Cecelie, a computer security apprentice at Sept-Fortune in Venice, must break an online bank security system the company designed in order to pass the test for senior apprentice. While retrieving the data, she discovers that the Septs are planning to take over the net to control the wealth and power of information. The high-tech intrigue and real vs. virtual masks recommend Lewitt's (Memento Mori, LJ 11/15/95) work for most collections.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The Internet has been tamed, and companies called Septs, descendants of the original hackers, now control access to it, with rival Septs in cities throughout the world. In Venice, a young acolyte named Cecilie takes the test for senior apprenticeship in Sept-Fortune, a test that removes her from youth and begins her introduction into a world of intrigue and antagonism. As the Septs jockey for position to complete their dominance, Cecilie stumbles upon an alien presence in the Net. Meanwhile, the choirs of Venice, relied upon by the Septs to provide a sort of live choral Muzak to induce docility, are enmeshed in strange events linked to the subversive, almost forgotten music known as jazz. Lewitt's distinctive style is admirably suited to her story's rapid yet intricate pace, as Cecilie and the mysterious musician David are ever more deeply caught up in events. Lewitt's depiction of the future Venice and the labyrinthine intertwining of real life and the virtual cityscape are lyrical and compelling, and her characters are much more than shadows. Dennis Winters
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