Interface arrived in stores by stealth. Its author, Stephen Bury, had never been heard of, and no biographical note appeared on the book. But fans of Neal Stephenson (see "Spew," Wired 2.10), whose fervid imagination gave us the cyber-operatic Snow Crash, weren't fooled - within days of the release they knew Bury was a pseudonym for Stephenson and J. Frederick George, who co-authored the novel. And instantly came the comparisons with the mind-bending, Pynchonesque Crash.
Verdict? Interface is, by Crash standards, fairly conventional, not even vaguely cyberpunk - its key link to techno-culture is a plot twist that has a stroke-hobbled presidential candidate revived by a silicon prosthesis that restores his brain functions but leaves him receptive to commands from the megapowerful conspiracy that developed the chip and linked it via radio to a focus group for real-time feedback. And students of the future of cyberspace will find nothing to equal the Metasphere of Stephenson's breakthrough tome. Yet by novelistic standards, Interface is probably a better book. The characters are much more fully drawn, and in some cases quite memorable. The protagonist, Illinois Governor William Cozzano, is a powerfully likable stroke victim, but not a total goody-goody. His running mate is a feisty black woman who only a few years before was living in an automobile. But the most delicious characters are the colorful schemers, ranging from image makers to computer hackers, who engineer Cozzano's recovery and mastermind his campaign.
Interface is well plotted; its ingredients fall into place well enough to qualify it as a successful potboiler, though few of this genre can support a plot twist as outrageous as that concerning the poor fish whose cranium is a dress rehearsal for the operation on Cozzano's head. And few barn burners by Robert Ludlum, Stephen King, or Tom Clancy, would tempt you to close the book, walk up to a friend, and begin chanting (as a character in a memorable scene does), "Wubba wubba wubba wubba wubba wubba." If you hear someone do this, you'll know where it came from. But to really get it, you'll have to read Interface yourself.
Interface, by Stephen Bury, US$12.95. Bantam/Spectra: +1 (708) 827 1111.
STREET CRED
How Buildings LearnCinemania '94
The Graphic Language of Neville Brody 2
The Push-Button President
