War Surf

Nasir Deepra, a wealthy executive who rules 23rd-century Earth, instigates minor wars, broadcasting his "war surfing" escapades on the Net, until he meets a young girl with an insatiable thirst for danger who pushes him into a war that exposes his secrets and brings him face-to-face with death. Original.

War surfing is the hobby of senior execs jaded by lives of security and power. They completely rebuilt the world economy, after all, and now there aren't enough thrills around. Nasir Deepra, part of a war-surfer team that broadcasts its escapades on the Net, falls in love with his young physical therapist, Sheeba, and brings her into the group, despite some objections. When the team then fails spectacularly because of her inexperience, and its ratings plummet, it decides to go to Heaven, a satellite rated at the highest level of difficulty for war surfing. Nasir initially objects but is worn down by his old friends--and Sheeba. Corporate secrets that Nasir has been trying to conceal for some time are waiting on Heaven, and he must face up to demons he helped create and the death he has avoided for two centuries as the situation on Heaven deteriorated. Buckner's thrilling, entertaining romp through a corporate-ruled world is also a consideration of immortality, boredom, and the changes necessary for continued vitality. Regina Schroeder
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