false<![CDATA[Thorns]]>8722916 Humanity has colonized the solar system, beginning galactic exploration. Interplanetary audiences follow real-life stories of triumph & tragedy presented to them by Duncan Chalk, a wealthy media mogul. A psychic vampire, he draws sustenance from others' emotions, particularly pain. Tho he enjoys playing his assistants against each other as a daily snack, his true nourishment comes from dramas he orchestrates for audiences.
Chalk's latest drama involves pairing Minner Burris, a space explorer surgically altered by aliens on the panet Manipool, & Lona Kelvin, a 17-year-old who donated eggs for a fertility experiment producing a 100 babies. His appearance drawing attention when he goes out, Burris has withdrawn into secluded bitterness. Fame as virgin mother of a horde fading, Kelvin has twice attempted suicide because she hasn't been allowed to see her offpsring. Chalk promises Burris surgery to restore his human appearance & offers Kelvin a chance to adopt one of her babies, if they agree to pair up for an all-expenses paid tour of the solar system.
At 1st they enjoy the company, becoming lovers. Kelvin's compassion is stirred by Burris's plight. Burris enjoys playing a naive teen's protector. Affection turns into irritation, hostility, even hatred-- providing Chalk an emotional feast. The two break off. Chalk uses this as pretext to void the agreement. He tries keeping them on the hook by dangling new offers. He asks Kelvin to befriend David Melangio, a childlike man whose memory & calculation feats are his only means of meeting a world that has subjected him to overwhelming traumas. Kelvin erupts in rage until carried off by Chalk's assistants.
Meanwhile, Burris has realized that Chalk's promise was empty. Help may no longer even be possible--the changes the aliens wrought appear irreversible. Further, surgery that made him a monster has also improved his body in unexpected ways he's come to appreciate.
With inadvertent help from Melangio, who during a typically bland chat slips information giving clues into Chalk's nature, Kelvin & Burris confront the media baron in his office. They expose the full, unfiltered core of their mutual pain to him. He's overwhelmed, killed by the emotional flood's intensity. As the novel ends, Burris convinces Kelvin to join him in a trip to Manipool, where they'll confront the aliens & undergo alterations taking them beyond humanity.8576561967Thornstotal:35|5:5|4:13|3:15|2:2|1:0|3512657540falsefalseWed Jun 25 00:00:00 -0700 2008Mon Apr 28 14:00:55 -0700 2008Thu Jun 26 00:44:54 -0700 2008
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