'Eric Brown is the name to watch in SF' - Peter F. Hamilton
In a futuristic variation upon the modern detective story, we follow Hal as he returns from retirement, seeking the answer to the mysterious disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, last seen with a child prodigy and an unknown older man. We accompany him during his encounters with the jaded individuals who now occupy sullied Manhattan, and share his anguish at the gradual realization of the devastating effects that Virtual Reality is having upon his fellow citizens, rapidly losing their abilities to interact in the real world.
Eric Brown is in the GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS for having flown more aircraft types (487) than any other pilot in history. His record is unlikely ever to be broken. Captain Brown CBE, DSC, AFC, KCVSA, RN, became a test pilot during the Second World War and commanded the RAE Aerodynamics Flight at Farnborough. He played a key role in the design of an entire generation of aircraft. No other man could have claimed to have interrogated several senior Nazis, flown their jet aircraft or tested so many experimental machines. The Royal Navy's most decorated pilot, Captain Eric Brown died in 2016 at the age of 97.