Accidental Creatures [Paperback]

As a long-time resident of the Motor City, it made me proud to read the work of Anne Harris. Less abstract than William Gibson, Harris does her homework when it comes to carrying on the cyberpunk anthem. Reality based near future concepts such as cell-animate tattoos and post economic apocalyptic cityscapes make this a must read for sci-fi fans. Detroit is lovingly portrayed as the industrial juggernaut trying to cope with its gentrification. Boundary issues, class struggle, and corporate rape are as entrenched in the mid twenty first century as in the mid twentieth century. The image of Southwest Detroit as "Vattown", where biopolymer vats spew forth organic based synthetics at the degradation of the working class hits home. This book is clearly a coming of age for Harris, and gives the reader a clear sense of the struggles we, as the first industrialized city in the first industrialized country, will continue to face. Gender issues are dealt with in a mature manner with respect to both sides, and none of the insipid "Grrrl" axes to grind. All of Harris's characters stand on their own merit regardless of sex, sexual preference, or race.

I am looking forward to Harris's next installment with great anticipation.

Accidental Creatures is an interesting, well paced sci-fi thriller with some actual "science". The main characters are not only well crafted but original, sexual and beautiful. Yes, beautiful. Images created on paper of the four-armed Helix and that little brat Chango are quite unforgettable. Self-serving antangonists grow from within the story and bio-growth medium goo, where divers risk their pathetic lives to earn a living. The end goes a little too far with the whole evil corporation thing - but, a little too far can be fun. And it is.

An old adage recommends that you should write what you know. Perhaps heeding this advice, Anne Harris has used her hometown of Detroit as a backdrop in both her debut novel, THE NATURE OF SMOKE, and in her sophomore effort, ACCIDENTAL CREATURES. The Motor City of ACCIDENTAL CREATURES, however, is somewhat different from its present incarnation. GM, Ford and Chrysler, are gone, replaced by the aptly named GeneSys as the major corporate presence. Detroit is now famous for the valuable biopolymers produced there. Instead of factory workers assembling cars, the city now is home to an unfortunate group of exploited "vat divers", who physically harvest biopolymers from huge vats filled with a toxic growth medium. Although the names, products and employees have changed, one thing remains the same--corporations still focus on the bottom line, in the process making the lives of their employees miserable.

The two chief characters of ACCIDENTAL CREATURES are a thief named Chango, and the woman who later becomes her lover, the mutant female Helix. Chango scrabbles to survive on the edge of Detroit's mainstream. She longs to make big money as a vat diver, even though the job killed her older sister Ada, who may have been murdered in retaliation for her union organizing activities. Chango meets the innocent Helix and is immediately taken with her, due to her unique appearance. Even in a society accustomed to aberrations (years of vat diving has spawned a number of grotesque birth defects), the four armed, fanged Helix stands out.

Raised by GeneSys research scientist Hector Martin, a doting father determined to protect her from her dangerous past, Helix has until now had very little experience with the real world. Hooking up with Chango changes everything-Helix discovers the existence of the vats, and, despite Chango's protestations, is inexorably drawn to them. Helix, it seems, is an unexpected byproduct of her adoptive father's genetic experiments, a new life form designed to thrive in the vats. Her very existence, however, constitutes a threat to the livelihood of GeneSys--she and her forerunners, whose creation has been concealed from GeneSys by Martin, are targeted for death by the corporation.

Harris is a convincing storyteller with a gift for getting and holding your attention--portions of this novel are absolutely riveting. A master at creating realistic backdrops for her action, Harris' rendering of the corporate milieu is totally convincing, eerily familiar to anyone who's worked for a large company. Vattown is equally plausible--it's all too easy to buy in to the urban nightmare she creates. This attention to detail combined with the vitality of Harris' ideas and the book's breakneck pace keep the pages turning at a furious rate.

It's only after that last page is turned that one realizes that the book is something less than the sum of its parts. It's hard to classify this novel, since Harris never quite decides what type of story she wants to tell. Judging by its gripping opening, you'd think you were reading a polemic on labor, a suspense novel set in the near future with employer-worker relations as its main concern. The story veers from this direction early on however, into a dystopian fantasy, when Harris introduces Chango. Still later, it becomes a fairy tale, wherein an ugly duckling grows up to discover that she's really a Queen.

Overall, the book's virtues balance its imperfections, making for a satisfying read. Harris is an author who merits attention, a powerful writer, passionate about ideas.