Murder in the Solid State - Softcover

Wil McCarthy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812553926 ISBN 13: 9780812553925

Publisher: Tor Books, 1998

Synopsis

This hard-science, page-turning suspense novel of one man's battle to save his life, career, and country in 21st-century America provides a Heinleinesque examination of how nanotechnology offers both the possibility of unparalleled freedom and the danger of inescapable totalitarianism.

About this title

Review:

"When was the last time a book took you by surprise? Wil McCarthy spins a tale of murder and high nanotech, political corruption and outrageous gambles as an appealingly innocent scientist dodges through one of the twistier plots in recent memory. Think 'Hitchcock meets Heinlein' and you've got the idea of this whirlwind thriller." --James Patrick Kelly "Wil McCarthy fulfills the promise of his earlier works with "Murder in the Solid State." A taut, near-future thriller with a dash of Chandler." --Jack McDevitt "McCarthy deftly blends the SF and mystery genres with a healthy dose of paranoia to create a fast, completely engrossing thriller." --"Locus"

From the Author:

A Thriller Set in Near-Future Philadelphia:
At the dawn of the 21st century, the "molecular fabrication" industry is poised to remake the world in its image, as did the manufacturing and computer industries before it. But life on the cutting edge can be dangerous; against a backdrop of scientific breakthrough and political oppression, graduate researcher David Sanger is implicated in the death of a colleague, and quickly finds himself caught up in the machinations of those who would shape the future to their own ends.

"Exceptionally good. Besides being an excellent mystery, it is a convinving look at the near future of nanotechnology." -- Vernor Vinge

"McCarthy deftly blends the SF and mystery genres with a healthy dose of paranoia to create a fast, completely engrossing thriller." -- Monica Simmons, Locus

"On all counts, McCarthy shows considerable skill and energy, [and] complements the intelligent speculations on nanotech with some good old-fashioned dirty pool. The issues he raises are real, as is the excitement he offers." -- Gary K. Wolfe, Locus

"Breathless... Its striking quality is not so much the fascinating science as the canny use of hardboiled prose and keen sense of pacing. Any author with the knack for tight, vivid writing and good SF mystery in an often clueless field should be applauded." -- Charles DeLint, F&SF

For additional reviews and cover art, look up the hardcover edition of this book.

About this edition

• Publisher: Tor Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0812553926
• ISBN 13: 9780812553925
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 288