breakthru technologies" are explained even a little bit. The reader is just told "hey, we invented this".

And the ending is so rushed, so contrived, and yet so open-ended it punishes you for having made it to the end.

Awful stuff.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Setting up for the unsatisfying ending, June 13, 2000

By 

William Cernansky (USA, Earth) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Silicon Dagger (Mass Market Paperback)

Gentle warning: tiny spoilers

Boy, this book had me hooked right away. Williamson's interesting and promising premise is enhanced by his excellent writing style and flair for drama. I didn't get enough sleep for a couple of nights; I couldn't keep from reading on.

However, though I won't explain the plot of the book, I must say that the ending is rushed to its [semi-] conclusion. With a Perry Mason-style unbelievable admission in a kangaroo courtroom, a lot of good reasoning and plotting is essentially thrown away.

Furthermore, a good portion of the latter half of the book involves the main character watching television and browsing content on the "infonet" (while in jail). Although the infonet and TV stories further the plot for the reader, there is a reason that there aren't a lot of books, movies, or TV shows about watching TV and web surfing. It's boring to "watch" people watching.

Ultimately, Williamson has opened so many doors by the end of the story that he can't close them all, despite his rush to the end. It's obvious that he left some of them open to pique the imagination of the reader. I can't imagine, however, why he leaves a romantic entanglement floating in the wind as the story closes. It's just symptomatic of the novel as a whole.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Engaging story but has been done too many times., August 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Silicon Dagger (Hardcover)

The main thing that irritated me about this story is it was too real. What this means is that it is not good fiction. You have a main character that sits in jail for a good portion of the latter half of the book and does nothing to clear his name. I would have preferred that he do what he was sent there to do and that is "investigate". All that happens here is he lets the events unfold around them and the major players do the unraveling for him. I guess I am jaded by all of these "one man against the world - to save the world" stories but it would have been nice to have the main character get more involved in the unraveling instead of just sitting there. I also found it unreasonable that the main rival to Clay had a hand in exonerating him. One final note - the "shield" portion of the story was a little hard to handle because it was not explained credibly. This is my first Jack Williamson novel so I will have to read some more to get a feel for his writing style. Overall, I would have to say that this one leaves me unshure of whether to read more of his works.