Heathern

Womack's third novel is set in the same near-future New York as Ambient and Terraplane, his well-received previous books. The story is told from the point of view of Joanna, an executive secretary at Dry. co, one of the multinational corporations that has taken over effective control of the country after the collapse of the economy. Dryco has learned that a man named Lester Macaffrey has what appears to be godlike powers, and Joanna's boss decides to acquire him as a potential corporate asset. Sent to recruit Macaffrey, Joanna sees him revive a man killed by one of her bodyguards, and realizes that he is a potential messiah. Dryco is more interested in using his powers to extend its competitive advantage over the Japanese, and sends him to recover information from the brain of a comatose employee. After much random violence and huggermugger, the whole scheme collapses. Womack has been touted as the latest "cyberpunk" saviour of sf, but this particular effort seems strained - full of noir effects and fashionable pessimism, without the stylistic verve it needs to keep the reader turning pages. (Kirkus Reviews)