SOURCE: "The Fickle Feather of Fate," in The New York Times Book Review, February 5, 1995, p. 19.

[An American editor, author of books for children, and educator, De Haven has written several fantasy novels and was instrumental in adapting William Gibson's 1984 novel Neuromancer into a graphic, "comic book," format. In the negative review below, he laments Vurt's lack of moral and social vision, which are typically considered characteristics of science fiction.]

Whether it's set on Planet Earth or Planet X, next week or next millennium, most science fiction pays close, even persnickety attention to the ethical, political and technological facts of life. Social context counts; always has. Without the anchor of a coherent culture, a science fiction novel becomes as disjointed and surreal as a music video, and just as solipsistic. It becomes, I'm afraid, a book like Vurt.

This first novel by Jeff Noon was originally published in...