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Angel Cardenas #2
The Mocking Program
“High tech, murder, and intuition set the fast pace in a thriller” of a detective story set in a futuristic world from the New York Times–bestselling author (USA Today). Located in the Namerican Southwest, the Montezuma Strip is the Western hemisphere’s largest concentration of industry, commerce, assemblage, cutting-edge technology—and trouble. So it’s no surprise to Insp. Angel Cardenas that there’s been yet another murder. What is surprising is the an apparently well-off man with a clean ID. Well, two clean IDs . . . Trying to nail down the man’s real identity takes Cardenas and his partner to a good side of town, where a woman—living as his wife —and her daughter reside. But that gets them nowhere, especially when they barely escape the high-tech security system that blows up the house and everything in it. Relying on his intuit abilities, Cardenas learns that the woman was on the run from Katla’s father, a nasty felon with a long rap sheet. Going rogue, Cardenas follows their tracks from the gritty urban underworld of Quetzal to a lush primate paradise in Costa Rica. Because what twelve-year-old Katla knows—what she is—makes her the target of not just her father, but a host of others willing to kill to possess her . . .“Bestseller Foster elevates this well-paced, hard-boiled SF police procedural through the use of a highly imaginative setting . . . The amazingly versatile author plays with a full deck of futuristic elements.” —Publishers Weekly“Exciting, fast-paced, futuristic action.” —Science Fiction Chronicle
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2002
46 people are currently reading
243 people want to read
About the author
Alan Dean Foster
488 books2,000 followersBestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 25, 2021
The Mocking Program is a cyberpunk mystery story told with Foster's characteristic strong settings and plenty of action. I thought it relies too much on the "Spang" language, which necessitated flipping to the glossary in the back of the book for a translation to see what the characters had just said, thus breaking the flow of the narrative too frequently. It's the second book featuring Angel Cardenas, and perhaps I might have been able to appreciate this one more if I'd read Montezuma Strip first. It's a nice hard-boiled detective story with lots of computer gimmickry, but not one of my favorites. The cover is an obvious attempt to attract fans of The Matrix, which had been released a couple of years earlier... really, who wears sunglasses at night?
May 7, 2018
In this futuristic, cyberpunk world Inspector Angel Cardenas is an 'intuit' trained to recognise telltales of speech and behaviour that make it seem as though he is almost telepathic. He will need all of those skills on the case that begins with a murder Victim with two different ID's one implanted and one DNA based. Then the victims wife and teenage daughter vanish and Angel slowly puts together the pieces in an unbelievable scenario of futuristic crime.
There is no point in revealing more of the plot, I loved it, but one of it's strengths is the slow unfolding. The writing is amazing; Alan Dean Foster wrote many of the science fiction books that were most beloved to me as I was growing up and his writing ability is even better now than it was. The characters are fascinating, layered and nuanced I believed in them all and thoroughly enjoyed reading about them.
The world building was outstanding, in this future world most of the Eastern seaboard of the USA is one continuous habitation known as 'The Strip', within which different layers of society, different trends, music and entertainment flourish. The legal side by side with the illegal, or rather; the Soc with the antisoc, because part of what makes this book so rich and fascinating is that the author has created a new language to fit his new world. The slang, common speech patterns and concepts are all well portrayed and with infinite skill, he does so in such a way that the reader can understand most of the slang and language from the context. I never once had to look something up in the glossary at the back to see what something meant!
This is a marvelous skill that I cannot rate too highly; Spanglish is what most people speak, a combination of Spanish and English, (a very insightful and likely thing to happen in the future USA, I suspect). I have read so many books that have tried to combine Spanish into the narrative and done it clumsily, so that I did not always understand what was being said. Here is a master of this technique at work, and I just talked myself into another star....
The world building was what really made this one for me. There is also a brief appearance of an Aussie criminal gang sortie "The ooze from Oz" that managed to pack every single outrageous Aussie slang into a mere paragraph or two, I laughed my head off at that! That is another thing about this book, it does not take itself too seriously, a lot of the time the action, language and events are tongue in cheek and this lightness and sly humour made it ever so much more readable.
There were so many tiny throwaway events and futuristic notions, the 'Ciudad Simiano' was a fascinating and brilliant concept, the notion of an operation to implant Cephalopod chromatophores in humans so that they can colour change, well, it absolutely thrilled me and it was inserted into the narrative so very well!
I would throughly recommend it to anyone who has liked The authors Orphan Star series, there is a lot of that society building skill evident in the construction of The Strip. I would also recommend it to anyone who likes cyberpunk. Brilliant find.
There is no point in revealing more of the plot, I loved it, but one of it's strengths is the slow unfolding. The writing is amazing; Alan Dean Foster wrote many of the science fiction books that were most beloved to me as I was growing up and his writing ability is even better now than it was. The characters are fascinating, layered and nuanced I believed in them all and thoroughly enjoyed reading about them.
The world building was outstanding, in this future world most of the Eastern seaboard of the USA is one continuous habitation known as 'The Strip', within which different layers of society, different trends, music and entertainment flourish. The legal side by side with the illegal, or rather; the Soc with the antisoc, because part of what makes this book so rich and fascinating is that the author has created a new language to fit his new world. The slang, common speech patterns and concepts are all well portrayed and with infinite skill, he does so in such a way that the reader can understand most of the slang and language from the context. I never once had to look something up in the glossary at the back to see what something meant!
This is a marvelous skill that I cannot rate too highly; Spanglish is what most people speak, a combination of Spanish and English, (a very insightful and likely thing to happen in the future USA, I suspect). I have read so many books that have tried to combine Spanish into the narrative and done it clumsily, so that I did not always understand what was being said. Here is a master of this technique at work, and I just talked myself into another star....
The world building was what really made this one for me. There is also a brief appearance of an Aussie criminal gang sortie "The ooze from Oz" that managed to pack every single outrageous Aussie slang into a mere paragraph or two, I laughed my head off at that! That is another thing about this book, it does not take itself too seriously, a lot of the time the action, language and events are tongue in cheek and this lightness and sly humour made it ever so much more readable.
There were so many tiny throwaway events and futuristic notions, the 'Ciudad Simiano' was a fascinating and brilliant concept, the notion of an operation to implant Cephalopod chromatophores in humans so that they can colour change, well, it absolutely thrilled me and it was inserted into the narrative so very well!
I would throughly recommend it to anyone who has liked The authors Orphan Star series, there is a lot of that society building skill evident in the construction of The Strip. I would also recommend it to anyone who likes cyberpunk. Brilliant find.
June 15, 2008
Not one of his best books. A rather slow story that doesn't really give the setting justice. I would have liked some more background information on the places, and robots of the time. Foster tried to use a lot of spanglish, that I'm not sure is real or not, but can get a little confusing. It took me a few chapters until I thought to look in the back of the book for a possible translation guide, which thankfully was there. It did have an interesting storyline, and I think he could write another book with the funny little robot bugs that appear now and then during the story. He gave them a great introduction and left them very mysterious, like they could play a part later on. I would like more stories set in this world with those critters showing up in them. Not as main characters, just guest stars.
October 11, 2012
Yet another novel to fall under my category of Brilliant Idea Executed Poorly. I love the world that Foster has created, as well as the idea of the Intuits in law enforcement. However, I felt that the technology which needed to be explained never was, & the use of Spanish-based slang felt clunky & heavy handed. I've tried to read this novel twice; I want to like it so much that I'll probably try a third reading at some point. It's tragic to have ideas this good but botch them so completely.
January 3, 2025
I was thrilled when I found out Detective Angel Cardenas was back again! A future where countries are now made up of huge corporations, and crime and technology reach new heights of innovation. Close to retirement, Cardenas is light an old dog with a bone when a case pricks his interest. The fact that it almost got him and his partner killed on a routine follow-up makes it doubly so.
Now, in ebook format, the Mocking Programs picks up where Montezuma Strip left off, bringing us new adventures to enjoy.
Now, in ebook format, the Mocking Programs picks up where Montezuma Strip left off, bringing us new adventures to enjoy.
Read
July 31, 2020This book is exactly what I was looking for in an Alan Dean Foster book: a nice workmanlike police procedural with cyberpunk and neo-noir elements.
May 19, 2021
Whew! For once, I feel the second book was better than the first...although the first was one that grabbed me, the framing story so scary...this one is a coherent straightforward narrative. I really enjoyed it and although thrilling, was not scary in the way the first one was nor as dark. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed it so much. The addition of a side-kick, Hyako, the mild mannered man mountain (who is a big help in a fight, tho') really increased the reality. I don't want to give spoilers; but, my favorite character from the first book makes a cameo in this one toward the end. Recommended more than the first one...so, Mr. Foster, another?
September 5, 2022
Started extremely strong but quickly devolved into large sections that had almost nothing to do with the plot. More time using made up words to try to describe some level of technology that seemed to be trying to impress the fact that we’re in the future, but again, did absolutely nothing to drive the plot. I had to quit reading after three chapters
July 29, 2024
Unlike the first book in this series, this one is not short stories focused on one main character. This one is one long story but still focused on the main character from the first book. I enjoyed it just as much and the writing style and story kept the pages turning for me. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that is into sci-fi dystopian future mysteries!
January 22, 2025
Exciting story and cool world
Intriguing characters in an inventive world with exciting action! This blends ideas about border lands and culture, artificial intelligence and social interaction, personal growth and development. Glad someone recommended this one to me.
Intriguing characters in an inventive world with exciting action! This blends ideas about border lands and culture, artificial intelligence and social interaction, personal growth and development. Glad someone recommended this one to me.
March 30, 2025
What a great ending!
ADF is one of the worlds greatest thinkers and novelist. I read this twice just for fun. I dipped into his future world and could barely GWT my head back to reality. Great story.
ADF is one of the worlds greatest thinkers and novelist. I read this twice just for fun. I dipped into his future world and could barely GWT my head back to reality. Great story.
October 16, 2020
Доволі слабко.
Єдиний плюс - непогані персонажі, але купа логічних дір у сюжеті і світобудові, і створення "атмосфери" через купу іспано-англійського жаргону, який дуже швидко набридає.
Єдиний плюс - непогані персонажі, але купа логічних дір у сюжеті і світобудові, і створення "атмосфери" через купу іспано-англійського жаргону, який дуже швидко набридає.
June 4, 2022
A very mission-impossible kind of action thriller, with the addition of unfamiliar slang terms and futuristic technologies... Great fun!
January 28, 2024
I really enjoyed this right from the start.
It would make a good Netflix...it reminds me a bit of Altered Carbon
It would make a good Netflix...it reminds me a bit of Altered Carbon
May 2, 2021
2.0 out of 5 stars
Sappy, Full of Holes, and Blah Ending
October 10, 2003
About the best I can say for this book is that it isn't really BAD. It starts out pretty interesting, but then its energy seems to slowly drip out of it until the ending feels like merely a dotting of "i"s and a crossing of "t"s. Also, at about the midpoint, the book takes on a bit of a sappy tone which increases throughout the remainder of the story. I also have problems with the amount of future slang used. I understand that Foster is using it to set the tone, but even the main character uses it constantly: it just gets too tiresome trying to parse it into real English so you can figure out what he's saying. There also seems to be some kind of problem with the editor: I counted five uses of the non-word "irregardless" in this book. I can't understand how anyone who's written as much as Alan Dean Foster could use that "word" instead of the proper "regardless." I sure can't understand why his editors didn't catch it. There are also several scenes where someone didn't catch contextual problems. For instance, at one point, the protagonist has been disarmed, has escaped, and has incapacitated one of his assailants. He then goes about his merry business without taking the captured, unconcious assailant into custody for questining and without picking up his weapon (and people are trying to kill him). In another case, he tells someone that a certain event has happened to her father. Suddenly, that person seems to have full knowledge of the event. Specifically, she knows when it happened even though no one has told her that. There are also several characters introduced into the book who don't seem to have any purpose. They're just there for a page or two and then they're gone: flavor, I guess. In general, there also seem to be a lot of cases where important things happen and no one does anything to track them down and figure out why, who or how. They're just like magical events which conviently appear to push the plot along. If you've got some time to kill, reading this book might be worth a shot. But, otherwise, despite it's promising beginning, it's not really worth the effort.
Sappy, Full of Holes, and Blah Ending
October 10, 2003
About the best I can say for this book is that it isn't really BAD. It starts out pretty interesting, but then its energy seems to slowly drip out of it until the ending feels like merely a dotting of "i"s and a crossing of "t"s. Also, at about the midpoint, the book takes on a bit of a sappy tone which increases throughout the remainder of the story. I also have problems with the amount of future slang used. I understand that Foster is using it to set the tone, but even the main character uses it constantly: it just gets too tiresome trying to parse it into real English so you can figure out what he's saying. There also seems to be some kind of problem with the editor: I counted five uses of the non-word "irregardless" in this book. I can't understand how anyone who's written as much as Alan Dean Foster could use that "word" instead of the proper "regardless." I sure can't understand why his editors didn't catch it. There are also several scenes where someone didn't catch contextual problems. For instance, at one point, the protagonist has been disarmed, has escaped, and has incapacitated one of his assailants. He then goes about his merry business without taking the captured, unconcious assailant into custody for questining and without picking up his weapon (and people are trying to kill him). In another case, he tells someone that a certain event has happened to her father. Suddenly, that person seems to have full knowledge of the event. Specifically, she knows when it happened even though no one has told her that. There are also several characters introduced into the book who don't seem to have any purpose. They're just there for a page or two and then they're gone: flavor, I guess. In general, there also seem to be a lot of cases where important things happen and no one does anything to track them down and figure out why, who or how. They're just like magical events which conviently appear to push the plot along. If you've got some time to kill, reading this book might be worth a shot. But, otherwise, despite it's promising beginning, it's not really worth the effort.
January 19, 2011
This is a cyberpunk/mystery/sf novel that never quite gels. I have read and enjoyed many books by Foster, and this is not his best work, or even close. Throughout the novel, gadgets overwhelm the characters and dominate the plot. Worse, the limits of science and technology are seemingly defined by the needs of the individual chapter, or even the scene. This makes too many scenes unpredictable and awkward.
June 9, 2008
I agree with another review that this wasn't ADF's best effort, but as always, it does contain likable characters and an interesting setting. The futuristic "Strip" is highly believable and the descriptions of technologies to come are certainly intriguing. Definitely a worthwhile read if one is looking for a vacation/beach book.
July 8, 2012
A nice and simple cyberpunk detective story filled with gadgets and futuristic settings. The characters are likable and the technology believable. It's a little fast and loose with the actual plot and has little to no character growth, but the language and world itself gives the story a lot of color. Definitely not one of Foster's greatest works but still worth the afternoon read.
December 20, 2012
A couple of cops in the future try to protect a young genius from being murdered by her father, who was using her photographic and phonographic memory to store his business records and is angry at her mother for leaving him and taking their daughter with to protect her. Oh, the places she goes . . .
August 9, 2008
Not Alan Dean Foster at his best, although it featured a well-imagined world.
June 22, 2009
Had trouble with this one. Just never got into the charcters. A novel based on a group of shorter works.
November 2, 2010
A fair pseudo-cyberpunk outing from one of the unsung greats of SF, Alan Dean Foster.
November 27, 2011
A decent read, don't remember much more.
February 17, 2016
Not a bad cyberpunk book, but I think Neal Stephenson and William Gibson are better at it.
Read
February 19, 2016This book would be rated PG for Action.
March 5, 2016
Mediocre, really. There were some good ideas, but they were overshadowed by a rather pointless story.
April 10, 2016
Well written, interesting story. Great world. Well done.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews