The Mocking Program
 Alan Dean Foster
 (Sr. Staff Reviewer - D. H. BROWN)
 2002 Warner Books
  ISBN: 0446527742


A Mexamerican megalopolis, sprawls from Baja to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the home of one tough cop who specializes in solving the most devious, diabolic crimes that future felons can devise.

In a future & a world where Spanglish is the tongue of the streets & murder & mayhem are the norm, Inspector Angel Cardenas gets to see many a strange corpse, like the one in Quetzal inurb, that has been robbed of his cash, cards, & internal organs. When the infallible DNA-ID database insists that the cadaver is that of two people -- a local respectable executive & a mysterious Texas businessman, telepathic intuit Inspector Cardenas follows the clues of the missing wife & daughter. They lead him through the sex parlors of The Strip, to the undersea control room where computer crimes are committed by...criminal computers.

Sr. Staff Reviewer D. H. BROWN writes:

For quite a few years, I enjoyed Alan Dean Foster's science fiction works but lost touch as he turned to fantasy. I am not a fantasy fan. Because his name invokes pleasant reading memories, when I saw The Mocking Program on the shelf of our local library, I pulled it down, read the flyleaf & realized, Alan Dean Foster had once again written hard science fiction.

So of course, I checked it out, brought it home & devoured it, immediately.

All I can say is WOW! He's back! He's really, really back! & I really, really still like him.

The future world Alan Dean Foster has created is fascinating! Utterly engrossing! Complex, & completely convincing!

Not that I would like to live there! Oh, no! Reading about it is enough to give me the shivers!

The thing that struck me the most is the extremely competent way Alan Dean Foster has mastered, & created a whole new lingo for this world of his. The very real possibilities of cultural merging that is taking place along the American/Mexican border, even though he hints broadly, at times, it's almost impossible to nail down the exact time & era of The Mocking Program's timeline.

Enough to say, it's far enough in the future when we have a megacity from San Diego/Tijuana all the way to Houston/Corpus Christi & the North American continent from Mexico to Alaska is the United States of Noramerica.

Welcome back, Alan Dean Foster, even though I know you didn't go away, I'm glad that you're once again writing for me, if I might be so selfish!

What scope! What breadth! What incredible energy! This book is definitely in my top 10 for 2002.

Alan Dean Foster had written over 100 novels, a few of which are: Kingdoms of Light; The Dig; Carnivores of Light and Darkness; Into the Thinking Kingdom; A Triumph of Souls.
(10/06/02)

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