Kelly McCullough, WebMage (Ace, 2006)
If the three Fates of Greek mythology existed in the twenty-first century, what would they be using to keep track of billions of life threads? The mweb, of course, a magical computer network complete with programs, viruses, bugs . . . and hackers.
Hacker extraordinaire Ravirn, the hero of WebMage, may appear to be merely an ordinary college student trying to pass his midterms and get it on with his sexy cousin Cerice (also a programming prodigy). However, he also happens to be the great-great-great-etc. grandson of Lachesis, one of the Fates (the measuring one). He runs into a spot of trouble with his great-etc. aunt Atropos (the cutting one) when he discovers she's creating a program to eliminate that pesky thing called "free will" in human life. A madcap journey across multiple dimensions ensues, as Ravirn and his sidekick Melchior -- a wisecracking blue goblin who morphs into a laptop computer -- strive to stop Atropos at all costs, while evading an increasingly menacing array of supernatural foes.
WebMage is inventive, irreverent and fast-paced, strong on both action and humor. The humor centers around the bickering, bantering relationship between Ravirn and Melchior; so does the more serious inner conflict of the story. As a computer sorcerer, Ravirn is able to "write" goblins such as Melchior into being. He doesn't question his right to do so, and to expect Melchior to serve and obey him, until he begins to wonder: does his creation have a right to free will, just as much as mortals created by the gods?
The readers most likely to be amused by WebMage are those who can actually understand the heavy techno-jargon littered throughout. For me, this was a definite incentive to skip large chunks. Maybe a glossary would help? As for the mythological elements, this is the Classic Comics approach, with gods operating basically as immortal superheroes and supervillains. It's fun, but has nothing to do with the gods as originally conceived and experienced by the Greeks.
So, enjoy WebMage for what it is: a light, entertaining bit of genre bending. As Ravirn says, "both computers and sorcery have always attracted an odd catalog of practictioners." McCullough has created an "odd catalog" of characters of his own, and clearly had a great time doing it.
If you also get a kick out of WebMage, you can visit the author here to learn about what else he has in the works, and read a list of his favorite SF and fantasy novels, too.
