For the scenario we are reminded of Walter Jon William's Hardwired: A Poisoned Earth ravaged by pollution and ozone layer's depletion, people living in domed cities with extremely corrupt lower sectors, huge orbital cities in the sky, nomads roaming the land. A group of these nomads, called "Star's Eye" stops near Ari Famber's house. Ari is the daughter of dead scientist Ewan Famber, who performed genetics experiments on her. The leader of the Star's Eye, Leila Saatchi, erstwhile colleague of Ewan Famber, convinces Ari, troubled by sexual problems, to join the group, headed toward the metropolis called Arkady. Here lives another colleague of Ewan Famber, the robopsychologist Quinx Roirbak, who, Leila hopes, will be able to deal with Ari's problems. With Quinx lives the obscure scientist Tammuz Malamute, a neuropsychologist in search of a job. Tammuz finds himself psychologically counseling the once street boy Zambia Crevecoeur, who unwittingly sold himself to the female pimp Jahsaxa Penumbra, who had him surgically modified as an intersex.

A great part of the novel is dedicated to Ari's voyage to Arkady with the group,a group of bizarre gypsy-like, vaguely hippie men and women, who'll help Ari to star coping with her identity, whilst interacting in various ways and gossiping on Leila's sentimental life, not at all idyllic. The sexual energy she has been made capable of manifesting would change the life of all characters, celebrating the healing power of love and empathy.

This is a very interesting futuristic novel, blending elements of science-fiction and the fantastic in a style reminding us of Master of Space and Time of Rudy Rucker, and raising, in an intriguing way, the ever problematic issues of genetic manipulation and environment preservation. The world, as in Nemesis by Isaac Asimov,that also features a problematic adolescent, shall be saved by a child. A celebration of love, sexuality and human potential that's pure Storm Constantine

About the Author:
Angelo Ventura lives in Italy. His email is angeloventura@iol.it.