Capricorn Quadrant

Ryan's latest techno-thriller is based on a variant of the doomsday-machine scenario. The Saber, a Soviet spy plane carrying top-secret gadgets (including a computerized fusion weapon capable of automatically triggering nuclear devices) crashes in the South Pacific. The French are conducting super-collider experiments within the weapon's range, and the proximity could lead to nuclear winter without nuclear war. While Cas Bonner, hero of Ryan's The Pan jang Incident , and his lover, KGB undercover agent Kiri Valjean, seek to destroy Saber, the Russian government is torn by the conflict between progressives and hard-liners, and the U.S. administration reflexively suspects Soviet intentions. Fast pace, crisp dialogue and the exotic setting sustain the novel despite its contrived plot and one-dimensional characters far too reminiscent of Ian Fleming's. (Aug.)