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Looking for the Mahdi
In a world of the near future, in which the microchip holds the key to the secrets of the universe, technological progress meets its ultimate stumbling block in human nature
337 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1996
149 people want to read
About the author
N. Lee Wood
15 books14 followersN. Lee Wood is the author of Faraday's Orphans and Looking for Mahdi, both published by Gollancz/Vista in 1996. She sold her first ever novel in Romania and hasn't stopped being published since. She is a frequent visitor to British and European conventions, and travels extensively from her home in Paris. She is married to Norman Spinrad, who shares her enthusiasm for Europe in general, and Romania in particular.
N. Lee Wood is the author of "Looking for the Mahdi (Ace, 1996), "Faraday's Orphans (Ace, 1997), and "Bloodrights (Ace, 1999). "Looking for the Mahdi was selected as a "New York Times Notable Book and was also short listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award.- The author's blend of sociology, feminism, and science fiction is reminiscent of such classics as Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale (Houghton Mifflin, 1986), Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Left Hand of Darkness (Ace, 1969), and Sheri S. Tepper's "The Gate to Women's Country (Doubleday, 1988).
N. Lee Wood is the author of "Looking for the Mahdi (Ace, 1996), "Faraday's Orphans (Ace, 1997), and "Bloodrights (Ace, 1999). "Looking for the Mahdi was selected as a "New York Times Notable Book and was also short listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award.- The author's blend of sociology, feminism, and science fiction is reminiscent of such classics as Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale (Houghton Mifflin, 1986), Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Left Hand of Darkness (Ace, 1969), and Sheri S. Tepper's "The Gate to Women's Country (Doubleday, 1988).
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 28, 2017
I wanted to read this book because robot love. Duh. It's all Silver Metal Lover's fault (technically the fault of Metallic Love since I read that first). Ever since, I've been on a quest for human/robot romance. Mostly I've been disappointed.
And this was kind of disappointing too. On the one hand, I didn't expect an actual love story. However, nor did I expect this book to be so freakin' political. I don't think I really needed such lengthy political and historical background to follow the story. Passages and passages of it that overwhelmed the rest of the story and made it feel unbalanced. I skimmed a lot of it.
On the other hand, what little romance there was was actually kind of decent. I would rather have had more details and FEELINGS, but then again I'm picky. I liked that Kay was ugly, but hunky, younger Halton wanted her anyway because he was attracted to her mind.
Other people might find this riveting, but I am just that uninterested in politics that I doubt I'll ever read this again. Instead I'll just continue my neverending quest for robot love.
And this was kind of disappointing too. On the one hand, I didn't expect an actual love story. However, nor did I expect this book to be so freakin' political. I don't think I really needed such lengthy political and historical background to follow the story. Passages and passages of it that overwhelmed the rest of the story and made it feel unbalanced. I skimmed a lot of it.
On the other hand, what little romance there was was actually kind of decent. I would rather have had more details and FEELINGS, but then again I'm picky. I liked that Kay was ugly, but hunky, younger Halton wanted her anyway because he was attracted to her mind.
Other people might find this riveting, but I am just that uninterested in politics that I doubt I'll ever read this again. Instead I'll just continue my neverending quest for robot love.
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June 13, 2023Američka autorka ljuta na američke državne agencije i medije gladne krvi koji prave sranja po srednjem istoku.
Ni do kraja knjige nisam uspeo da dočitam i upamtim kako se zove ova arapska Ruritanija, a realno nije ni bitno, nisam konstatovao ni pola lokalne egzotike bednog siromaštva, dozlogrdila mi transkripcija u engleski pa da je s arapskog ili nekog jednako egzotičnog istočnoevropskog sveslovenskog.
Iz 2023. gledano zanimljiva je rustična budućnost gde novinari vuku teške rančeve sa opremom za obradu snimaka i kriptovanim satelitskim vezama, ometaju signale gedžetima, al to je sve standardna džejmsbondovska kinerpank galanterija. Ono što jeste zanimljivo su likovi: atipično neprivlačna junakinja u najboljim godinama* koja se u islamskoj zemlji uspešno predstavlja kao muško, sajdkik bezbednjak replikant sa standardnim pitanjima ljudskosti i slobodne volje, a između njih tenzija između fabrikantofobije, pankerske acab odbojnosti prema muriji, i upućenosti jednog na drugo u zaista opasnoj situaciji raspada režima.
Autorka je dosta bazala po svetu sa bivšim joj mužem Normanom Spinradom i kao i on emigrirala iz SAD. Dobra je to ekipa.
* Mojim
Ni do kraja knjige nisam uspeo da dočitam i upamtim kako se zove ova arapska Ruritanija, a realno nije ni bitno, nisam konstatovao ni pola lokalne egzotike bednog siromaštva, dozlogrdila mi transkripcija u engleski pa da je s arapskog ili nekog jednako egzotičnog istočnoevropskog sveslovenskog.
Iz 2023. gledano zanimljiva je rustična budućnost gde novinari vuku teške rančeve sa opremom za obradu snimaka i kriptovanim satelitskim vezama, ometaju signale gedžetima, al to je sve standardna džejmsbondovska kinerpank galanterija. Ono što jeste zanimljivo su likovi: atipično neprivlačna junakinja u najboljim godinama* koja se u islamskoj zemlji uspešno predstavlja kao muško, sajdkik bezbednjak replikant sa standardnim pitanjima ljudskosti i slobodne volje, a između njih tenzija između fabrikantofobije, pankerske acab odbojnosti prema muriji, i upućenosti jednog na drugo u zaista opasnoj situaciji raspada režima.
Autorka je dosta bazala po svetu sa bivšim joj mužem Normanom Spinradom i kao i on emigrirala iz SAD. Dobra je to ekipa.
* Mojim
August 15, 2010
up to p.89 - shaping up to something like Silver Metal Lover with William Gibson speed.
Enjoyed the ride ~ this was the author's first book and I felt it sagged in some places under the weight of narrative about the politics of Khuruchabja that some decent editing would have streamlined. Khuruchabja is a fictional place in the near future in the middle east and the author's use of too many references to politics in our recent decade seem forced.
I see that previous readers have taken it to be a statement about global politics and women's rights, BUT I see it more as a metaphor about loyalty and what is human? And who do humans remain loyal to?
John, a humanoid fabricant at first is loyal to who ever legally owns him. Later he becomes loyal to Kay Bee although confused and damaged and finally unique. Like humans.
Enjoyed the ride ~ this was the author's first book and I felt it sagged in some places under the weight of narrative about the politics of Khuruchabja that some decent editing would have streamlined. Khuruchabja is a fictional place in the near future in the middle east and the author's use of too many references to politics in our recent decade seem forced.
I see that previous readers have taken it to be a statement about global politics and women's rights, BUT I see it more as a metaphor about loyalty and what is human? And who do humans remain loyal to?
John, a humanoid fabricant at first is loyal to who ever legally owns him. Later he becomes loyal to Kay Bee although confused and damaged and finally unique. Like humans.
August 2, 2019
I purchased this book (it's not available at the library) after reading Wood's Faraday's Orphans, which I enjoyed very much. This, Wood's first novel, is very different, and although it wasn't something I would have picked up based on the first few chapters, I enjoyed it very much.
Kay Bee (with a few last names) is a journalist who did intense reporting in a (fictional) Middle East country a decade before, and ends up, against her will but on her boss's insistence, on an assignment to deliver a "fabricant" -- a manufactured human, grown from a few cells and so almost impossible to distinguish from a "real" human -- to the ruler of the small country. All sorts of adventure ensues, and it is overall very satisfying.
Although as I read this novel I kept thinking, "This is her first novel? How on earth does she do it?" I was also profoundly bored by the first several chapters, which were a sort of primer on Middle East politics and religion. I skimmed a large percentage of the first half of the book, but then it reached its exciting rhythm, and I enjoyed gulping down the second half.
If I wanted to be profound, I'd say that one thing the novel does is question what it means to be human; since Kay Bee, we learn very early on, successfully posed as a man both times in Khurchabjan, her identity is also at stake. She's heterosexual, but mannish-looking enough that if she alters her voice a little, everybody thinks she is, indeed, a man.
Some of the details are dated, but I'd definitely recommend this novel to somebody with more patience for politics and history and lots of background than I have. Still, because I liked Faraday's Orphans so much, I kept reading, and I'm glad I did. I wish Wood would (would Wood? I wish Wood would!) write more science fiction; this was futuristic, but I wouldn't classify it at sci-fi just because technology has produced a "fabricant."
Impressive overall. Maybe Wood wrote gobs of novels before one got published, because with the action and complicated plotting and background, it seems like a pretty awesome feat.
Kay Bee (with a few last names) is a journalist who did intense reporting in a (fictional) Middle East country a decade before, and ends up, against her will but on her boss's insistence, on an assignment to deliver a "fabricant" -- a manufactured human, grown from a few cells and so almost impossible to distinguish from a "real" human -- to the ruler of the small country. All sorts of adventure ensues, and it is overall very satisfying.
Although as I read this novel I kept thinking, "This is her first novel? How on earth does she do it?" I was also profoundly bored by the first several chapters, which were a sort of primer on Middle East politics and religion. I skimmed a large percentage of the first half of the book, but then it reached its exciting rhythm, and I enjoyed gulping down the second half.
If I wanted to be profound, I'd say that one thing the novel does is question what it means to be human; since Kay Bee, we learn very early on, successfully posed as a man both times in Khurchabjan, her identity is also at stake. She's heterosexual, but mannish-looking enough that if she alters her voice a little, everybody thinks she is, indeed, a man.
Some of the details are dated, but I'd definitely recommend this novel to somebody with more patience for politics and history and lots of background than I have. Still, because I liked Faraday's Orphans so much, I kept reading, and I'm glad I did. I wish Wood would (would Wood? I wish Wood would!) write more science fiction; this was futuristic, but I wouldn't classify it at sci-fi just because technology has produced a "fabricant."
Impressive overall. Maybe Wood wrote gobs of novels before one got published, because with the action and complicated plotting and background, it seems like a pretty awesome feat.
August 4, 2009
Halton is a humanoid fabricant, created as a bodyguard. Kay is an androgynous woman who has reported from the middle east as a man before and she is sent in to try to help Halton get out. Along the way she has to try to survive with her sanity intact. Everyone has an agenda except the android.
It's interesting and the characters are well drawn, it's less SF than feminist commentary on the treatment of women in the middle east. I enjoyed the read but wasn't terribly impressed and I'm not completely sure why.
It's interesting and the characters are well drawn, it's less SF than feminist commentary on the treatment of women in the middle east. I enjoyed the read but wasn't terribly impressed and I'm not completely sure why.
August 28, 2014
This is a book of hope. A 'mahdi' is a savior, though of Muslim origin. The events take place in a imaginary country somewhere around Western Iran and Northeast Turkey. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, tribal warfare and power squabbles broke out, coming close to anarchy. Too bad this is written fifteen years before the Arab Spring, it would fit right in.
Kay Bee Suliman was a war corespondent during the worst of this battle for leadership of this little, impoverished country. It helped that she spoke the lingo, somewhat, was half Arab (looked like she belonged) and was fairly ugly, so she could 'pass' as a visiting Arab guy. That was ten years before the story begins. She has been fighting her demons ever since while just being behind the scenes helper for various newscasters on her network.
The United States government has a secret organization to help various do things that the U. S. government would like to see happen, and it has developed robots or genetically altered humans who can do superman type things, thought they have built in kill switches for safety and control. Ms. Suliman is to be the delivery boy of one of these 'persons' to the country she fled so long ago. Besides her not wanting to do this (being forced is bad enough, but she has demons she is afraid of bringing back to life), he knows he will be terminated soon after he is delivered, and he does not want to be dead. Soon they develop a 'working relationship' that saves them both.
The Mahdi turns out to be a surprise.
Kay Bee Suliman was a war corespondent during the worst of this battle for leadership of this little, impoverished country. It helped that she spoke the lingo, somewhat, was half Arab (looked like she belonged) and was fairly ugly, so she could 'pass' as a visiting Arab guy. That was ten years before the story begins. She has been fighting her demons ever since while just being behind the scenes helper for various newscasters on her network.
The United States government has a secret organization to help various do things that the U. S. government would like to see happen, and it has developed robots or genetically altered humans who can do superman type things, thought they have built in kill switches for safety and control. Ms. Suliman is to be the delivery boy of one of these 'persons' to the country she fled so long ago. Besides her not wanting to do this (being forced is bad enough, but she has demons she is afraid of bringing back to life), he knows he will be terminated soon after he is delivered, and he does not want to be dead. Soon they develop a 'working relationship' that saves them both.
The Mahdi turns out to be a surprise.
April 11, 2010
I read this book at least 10 yrs ago, maybe in the late 1990's. Published in 1996, it's a story with a strong female protagonist, Kay Bee Sulaiman, who is a journalist, a reporter who covers high-profile stories like the war in Khuruchabja (fictitious country), getting the scoop while dodging bullets:
"I'm the brains that writes the words delivered with such perfect accents by the earnest-looking immaculate blonds. I'm the questions that elegant that silver-haired anchormen with the penetrating eyes interrogate heads of state with. I'm the puppeteer."
She describes herself:
"I'm ugly....When I started working, I had very long hair and wore plenty of eye makeup and big shiny earrings, because without them, it was difficult for most people to discern my sexual orientation. Even then, sometimes I got some suspicious looks. I was a quite normal heterosexual female trapped in the body of a bull dyke."
The story is unusual and highly readable. Hallon is an android, created to be a bodyguard. Kay is delivering him to a country in the Middle East. When her assignment turns out to be a set-up, she and Hallon have to count on each other... It's not heavy sci-fi, but more of a commentary about treatment of women in some cultures and about legal/moral issues involved in the creation and use of androids.
"I'm the brains that writes the words delivered with such perfect accents by the earnest-looking immaculate blonds. I'm the questions that elegant that silver-haired anchormen with the penetrating eyes interrogate heads of state with. I'm the puppeteer."
She describes herself:
"I'm ugly....When I started working, I had very long hair and wore plenty of eye makeup and big shiny earrings, because without them, it was difficult for most people to discern my sexual orientation. Even then, sometimes I got some suspicious looks. I was a quite normal heterosexual female trapped in the body of a bull dyke."
The story is unusual and highly readable. Hallon is an android, created to be a bodyguard. Kay is delivering him to a country in the Middle East. When her assignment turns out to be a set-up, she and Hallon have to count on each other... It's not heavy sci-fi, but more of a commentary about treatment of women in some cultures and about legal/moral issues involved in the creation and use of androids.
April 28, 2015
This is a book I loved so dearly when I first read it that I hunted down galleys and international editions of it on the internet, just so I could possess them (yes, I have a German edition, and I don't speak or read German. Yes, I am that geeky about books). At the time, I was really into Asimov and Dick, and I was in love with anything related to robotics or cloning, and this one hit every button I had. Not to mention that in my head, Halton was super hot, and Kay Bee was a person I could really, really identify with. At the time I worked at a bookstore and I pushed the crap out of this book to anyone I found browsing the SF section. it's another of those books I need to find the time to reread, to see if it holds up as well I hope it does.
February 5, 2013
Hard science meets middle east politics. Kaybee is a strong female protagonist, though she gets a bit strident at times. A former broadcast journalist, she is recruited by covert operatives to escort a human fabricant into a fictitious middle eastern nation similar to Afghanistan. They are betrayed and the sultan is assassinated. They struggle to uncover the conspiracy and escape from the war-torn nation. Kaybee and the fabricant become lovers. Ends with hope for middle east sovereignty and peace.
May 3, 2023
I enjoyed this book overall, but with enough caveats that I don't think I could recommend it. The setting of a fictional generic Middle Eastern country didn't do it any favors, and the book suffers from the anachronisms of old Sci-Fi. The political wrangling is also a bit silly and undersold. I enjoyed the bits of humor, where it was present, and the romantic subplot (which I wish had been given more space). The graphic violence and dry politicking didn't work well for me, but it is hard to know whether that's on the book or just on me.
January 25, 2012
One of my all-time favorites. I read this book near its publication date in the 90s, before September 11th. It's interesting to see how it has retained relevance over time. Half the dictators are dead, our computers surpass the ones in this, but the asides on the philosophy of power and cultural differences, as well as the bitchtastic attitude of the narrator will always make this book worth reading.
May 6, 2014
An incredible rollercoaster!
"Mahdi" mixes hardcore SF with the complexities of Middle Eastern politics and sociology. Just when I was getting tired of reading SF/F with only 'one type' (fellow readers,you know what I mean), I get a hardcore Middle-Easterner who is also female and an android that seemed stereotypical but ended up to completely endear me to him. "Mahdi" infuses spirituality, science, espionage, danger and actual harm to its characters! A massive treat to one's sense of wonder!
"Mahdi" mixes hardcore SF with the complexities of Middle Eastern politics and sociology. Just when I was getting tired of reading SF/F with only 'one type' (fellow readers,you know what I mean), I get a hardcore Middle-Easterner who is also female and an android that seemed stereotypical but ended up to completely endear me to him. "Mahdi" infuses spirituality, science, espionage, danger and actual harm to its characters! A massive treat to one's sense of wonder!
December 4, 2014
This action-packed near-future novel is fascinating for its in-depth look at Middle East politics and culture. Journalist KB Suleiman is asked to deliver a "fabricant" (manufactured human) to the ruler of a Muslim country whose bloody civil war she covered a decade ago. KB and the fabricant quickly find they are being played and betrayed by all sides, including an AI they unwittingly let loose.
April 16, 2018
There were things I really liked about this book: gender bending badass woman super spy, near future sci-fi themes, half-human half-android searching for his humanity. But the romance bits felt unnecessary, as did the longer bits on war and politics. The whole 'peace in the Middle East' ending felt contrived. So overall, just pretty good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2022
I quite liked it.
Enough description of the plot already so I'll stick with saying. he is NOT a robot, NOT an android.
He is a force grown lab born human, one of several clones and tweaked genetically.
Bit far fetched but hey it's an SF Novel.
Enough description of the plot already so I'll stick with saying. he is NOT a robot, NOT an android.
He is a force grown lab born human, one of several clones and tweaked genetically.
Bit far fetched but hey it's an SF Novel.
December 18, 2008
This was a fascinating sci-fi thriller and an eerie glimpse into a very possible apocalyptic future in the Middle East.
September 13, 2023
Twists and turns galore set against a Middle Eastern background od politics and intrigue.
April 13, 2011
Loved the cover, book was so forgettable I read it once and forgot it, then read it again to make sure before I recycled it. Can't remember anything about it. I think there was an explosion in it.
January 16, 2013
Rather liked this book, way back when. Was reminded that I'd read it after looking at the blurb for "Alif the Unseen".
August 24, 2013
Wholly improbable ending.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews