cover image Closed Horizon

Closed Horizon

Peter Lantos. Arcadia (Dufour Editions, dist.), $24.95 trade paper (190p) ISBN 978-1-906413-97-2

Despite its chilling projection of the evolution of the national security state and its attendant encroachment on human liberties, this thriller set in 2040 falls flat. Dr. Mark Chadwick works for the Institute of Cognitive Sciences in camera-riddled London and has made breakthroughs in influencing human thought by controlling “electrical impulses and the subsequent release of neurotransmitters.” After his patient Fiona Cartwright attempts to assassinate the president of the Republic of Great Britain, Chadwick receives a visit from government spook Dr. Robert Dufresne, who suggests that the psychiatrist may have failed to adequately treat Cartwright’s hatred of the security state. Naturally, government officials believe Chadwick should make up for his ostensible guilt by “treating” criminals with mind control. Chadwick spends the rest of the book dithering over whether to cooperate, providing little payoff for the promising setup. (Jan.)