Sci fi with heavy Les Mis references, robots called vals [s]

[Laura]

I read this book probably between 1998 and 2001, but am unsure of its age. It had heavy Les Miserables references (which is what made me think of it now) and could possibly be said to be a sci fi interpretation of Les Mis. It centers on a futuristic Earth where crime is policed by robots called Vals. One of the vals explains to the protagonist that they were named for Les Mis's Jean Valjean, and not Javert, deliberately to have sympathy with their bounty. The protagonist has either committed a minor crime (like Valjean in Les Mis) or is innocent and a victim of mistaken identity and goes on the run from the Val. It takes place mostly in North America, and I believe it finishes out in Alaska.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

There is a group of books with the Vals chasing them. Lords of the Middle Dark is the first book in the series. VERY futuristic sci-fi, and takes place on several different planets. Not sure that this is the book you want, but your description of what the Val said is almost word for word what one of them tells Hawks (the main character.)

[Laura]

Yes! That looks like what I'm looking for. I wanted to reread it after all the Les Mis hype. Thank you!

[Lee Anne]

Woah, sounds neat!

[Leigh]

Yep, that's Lords of the Middle Dark by Jack Chalker....love those books and currently rereading.

[Terry]

I began the second book of this series recently after my rabbit hole reading George RR Martin. I went back to read the first chapter of the first book and am curios if anyone knows if the rebel Indian that climbed the mountain had aname or what his significance is to the rest of the novel, other than, what I assume, is that he found master computer?