Flash

Archform: Beauty Series, Book 2

By: L. E. Modesitt Jr.

Narrated by: BJ Harrison

In the twenty-fourth century, Earth is vastly changed. Ecological and biological catastrophe have raged across the planet, but for the survivors, it is a world of plenty. Even the poorest live in abundance, and the upper class—the ascendant—command technological marvels.

Ten years ago, rising star in the Marines Jonat deVrai, shocked his superiors by walking away from the Corps after witnessing atrocity and hypocrisy during the reclamation of Guyana. Starting his life over, he established himself as the world's expert on the effectiveness of "prod"-product placement, the only advertising which viewers will allow through the sophisticated filters they all use against unwanted intrusions on their electronic link networks. Prod, reinforced with sublims and the "res"-resonant frequencies, a form of sonic branding-is the wave of the future.

Jonat now advises multinational corporations on their prod campaigns. Then his comfortable world is upset when the Centre for Societal Research approaches him to study the effects of res and prod on political campaigns. After a political rally, he is jumped by armed thugs in a parking garage. A day later, a sniper ambushes him. Suspicion and conspiracy race around Jonat. Who wants him dead? With his life on the line, deVrai must sort flash from fact before it's too late.

©2004 Modesitt Family Revocable Living Trust (P)2022 Tantor

A great prequel to Archform Beauty

This puts a retired Marine Lt. Col, now a marketing consultant, at the center of several corrupt agencies from the Safety Officers (police) all the way through government and to Mars/asteroids. Things turn in such a way, that after submitting an analysis showing this, he has the option of kill or be killed, from multiple enemies. This also creates an unconventional romance which slowly blossoms through the book in jumps and starts.

It's not a thriller, but fast paced partial mystery and part romance story which should be listened to prior to "Archform: Beauty" a century or two in the future.

This is similar in feel and an alternate tech base reminiscent of Stephenson's "Diamond Age", except Diamond Age has effective police forces but problems are universal, so I think if you liked Diamond Age you'll like this book, and vice versa.