Submitted by Anonymous 
(May 24, 2005)An intelligent and strong utopia novel, that sheds a light on the power of the media and includes philosophic passages as well as clever dialogues and some action as well.
The story:
Laurent Michaelmas is the best known journalist in the world. He comments on nearly every important event on earth and he is everytime at the location where the action tooks place. What no one knows: With the help of his super-computer DOMINO, Michaelmas rules the world! He can hear every phone call, if it is from an poor worker or from the president of the US. He can fake news and manipulate the life of every person on the world. One day, something happens that is impossible and totaly against Michaelmas interest - a space pilot who was believed to be dead after the explosion of his shuttle reappears and is presented by a scientist in Switzerland. This event threatens to shatter not only the space program of the UN but to push the world back in the time of cold war, which was ended by Michaelmas influence. In this tense situation, the journalist must try to reestablish his controll against unknown odds...
The author Algis Budrys could be a prophet of some sort- he saw the danger and the great potential of cyberspace and electronical communication in a time (1977), in which the internet was a far dream and the media networks weren't as sophisticated as today. The character of Michaelmas is a surprise - everyone would expect a person with this power to be dominant, aggresisive and ignorant to the normal people - but Michaelmas tries to make a better future for all people, not only for himself and a small elite, as the media-workers, PR-agents and spin-doctors do it in the sad reality of 2005.
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(5 ratings)