Chimera

Rosenblum's compelling second novel examines the limits of reality and unreality in a universe whose business and pleasure are run from the confines of a worldwide network of virtual reality booths. At the center of the story is Jewel Martina, a woman of suspect parentage who, through deceit, has worked herself up from poverty into the VR labyrinth of economic intrigue and personal ambition. Her influential boss, Harmon Alcourt, cannot get enough economic power or personal prestige to satisfy himself in his underground pleasure compound in Antarctica. Jewel is caught in the web of international scandal with David Chen and Flanders, two of Alcourts's creative employees who find themselves in over their heads as their boss makes a final push to control all webs in the VR marketplace. Toss in a sassy, curious teenager, a lost love, a power hungry ex-husband and a mysterious guardian angel who reveals herself to Jewel, and you have a fine cast of characters. Rosenblum ( The Drylands ) handles the technical and philosophical complexities of VR with clarity and generosity. (Nov.)