Bear Greg 06

Reviews & Overviews by Rod Cameron

Quantico – Greg Bear

Greg Bear has written at least a dozen SF novels in a variety of different genres all of which are very readable. Quantico is a change for him in that this is set in modern day America, and can only be defined as a thriller i.e there are minimal SF elements. However, don’t let that put you off. The story concerns three FBI agents who are trying to prevent a terrorist horror in the near future. Technology is perhaps a bit more developed, but essentially the major development is that nuclear and biological weapons are in the hands of Islamic radicals. And there are rumours of a plague that could be targeted against ethnic groups such as the Jews or Muslims. To make matters worse, the FBI has been discredited and it is politically expedient for the FBI to fail to close this threat down, and as a result be closed down itself.

Unfortunately for us, this threat is all too likely at some point in the near future. This is a very readable thriller that has a realistic plot that has a very prophetic hook - what will doomsday be like. In this case, scarily, it will be painless and instantly forgettable. Quantico is an enjoyable read which adds another piece into the jigsaw of our understanding of modern day conspiracy theories.

Publisher: Harper
Date: 2006
Pages: 439 Pages
Price: £6.99
ISBN: 0-00-712979-3
Format: Paperback
Reviewed by: Rod Cameron
Date Reviewed: October 2006

Quantico – Greg Bear
Greg Bear has written at least a dozen SF novels in a variety of different genres all of which are very readable. Quantico is a change for him in that this is set in modern day America, and can only be defined as a thriller i.e there are minimal SF elements. However, don’t let that put you off. The story concerns three FBI agents who are trying to prevent a terrorist horror in the near future. Technology is perhaps a bit more developed, but essentially the major development is that nuclear and biological weapons are in the hands of Islamic radicals. And there are rumours of a plague that could be targeted against ethnic groups such as the Jews or Muslims. To make matters worse, the FBI has been discredited and it is politically expedient for the FBI to fail to close this threat down, and as a result be closed down itself. Unfortunately for us, this threat is all too likely at some point in the near future. This is a very readable thriller that has a realistic plot that has a very prophetic hook - what will doomsday be like. In this case, scarily, it will be painless and instantly forgettable. Quantico is an enjoyable read which adds another piece into the jigsaw of our understanding of modern day conspiracy theories.
Publisher: Harper Date: 2006 Pages: 439 Pages Price: £6.99 ISBN: 0-00-712979-3 Format: Paperback Reviewed by: Rod Cameron Date Reviewed: October 2006