REBODY
REBODY is a dark science-fiction novel.
An old friend visited, the kind of friend who enjoys himself by telling tall stories. Being a trusting sort I believed him at first when he told me he'd had his head insured for cryogenic freezing after his death, so that he could be resurrected at some time in the future. (Hopefully)
My immediate reaction was to laugh and note that probably the Federal Government would have stolen his bank accounts by resurrection time leaving him broke, and that he'd probably end up with his head grafted on to a glorified vacuum cleaner, working as a domestic slave, or "dombot" for a pittance, while trying to buy enough parts to put the rest of a body together.
Like a flash the whole concept of the story arrived in my head and I rushed to the computer to note it down before it was lost.
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REBODY is set in a future, post-apocalyptic San Antonio, Texas, in 2373. Hugh Toffle, the protagonist, is resurrected as described. It's not long before he takes flight, assisted by a spider monkey who also has a part-robot body. The monkey takes Jim to Enimal Town which is populated entirely by genetically enhanced animals, the descendants of modified pets and lab animals.
Enimal town is run by Willette, the orang-utang mayoress, assisted by a team of Bonobo chimps (administration), and gorillas (law enforcement). As Hugh arrives, a civil war breaks out between the large numbers of dogs and cats who each have their own sectors. The dogs are run by an outrageous St Bernard while the leader of the cats is a huge Rex. Politically the dogs have a fascist outlook while the cats are Marxists.
Willette has lost her mate, Bonzo, to a dog attack but still has his body preserved, and arranges without Hugh's consent to have Hugh's head grafted on to the rest of Bonzo. Hugh discovers to his horror that the "Bonzo" part is capable of taking over, especially when Willette invites him into her tree house for a romantic evening.
As if Hugh's troubles aren't sufficient, he discovers that all the humans had been exterminated by Bots, who are playing Hugh for a sucker to see what "the last human" will do. Hugh decides to exterminate them and wreak a final justice for humankind.
In this task he is assisted by Xor, an artificial intelligence that has grown out of the remains of the global planetary NET.
REBODY can be read on three levels: on the surface it's an adventure story with plenty of action. A deeper read will reveal an exploration of human attitudes to other species and our planet, while another layer lies below that, concerned with the nature of existence, intelligence, and religious belief.
Cover art by the well-known graphic artist David Rabbitte (Star Wars, X-Men)
An old friend visited, the kind of friend who enjoys himself by telling tall stories. Being a trusting sort I believed him at first when he told me he'd had his head insured for cryogenic freezing after his death, so that he could be resurrected at some time in the future. (Hopefully)
My immediate reaction was to laugh and note that probably the Federal Government would have stolen his bank accounts by resurrection time leaving him broke, and that he'd probably end up with his head grafted on to a glorified vacuum cleaner, working as a domestic slave, or "dombot" for a pittance, while trying to buy enough parts to put the rest of a body together.
Like a flash the whole concept of the story arrived in my head and I rushed to the computer to note it down before it was lost.
---------------------------------------- ---------------------
REBODY is set in a future, post-apocalyptic San Antonio, Texas, in 2373. Hugh Toffle, the protagonist, is resurrected as described. It's not long before he takes flight, assisted by a spider monkey who also has a part-robot body. The monkey takes Jim to Enimal Town which is populated entirely by genetically enhanced animals, the descendants of modified pets and lab animals.
Enimal town is run by Willette, the orang-utang mayoress, assisted by a team of Bonobo chimps (administration), and gorillas (law enforcement). As Hugh arrives, a civil war breaks out between the large numbers of dogs and cats who each have their own sectors. The dogs are run by an outrageous St Bernard while the leader of the cats is a huge Rex. Politically the dogs have a fascist outlook while the cats are Marxists.
Willette has lost her mate, Bonzo, to a dog attack but still has his body preserved, and arranges without Hugh's consent to have Hugh's head grafted on to the rest of Bonzo. Hugh discovers to his horror that the "Bonzo" part is capable of taking over, especially when Willette invites him into her tree house for a romantic evening.
As if Hugh's troubles aren't sufficient, he discovers that all the humans had been exterminated by Bots, who are playing Hugh for a sucker to see what "the last human" will do. Hugh decides to exterminate them and wreak a final justice for humankind.
In this task he is assisted by Xor, an artificial intelligence that has grown out of the remains of the global planetary NET.
REBODY can be read on three levels: on the surface it's an adventure story with plenty of action. A deeper read will reveal an exploration of human attitudes to other species and our planet, while another layer lies below that, concerned with the nature of existence, intelligence, and religious belief.
Cover art by the well-known graphic artist David Rabbitte (Star Wars, X-Men)
