Solo

In this sequel to his well-received first novel Weapon , Mason again weaves SF into a techno-thriller plot to produce a fast-moving action-adventure novel. Having faked his own destruction at the end of Weapon , killer-robot-with-heart Solo goes into hiding in a Central American village. But gung-ho Admiral Finch and his computer-hack partner Brooks learn that Solo is still loose and plan a search-and-destroy mission. The robot heads for New York to contact the other killer robot in development, Nimrod, which is currently in trainingwhat does this mean? under the malevolent Colonel Sawyer, who uses electronic pain to reinforce instruction.better?ss /now i get it/ pre Meanwhile, Solo's creator, Bill Stewart, has determined to save Solo, Nimrod and himself from the clutches of the military. Sawyer and Finch want to use Nimrod to trap and destroy Solo; Solo wants to save Nimrod and teach him to become a freethinking individual; and the novel hurtles toward a violent climax. The action is quick and entertaining, Solo is a likable personality and Mason handles the character relationships with panache, but most of the plot twists and angles are moribund and cliched. Not a bad diversion, but little else. BOMC featured alternate; QPB alternate. (May)