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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 A Dystopia Makes for a "Hard" Science Fiction Setting Mar 03, 2008
**** (Four Stars)
The novel "Dear Madman" starts with an "Ender's Game"-like scenario with a child character Mary being taught via computer, one which she has affectionately nick-named Froggie. The parallel does not end here as the reader discovers that an entire utopian (or is it dystopian?) society has been formed around computers training children to be adults at any age as a rite of passage. I interpret the novel as dystopian, yet readers may forge their own viewpoints. In fact, the novel lends itself to creating more questions than answers, and these philosophical questions will grow, though the reader is not beaten over the head with them.
One utopian concept does answer the question, "Can people be trusted to make their own ethical decisions?" For example, even those of supposed adult age cannot become adults until they take a computer test proving that they are ready for adulthood. The absolute control implicit within this at the sacrifice of individual freedoms makes the society created dystopian in my eyes. In fact, one soon comes to the unsettling realization that Mary is living within a future shock setting, a controlled future much like "The Giver" or "1984," which Mary even alludes to by calling Froggie Big Brother. Does the fact that Big Brother is a computer make the control less ominous? All of the allusions and future shock eeriness are intentional as the reader will soon see.
Soon, Froggie bestows a gift of taking the Adult Test early to Mary. Unlike "The Giver," one does not age into one's societal role in Cooley's future; instead, one takes an Adult Test. A mysterious, historical figure called the Madman seems to be behind this test and other facets of their society. In fact, the Madman is the subject of an oral report that Mary must give to pass her Adult Test. This becomes a framing device for the narrative. The framing device proves extremely effective, for the conclusion of the frame reveals the true madness of the title's namesake. In addition, I think that the conclusion of the framing device implies that the society that the Madman envisioned is, at least, a temporary dystopia.
Framed by Mary's oral report are the tragic events of the main character, Logan Dellheim. Logan Dellheim, an Air Force scientist, meets with Sam, a man from a technology firm with whom he served in the Air Force, and they discuss an A.T. or anti-terrorism program. Sam is looking for some technological gizmos to aid in the program, and Logan is his man. They discuss this with a Muslim who now works for the United States government. Suspense is built around this, and via a red herring, the question is begged, "Can this Muslim be a double agent?" Planting this seed must be intentional. In fact, this red herring could have been explored further, and the reader could have been kept in even greater suspense.
Nevertheless, at first, I become apprehensive that the author may be feeding into the still-current societal paranoia regarding Muslims and terrorism and the current political hyperbole regarding it, and some of the later industrial discussion reminds me why I have never been into hard science fiction. Conspiracy theories abound in the discussions between Logan and Sam and eventually the Muslim gentleman, including the idea that terrorist groups, at their basic level, are no different than the American revolutionaries. In fact, the men begin to realize that should certain terrorist groups succeed that the results will be comparable to a new nation, a new America. This idea grows in importance and becomes central to the plot. Finally, I release my apprehension as I realize the book is not some political propaganda; on contrary, the novel is anti-political. Focusing on the anti-political, as a novel of ideas or a concept-oriented book, "Dear Madman," works well. Nevertheless, through this anti-political stance, in my opinion, a dystopia results by the end of the novel.
As per other concepts besides terrorism and anti-terrorism and as per other philosophical questions, thematically, Cooley explores the ethical dilemma of justifiable retaliation for a crime. He thematically begs the ethical question, "Is there a time when killing somebody over a crime is justified?" Cooley creates a riveting plot when a crime is committed against Logan, and he lashes out against this horrible crime and is arrested for his actions. His seemingly unjust treatment by the legal system and the tragedy that he goes through affect him greatly.
The President himself pardons Logan because he is crucial to the United State's anti-terrorism research. No one individual has as much technological knowledge and genius as Logan within the program as he proves with his many theories and inventions. In fact, Logan goes on to research various anti-terrorist devices. These anti-terrorist devices will prove essential to the plot in a way that I shall leave to the reader.
In a flash-forward to 25 years later, a Madman sends out a declaration of war against the entire population of the United States, stating the capability to destroy 99% of the populace with arms. In fact, Petra, a police officer, and another law enforcement official discover some sort of lethal equipment beyond the Madman's hot houses. Meanwhile, the Madman tells a judge during a hearing that he has created certain bio-chemical triggers for his weapons of mass destruction. When harm comes to the Madman, harm will come to the nation. In fact, when hand-cuffs are put on on him, he tells the judge, "14,000." The next day, a business building which houses that many or more in New New Orleans, a city built upon oil profits after the hurricanes of years before, collapses, and his prophetic words ring true.
The Madman, via a secret technological method that involves his own body and must be read to appreciate its complexity, has become a modern Guy Fawkes with a plan to revolutionize the entire country, and his actions resemble that of the antagonist (or is it the tragic hero-like protagonist if you think this is a utopia?) of "V is for Vendetta." The philosophical musing here evokes from the reader if he or she thinks that killing thousands is necessary to revolutionize a country. (I think that more subtle methods can be utilized such as satire to point out the country's foibles, yet some may think that satire is not listened to. I have often stated that satire becomes truth tomorrow.) Next, the Madman eventually demonstrates the power of his biological weapons through the spread of a disease that soon peters out in Aspen, Colorado. Echoes of Stephen King's "The Stand," King's best novel in my opinion, rebound through the narrative as the entire populace of the United States seems to be headed toward apocalypse while a foreshadowing of the biological weapons that could run rampant occurs.
Much of this action is to get the President to surrender the country over to the Madman so that he can institute a new form of government. The Madman also wants to prove that the government is ineffective and that isn't "for the people and by the people," but is only for itself. (I believe that too many bureaucratic structures can be a hindrance to individual freedoms in the sense that the old liberals did. However, I tend to think that with a minimal amount of bureaucracy that government is the necessary evil.) The Madman believes strongly that the government exists only to sustain itself. He appears to be an anarchist in this respect, yet he is an anarchist with a system in mind to take the place of the government system he is removing. He is a quasi-anarchist; he is proof that a true anarchist can never exist, for even the absence of a system is still a system. Logan uses the strategic equivalent of slight-of-hand to scare the government into a horrific, unnecessary action because of his biological weapons. The plot at this point is as if Nostradamus wrote it or shadows "Macbeth," for the government's action in trying to prevent a tragedy will instead prove the ineffectiveness of the government and will open people's eyes to it. The reader will be invigorated with suspense during this portion of the narrative. The reader may not agree with the themes of anarchy but may, as I was, be intrigued by the thorough exploration of Cooley's system of quasi-anarchy.
Next, the mysterious Madman pulls proverbial strings, making the entire world cringe at an impending disaster with biological weapons and explosives. With the Madman, Cooley, unlike the cliché ripped from the head-lines, photo-copies from the leads of articles and makes his fiction timely. Cooley's Madman pulls political strings, making corrupt Congressmen undo themselves in a sardonic, satirical scene that must be read for its dark humor. The mysterious Madman a la "The Count of Monte Cristo" does his maneuvering behind the scenes, and the reader will quickly determine his identity.
After the President surrenders to the Madman and allows him to institute his own system of government, the mysterious Madman forms his very own modern Code of Hammurabi. There is no pound of flesh for a crime here. There is no eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth a la my own character in Cycling the Moon, the Minister of Poetic Justice. The punishment the Madman creates is a short term burning on certain patches of the skin, an ultra-intense pain which is units beyond tooth extraction. People can determine what level of pain they want to enforce according to their own written, individual laws. More and more ominous does the Madman's control and political system grow. I personally find the system that replaces the current government to be a terrible alternative.
The political system that is formed is a kind of paradoxical controlled anarchy. Individuals are allowed to write their own law and are then forced to subscribe to the trappings of said law. It's relativism gone hay-wire, yet, in its own malicious way coupled with punishments of certain amounts of skin being burned for certain crimes, it is effective in keeping the world's populace in complete control. This creates control as does the computer instruction and the Adult Test discussed in the frame for the novel and periodically through various chapters.
In my viewpoint, a dystopian society is forged by the mysterious figure of the Madman, and at the end, one wonders if all of the deaths, computer training, supposed free choice, and other societal constructs were worth it just to produce a so-called safe society -- what is in the Madman's eyes a utopia. Is the Madman truly mad? Does the end justify the means? These questions and others will keep the reader turning the pages.
The novel teeters into sociological science fiction with its socio-political themes, philosophy, and characters driven by political motivation, but with its emphasis on technological dialogue, settings with futuristic technology, and some of the major plot points, it is mostly a concept-driven hard science fiction book that will satisfy fans of this sub-genre. If you like a highly technological, hard science fiction read that blends future shock with that of thriller novels while approaching the sociological, "Dear Madman" is the good read that you should be looking for.
Ron Baxley, who has published many small pieces in national and international magazines, is the author of the soon-to-be published "Cycling the Moon," which will be newly-illustrated by Nancy Lemon, (Writing Room Publishing 2008), contributing editor of "Extra! Extra-terrestrial 2!" (also to be released by Writing Room Publishing), and co-author of "Extra! Extra-terrestrial!," which he self-published before being picked up by Writing Room.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Tying together many important threads Jan 24, 2008
Amalgamate Atlas Shrugged, Snow Crash and The Republic and you'll start to get the picture of this book. It captures many of these themes, and puts them into a very modern context, tied in with contemporary politics, events and trends. What would you do if you saw your country failing to honor its founding principles? Would you have the courage to change the system? Or just nibble around the edges. Dear Madman will give you some insight into the scope and scale of this challenge. And some hope that you'd not be alone in wanting to change it.
It is hard not to see the characters in this book in some of your colleagues (good and bad). It is not a stretch to see an endgame like the author has envisioned. The author happily skewers some characters that he clearly sees as the source of many of our ills (predatory attorneys, teacher's unions, career bureaucrats) and pulls no punches. If you seek a refresher on political correctness - seek elsewhere.
The book is a very fast read, but there are some discontinuities that are distracting. Nothing traumatic, but with an editor's eye I was caught by a few of them and had to backup and re-read to capture a storyline again. I particularly liked how the author used proper names for chapter titles. It ties together a large cast of characters and helps keep them in context. And also keeps a very expansive topic quite personal.
As a disclaimer - I went to high school with the author's son. We used to go fishing together, and on those trips his father would tell us stories about why the system was so broken, and why it would take so much to change it. I thought (at the time) that he was a bit off base, but a "nice guy". As I made my way through life I have come to see that he was spot on all along, and I was the one who didn't see the world for what it was.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Loved it Jan 11, 2008
This is deffinatly a book for someone who likes an intense plot. I mean that in the best possible way. Interesting beginning and slowly builds. Very well written with excellent characters. My personal favorite would have to be Logan Dellheim. Others might not agree, but me he is the one. The story is very thought provoking and in my opinion well worth the read.
Cruel to be Kind? Oct 29, 2007
In 'Dear Madman', John Cooley takes us on a terrifying journey through a country held to ransom by a 'madman'.
Logan Dellheim is a technological genious with access to US security systems and a grudge to settle after the justice system lets him down. Making himself utterly unstoppable, he forces the government to step down to make way for a new society he has devised where these injustices can never happen again.
The book is a little slow to start but, if you stick with it, is brimming with fascinating technologies and concepts that really make you think.
Still, it is hard to know who to empathise with, and maybe this is the point. The government might have it wrong, but is indescriminately slaughtering millions of innocent people to get them to agree to a new and perhaps better society the way to go.
The book left me undecided whether or not to sypathise with Logan Dellheim, despite the awful tragedies that compelled him to act. Read it for yourselves and see what you think.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
vibrates w/t relevance Oct 22, 2007
To start let's get the mechanics out of the way. It is simply a well written novel, Good charater developement, solid dialogue with a dynamic plot line. Poly sci fi is often a area overlooked in the genre, at the readers expensive. The cause and effect between terror and the drive behind it. Or the moral weight of having to respond to it is well explored in this smartly written book. It almost vibrates with relevance in today's kinetic political climate. I recommend it without resevation.Gideon's Fall: When You Dont Have a Prayer, Only a Miracle Will Do.
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