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From: acm@bu-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.cyberpunk
Subject: Re: Story ideas
Message-ID: <16104@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: Tue, 17-Nov-87 21:26:13 EST
Article-I.D.: bu-cs.16104
Posted: Tue Nov 17 21:26:13 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Nov-87 04:43:02 EST
References: <323@PT.CS.CMU.EDU> <2066@homxc.UUCP>
Reply-To: madd@bucsb.bu.edu
Followup-To: madd@bucsb.bu.edu
Organization: Boston University ACM
Lines: 35

In article <2066@homxc.UUCP> paco@homxc.UUCP (Paco X) writes:
>In article <323@PT.CS.CMU.EDU>, skh@SPICE.CS.CMU.EDU (Steve Handerson) writes:
[deleted stuff about companies as gangs]
>
>Okay, well, gee if you want a sappy, daring-do story along these
>lines then take a look at "Friday" by R. Heinlein.  You're in luck,
>the tale gets narrated by a genetically engineered female assassin
>and the author truly lives up to both his reputation as a dirty old
>man, as well as his penchant for an emotional storyline.

Technically you're not right.  Friday was NOT an assassin (a point
specifically made in the book).  Originally she was a combat courier,
later a biological courier (I leave it to you to read the book to see
what I mean by that) and finally a colonist.  Never an assassin.

>Multinational corporations become governments.  They hire private
>spy agencies to do assassinations, nuke cities where other firms
>have headquarters, buy planets, etc.  Also, a particular worldwide
>religious organization which I won't mention gets banned and exiled
>to another star system; Heinlein makes that part humorous.  Some
>interesting ideas, but mostly the story was tailored to hit the
>early 80's bestseller market unfortunately.

Hell, it was still a great book.  It dealt with a lot of things like
the multinationals.  Think about it:  how do you deal with a
multinational gone nuts?  I'd hate to be the one to try to tell IBM
that it's wrong!  This is a point well brought up in the book.

At any rate, it's not Heinlein's worst book and you might actually
like it.  Beats the hell out of The Number of the Beast!

>paco.

jim frost
madd@bucsb.bu.edu