Kiln People
 David Brin
 (Sr. Staff Reviewer - D. H. BROWN)
 2002 TOR Books
  ISBN: 0765303558


In a perilous future, disposable duplicate bodies fulfill every citizen's legal & illicit whim.

Life as a 24-hour “ditto” is cheap, as Albert Morris knows. He is a brash investigator with a knack for trouble, he's sent plenty of clay duplicates into deadly peril, then “inloaded” memories from copies that were shot, crushed, drowned -- all part of a day's work until Morris tackles a ring of crooks making bootleg copies of a celebrity.

When a brilliant researcher in the field of people-Xeroxing vanishes, his daughter thinks he's been kidnapped. Morris sends one ditto after another, then his own irreplaceable organic self, into the high-tech, nightmare world of the “ghosts” where nothing & no one is what they seem, & memory itself is suspect.

Senior Staff Reviewer D. H. BROWN writes:

I first fell in love with David Brin's writing with his Uplift Series, where he opened up a whole realm of sentiences & the raw responsibility we have to those less fortunate in the animal kingdom.

So when I stepped into the library & started scanning the shelves for new reads, the first thing I saw was David Brin on the spine, & not even able to read the title because the library had covered it up with their stickers. I immediately pulled it down anyway, flipped it open, started reading the fly leaf, & found myself turning pages. The next thing I knew I was eight pages into it, & was still standing in front of the bookshelf, taking up space in the aisle.

Now I know the library is for reading, and I generally enjoy reading from the comfort of my recliner rather than standing on my feet on a hard floor, turning pages as fast as I can read them. So I guess by now you've figured out that I liked this book. Like is definitely not strong enough!

Kiln People is a cross between worlds created by Harry Harrison and Spider Robertson. I loved the humor and all the sarcastic and ironic comments through innuendo on our world today. It tweaked my intellect with original thoughts & twanged my string of hope on the adaptability of humanity to forge forward.

Is this book a buy? Without a doubt, & so deserves a rare four teapot rating! Thank you TOR! Kiln People has been bought and is now wedged next to the full Uplift Saga.

PS: David Brin also wrote classic The Postman, that the movies butchered. It is without a doubt, in my humble estimation, the single greatest post-apocalyptic science fiction book ever written. There, glad I got that off my chest!

More from David Brin: The Uplift Saga: Sundiver, Startide Rising, Heaven's Reach & more; Contacting Aliens: An Illustrated Guide to David Brin's Uplift Universe; The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Privacy and Freedom?; Foundation's Triumph; Otherness & more.
(06/30/02)

D. H. BROWN
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Staff Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
D. H. BROWN is the author of the critically acclaimed HONOR DUE and the Citizens Warrior Series. The son of missionary parents and with the help his Uncle Sam, he has touched base in more than 40 countries.  In 1986 he produced the independent children's film Lessie's Rainbow.  During the late 80s and early 90s, he wrote the book Common Sense and delivered the seminars of the same name for the Community Action Network of Seattle (CAN).  While doing his early Vietnam recovery work, he counseled Veterans and spoke widely to men's groups in Washington state, and was a founder of The Lodge of the Wolf.

D. H. BROWN has worked as a Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Viet Nam; day laborer; Director of Security; Armored Car Driver; Police Officer; Professional Hunting Guide; Trapper; Dog Sledder; Homesteader; Truck Driver; General Contractor; Minister; Editor; Writer; Speaker; Restaurateur; Movie Producer; Antique Restoration Specialist; Personal Care Worker; PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor; Webmaster and Web Designer. "I write about what I know."

He lives deep in the Pacific Northwest rainforest with his wife, author and editor Rebecca and Buddy Dog, working on his next book.
Visit him at: www.dhbrownbooks.com