1996 novel by John Shirley
Silicon Embrace is a 1996 English language science fiction novel by John Shirley.
Set in the near future, it tells the story of a group of journalists in the course of a Second American Civil War.[1] The second civil war in the story is between "religious and ethnic" factions.[2] The main characters get involved in a plot set by obscure entities within the US government together with an alien race from Zeta Reticuli, called the Zetans, who are supposedly friendly to Earth.[3][4] A second group of aliens, called the Meta, are initially considered hostile.[3] As the novel progresses, layers are peeled away and some of the truth, but not all of it, is revealed.[3]
Kirkus Reviews writes that the story has "thrills and spills" but that Shirley's own "private theology" is too obvious in the story.[5] The Library Journal review considered the book a "marginal purchase" for libraries.[2] The Washington Post called the novel a "hybrid sf/horror novel that may satisfy neither camp."[3] Publishers Weekly was more friendly in their review, writing that readers who enjoy conspiracy theories and New Age myths, along with UFOs will enjoy the book.[4]
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