Exile Kiss
George Alec Effinger
Orb, Jul 2006, $14.95
ISBN: 076531360X

Marid Audran is an enforcer working for Friedlander Bey, one of the two most powerful people in Budayeen. As he thinks back how far he has come from his days as a street hustler in the ghetto, Marid enjoys the affluence his current job provides him especially his time with Honey Pilar.

However, a Judge accuses Audran and Bey of killing police officer Khalid Maxwell. An associate of Shaykh Reda Abu Adilp, the other most powerful man in Budayeen made the accusation backed with evidence. To save the state money and time, the two "convicted" criminals are exiled into the desert where they fortunately meet up and trek with the Bani Salim tribe who save their lives. The duo needs time to prove their innocence and triumphantly return to the city to confront their accusers.

This futuristic tale is the final reprint of a trilogy (see WHEN GRAVITY FAILS and FIRE IN THE SUN). Audran remains a strong protagonist as he relates the events of their exile and efforts to return home. However, the rivalry between Bey and Adilp heat up as both want to be the one and only power in the city. Though it behooves fans to read their previous two tales first to gain needed understanding of a Muslim country in which cyber-technology is imbued into the traditional culture, fans will enjoy this tale though it lacks much of the freshness of its predecessors.

Harriet Klausner