Description
This thrilling novel has an action packed storyline with an international political base. It is extremely fast paced and the action ranges from Exeter to Washington and on to Japan, London, Brussels and Iraq. The plot revolves around the idea that the Japanese are trying to get Britain and China to go to war over a crisis in Hong Kong. The weapon they are using is mind control, training certain highly intelligent and uniquely skilled people into influencing Western political leaders.
The plotlines are all brought to a focus by the central character, the bizarre Rupert Bannister who comes across as an amiable idiot. The whole book is about this very different character, he does not fit into the normal hero role at all: he is short and fat and looks like an uneducated farm boy, Rupert is that rarest of all creatures, the violent intellectual. He seems totally irresponsible and frequently acts like a child. He loves bizarre situations, for example he quite enjoys a night on a park bench or in jail. He seeks out violent people because he enjoys a good fight yet he is as gentle as a lamb. He loves hard manual labour yet Rupert is one of the few people in the world who can take on these mind control people, or Senders as they are known scientifically.
Rupert is first employed by the CIA to track down the Senders but then he becomes more heavily involved, because his partnership in this, with Sanchia Clarke, turns into a love affair. When Sanchia is taken by the Senders, Rupert starts a search which finally results in an amazing trek across the Iraqi desert to break into the Sender’s complex. Finding out just how serious the Senders assault is, on the world, leads Rupert to a major confrontation within the United Nations and particularly with the Prime Minister of Britain and the UN Secretary General. Finally Rupert joins in a full scale assault on the Sender’s complex.
The book has a strong scientific and political basis all drawn very much on fact. It relies more on emphasizing situations and processes that are going on in the world today rather than imagining new ones. For example: Senders do exist! European businessmen and politicians use transducers when negotiating inside Japan to stop their minds being deliberately confused by external influences.
The book contains scenes of personal violence as well as love and sex scenes, though the central character’s eccentricity can put humour into the most dangerous situations.
