Tom Holt, Blonde Bombshell

Blonde Bombshell

Tom Holt

Orbit, Jun 18 2010, $13.99

ISBN: 9780316086998

In Novosibirsk, in between being intoxicated former scientist turned banker George Stetchkin ponders how $50 trillion from various bank vaults around the world could be stolen without anyone or cameras witnessing the thefts. At the same time programming guru Lucy Pavlov, whose computer programs owns the global market place, cannot comprehend why she has no memory of her childhood.

Out in space on planet Ostar, the canine sentient rulers fearing further distraction by human pop music, debate why Mark One failed to explode and eradicate intelligence on planet earth. They agree that humans should be walked as pets and not pi*s away a planet. As they launch Mark Two, George figures out the missing money riddle only to have two aliens shoot him. Meanwhile the Mark Two finds Ostar coding in Lucy's programs so sends the Mark Twain probe to learn how an earth human obtained their canine coding. George's bank assumes Twain is a programmer and hires him while Lucy has doubts about this Twain fellow.

This is a zany over the top of Olympus Mons societal satire that rips the international financial programming government complex skewering all and much more for their me-me top line attitudes. Fast-paced, the frantic story line is jocular although lacks a cohesive focus making it difficult to comprehend. Still fans who relish a dog eat human Armageddon science fiction will relish the Ostar solution to the too big to fail problem.

Harriet Klausner