Set in Sagramanda, city of 100 million, this is the story of Taneer, a scientist who has absconded with his multinational corporation’s secret project code and who is now on the run from both the company and his father. Depahli, the fabulously beautiful woman from the "untouchable class" would die for him, just as surely as his father would like to kill him for shaming the very traditional family for such a relationship. Chalcedony "Chal" Schneemann doesn’t want to kill Taneer, if he doesn’t have to, but it wouldn’t upset him terribly much if it came to it, and he’ll stop at nothing to recover the stolen property for the company that pays him very, very well to solve big problems discreetly and quickly. Sanjay Ghosh, a poor farmer-turned-merchant in the big city of Sagramanda would like to help Taneer unload his stolen items, for the $30 million dollars his 3 percent fee is worth. Jena Chalmette, a crazy French woman pledged to Kali, simply wants to kill for the glory of her god, and she’s very good at it. Chief Inspector Keshu Singh would like to put this sword-wielding serial killer away as quickly as possible before the media gets a hold of the story.
Then there’s a man-eating tiger, come in from the nearby jungle reserve and just looking for his next meal.
A fast-paced and gripping techno-thriller set in an India just around the corner from today.
"I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a techo thriller with near future sci-fi thrown in. It is a well-written and enjoyable tale that is full of the flavor of India, its culture and people, from a forward looking perspective." --The Dragon Page podcast site, December 25, 2006.
Description:
Set in Sagramanda, city of 100 million, this is the story of Taneer, a scientist who has absconded with his multinational corporation’s secret project code and who is now on the run from both the company and his father. Depahli, the fabulously beautiful woman from the "untouchable class" would die for him, just as surely as his father would like to kill him for shaming the very traditional family for such a relationship. Chalcedony "Chal" Schneemann doesn’t want to kill Taneer, if he doesn’t have to, but it wouldn’t upset him terribly much if it came to it, and he’ll stop at nothing to recover the stolen property for the company that pays him very, very well to solve big problems discreetly and quickly. Sanjay Ghosh, a poor farmer-turned-merchant in the big city of Sagramanda would like to help Taneer unload his stolen items, for the $30 million dollars his 3 percent fee is worth. Jena Chalmette, a crazy French woman pledged to Kali, simply wants to kill for the glory of her god, and she’s very good at it. Chief Inspector Keshu Singh would like to put this sword-wielding serial killer away as quickly as possible before the media gets a hold of the story.
Then there’s a man-eating tiger, come in from the nearby jungle reserve and just looking for his next meal.
A fast-paced and gripping techno-thriller set in an India just around the corner from today.
**
From Publishers Weekly
At the start of bestseller Foster's lighthearted techno-thriller (after 2006's The Candle of Distant Earth), runaway scientist Taneer Buthlahee and his gorgeous Untouchable lover, Depahli, are planning a marvelous life far from the city of Sagramunda, India—with the cash Taneer hopes to make on the stolen fruits of his mysterious research. To help broker the deal, Taneer hires fixer Sanjay Ghosh, a determined former farmer with big dreams of his own. Hot on Taneer's trail are a company operative with orders from Taneer's former employer to do whatever's necessary to get the stolen goods back, as well as Taneer's father, who's sworn to kill his son for dishonoring the family with his theft. Also along for the ride are a Hindu fundamentalist drug addict bent on offering plenty of sacrifices to her blood-loving goddess, the cop who's trying to catch her and a man-eating tiger. SF elements make colorful window dressing for this unpredictable thriller, whose multiple threads Foster juggles like the professional he is. (Oct.)
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Review
"I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a techo thriller with near future sci-fi thrown in. It is a well-written and enjoyable tale that is full of the flavor of India, its culture and people, from a forward looking perspective." --The Dragon Page podcast site, December 25, 2006.