Subject: Review: Odom's STALKER ANALOG

From: [email-masked] (R.B. Schmunk)
Date: 03 Dec 93 01:19:28 GMT

STALKER ANALOG
                                   By Mel Odom

                          A book review by R.B. Schmunk
                                (Copyright 1993)

STALKER ANALOG is a new science fiction mystery novel by Mel Odom, author of
the related LETHAL INTERFACE which came out a year or two ago. I say related
because the scene of the action has moved from Dallas to Houston and a new set
of detectives is involved, but a cameo appearance by the hero of the older
novel helps demonstrate they are part of the same future. And because LETHAL
INTERFACE was a decent read, I snatched STALKER ANALOG off the shelf when I
spotted it a few days ago.

The reason I refer to STALKER ANALOG as a combination of two major fiction
genres is because it involves the hunt for a serial killer sometime in the
near future. As is soon revealed, the killer is a Catholic priest name Judd
Almendariz who is gruesomely killing women he encounters on the bus and whom he
believes to be succubi. His nemesis is a Houston homicide detective named
Bethany Shay. But other characters play major roles, including Shay's partner
Tully Keever, her former husband Kiyoshi Izutsu, and the reclusive billionaire
Felix Carey, reputedly 120 years old. These characters are generally
well-drawn, particularly Shay and Almendariz, for whom enough background is
provided for one to have an idea of how they think.

Like many other recent novels set sometime in the 21st century, STALKER ANALOG
mixes in a fair amount of computer technology advances. I hesitate to call it
"cyberpunk" since it does not have the outlaw feel of such books; our hero[ine]
is after all a police officer. However, the manner in which the technology is
presented does bear similarities to Gibson's NEUROMANCER, with some of its
characters decking in and receiving direct input of imagery. Furthering the
similarity is the fact that the writing takes such technology for granted,
omitting the grittier details one encounters in books like Stephenseon's SNOW
CRASH. But before you think that STALKER ANALOG is terribly derivative, I
should admit that Odom has added an embellishment which makes the book a bit
interesting: virtual reality Bible software. That's right, instead of the
hypertext software infiltrating today's software market, STALKER ANALOG offers
you-are-there reality, in all the painful possibilities that the Bible offers.
(Remember what happened to John the Baptist? Now imagine taking his place.)

On the flip side, of course, is the mystery, and here STALKER ANALOG does not
really stand out. Happily, the cops are competent and no ridiculous hunches or
leaps of intuition are required for them to figure out what's going on. But
violent serial killers can be found about every six inches down a mystery book
shelf. The only detail in which STALKER ANALOG's mystery departs from
run-of-the-mill is how billionaire Carey relates to the case, as you'll soon be
wondering why he is showing such interest in the murders.

Unfortunately, there is one aspect about STALKER ANALOG that I found seriously
deficient: the city backdrop. My first inkling that Odom may have erred came
when I encountered a passage referring to a prostitute working the River Oaks
district of Houston. Since that area is the home of many of Houston's
wealthiest citizens, often living in large mansions, I found the idea of a
streetwalker area cruising the area a bit odd. But since STALKER ANALOG is set
in the future, I figured anything can happen in fifty (or whatever) years.
However, somewhat later on, when I found Braes Bayou called Bray's Bayou and
South Shepherd Drive called South Shepard drive, I decided that Odom must not
have spent much time in Houston, and closer thought revealed the problem more
clearly. Different features delineate the character of major cities; Manhattan
is known for its skyscrapers and taxi-laden streets, Seattle for its rain and
view of Puget Sound, etc. For those who have been to Houston, the main images
are of endless suburbia and the freeways that have to be navigated to get much
of anywhere. In fact, most mysteries set in Houston feature explanations of how
the detective gets from one part of town to another (e.g., David Lindsey's
excellent books), but those features were just not present in STALKER ANALOG.
In effect, the book is set in Any City, USA.

Thus, STALKER ANALOG as a decent read for those who like to mix their science
fiction with murder. However, if you've any amount of time in Houston, I expect
that this book will make you shake your head a bit.

%A      Mel Odom
%B      STALKER ANALOG
%I      ROC (Penguin USA/Dutton Signet)
%C      New York City
%D      1993
%G      ISBN 0-451-45257-7
%O      paperback, US$5.50 / Canada$6.50
%P      367 pp.

--
R.B. Schmunk
Email: [email-masked]
Smail: NASA/Goddard Institute, 2880 Broadway, New York, NY 10025 USA
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