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The Barnes & Noble Review
In Steven-Eliot Altman's debut novel -- a paranoia thriller reminiscent of the 1938 radio adaptation of H. G. Wells's War of the Worlds that panicked its listeners into mass hysteria -- the world is faced with a medical epidemic that could change civilization forever. People who contract Sensory Deprivation Syndrome (they're called Deprivers) can cause sudden blindness, deafness, paralysis -- or any other number of sensory deprivations -- just by making skin-to-skin contact. Once experienced, the effect could last only a few minutes or forever, depending on the potency of the Depriver's affliction.
When SDS is made public, the world reacts much as it did in the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Fear, confusion, and misinformation drive some people to violence; and many Deprivers are senselessly killed. When secret global bureaus (the Ministry) and government agencies like the Center for Disease Control get involved, many Deprivers join forces to fight the imminent legislation that will make them virtual prisoners. While scientists race to find a cure to this epidemic that is irreparably changing society, some Deprivers will do anything to remain free.
Intelligent and thought-provoking, Deprivers is one of those rare novels that will haunt the reader's subconscious for a long time. Paul Goat Allen
Publishers Weekly
Altman, co-creator of the theme anthology The Touch, a well-received charity venture that allowed contributors to riff on the imaginary Sensory Deprivation Syndrome (communicated through skin contact with a "Depriver"), has taken SDS and built a two-part novel around it, but its effects pale beside similar comic-book antihero fare such as the popular X-Men films or The X-Files. In part one, Cassandra, Queen of the Depriver underground, recruits Robert Luxley, a Depriver assassin whose touch causes 15 minutes of paralysis, to help retrieve her brother Nicholas from the clutches of the ambiguously evil Mr. Deveraux. With the help of Sparrow, a mystically inclined Lakota Indian, Robert learns how to recognize other Deprivers by their auras. Unfortunately, the action quickly bogs down as various characters discuss ethical options instead of wholeheartedly battling the factions that would use SDS for their own nefarious ends. In part two, Alex Crowley, a normal man who loved his Depriver wife and now wants revenge for her murder, turns to Sparrow's Indian mentor for help. The better parts of the novel focus on Alex's vision quest. After he becomes a secret agent, he has to fight his conscience more than he fights the bad guys. This book succeeds neither in creating archetypal comic-book antiheroes nor in humanizing the characters enough to give them three-dimensional depths. (Dec. 2) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
In the near future, a genetic mutation affects a small but significant minority of people, transforming them into "deprivers," individuals whose touch can temporarily or permanently deprive others of one or more of their senses. As Robert Luxley, twins Cassandra and Nicholas, American Indian shaman-in-training Sparrow, and others learn to live with their condition, forces led by the ambitious and charismatic Governor Tyrsdale play on the public's fears to forge a witch hunt. Editor of The Touch: Epidemic of the Millennium, an anthology that introduced the deprivers, Altman has crafted an sf thriller that also contains incisive probings of such timely topics as how the world reacts to victims of transmissible diseases, how fear leads to regimentation and segregation, and how reason and knowledge can fight against fear and ignorance. Fans of sf suspense, superhero fiction, and The X-Files should appreciate the compelling plot and engagingly believable characters. Highly recommended for most libraries. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
