Review by Ian Braidwood
Brian has really made the biotech sub-genre his own - to the point
where other authors fear to follow.
Many authors use nanotechnology, but this really betrays their physics
bias. They seem reluctant to learn the science to handle genetics, which
is a bit silly really, because Nature is easily the most accomplished
nanotechnologist there is. This reticence is perhaps amplified by the
current gene paranoia whipped up by the mass media. To say something
intelligent about genetic engineering is to commit a heresy liable to
reduce the yield of one of the media's most productive cash cows...
...And you thought attaining freedom was just a matter of limiting
the power of the state.
Taking the Piss follows Darren Hepplewhite as he is kidnapped by three
mean hombres outside Sainsburys, a supermarket chain here in the UK.
As you've probably guessed from the name, Darren is not an ex-SAS stormtrooper,
but a member of the long-term unemployed who has been forced to hire
out his bladder as a bioreactor to GSKC. So he is from this point officially
out of his depth.
All is not lost however, because something very interesting is happening
inside his bladder and - apart from kidnapping - everyone who wants
a share of the action is willing to abide by the law, sort of.
Brian has made a career of swimming against the science-fictional tide
and with these biotechnology stories he his kicking against the strongest
current of them all. The ending too, goes against fashion and perhaps
you'll think: What? But think of it from Darren's point of view; at
least he has notional membership of the organisation he aligns himself
with.
