Conrad Metcalf is a private inquirer in a future Oakland where evolved animals are citizens, babies are surgically enhanced to talk, and the government rations karma points and sells a drug called make. Metcalf's client is accused of a murder, but when he starts digging, the police and the Inquisition begin to push him away. He carries a gun, quotes Raymond Chandler, and keeps getting in trouble.
Readers who like a mix of hardboiled detective fiction and dystopian science fiction will find Lethem's first novel inventive and darkly funny. It is also a good starting point for anyone curious about his early style.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1994
- Language
- EN
