August 23, 2010
Themes of transcendence and family love play out against backdrops of real and virtual worlds in Stanton's slight neo-cyberpunk debut, the first speculative fiction title from Canadian indie ECW. Cyberhacker Zak and martial artist Mia are infected with the Eternal virus, which grants everlasting life. They want to give it to their son, but the virus can't be caught or easily transmitted, so Zak heads for the offworld Cromeus colonies looking for the virus's alien Source. Then a new technology emerges that permits humans to be uploaded into machines, which may render the Eternal virus moot. Fans of James Gunn's The Immortals (1962) will find many familiar elements, and frequent shifts in perspective and characterization contribute only to a feeling of whiplash.
October 15, 2010
Zakariah and Mia Davis have contracted the alien virus that indefinitely prolongs their lives. Because it is not inherited, Zakariah spends every free moment searching for a means to acquire the "Eternal" virus for his son Rix, a quest that takes him into the shady world of high-tech corporate research and interstellar politics. The first full-length novel by short-fiction author Stanton and ECW's first sf title revitalizes the cyber-fiction genre with its vivid prose and believable characters. VERDICT Stylistically streamlined, this vibrant series opener should appeal to fans of Bruce Sterling and William Gibson.
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