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Publisher's summary
'Bernice Summerfield seemed to hold the key. She was in it up to her neck, and she was the one person left who could tell me what I needed to know. I rather hoped it wouldn't be necessary to snap said neck and kill her.'
The planet Dellah was once one of the cultural centres of the galaxy. Now, it lies in ruins and things walk through the barren landscape, twisting the unfortunates who remain there to their unholy will.
The tragic effects of this cataclysm have been felt throughout local space, from cruel and draconian Thanaxos to the multiplexal chaos of the Proximan Chain Rafts. All know the ultimate result: a war is coming - is inevitable - and is set to blow the fragile stability of the galactic sector apart.
Only one person has the pieces of the puzzle that might prevent the coming collapse - Bernice Summerfield. The problem is, she's missing, and what's more she's not feeling precisely herself. And if Benny doesn't find out exactly who she is, and how she can fit into her newly shattered world, there isn't going to be a world for her to come back to at all.
Characters
- Strantum Seven Agent
- Has a brain print originating from the late late 21st century.
- Is a Synthoid
- Sela Dane
- DataDay newscaster.
- Prince G'jimbo
- Gets possessed by a All-High God (the Dellahan gods).
- Is quite stupid.
- Gets killed by a 'stupid bomb'.
- Emile Mars-Smith
- Is hiding out on an unnamed planed meditating to keep control of the god in his head.
- Jason Kane
- Jason is described as "Mid-thirties, with the lean masculinity that comes from putting muscles to their daily use, brown-skinned with distinctive skin tone that spoke of expensively micro-customized gene-modification so that the skin could withstand high-UV and high-radiation suns. ...a vest that showed the traces of primitive childhood gang tattoos on his shoulders and arms." [1]
- Is working with Mira.
- Mira
- Isn't a telepath, but has augmented her body and brain so much, and jacked to such a high level that she might as well be a one.
- Bernice Summerfield
- Has a 'Mary Sue' performed.
- After the Mary Sue calls herself Rebecca.
- Returned to Dellah to pick up Wolsey, that incident activated the Mary Sue.
References
Businesses
- Pseudopod Enterprises SA are a 'holding corporation' (ie a front), for other less savory companies, they employ the Agent to investigate the situation on Dellah.
Individuals
- The Agent has Stratum Seven clearance, which recognises certain skills and standing, there's no such thing as levels one through to six clearance.
- Roz Forrester and Chris Cwej make a quick appearance (in description, but not name), and the Agent has met them before. [2]
Literature
- A True Adventure of the New Frontier is the name of the books written (by various authors) about Benny's adventures.
- The Stratum Seven Agent reads a A True Adventure of the New Frontier called Ship of Death which (badly) details the events on the Titanium Queen).
Locations
- Earth Station Prime is also known as: Ptolemaeus Staging Port, Puerto Luminae, Heng O's Refuge, Lunaville, Colony One and The Luna Port.
- Beta Caprisis is a waste land resulted from some high yield detonations that decimated the colony, what was once grass is now like molten glass smeared over the land, there are still moderate levels of radiation.
- Dellah is turning back to dust as the sky pylon is gone, so no more rain.
Races and species
- There are several Spindlekings shopping in the Proximan Chain.
Technology
- The Agent mentions body bepple and body swap.
- Benny gets a Mary Sue, which is usually a complete mind wipe and rebuild process, rebuilding a completely new person, complete with memories and personality. Benny's personality was only buried underneath the new personality not erased.
Time travel
- Time Travellers are sometimes called persons of meta-temporal displacement.
- There is a side reference to various Doctors when discussing time travel; "Far too many connotations with gibbering idiots in flappy scarves, elderly gentlemen in wire-frame spectacles, stove pipe hats and so forth." (which would be a reference to the Fourth Doctor, First Doctor and Second Doctor).
Weapons
- At the final confrontation on Thanaxos with Volan he activates a stupid bomb which locks onto the stupidest person in the room.
Notes
- This is told entirely from the Stratum Seven Agent's point of view, occasionally dipping into his past and into various emails and A True Adventure of the New Frontier stories.
- Although the term "Mary-Sue" has a different meaning in this novel, in fan fiction circles it is also a widely-used term that describes a character created by the author of a fan fiction story who not only serves as an "avatar" or "fantasy figure" representation of the author, but invariably this character "saves the day" for the established characters.
Continuity
- Benny was saved from Dellah in BNA: Where Angels Fear.
- There is an excerpt from 'A True Adventure of a New Frontier' called Ship of Death, which features a particularly bad retelling of BNA: Ship of Fools.