Saturday, March 20, 1999
Title: Headlong
Author: Simon Ings
Publisher: Voyager
Headlong is the fourth novel by British writer Simon Ings, and probably his most accessible to date. His first and third novels were the hard-cyber Hotwire and Hot Head - with a common violently high-tech world. The novel between those was The City Of The Iron Fish, a strange story set within a bubble of reality.
For Headlong, Simon returns to the world of Hotwire/head, but less violently. Common is the fact that the main character has been a hot head - Christopher Yale was hotwired to serious sensory enhancing mechanics. Also common is that when Chris returns from the moon he must give up the soft/hardware residing in his head under order of The Hague. It is feared by the appropriate authorities in the seat of European government that post-humans could easily corrupt computer networks causing the creation of detrimental AIs.
On return to earth Chris and Joanne, who have been happily living on the moon are forcibly stripped of everything that made them post-human. This causes them both great discomfort as stripping senses from anyone would. They both deal with the withdrawal in a different fashion - but this causes problems between them and they separate. The main focus of the story is Chris and we are treated to his attempts to survive. Having established this, Chris' discomfort is increased with the news that his estranged wife has been found dead with a large hole in her head.
While Ings' previous work has been fast paced, it has sometimes led to confusion. By contrast, while this becomes something of a detective story, it remains easily paced. More a study in coping as Yale tries to deal with his condition and the death of his wife. For this we flash back to their meeting, their separation - fleshing out the character and his departed half. This also allows us to see other present characters in past light. Also it charts hopes and dreams and how they relate to our relationship with technology. Technology being a key element in what makes Ings writing work - here it is more subliminal than before, where it took over your mind.
However if like me you actually rather enjoyed that colossal headfuck of Hothead/wire then don't despair. This is an enjoyable novel - full of tech and exotic drugs. Well charactered and well written. But the last part still contains enough of a punch to supply that mad rush of disbelief. A more mature piece certainly, but no less enjoyable for all that.
RVWR: PTR
March 1999
