On My Way to Paradise

Despite a panoply of lovingly created technologies, Wolverton's subject in this impressive debut is the age-old problem of how far a just person may go in responding to injustice. His Earth is a planet torn by ideological wars and under covert attack by those charged with protecting its interests in space. Angelo, a Panamanian pharmacologist, becomes caught up in these historic events through his compassion for an injured intelligence officer and soon finds himself believing that his only choice is to murder in the name of justice. Wolverton paces the action smartly, and in the final chapters introduces a surprise revelation that throws the motivation for Angelo's decision, as well as its consequences, into complex relief. By keeping his moral vision firmly wedded to a gripping plot, Wolverton creates speculative fiction with both emotional depth and resonance. (Dec.)