Perfect Little Angels by Andrew Neiderman
This 1989 novel by the author of 'Pin' is terrible and it has a rec from V.C. Andrews on the cover, she was dead when this was published and Neiderman is the ghost writer her publishers have used ever since. People move to the clean, wholesome Elysian field where there's no MTV, instead people take vitamins and act like good obedient children. Of course a crazy abusive doctor is mind controlling the town and abusing his own son.
There are videotapes and coercive control and deadly secrecy. There are many high farcical moments. There is talk of Tom Selleck and music tapes. There are dated attiudes and phrases and new girl Justine has a constant feeling of dread. Her parents can become quite angry and aggrieved. This is not tragic or disturbing.
People have no personal moral conviction. There is generational conflict, sneering at the world, recklessly unforgivable parents, terrible decisions and commitment to being a victim. This book fails totally. The ending has life changing significance as the terribly complacent characters stay in town despite the devastating impact. This has terrible failings. The cold war is talked about and the mind control technique is called RADA. There is exposition, lots of exposition.
Best Lines:
“His father was complaining about the breakdown of values.”
“Don't have anything to do with such girls. Don't even talk to them. And never, ever bring one home to meet your mother or me.”
“Packaged himself and his ideas to be sold to desperate parents looking for easy ways to raise their children.”
“The degeneration of our moral values.”
“Studying their every thought and action.”
“The personification of trouble.”
“I hate struck-up kids.”
“Glared at her with a look of annoyance.”
“His father proclaimed in this Ten Commandment style.”
“His father might find out what he had been thinking about.”
“They had compromised when she'd agreed to wear to bra.”
“Specific behavioral goal in mind.”
“Profane utterance.”
“MTV hookup.”
“Dramatically sad or angry.”
“MTV is not a good influence.”
“It encourages kids to be rebellious because most of the rock videoes show punk rock or drugs”
“Considering what someone like that Madonna wears,”
“Don't go around telling people, especially people here, that your mother likes such things.”
“There are substantially bad influences polluting you.”
“Listening to his opinions about things and belieivng them,”
“These kids aren't normal! They're worse than nerds.”
“Traitorous betrayal.”
“A war with the oppressors of freedom.”
“Get that machete back in the tool chest.”
~
The Kronos Condition by Emily Devenport
This is a very weird and utterly incoherent book. Published in 1997 it tells of a cult of superhumans. 3 crazy adults into sex offending and murder and their child prisoners all have telekinetic and telepathic powers which they use to look for Olympus. There is new age babble, death, weirdness, incoherence, creepy weird sex stuff and this was just terrible – not sharp or new.
Best Lines:
“The civilization that didn't know her.”
“People with television sets, computer internets, and a space program.”
~
Scorpianne by Emily Devenport
In the far future Lucy is nearly murdered on the job, she goes on the run and uncovers surgery, immortal rich jerks, evil conspiracies and lots and lots of dodgy sex in this 1994 misfire. There are vid phones and cameras on cables and sex machines and snoop devices and a company called Machine Co. There are force guns, a credit net, credit discs and youth padding. People die in violent circumstances at the hands of a killer, but not much attention is paid to that.
Best Lines:
“The hall was tiled with marble a holdover from the old times when such things were considered fancy.”
“Killing rebels in the Mars revolt.”
“She looked like she had been run over by a lawn mower.”
“No one at my income level anyway.”
“Today's Perverse is tomorrow's New Thing.”