Mappa Mundi

Starred review from July 10, 2006
British author Robson's third novel to appear in the U.S. (after Natural History
and Silver Screen
) maintains throat-tightening suspense from its teasingly enigmatic introduction of its major characters to its painful conclusion that evil will succeed if well-meaning people try to achieve good at any cost. "Matter is only energy with information and identity was only information" is the guiding hypothesis of a number of idealists attempting to improve humanity through "Mappa Mundi," a mind-altering program. FBI specialist Jude Westhorpe, who's part Cherokee, tracks soulless Mikhail Guskov, the mastermind of a plot to steal the program's secrets, while fey genius-level British psychologist Natalie Armstrong fights inner battles against a father she can never please and her own debilitating self-pity. Meanwhile, the CIA and Pentagon work on developing mind-control technology worse than anything George Orwell imagined in 1984
. Shortlisted for the 2001 Arthur C. Clarke Award, this near-future SF thriller presents convincing characters caught in profound moral dilemmas brought home through exquisite attention to plot details and setting.

August 15, 2006
Psychologist Natalie Armstrong's research involving a map of the human brain through the use of medical nanotechnology has become useful to the military as a form of mind control. At the same time, FBI special agent Jude Westhorpe is on the trail of a defector proficient in genetics and mind-mapping. As his search runs afoul of national security, he and Natalie become tentative partners in a race to prevent technology from becoming a dangerous weapon. Robson (Silver Screen ) brings together cutting-edge technology and the ethics of science to produce a fast-paced thriller featuring a pair of compelling protagonists. Cinematic detail and a well-plotted story make this a good addition to most sf collections.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2006
The living human brain has finally been mapped, and there is software in development that can read and write to living minds. Psychiatric psychologist Natalie Armstrong sees in this an opportunity to help people with depression and other mental disorders. The military sees it as an opportunity for good old-fashioned mind control. FBI agent Jude Westhorpe, on the trail of a cold war criminal with his fingers in every imaginable pie, and Natalie are thrown together after Jude's sister is nearly killed in what appears to be a test of mind-control software. Jude seeks Natalie out for answers, and they wind up working together in a race to keep the technology out of hands that will abuse its more sinister possibilities. Robson's take on the problems associated with anything that can rewrite a human personality is a complex one, and also a solidly written, entertaining story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)