Paths to Otherwhere

The possibility of moving a person's consciousness between our world and others comes alive as Hogan (The Immortality Option), a dean of hard SF, parlays a standard SF gambit into an entertaining, imaginative yarn. The near-future Earth envisioned here is both familiar and dystopian. Current problems have festered until resources are scarce, scientific discoveries are governmentally controlled, Western culture is globally despised and the Earth teeters on the brink of violent disaster. The plot focuses on a group of scientists working at a secret laboratory in Los Alamos. There, they are experimenting with QUADAR, a machine that ""enhances"" mental faculties, allowing for a heightened sense of truth and a knowledge of the possible paths the future may take; these revelations in turn lead the scientist to a method for scientifically exploring alternative worlds. While the plot starts off dryly, emphasizing the possibilities that QUADAR creates, the pace quickens when the protagonists discover an otherworld intellectual utopia, and as they fight to keep that paradise free from violent takeover by evil politicians. Readers awed by explorations of either inner or outer space will want to sign up for this ride. (Feb.)