_Dreaming Metal_ by Melissa Scott avaliability - fairly. (hard to get in the UK)
The book is a loose sequel to the excelent (and hard to obtain over here) _Dreamships_, sharing the character Reverdy Jian, although she has a fairly minor role in the ongoing plot. Dreaming Metal switches often between the two main characters, Celinde Fortune (a stage performer) and Fanning Jones (a muscian). While they're certainly interesting, I found I couldn't empathise with them in the same way I did with Reverdy and Imre in _Dreamships_. Equally, Dreampeace, the machine-rights organisation so prominent in _Dreamships_ has faded, making way for "Realpeace", a fairly classic fairly extreme community organisation riddled with radicals. Once cannot but help feel that they are far more cynical than many of the Dreampeacers. _Dreaming Metal_ is by no means a bad book, and is a fascinating insight into the world created in _Dreamships_, but the plot did not quite enthrall me in the same way, perhaps because of the artistic rather than technical bent of the main characters. On the other hand, there is also the sense of immediacy which _Dreamships_ sometimes lacked, a sense of detachment from it all..where Reverdy saw the riots on TV, Jones is caught up in them. Far harder edged and political, _Dreaming Metal_ carrys a far stronger and different message to _Dreamships_. While the plot has it's twists, there is one important plot thread which runs through it all about another character, and the final scene is one of the most interesting I've read in a while. A good book, especially since I got it cheap (and hardback) in perfect condition from an ebay seller, but I would *strongly* recommend reading _Dreamships_ first, a lot of plot elements and characters depend on it. Andy Dawn Falcon _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
