Very Bad Deaths
Encyclopedia
Very Bad Deaths is a science-fiction/suspense-mystery novel from Canadian science fiction
author Spider Robinson
. The book was followed in 2008 by a sequel, Very Hard Choices
. It explores the personal implications of uncontrolled telepathy, social responsibility, and the idea of evolutionary, biological evil, while, as usual, expounds on Spider's own political and social views.
What do you do, if you have iron-clad knowledge of a planned homicide of incredible depravity and cruelty, but have no evidence that would convince anyone "in authority"? This is the problem that faces Zandor "Smelly" Zudenigo, a telepath and hermit living on an island off Vancouver
Canada
, when fate causes a serial killer to overfly his island, while thinking about his next planned multiple-murder. What can he do, especially since Zandor is incapable of turning his telepathy off, and exposure to other minds is excruciatingly painful?
Unable to deal with the thoughts or presence of most other human beings, Zandor turns to an old acquaintance, the book's narrator, Russell Walker: a depressed, recluse, national newspaper columnist trying to deal with the death of his wife, and teetering on the edge of suicide. After explaining the situation, and dealing with Walker's depression, the two of them try to find a way to stop the crime from occurring. But how can they convince anyone? They cannot explain how the knowledge was obtained. They are not likely to be believed, and if they were, how long would Zandor stay out of the clutches of the intelligence agencies? Besides, Zandor only knows what the killer was thinking at the time, and how often do we happen to conveniently and consciously think of our full name and address?
Finally able to convince a single member of the Vancouver Police Department
, constable
Nika Mandic, the three of them try to track down the mysterious "Allen", while wrestling with the practical and moral implications of what to do about him once they find him.
Like many of Spider's novels, Very Bad Deaths is really a collection of inter-related and interwoven short stories, each telling part of a longer narrative in discrete slices of time. It is a technique that fans will recognize from novels such as Mindkiller
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author Spider Robinson
Spider Robinson
Spider Robinson is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction author.- Biography :Born in the Bronx, New York City, Robinson attended Catholic high school, spending his junior year in a seminary, followed by two years in a Catholic college, and five years at the State...
. The book was followed in 2008 by a sequel, Very Hard Choices
Very Hard Choices
Very Hard Choices is a science-fiction/suspense-mystery novel from Canadian science fiction author Spider Robinson, released in June 2008. The novel, set in British Columbia, is a sequel to Very Bad Deaths and continues the story of the reclusive telepath known as Smelly.-Plot:In this novel, Nika...
. It explores the personal implications of uncontrolled telepathy, social responsibility, and the idea of evolutionary, biological evil, while, as usual, expounds on Spider's own political and social views.
What do you do, if you have iron-clad knowledge of a planned homicide of incredible depravity and cruelty, but have no evidence that would convince anyone "in authority"? This is the problem that faces Zandor "Smelly" Zudenigo, a telepath and hermit living on an island off Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, when fate causes a serial killer to overfly his island, while thinking about his next planned multiple-murder. What can he do, especially since Zandor is incapable of turning his telepathy off, and exposure to other minds is excruciatingly painful?
Unable to deal with the thoughts or presence of most other human beings, Zandor turns to an old acquaintance, the book's narrator, Russell Walker: a depressed, recluse, national newspaper columnist trying to deal with the death of his wife, and teetering on the edge of suicide. After explaining the situation, and dealing with Walker's depression, the two of them try to find a way to stop the crime from occurring. But how can they convince anyone? They cannot explain how the knowledge was obtained. They are not likely to be believed, and if they were, how long would Zandor stay out of the clutches of the intelligence agencies? Besides, Zandor only knows what the killer was thinking at the time, and how often do we happen to conveniently and consciously think of our full name and address?
Finally able to convince a single member of the Vancouver Police Department
Vancouver Police Department
The Vancouver Police Department is the police force for the City of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several police departments within the Metro Vancouver Area and is the second largest police force in the province after RCMP "E" Division.VPD was the first Canadian police force...
, constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
Nika Mandic, the three of them try to track down the mysterious "Allen", while wrestling with the practical and moral implications of what to do about him once they find him.
Like many of Spider's novels, Very Bad Deaths is really a collection of inter-related and interwoven short stories, each telling part of a longer narrative in discrete slices of time. It is a technique that fans will recognize from novels such as Mindkiller
Mindkiller
Mindkiller is a 1982 novel by science fiction writer Spider Robinson. The novel, set in the late 1980s , explores the social implications of technologies to manipulate the brain, beginning with wireheading, the use of electrical current to stimulate the pleasure center of the brain in order to...
.