Vow of Silence

Information overload sends a man over the edge in Laughlin's chilling debut. Karal Evender is only 15 when he arrives in Dreiden to be trained as a Datist. Karal's memory is so good that he's assigned to become a Cartist who helps preserve the world's knowledge for a manipulative organization called the Knowlodge. Although disappointed to learn his specialty will be toxicology, Karal nonetheless attains Cartist status and a job working for Superintendent Blixon, Dreiden's chief law enforcement officer. When he tries and fails to sustain a romantic relationship with Alenna, his landlady's daughter, the strain of knowing too much about poison and death leads Karal to a shocking decision. Laughlin uses a somber, dispassionate first-person narration that effectively suggests the gulf between knowledge and wisdom. (Dec.)