The Shapes of Their Hearts
Melissa Scott
Tor Books, 1999
ISBN:0-312-87247-X (paperback)
John W. Campbell and Lambda Literary Award-winner Melissa Scott exhibits the hip-tech
sensibilities of cyberpunk and the mind-blowing complexity of Samuel Delaney in The Shapes of
Their Hearts. This intricate novel introduces the god (or is that God?) of the planet Idun (read
"Eden"), who was formed when the brain of a prophet was uploaded into the machinery of an
artificial intelligence. The machine can copy itself, and each copy contains self-will. Now the god's
avatars are leaving Idun, and beginning a campaign to extinguish those parts of humanity it deems
"impure"--clones, replicants, and others with sullied DNA.
Anton Tso, a clone, is hired to steal a copy of the AI (known as the Memoriant), but first, he must
get past the faithfully fanatic Children of Idun and deal with rampant cyberspace personalities gone
mad. Scott's descriptions of the complex world she's created are extremely detailed and
atmospheric. Her characters are perfectly conceived and innately mysterious--whether man or
machine, ultimately human. This complex but razor-sharp tale will please fans of William Gibson and
Samuel Delaney alike.
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