Chimera
{4.5/5} “In Earth’s long history of social change, fickle politics, and policy-by-trend, the ban on positronics had lasted the longest and tenaciously resisted reform. Hard to believe, on a world where once the newest and brightest and best technologies had been created and dispensed and embraced with almost childlike passion for novelty.”
Chimera by Mark W. Tiedemann, published in 2000
Coren has been tasked with ensuring that his friend Nyom Looms lays low until after the election her father is involved in. Nyom informs him that she’s going off world with some baleys. Then Coren is knocked out. When he gets up to Kopernik Station he finds that Nyom’s ship is there. But all the humans are dead, one robot has collapsed, and the other robot is missing.
This is the sequel to Mirage.
Ariel and Derec return from the previous novel.
It’s about a case that has implications for the relations between Earth, the Spacers, and the Settlers. It’s about an experiment ending up producing cyborgs, who are unpredictable. It’s about not feeling like doing your job after things go horribly wrong.
This is the 2nd book I’ve read by Tiedemann. I will read at least 1 more.