Memento Mori

In her first hardcover, Lewitt (Song of Chaos) explores human sociology, psychology and ethics on a far-flung planet, giving her tale enough scientific detail for texture and credibility. The prosperous colony of the planet Reis, beset by plague, has voted to quarantine itself. This causes economic problems, but these are overshadowed by a breakdown of social values and mores, not only among the people (especially in the city) but also in RICE, the biologically based artificial intelligence on which the planet's well-being depends. Lewitt's protagonists are a group of artists, poseurs and artist-wannabes, including Peter Haas, a chess master who plays virtual reality games through RICE; Johanna Henning, a mathematician who works maintaining RICE when others have quit; Jens, an ex-gang member who, while not an artist, sees more clearly than many. The novel is ambitious, tackling issues of being and nothingness, pain and pleasure, the nature of life (artificial as well as human) and what makes it bearable. Sometimes the languid characters seem to generate a narrative that is equally limp, but overall Lewitt's prose is strong and her take fresh, sharp and intelligently subversive. (Dec.)