Scott (Outrageous Fortune
) sets his absurdist sophomore effort in near future New Seattle, where ex-cop Huckleberry Lindbergh has just returned after eight years away. Huck and his old friend Gabe are soon drawn to Nena, a woman who reminds Gabe sharply of his long-lost love, Abigail. Huck and Nena are chased, caught and chased again through the weird life of New Seattle, which is overseen by the Health and Safety Department under Mayor Dan Cicero's “zero-tolerance policy on danger.” Amid constant lectures on implausible hazards, they struggle to uncover the mayor's machinations and help a cluster of talking refrigerators hide their conspiracy from the cops. Accelerating mad action and vivid, cleverly written glimpses of bystanders contrast sharply with the weak female characters: despite their all-seeing and revealing eyes, the two women rarely shift beyond plot objects, and the talking fridges have more personality. (Aug.)
