Dementia

by Michael A. Stackpole

New York: ROC, 1994

Reviewed by: Robert Esparza

Before writing a review of Dementia it is necessary to provide some background information about both the plot of the story and the book itself. The first thing that requires explanation is that this particular work should be placed, if in any category, in the category of adventure science fiction. The primary function of Dementia is to entertain the reader; anything extra is of secondary importance, and probably unintentional. Stackpole doesn't let profound ideas get in the way of a good plot. Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that Dementia is the last part of the "Apostle of Insanity" trilogy. Although the other volumes of the series, In Lunacy and Frenzy, are important in understanding the overall plot line of the trilogy, Dementia is the only volume where there is some emphasize on computers and artificial intelligence. This review will focus on only three aspects of Dementia characters, plot, and technology. Now on to the review.
Without an interesting hero any adventure fiction will, in many instances, become rather boring an lose the readers interest. Although there are other characters in the book the focus is on a machine-enhanced human named Cyril Dent. Despite their being some faults in Stackpole's depiction the character, Cyril Dent, comes across as being rather interesting. Having died, the character is brought back to life through the use of advanced cyber-technology. In fact when the story opens the character tells of having watched a video of his funeral several times. The Plot line revolving around Cyril Dent is centered around his goal of self-discovery. As the story opens, and through much of the book, Dent does not know his true identity. Cybertronic, the corporation that resurrected Dent, has not revealed his true identity, although hints are provided throughout the story. Dent, however, has other problems for he has a psychic link with Muawijhe, one of the five apostles, or dark gods that are part of the background mythos of the setting. Thus Dent must not only discover his former identity but he must also figure out why he is linked with one of the dark gods.
Having already hinted at some of the scientific abilities that are found in the book, it is time to look at some of the technology, and especially that which is related to artificial intelligence. The technology that appears in this work ranges from World War I era technology to highly advanced futuristic technology, although not as advanced as it could be according to the story. The reason technology is not as advance as it could be is that the more advanced a system, be it a weapon or a computer, the greater the chance that it will be corrupted by the magical forces of the Dark Legion. There is also a form of magic, called the Art. The Dark Legion itself has a form of technology based on a mixture of biology, technology, and a magical force called Dark Symmetry.
With regard to Artificial intelligence three things stand-out in the story line. First, there are the Attilla combat robots. These are described as large human-shaped robots, that have sole function of entering and doing as much damage as possible in a combat environment. According to the story these units are excellent troops. There only drawback is that they do what you tell them not what you want them to do. Thus they need to be paired with a human for better control and flexibility. In this story a Attilla unit named Ash is paired with Cyril Dent. Secondly there are the chasseurs, of which Cyril Dent is one. Chasseurs are described as being half-machine half-human. They are enhanced human beings. Not only have their limbs been replaced with advanced robotics but parts of their brain has been replaced with a small computer. However, it is only the part of the brain that controls autonomous functions, like breathing, that have been replaced. Those parts of the brain that involve higher level thought processes are kept intact. Thus, although computers are depicted as being powerful human reasoning and intuition are still very necessary. Finally there is what the author calls sub-reality, it is a form of virtual reality by which both computers and humans, with the proper equipment, are able to communicate with each other. In this sub-real world one can let one's imagination flow freely. It is one of the means by which Cyril Dent downloads his information on to a larger computer. During one his information downloads Dent imagines himself being a pilot dropping an information bomb onto a target. Another time he became a swimmer moving along the internal world of the computer.
Finally there is the all-important plot or story line. It is the one thing that holds, and is the focus of, all other aspects in the book. It is what the meshing of fantastic technology with interesting characters to make an exciting adventure. There are essentially two major plots occurring on this novel. The first, the one centered on the character of Cyril Dent, has already been discussed to some extent. The other plot revolves around a woman named Lorraine Kovan. It this plot line that is the center of the more overtly adventurous aspects of the story line. Kovan is a pawn in a game involving five major corporations as well as the Dark Legion, the central villains in the story. The mission of Cyril Dent and his companions is to take control of Lorraine Kovan. In the earlier books in the series Kovan is kidnapped first by the Dark Legion, then recaptured by one of the corporations. Later she is captured and recaptured by one corporation or another. As this book begins Kovan is in the hands of Capitol, a corporation that is a stereotypical representation of the United States. Thus, as already stated, the other major story line in Dementia revolves around the character's attempts to rescue Lorraine Kovan.
While Dementia might not be "good" for the mind it is still a fun book to read. It is what many would consider bubblegum for the mind. As stated in the introduction, readers seeking intellectual depth should look else where. The story never slows down enough for the reader to worry about such things.

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