A borrowed man / Gene Wolfe.

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Title:

A borrowed man / Gene Wolfe.

Author:

Wolfe, Gene, author.

ISBN:

9780765381156

Edition:

First trade paperback edition.

Physical Description:

300 pages ; 21 cm

Abstract:

E.A. Smithe is a borrowed person. He is a clone who lives on a third-tier shelf in a public library, and his personality is an uploaded recording of a deceased mystery writer. Smithe is a piece of property, not a legal human. A wealthy patron, Colette Coldbrook, takes him from the library because he is the surviving personality of the author of Murder on Mars. A copy of the book was in the possession of her murdered father and it contains an important secret, the key to immense family wealth. Her brother turned up dead after giving the book to her. Now the book is lost, and Colette is afraid of the police. Smythe is her last hope. She borrows Smithe to help her find the book and to find out what the secret is. Together they find something almost anyone would kill for.

Subject Term:

Human cloning -- Fiction.

Lost books -- Fiction.

Books -- Fiction.

Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Clonage humain -- Romans, nouvelles, etc.

Livres perdus -- Romans, nouvelles, etc.

Livres -- Romans, nouvelles, etc.

Meurtre -- Enquêtes -- Romans, nouvelles, etc.

Books. (OCoLC)fst00836401

Human cloning. (OCoLC)fst00962924

Lost books. (OCoLC)fst01002650

Murder -- Investigation. (OCoLC)fst01029788

Genre:

Detective and mystery fiction. (OCoLC)fst01726581

Fiction. (OCoLC)fst01423787

Science fiction. (OCoLC)fst01726489

Detective and mystery fiction.

Science fiction.

Electronic Access:

Cover image http://www.netread.com/jcusers2/bk1388/149/9780765381149/image/lgcover.9780765381149.jpg

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy Fiction Book Paperback	120791003062954	F WOL	Searching... Unknown

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On Order

Summary

A Borrowed Man : a new science fiction novel from Gene Wolfe, the celebrated author of the Book of the New Sun series.

It is perhaps a hundred years in the future, our civilization is gone, and another is in place in North America, but it retains many familiar things and structures. Although the population is now small, there is advanced technology, there are robots, and there are clones.

E. A. Smithe is a borrowed person. He is a clone who lives on a third-tier shelf in a public library, and his personality is an uploaded recording of a deceased mystery writer. Smithe is a piece of property, not a legal human.

A wealthy patron, Colette Coldbrook, takes him from the library because he is the surviving personality of the author of Murder on Mars . A physical copy of that book was in the possession of her murdered father, and it contains an important secret, the key to immense family wealth. It is lost, and Colette is afraid of the police. She borrows Smithe to help her find the book and to find out what the secret is. And then the plot gets complicated.

Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

Best known for his four-volume Book of the New Sun series, Wolfe is often regarded as one of speculative fiction's most literary craftsmen, infusing his works with multiple layers of meaning. Without relinquishing his superlative skill at creating interesting characters while spinning a good story, Wolfe offers a refreshing change of pace here with a futuristic mystery novel featuring an unusual first-person narrator. In the not-too-distant future, E. A. Smithe is the clone of a long-dead mystery writer who lives on an oversize shelf in a public library, waiting to be checked out like any other library resource by curious patrons. With the possibility of cremation awaiting him if no one is interested, Smithe hits the jackpot one day when a wealthy heiress takes him home to solve a baffling mystery. Her father and brother have recently been murdered, and the secret to catching the killers is hidden in a book Smithe's namesake wrote decades ago. Must reading for Wolfe devotees and mystery fans who don't mind a little sci-fi with their suspense.--Hays, Carl Copyright 2015 Booklist

Library Journal Review

In the future of Wolfe's novel, cloned humans are kept at local public libraries, waiting to be checked out by patrons needing their expertise. E.A. Smithe is one such resource, the clone of an author of pulp novels, who is borrowed by -Colette -Coldbrook in the hopes that he can help her solve the mystery of a book found in her father's safe at the time of his death. Murder on Mars was written by Smithe, and he might be able to explain its value. But soon after they begin working together, the book is lost and Smithe and Coldwater are on the run. VERDICT Wolfe ("The Book of the New Sun" series) is a grand master of the genre, and this is an absorbing tale, full of noirish elements and fun sf flourishes. The variations in tone between rough gumshoe and stuffy academic (explained within the story but still jarring), and the habit of addressing the reader directly are thought provoking if not always effective narrative choices. This isn't Wolfe's best, but it will still be of great interest to the author's many fans.-MM © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.