M. H. Mead

*Book source ~ Purchased on Amazon

Morris Payne is a hacker. Not just any hacker, one of the elite hackers. With a blizzard shutting down Detroit he has an opportunity to do a very tricky and risky hack before public utilities can get the power back up. However, just as he’s getting ready to start his delicate mission his neighbors, the Chens, come knocking at his door, bringing chaos (and a huge power drain on his reserve batteries) to his agoraphobic existence.

I love this story and I love Morris, screwed up cranky ass that he is. The Chens are pretty decent on the whole, but they just took over a neighbor’s house, using all kinds of power without asking what kind of generator or batteries he had. Clueless and thoughtless. And that Joey? I would have beaten his ass. Seriously. I definitely need more of Morris ASAP.… (mehr)

I began reading this book without knowing anything about the story itself, and that got me past the initial neo-cyberpunk, sort of Neuromancer Updated. Mead moves the action right along, throwing out one imaginative idea after another, while setting up themes and resonances that form deeper emotional connections. The writing team takes sfnal elements like direct interfaces between a human brain and the internet, the human proclivity for thinking metaphorically, computerized duplicates of human personalities, and throws in a protagonist with crippling agoraphobia – oh yes, whose house has just been blown up so he’s in the open and on the run. Part spy thriller, part cyber adventure, all with a touch of sweetness and snappy dialog, the story moves right along with smooth prose, some great characters, and nicely handled suspense. It’s well worth seeking out and I’m glad I discovered it… (mehr)

Most of you know that sci-fi is not my preferred genre. And I admit that I'd never read a cyber-punk or techno novel in my life. I'm not even sure I knew those new sub genres existed. But I took another author's (Scott Niven), whom I admire, opinion and gave it a try. Some days I'm the queen of good decisions. Happily, that was one of those days.

Fate's Mirror is the action packed brainchild of M. H. Mead, the pen name of Margaret Yang and Harry R. Campion. I can honestly say that this book is a thrill ride and I got completely caught up in it from the very beginning.

The story follows Morris Payne, a hacking virtuoso (called a viker in the book). He's one of the best in the world. Morris has everything he needs right at his fingertips and spends most of his time plugged into the e-verse. Living in virtual reality, he's not plagued by his real world problems; severe agoraphobia, crippling panic attacks and a general fear of almost everything. Unfortunately, his virtual life comes crashing down when someone kills his ex-girlfriend and colleague, NSA employee Khali. He becomes the next target and barely escapes his house before it explodes.

Stuck in the real world, he flees to the home of one of his clients, a private investigator named Aidra. Aidra takes him in and together they begin the search for whoever or whatever murdered Khali and is stalking Morris. Of course they have to battle real world problems as well. But once Morris gets back in his virtual world, the game is really on. And the villain of the piece? An AI who calls herself the Triple Goddesses of Fate and wants to assure her own security.

I don't want to give too much away so I'll stop there. I just want to say that the book is extremely well written and pulls you into Morris' world expertly. I did not have any problems with the language or picking up the slang they've created. The world in the book is easily believable and the characters perfectly drawn. You can't help but find yourself rooting for Morris and Aidra.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good suspense thriller, sci-fi or just really well written books. I think Michael Crighton fans would especially enjoy it. Seriously, I can't recommend it enough.… (mehr)