Message

[threemonkeys]

In the afterword to Quantico by Greg Bear it says "I have tried to persuade of the dangers...". Yes this novel has a message and it didn't need an afterword for that to be obvious. Bear isn't usually all that big on message in his work, so when he decides to have a go at the American climate of fear, government security agencies and the hazards of biological terrorism, the question has to be asked - does all this get in the way of his storytelling. To my way of thinking, the answer unfortunately is yes. Having a message in your work is admirable, but it does require the author to develop some specific skills. I don't think Greg Bear has quite learnt what those are. In an effort to cover all the points he wants to make, the story goes all over the place, often without much logic. Characters are introduced short term just to make the point. The is also a lot more exposition than is really necessary which just slows things down.

It could just be that Bear is writing in a style with which he is not familiar - near future political thriller come police procedural is not something he has done before. But he is a versatile writer who has written good work across a broad cross section of the wider genre in the past. He should have it in him to write a good fiction novel and properly incorporate the messages that he wants to get across. It isn't really a bad novel, just not up to his usual standard. It is a pity too because it was a good story idea and a worthwhile message.