Slipping the Stream by Mike Shade

[reviews_and_ramblings]

In a world where people live more than 20 hours in the stream, Orry, a jacker, finds some files he was better not to find. In an heartbeat his house is destroyed, his mom killed and he is trapped, spiders and auths near him.

And suddenly Dar, a not jacker, and Cents, a former jacker, arrive to rescue him. They talk of a place without stream but with real things, water, wind, colour... And they make love, between them and with him. For the first time in his life Orry feels something real and it's beautiful and frightful.

Orry is a fragile character, he is like a butterfly, could fly near to you, but you are to be very careful not to scare him. He needs a warm touch and someone who takes care of him. Cents is all energy and sassy behaviour, but he is also generous: he is jealous of the love of Dar, but he knows that Orry needs that and he is willing to share. Dar is like a rock: he is the real thing in a world goes mad; he is the anchor for his boys, without him they will drift in the stream.

An interesting futuristic tale, somewhat dark but not to heavy. Mike Shade manages to write a story that doesn't slide in the dark side. It is rather short and you will read it in one session, thanks also to the fastpaced rhythm.

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