Little Heroes

Spinrad mined media hype and manipulation to fine effect in his early novel, Bug Jack Barron. Now 18 years later, he has another go with this near future story of the conglomerate MUZIK's desire to substitute APs (artificial personalities) for its troublesome rock stars. Voxbox artist Sally Genaro and graphics whiz Bobby Rubin create a sensation called Red Jack, thanks to prodding from Glorianna O'Toole, ""The Crazy Old Lady of Rock and Roll'' and to the stimulation of the zap, a small electric device that mimics the effects of hallucinogens. What they don't anticipate is the co-opting of Jack's rebel stance by the Reality Liberation Front, an anarchist computer commune churning out programs to bilk money machines, fix tax records, etc. As with much of Spinrad's work, the strong initial impact is vitiated by the excessive length, repetition and crudeness of the novel as a whole. (July)