White Devils [Hardcover]

Paul J. McAuley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2004

One of the most exciting new science fiction writers of the new millennium, Paul McAuley has already won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, and the John W. Campbell Award. Now he presents a disturbingly convincing exploration of the future of Africa, the darker applications of biotechnology, and of the very nature of the human psyche.
The Congo, roughly thirty years from now. Plague, civil war, and rampant genetic engineering have spawned widespread chaos and devastation throughout Africa. Nicholas Hyde is investigating a reported massacre in a remote corner of the Congo when his team is attacked by a band of fierce apelike creatures, possibly the result of illegal genetic experimentation on chimpanzees. Nick survives the encounter, only to discover himself at the center of a massive cover-up.
Obligate, the supposedly eco-friendly transnational that now controls the Congo, denies the existence of the "white devils," and will stop at nothing to suppress all evidence to the contrary. Although Nick has secrets of his own to conceal, he becomes determined to uncover the origin of the mysterious creatures---and why certain individuals will kill to bury the truth.
But even the atrocities he has already witnessed cannot prepare him for the terrifying secret of the white devils.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Arthur C. Clarke Award-winner McAuley (Whole Wide World) delivers a grim and gruesome near-future thriller, in which a series of devastating plagues, some natural, some manmade, have spread across the earth. In Africa, where civil wars rage out of control and an enormous Dead Zone stretches across the continent, transnational corporations have taken over several nations, using them to conduct experiments in genetic engineering that are illegal elsewhere. Nicholas Hyde, part of a team sent to investigate a massacre, discovers that the dead have been horribly mauled, their skulls smashed and their brains removed. When gun-wielding primates the size of 10-year-old children with enormous claws and teeth-the white devils-attack the team, Hyde is one of the few survivors. On returning to what passes for civilization, he's appalled to learn that the powers-that-be refuse to believe his story, insisting that the hideous creatures were merely enemy soldiers in disguise. Obsessed with a need to speak for the dead, Nicholas, who has his own dark secret to hide, sets out to uncover the truth about the white devils. Though more complex than necessary, this novel serves as a powerful warning about the sinister possibilities inherent in genetic engineering. FYI: McAuley has also won the Philip K. Dick and John W. Campbell awards.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine

With its mantra against genetic engineering, White Devils raises natural comparisons to the works of Michael Crichton and, with its leap into Africa's modern heart of darkness, Joseph Conrad. Critics agree that McAuley, a British biologist-turned-award-winning SF writer, has written a minor thriller masterpiece. It's smart, appropriately sinister, and has a plot that "roars along like a bushfire, crackling with fast and brutal action" (Guardian). McAuley's message is clear--runaway genetic engineering leads to no good, not to mention plastic vegetation. His examination of biotechnology's implications complements other provoking themes, including lost childhood innocence and the ethics of military conflict. But McAuley's no alarmist. After reading this thriller, you'll see him as a realist.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765307618
• ISBN-13: 978-0765307613
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,706,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul McAuley's first novel won the Philip K. Dick Award, and he has gone on to win almost all of the major awards in the field. For many years a research biologist, he now writes full-time. McAuley's novel The Quiet War made several "best of the year" lists, including SF Site's Reader's Choice Top 10 SF and Fantasy Books of 2009. He lives in London. Visit him online at unlikelyworlds.blogspot.com .

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good start; needed an editor., September 25, 2004

By 

KatPanama "katpanama" (Readerville) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Devils (Hardcover)

Terrific proposition but flabbily executed. Genetically engineered proto apes and maybe more in Africa, the kind and the terrible. Good, solid characters but too much lard. Needed to be cut by a third; in otherwords, sorely needed a good editor. Although, you know, I'm not that fussy and kinda liked it. The writer's view of Africa 30 years or so down the pike is both plausible and convincing. Looking forward to McAuley's next.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite the page-turner, November 29, 2008

By 

Book Mom (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Devils (Hardcover)

This was my first Paul McAuley novel, but certainly won't be my last. I just flat-out loved this book! I made the mistake of starting it over Thanksgiving, and ticked my family off because I kept abandoning them every chance I got to go read more of this great story. I was initially intrigued by the science, but really got hooked on the characters and was anxious to see how the tale played out for each of them. McAuley does an excellent job of letting the reader inside their heads, and made me *care* about how their intertwining issues were resolved. The action and suspense are taut from the very beginning and never let up - I did not find any part of the more than 500-page tale to be boring or unnecessary, and would have gladly read more had the author written it. I'll have to satisfy myself with his other works. Since this book has received such mixed reviews, I say pick it up from the library and give it a shot without financial investment. I think you'll be glad you did.

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good, January 27, 2012

By 

Harper - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Devils (Hardcover)

After some of the poor reviews here I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

Bad bits; as pointed out in other reviews the ending is somewhat predictable and cliched. The 'in the present tense' style feels awkward for the first few pages but then becomes unnoticeable, and even adds to the story by including the reader in the drama as it unfolds.

Good bits; Pretty much non-stop action, some interesting technological and biological advancements.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a fast paced action/science fiction thriller.