"Sean Williams - Metak Fatigue" - читать интересную книгу автора (Williams Sean)

HarperCollinsPublishers
First published in Australia in 1996 by HarperCollinsPublishers Pty Limited
ACN 009 913 517 A member of the HarperCollinsPublishers (Australia) Pry
Limited Group
Copyright (D Sean Williams 1996
This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of
private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright
Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission.
Inquiries should be addressed to the publishers.
HarperCoffinsPublishers
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National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-publication data:
Williams, Sean, 1967
Metal fatigue. ISBN 0 7322 5633 X.
1. Title. A823.3
Cover illustration by Greg Bridges Cover design by Darian Causby
Printed in Australia by Griffin Paperbacks, Adelaide
7654321
99989796
"Each culture casts its own shadow, a shadow which is
a perfect description of its own form and nature. The shadow which our
technological civilisation casts is that of Lilith, 'the maid of desolation'
who dances in the ruins of cities. Now that we have made a single polluted
city of the entire world, she is preparing to dance in the ruins of our
planetary megalopolis."
William Irwin Thompson The Time Falling Bodies Take To Light
In memoriam Harold Alwin Schiller
1903-1983 David John Williams
1942-1995
The author would like to thank the following people for their help during the
preparation of this novel: Bill Congreve, Shane Dix, Bill Gee, Jeff Harris,
Phillip & Jo Knowles, Kelly Manison, Peter McNamara, Sputnik, Nick
Stathopoulos, Jonathan Strahan, Louise Thurtell, Damien Warman and Juliette
Woods.
Some sections of this novel are loosely based on the short story "Robbery,
Assault and Battery", published in Nemesis'#17 (March, 1992).
PART ONE: THOU SHALT NOT STEAL
PRELUDE
Friday, 14 September, 2 096, 11:1 S P.m.
"I am Lucifer," said the voice.
He woke with a start, and opened his eyes. The room was lit by second-hand
streetlight, an
indistinct, yellow haze which spilled through the curtains and lapped at the
damp-stained walls. The curfew had not yet fallen, which placed the time at
before twelve o'clock; still, the faint electric light was