Little Heroes

by Norman Spinrad

Overview

Muzic Inc had become a music industry giant by staying one step ahead of the game, but for some reason APs (totally cybernetic rock stars) had failed to ship gold.
That was where Glorianna O'Toole came in. The Crazy Old Lady of Rock and Roll was well into her sixties, but with her producer they hoped to synthesize an AP that would really take off.
Glorianna hated everything Muzic Inc had done to the rebel music of her youth, but for the sake of a steady supply of designer dust she was prepared to try and rekindle the revolutionary music spirit of the 1960s.
Meanwhile, at street level, the wire wizards had come up with a new piece of technology: a portable trip machine that made Owsley acid look like a vitamin supplement...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780575117273
Publisher:	Orion
Publication date:	12/21/2012
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	719 KB

About the Author

Norman Spinrad (1940 - )Norman Richard Spinrad was born in New York City in 1940. He began publishing science fiction in 1963 and has been an important, if sometimes controversial, figure in the genre ever since. He was a regular contributor to New Worlds magazine and, ironically, the cause of its banning by W H Smith, which objected to the violence and profanity in his serialised novel Bug Jack Barron. Spinrad's work has never shied away from the confrontational, be it casting Hitler as a spiteful pulp novelist or satirising the Church of Scientology. In addition to his SF novels, he has written non-fiction, edited anthologies and contributed a screenplay to the second season of Star Trek. In 2003, Norman Spinrad was awarded the Prix Utopia, a life achievement award given by the Utopiales International Festival in Frances, where he now lives.

Editorial Reviews

Spinrad mined media hype and manipulation to fine effect in his early novel, Bug Jack Barron. Now 18 years later, he has another go with this near future story of the conglomerate MUZIK's desire to substitute APs (artificial personalities) for its troublesome rock stars. Voxbox artist Sally Genaro and graphics whiz Bobby Rubin create a sensation called Red Jack, thanks to prodding from Glorianna O'Toole, ``The Crazy Old Lady of Rock and Roll'' and to the stimulation of the zap, a small electric device that mimics the effects of hallucinogens. What they don't anticipate is the co-opting of Jack's rebel stance by the Reality Liberation Front, an anarchist computer commune churning out programs to bilk money machines, fix tax records, etc. As with much of Spinrad's work, the strong initial impact is vitiated by the excessive length, repetition and crudeness of the novel as a whole. (July)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

An over-the-hill rock star, a Puerto Rican street kid, and two children of the electronic age discover strength in numbers when they take on the power of Musik, Inc., in a war of nerves, passion, and rock 'n' roll. Spinrad ( Child of Wonder ) uses the violent, sexually explicit language of new wave sf to communicate an ultimately touching message of courage and humanity that breaks through the high-tech glitter of his medium. Recommended. JC

Library Journal