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Currie Curran is a retired bounty hunter of sorts. He used to hunt Cowboys.
Now, he's living the life of the blessed in a future Utopia where all your
needs are taken care of. All your needs - both physical and
psychological. All the blessed folk run software in their brains to keep
them happy. Currie doesn't mind a bit, his software tells him so.
Early one morning, Currie gets called out of retirement to chase down the
last of the Cowboys. (Cowboys, of course, don't run software - that's
why the computer entity which calls itself "One True" considers them
so dangerous.)
As he set out on the trail of his quarry, Currie rediscovers the
love of nature he's always had. For some reason, this feeling has been
stifled while he sat at home in his house. He slowly begins to realize
that other things he's loved have been missing from his life, as well.
When he finally meets up with Lobo, the last of the Cowboys, he's
beginning to realize that he has been manipulated - solely for his own
good, of course. He still doesn't doubt "One True," until Lobo bashes
in his head, disabling the resident program "Resuna." That's when
his mind really begins to change.
John Barnes has once again brought a strange future to life for us.
The vivid portrayal of nature, the complex backdrop of the "Meme Wars,"
the many details of Resuna's operation, all lend a feeling of reality
to the story. For John Barnes junkies like me, this one is irresistable!
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