Oberndorf, Charles

• Sheltered Lives (6)

  • This is a story told from the point of view of Rod, a "Servicer" or government-approved prostitute (essentially), living in a 1984-ish society in which virtually every move everyone makes is recorded by a monitor of some kind. He has a professional contract for a relationship with a woman whose husband was known for rebellious activites and who recently killed himself under mysterious circumstances.

    The relationship for Rod, of course, is not as simple as all that. He soon finds himself falling in love with his client while torn in several directions from outsiders who want to influence his ethics/behavior/politics. The plot covers some very interesting political and psychological ground here, but I was never really convinced about many of Rod's actions and his feelings toward his client. Suspension of disbelief is enough to let me work through this, but to be honest, as a whole, the story was a bit plodding. The pace was slow, and though I can't put my finger on any given part of the book that should be left out (unlike, say, Benford's "Timescape"), the book felt much too long. I would recommend it, but only half-heartedly.

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