In the Cube

by David Alexander Smith

Book Overview

Boston in the 21st century forms an enormous cube containing millions of human, cybernetic, and alien beings. As Private Investigator Beverly O'Meara and her alien sidekick are about to find out, humans aren't the only ones who can be greedy--or murderous. Among the best SF novels of the year.--Booklist.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812523741
• ISBN13: 9780812523744
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic concept of what it is to be alien

I found this to be an easily readable novel -- perhaps a good place for those who are new to sci-fi to start. Smith creates a very interesting story with "In The Cube" based largely on his more "big picture" ideas than the plot itself, which was above cookie-cutter quality, but not on a level of those of Heinlein or Asimov. Where Smith shines is his concept of what it is to be alien; he allows to reader to study the thought processes and social structure of the most prominent alien race in the book, the Phner. The history of future Boston is also an interesting plus, and is able to elevate this book above its otherwise straightforward detective story. There is a high potential for future works of D. A. Smith to be impressive. Let us hope we hear from him soon.

Stock plot saved by wonderfully realized aliens

Boston in the future has been changed to the point of unrecognizability. The only port where aliens can trade with humans, fortunes beyond those of Bill Gates have been made, and the city rebuilt by simply gluing together all of the old buildings into one huge brick. Beverly O'Mera is a "cubehunter" within this changed Boston- a private eye specializing in finding lost persons. She is called up by one of the most powerful women in Boston to find the woman's daughter who ran away. (Or did she?) O'Mera and her Phner partner, Akktri, get drawn into a widening conspiracy involving most of the powerful people of the new Boston. The basic plot of the book is straight hard-bitten detective, well worn and with few surprises. Where the book really shines is the development of Akktri and the rest of the Phner. The Phner are one of the rarest things in SF: true aliens, not just humans in alien suits or one dimensional horror figures. The Phner are beaver-like semi-aquatic aliens who appeared in Boston following losing their home planet in a war. They don't really live in the present and understand little human logic, but rather have a editic racial memory. To a Phner, nothing is truly real until it is dead or destroyed: only then can its "art" be fully appreciated and understood. The book begins with both the author and O'Mera treating Akktri much as an intelligent dog. Akktri bounces around, following O'Mera, happy that she will give him "lobster-fish" when they find their quarry. As the story progresses, the impact of the bizarre (to human eyes) Phner understanding of reality begins to show more and more. Akktri is not a dog: not even human in the sense of having the same feelings or goals as a human would. As O'Mera begins to truly understand the Phner and what they can and want to do, she must question both her partnership and her friendship with the Phner. The Future Boston developed by Smith has a lot of potential: there are numerous odd aliens and lots of bizarre history. Hopefully Smith will be able to realize Targives, popcorn aliens and the rest in future books as well as he has done the Phner in In the Cube