Michaelmas

The eponymous protagonist, Laurent Michaelmas, is an ex-hacker who had, early in the computer era, left back doors in many key pieces of software which run vital government & commercial computers. As a result, by the turn of the millennium, he's become one of the most powerful men on earth, because of his ability to spy & influence through the world wide computer network. By the time of the novel, Michaelmas has successfully used his power to create & sustain a powerful version of the UN to ensure world peace. He stays in the background, however, as a journalist, albeit a highly influential & respected one whose opinions can still influence public opinion. However, as the novel progresses, he slowly learns that a possible extraterrestrial presence may be interfering with the new world he has worked so hard to create. The novel is remarkable for its prescience, because it appeared less than a decade into the Internet era, long before its current prominence & ubiquity. Its description of journalism & its professional culture are likewise highly developed, mainly due to the late Budrys' residence near Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, which appears in the book. * This was arguably the author’s best novel. Michaelmas is a journalist who, assisted by an artificial intelligence, is secretly ruling the world, undercutting corrupt politicians and manipulating things to reduce the tensions in the world. But suddenly the AI detects a counter force, another entity trying to counter his moves. All of this revolves around the supposed miraculous recovery of an astronaut who impossibly survived the destruction of his shuttle. Marvelous prose and a very subtle story line. [Don D'Ammassa] * Cover art by Alun Hood Magazine version, shorter: F&SF, sr2, August-September 1976 First book p[ublication: Berkley/Putnam 1977