Hopscotch
Page 40
“You'll like it here,” Soft Stone said.
Eduard looked around himself with new eyes, absorbing the possibilities, seeing the city, the world, all the lives on the outside from a fresh perspective. He could be like Club Masquerade's cybernetic bartender, except with options and abilities increased a billionfold.
Yes, there would be people to watch out there—people like Garth and Teresa . . . and, yes, Daragon, too. But he also imagined so much more.
It would be easy to get lost here, but Soft Stone took his hand.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin J. Anderson has written twenty-eight national bestsellers and has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the SFX Reader's Choice Award. He also set the Guinness world record for “Largest Single-Author Book Signing.”
For more information, see the websites www.wordfire.com or www.dunenovels.com.
PRAISE FOR HOPSCOTCH
A Featured Alternate Selection of
Science Fiction Book Club
“Hopscotch is a thought-provoking futuristic look at hedonism taken to the ultimate degree. Anderson's execution is flawless in its delivery of gloom and decaying decadence.”
—Romantic Times
“At its heart, Anderson's story is a classic tale of struggle and redemption. A novel definitely worth your time.”
—Tulsa World
“Ingenious SF fantasy about body-swapping.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Hopscotch is an eerie story that builds nicely. Anderson is not only writing a mystery here, but a paranoia-laced fantasy that occasionally manages to reach in and pluck the well-guarded strings of the reader's mind. Loss of identity is a very real fear, and Anderson plays it here for all it's worth. Add to this a well-crafted setting that heightens the story's tension, and what you're left with is an excellent psychic crime thriller in the tradition of James H. Schmitz, Katherine MacLean and Alfred Bester.”
—Starlog
“Anderson has always been a more interesting writer when he is creating his own universes. Some interesting speculation about the consequences of his premise and a nicely paced adventure story.”
—Science Fiction Chronicle
“Anderson delivers a taut, imaginative tale of SF action and intrigue that blends a noir atmosphere with personal heroism and courage.”
—Library Journal
“As much about identity as about adventure and mystery, Hopscotch raises some futuristic anxieties while reassuring that friendship remains constant.”
—Booklist
“A dizzying, body-swapping plot that interlocks four central characters in a constantly shifting maze of confused identities.”
—Publishers Weekly
HOPSCOTCH
A Bantam Spectra Book
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Bantam Spectra hardcover edition published February 2002
Bantam Spectra mass market edition / May 2003
Published by Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
Some substantially revised portions of this novel have been published in Analog magazine under the titles “Identity Crisis” and “Club Masquerade.”
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2002 by WordFire, Inc.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001043264
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. For information address: Bantam Books, New York, New York.
Visit our website at www.bantamdell.com
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Bantam Books and the rooster colophon and Spectra and the portrayal of a boxed “s” are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
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Published simultaneously in Canada
eISBN: 978-0-553-89752-4
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