Futuristic post-apocalyptic thriller pacy, exciting

My first thought when picking up Simon Morden's Equations of Life was, what a lacklustre title. But 30-40 pages later, all became clear in what turned out to be a stimulating novel about life in London in the early 21st century (heck, that's now!), 20 years after "Armageddon", an event that saw Russia blown off the map and Japan sink out of sight.

Samuil Petrovitch is a 22-year-old Russian emigre studying in London for a doctorate in applied physics, and along with Pif, a female colleague, is poised for a breakthrough that will make space travel to outer-galaxy stars a reality - they just need to come up with that elusive algebraic equation.

But the realities of London's "metrozone", home to large numbers of refugees, many of whom live in shipping containers piled on top of one another, are in stark contrast to the heady ideals of his calling.

Ukrainian and Japanese crime bosses compete for control of the city's underworld, with British and American security people hovering on the fringes, trying to keep up with the murders and mayhem, while armed nuns guard the churches.

The meat in these sandwiches is Petrovitch, who stumbles across an attempt by the Ukrainians to kidnap the daughter of a Japanese overlord, Oshicora.

Petrovich, who drops Russian swear words into everyday conversation (I wonder what "chyort" means?) is desperately in need of a new heart (artificial organ replacements are available for just about every part of the body, and even sausages and eggs served in diners are artificial), and hopes his luck and talents will net him the 250,000 euros required to pay for it; saving Sonja Oshicora's bacon being a good way to start.

Although too far-fetched for this reader, I'm sure younger ones will enjoy this tightly plotted, fast-paced thriller with its real-life equations that seem far more believable than plots involving replicants and cyborgs - although the algebra may be over most heads.

 - Ian Williams is a Dunedin writer and composer.