mataglap -- an Indonesian word meaning "dark eye" or, probably, "dilated eye." It is an indication that someone is about to go berserk and start killing people at random. Used in Walter Jon Williams' novel Aristoi as the name of a berserk form of nanotechnology that devoured the planet.

You can e-mail Mataglap SF at mataglap@yahoo.com

 
(Asimovs, March 2009)



Nearly 20 years ago, Nancy Kress wrote a story called "Beggars in Spain", which is probably still her best known work.  It was expanded into a novel, which was even more popular than the story, and that was expanded into a trilogy, which pretty much played out the premise and overstayed its welcome. But the premise was compelling while basically simple, dealing with genetic modification that precluded the subject from the need for sleep.  Kress was particularly interested in the social and political ramifications such a breakthrough would have on the world, and how it affected the lives of the "sleepless", who had this enhancement inflicted on them by their parents in vitro, without the courtesy of being asked whether they wanted it.


So now here we are with "Act One", which is covering some of the same ground.  This time the genetic modification is to enhance the empathic receptors in the subjects, making them extremely attuned to other people's feelings.  Because this is an expensive procedure, these kids are generally from a privileged class to begin with, and grow up leading fairly sheltered lives. The modification doesn't work the same way on everyone either, in one case twins have different manifestations, with one of them being basically sullen and insufferable to everyone. 

The story is told by Barry, personal manager to an aging actress named Jane.  Barry is also a dwarf, a condition which tends to come with a lot of personal problems and a giant chip on the shoulder.  His own personal life is a mess, estranged from his wife for having tried to genetically modify his own child so he would also be a dwarf, a process which didn't work out as expected and instead caused profound behavioral problems.  Jane takes an interest in these children with the empathic "Arlen's Syndrome" while studying for an upcoming movie role, and visits the institute that pioneered the procedure, a shady outfit called "the Group" which is straight out of 1970's Doctor Who.   Sure enough, the Group has a larger agenda, and Barry and Jane find themselves caught up in it as the empathic modification gradually takes on a life of its own and changes the world, such that humanity up to this point has really just been going through the first act of its existence.

It makes me wonder where Kress is going with this theme, is it really inevitable that any major change engineered into human genetics will sooner or later affect all of humanity whether they want it or not?  If so it's not a very good argument for the kind of research and experimentation that already exists.  But the prospects are certainly intriguing, and in this story the ramifications and the modification itself are more subtle and maybe more unpredictable than with the Sleepless.  I think one thing Kress likes to point out is how close we are in real life to that precipice where humanity has the power to alter its own existence through genetic tinkering, whether for good or for ill, on purpose or not, and how in different cases that might actually play out.  In the end we're still human and life continues, but so many assumptions end up challenged or thrown right out the window that it's a scary prospect for everyone, whether they see it coming or not.  Kress always gives the reader food for thought, and in this story presents some interesting juxtapositions of character and setting to bring the science into a more unconventional scenario, making for a unique mix and a memorable result.
posted by Mark at 9:52 PM