Subject: FOOLS by Pat Cadigan

From: [email-masked] (Alan Wexelblat)
Date: 22 Mar 93 22:16:23 GMT

Fools
			by Pat Cadigan
			Review Copyright (c) 1993 Alan Wexelblat

Let me be very plain about this: it is impossible for me to give an
impartial review of a Pat Cadigan book.  I consider Pat to be a friend
and I've known her for several years now.  Despite (or perhaps because
of) my bias, I recommend her work to anyone who'll listen.

With that said, I think I can say honestly that FOOLS is her best work so
far.  It is a return to the MINDPLAYERS universe that I first enjoyed and a
look at some of the problems of that universe's mind-altering technology.
At the same time, it is obvious that Cadigan has matured as a writer; she is
more confident of and more in control of her writing.

In MINDPLAYERS we saw the high end of the technology -- the reality
affixers, the neurosis peddlers, the bell-jarrers and their high-class
clientele.  FOOLS takes us down into the streets among the memory junkies,
the paranoia peddlers, the fetishizers, and the other low-lifes who scrabble
at the fringes of what the upper class leaves -- and also into the realm of
the Brain Police who try to keep tabs on these and other, more dangerous,
mind criminals.

We also meet another class entirely -- actors who use the Method to create
and become characters for theatrical performances.  These actors can become
famous and sometimes, if they're willing to sell out everything they have,
they can become Famous.  That is, they can become the original templates from
which personalities are cloned for others to assume.

When you are Famous, everyone you meet might look like you, dress like you,
walk like you, and have your memories.  If imitation is the sincerest form
of flattery, then the Famous experience the ultimate in being flattered.

But what if something goes wrong?  What if the imitations can't tell
themselves from the real thing?  What if there are some memories you don't
want other people to have?  Sure, you'd like to be Famous and have the
associated wealth and notoriety.  But do you really want everyone to know
who you've slept with?

And on the reverse side... what if you took on someone Famous and discovered
that you weren't simply being that person for a while, that you *were* that
person, and that she/you wanted her/your life back?

FOOLS takes us through a blunder much like this one, but with the added
twist of being told from the first person point of view.  The problem is,
*whose* first-person point of view are we seeing, since the narrator is
clearly not the conventional sort of personality we're used to seeing.

I'm reluctant to say more on this subject because I think it will spoil the
suspense and ruin the effect of what Cadigan tries to do in the first part
of the novel, but I have read other reviewers complain about the difficulty
of sorting out the narrative voices.  I think this is sheer laziness on
their parts -- they're used to a quick easy read, which this is not.

However, it gives nothing away to point out that Cadigan uses such different
voices for the characters (and even helps the reader by using different
typefonts) that it was quickly obvious to me what was going on.  And indeed,
my suspicions were confirmed as correct by about page 100.  If you, as a
reader, are confused early on I can only say you should hang on and trust.
All will become clear shortly.

One other point which I liked about FOOLS is that the writing seemed tighter
than in SYNNERS, a novel which really sprawled.  The story in FOOLS is told
as three interconnected episodes, similar to the episodes in MINDPLAYERS.
This device works well for Cadigan, allowing her to develop each of the
sub-stories to just the right length.

Buy this book.

%A Pat Cadigan
%T Fools
%I Bantam/Spectra SF paperback
%C New York
%D 1993
%G ISBN 0-553-29512-8
%O US$5.99
%P 299 pp