Subject: review of 970 A.D.S. (e-Book) by Glenn Hough (incl. author's summary)

From: Bill Lee <[email-masked]>
Date: 06 Mar 2001 15:19:12 -0500

970 A.D.S., Glenn Hough
	Review Copyright 2001 Bill Lee

     I've not been a major fan of SciFi but I must confess that the title
"970 A.D.S." tweaked my curiosity. That's the new title of the e-novel by
Glenn Hough on the GLB Publishers' e-Book web site.  And so did the cover,
by the way-- way out.

     It seems, according to "970 A.D.S." that the world sort of destroyed
itself in its many wars as many of our doom-sayers periodically tell us
will happen, and what emerged was this race of Cybers in charge, their
forms described as mixtures of metal and some soft tissues not well
explained, that bleed when injured (damaged?). But that doesn't
necessarily stop them. The next fact you should know is they're all
female, at least with many of those instincts, but really turn out to be
everything to everybody, men and women (yes, we/they still exist) alike.
Technically they're not androgynous nor hermaphroditic -- both sex organs
in one individual -- but when the norm in a culture is bisexuality, it
isn't necessary to be one or the other to enjoy yourself.  I've been
saying that for a long time.

     There are also serious lessons to be learned here; more about that
later. But even in this more perfect world, not everything goes swimmingly
and some individualisms can cause problems, even when they are Cybers.
The two main characters are Jean, a Prefect of the Sisterhood, and pretty
near perfect as an administrator and mother, and Jasmin, a Knight and
great fighter who gets carried away and destructive when her lover dies
(yes, they do die occasionally).

     But the real character is Vex, apparently the one pictured in the
cover art, who betrayed the culture to the Evil One and went into a
cryogenic sleep for a couple of eons. So all the needed conflicts are
there, including the undescribed supreme being, and when you add in a few
male humans for some contrasts and sexual hi-jinks, it makes for
interesting reading.

     I mentioned the serious side which should be featured a little.
Hough apparently has been an observer of the human race for some time,
probably centered in the Washington State area, since there are a lot of
specific references to it and to our human history. If you can juggle
bisexual Cybers and Seattle civics, you will receive gentle lessons that
could even be applied to current politics.

-- Bill Lee, Author of "Different Slopes" A Bisexual Man's Novel 
http://www.glbpubs.com/ebsumrevno97.html

%A Glenn Hough
%B 970 A.D.S.
%C San Francisco
%D October, 2000
%G ISBN: 1-879194-89-9
%I GLB Publishers
%K Cyberdroids
%O ebook, $5.00 for download, $1.00 for cover
%P 170

                       SUMMARY by the AUTHOR 

     970 A.D.S., is a journey to a time of great strength, compassion, and
understanding.

     Consider Jasmin Stingray, a Knight of the Cyber Sisterhood. She's a
fighter Ace in an era where such a thing is not needed. With a strength
over ten times the Human bell curve she lashes out at her home on a space
station, nearly destroying it with her bare hands.  This person of
strength is reduced to a wailing mass of deepest sorrow; her love, Sea, is
dead. Her sorrow is so deep and has festered for so long that only the
deepest compassion and a vision of the Cyber's St. San can cleanse her
long suffering Ghost. Jasmin's road to redemption is just starting and
must end in the Circle of Sisterhood.

     Consider the life of Jean Stingray, a Prefect of the Cyber
Sisterhood.  Jean is about as ordinary as Cybers come. She's dedicated to
building a community were each individual can achieve their dreams. Her
lovers are many, and are men, women, and other Cybers.  And now her love
for life will take physical reality as she prepares to bring her first
daughter on-line. Ryoko will be born and before she even crosses the
sentience threshold, she and the rest of the Cyber Sisterhood will turn
their attention to the Circle of Sisterhood.

     Consider Vex the mighty, Vex the unconquerable, Vex the demon, Vex
the betrayer. In the early days, when Humanity and the Cyber stood
together against the forces of a megalomaniac M.I., Vex stood with them,
only to suffer draw after draw in their battles.  And when the
unconquerable crumbled into despair, she betrayed humanity and the Cyber
to the Evil One. Over half a millennia has passed since the sorrows of
those years and when Vex is accidentally awaken from her long cryogenic
sleep, she must come before the Circle of Sisterhood for final judgment
and redemption, if it is possible for her.

     Three different paths for these Cybers. All of them leading in the
Circle of Sisterhood, which is the beginning and the end of the Cyberdroid
race.

-- Glenn Hough