Stewart, Sean - Passion Play

[oyceter]

Ostensibly Passion Play is a sort of a mystery/thriller set in the future, but, like good sci-fi, it eventually uses all the building blocks of its particular universe in the solving of the case and making the entire book larger than the sum of the parts.

It's set in a future in which there is a Redemptionist Presidency, and America has suddenly gotten much more religious. I particularly like how Stewart doesn't give us a brain dump about the future society. Er, at least, I didn't notice one, but then, I do like exposition a lot. But it is interesting that I can't go on and list various factors about the world, because Stewart very much limits it to Diane Fletcher, the person in charge of solving the mystery.

I also rather like where he takes the idea of being a shaper, an empath, and how over time, all emotion becomes duller and duller because of the overload.

Good book, short and makes every page count.

Links:
- minnow1212's review

Comments

[minim_calibre]

I read this first when it came out (what year? 91? 92?), and loved it then. I still think it holds up.

Holds up, and also causes shudders, because at times it seems we're kind of close to the word in the book. It doesn't seem as distant as it did on first printing.

I'm still awed that it was his *first*.

(Man, I'm such the pathetic SS fangirl.)

[oyceter]

I'm starting to be an SS fangirl too! This is only the second book of his I've read so far (the first was Nobody's Son, which I lovedlovedloved).

And I agree ... we're much too close to that world for my own comfort.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Have you read RESURRECTION MAN yet? It's another short but powerful one.

God, I love Stewart's work.

[oyceter]

I haven't, but I'll be sure to dig it up soon! (hoping the local library has a copy)