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Chimera
"Mary Rosenblum paints a fascinating future landscape with all the skill of a true artist. CHIMERA is a book to savor and enjoy over and over again."
PAT CADIGAN
David Chen severed his family ties to become a virtual reality artist on the Net. Jewel Martina left an impoverished family in the 'burbs to become a medical aid, on her way to becoming a VR deal-broker in the economic network that spanned the world. When Jewel saves David's partner's life, it becomes clear someone wanted him dead. There is trouble brewing on the Net, and as Jewel and David are caught up in it, they search the Net, the flesh world, and their own unhappy pasts for some answers. Nothing was ever as it seemed on the Net, where illusion was the rule of the game--but for Jewel and David, the difference beween real and virtual was a matter of life and death....
PAT CADIGAN
David Chen severed his family ties to become a virtual reality artist on the Net. Jewel Martina left an impoverished family in the 'burbs to become a medical aid, on her way to becoming a VR deal-broker in the economic network that spanned the world. When Jewel saves David's partner's life, it becomes clear someone wanted him dead. There is trouble brewing on the Net, and as Jewel and David are caught up in it, they search the Net, the flesh world, and their own unhappy pasts for some answers. Nothing was ever as it seemed on the Net, where illusion was the rule of the game--but for Jewel and David, the difference beween real and virtual was a matter of life and death....
324 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Mary Rosenblum
111 books15 followersMary Rosenblum was a science fiction/fantasy and mystery author. She grew up in Allison Park, "a dead little coal mining town outside Pittsburgh PA," and attended Reed College in Oregon, earning a biology degree. She attended the Clarion West workshop in 1988.
Her first story came out in 1990 and her first novel in 1993. Her career began, and has largely returned to, science fiction. However, from 1999 to 2002 she wrote the "Gardening Mysteries" novel series under the name "Mary Freeman."
She was also a cheesemaker, teaching the craft at workshops. At the age of 57, Rosenblum earned her pilot's license. Rosenblum died on March 11, 2018, when the single-engine plane she was piloting crashed near an airfield south of La Center, Washington.
(from Wiki)
Her first story came out in 1990 and her first novel in 1993. Her career began, and has largely returned to, science fiction. However, from 1999 to 2002 she wrote the "Gardening Mysteries" novel series under the name "Mary Freeman."
She was also a cheesemaker, teaching the craft at workshops. At the age of 57, Rosenblum earned her pilot's license. Rosenblum died on March 11, 2018, when the single-engine plane she was piloting crashed near an airfield south of La Center, Washington.
(from Wiki)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 19, 2021
I picked up this 30-year-old sci-fi book because I'd read somewhere that it was a really interesting early depiction of the appeals and pitfalls of virtual reality. It's set in a not-so-distant future where people can plug into internet-based VR worlds from home if they are wealthy or from public-access booths (similar to old-fashioned phone booths) if you aren't, or are on the road. People use these VR worlds in all the predictable ways, one of which is to gather market intelligence and try to package deals to sell as virtual brokers.
Jewel is a medical aide who moonlights as one of these brokers, trying to put together small-scale deals to build her reputation. Her day job is working for an uber-wealthy old man with a subterranean base in Antarctica (think Bond villain lair). There she meets David Chen, one of the premier VR designers around, and his wild-child lover/creative partner. The plot gets very convoluted, but eventually the three of them leave Antarctica and bounce around Seattle, where Jewel has to deal with her past and what little family she has. David's complicated family also comes into play, adding additional complexity to the story.
It was somewhere in the middle of this that my interest started to wane. There's a weird mountain lion that dips in and out of the story that may or may not be real, and Jewel's past starts to play an increasingly important role in the narrative (but David's doesn't). I couldn't quite buy into all the relationships, and as a result, the stakes never really felt important to me. There are some neat ideas about the VR worlds and how they might work, but it all became a bit of a slog for me. I couldn't quite get a firm grasp on what this near-future America was, or how the VR world overlaid it.
Jewel is a medical aide who moonlights as one of these brokers, trying to put together small-scale deals to build her reputation. Her day job is working for an uber-wealthy old man with a subterranean base in Antarctica (think Bond villain lair). There she meets David Chen, one of the premier VR designers around, and his wild-child lover/creative partner. The plot gets very convoluted, but eventually the three of them leave Antarctica and bounce around Seattle, where Jewel has to deal with her past and what little family she has. David's complicated family also comes into play, adding additional complexity to the story.
It was somewhere in the middle of this that my interest started to wane. There's a weird mountain lion that dips in and out of the story that may or may not be real, and Jewel's past starts to play an increasingly important role in the narrative (but David's doesn't). I couldn't quite buy into all the relationships, and as a result, the stakes never really felt important to me. There are some neat ideas about the VR worlds and how they might work, but it all became a bit of a slog for me. I couldn't quite get a firm grasp on what this near-future America was, or how the VR world overlaid it.
October 9, 2017
Chimera had sat on my to read shelf for over 20 years. It had never grabbed my attention but it looked thin and I needed a quick read so I eventually gave it a go. Oh dear!! It was not a quick read. I couldn't really get into it, but I didn't want to give up on it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. I kept thinking its going to get good soon, but never did.
January 8, 2021
2.5 *
August 15, 2014
I enjoyed this stimulating read. Many threads all focused on where does reality begin and virtual end?
Brought to mind 'Max Headroom' and 'The Matrix.'
Earth's health and economy continue to decline and mankind is struggling to exist and, yet, the same problems of how to escape exist. So, mankind continues to turns to drugs, medical intervention and now virtual reality.
Virtual reality is both an escape and the latest venue for making money.
Follow Jewel, a girl raised in the 'burbs, David, a virtual reality artist, as they struggle to find themselves and what it means to be human (flesh) and to love.
Brought to mind 'Max Headroom' and 'The Matrix.'
Earth's health and economy continue to decline and mankind is struggling to exist and, yet, the same problems of how to escape exist. So, mankind continues to turns to drugs, medical intervention and now virtual reality.
Virtual reality is both an escape and the latest venue for making money.
Follow Jewel, a girl raised in the 'burbs, David, a virtual reality artist, as they struggle to find themselves and what it means to be human (flesh) and to love.
August 4, 2008
I read "Horizons" by Mary Rosenblum after last year's Orycon. She is good and has a really good handle on both SF and family relationships in Chinese culture. Like "Horizons", "Chimera" dealt with these topics, plus a lot about people's relationships with their own past. Again, I am really impressed with her work. She was able to take a complicated plot and make it into a story with a very clear storyline. She took wounded characters and made them into people worth caring about. Very impressive.
June 5, 2008
It's been a long time since I have read the book. I remember that I enjoyed it a lot. Not so easy to read but a nice experience with some good ideas.
July 8, 2016
Helppolukuinen, vaikka pompittiin virtuaallimaailmasta todelliseen.
Hyvin kirjoitettu. Tunnelmallinen jännitystarina.
Hyvin kirjoitettu. Tunnelmallinen jännitystarina.
January 21, 2013
Dense, rich, complex, and surprisingly clear.
May 9, 2014
I bought this book hoping it'd be one of those sci-fi books that's so bad it's good.
It wasn't.
It wasn't.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews