Corpus Chrome, Inc.

Death comes to all, but in this scattershot near-future effort by screenwriter Zahler (The Brigands of Rattleborge), a few lucky humans are given a second chance at life. Corpus Chrome, a privately-owned company, has engineered a way for brains of dead people to be “re-bodied” in “chromium mannequins,” and it alone decides who receives this innovative treatment. Candidates include Ellenancy Breutschen, a talented musician mourned by her twin sister and collaborator; Eagle Jack Sappline, a fireman who died trying to save others; and Derrick Dulande, a rapist and murderer who was executed for his crimes. The prose is dense with unnecessary descriptions and tiresome similes stuffed into lengthy, arrhythmic sentences. Life after death, the nature of sentience, and other hot-button topics aren’t enough to keep the reader interested in the disjointed plot and stereotypical characters. (Dec.)