"Bruce Sterling - The Littlest Jackal" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sterling Bruce)

BRUCE STERLING

THE LITTLEST JACKAL

*
When Bruce Sterling called me last year to say he could no longer do a science
column on a regular basis, I begged him to continue. I pleaded with him.
(Remember, we mentioned the art of editorial begging in a previous issue.) When
it became clear that I could not change his mind, I asked that he send us an
occasional short story.

*
"The Littlest Jackal" is not an occasional short story. It is a strong novella,
bringing Bruce's continuing character, Leggy Starlitz, back to our pages.

I hate sibelius," said the Russian mafioso.

"It's that Finnish nationalist thing," said Leggy Starlitz.

"That's why I hate Sibelius." The Russian's name was Pulat R. Khoklov. He'd once
been a KGB liaison officer to the air force of the Afghan government. Like many
Afghan War veterans, Khoklov had gone into organized crime since the Soviet
crackup.

Starlitz examined the Sibelius CD's print-job and plastic hinges with a dealer's
professional eye. "Europeans sure pretend to like this classic stuff," he said.
"Almost like pop, but it can't move real product." He placed the CD back in the
rack. The outdoor market table was nicely set with cunningly targeted
tourist-bait. Starlitz glanced over the glass earrings and the wooden jewelry,
then closely examined a set of lewd postcards.

"This isn't 'Europe,'" Khoklov sniffed. "This is a Czarist Grand Duchy with
bourgeois pretensions."

Starlitz fingered a poly-cotton souvenir jersey with comical red-nosed reindeer.
It bore an elaborate legend in the Finno-Ugric tongue, a language infested with
umlauts. "This is Finland, ace. It's European Union."

Khoklov was kitted-out to the nines in a three-piece linen suit and a snappy
straw boater. Life in the New Russia had been very good to Khoklov. "At least
Finland's not NATO."

"Look, fuckin' Poland is NATO now. Get over it."

They moved on to another table, manned by a comely Finn in a flowered summer
frock and icily shoes. Starlitz tried on a pair of shades from a revolving
stand. He gazed experimentally about the marketplace. Potatoes. Dill. Carrots
and onions. Buckets of strawberries. Flowers and flags. Orange fabric canopies