The Wild

David Zindell, 1996, Sci-fi

The sequel to The Broken God continues Danlo's story in Zindell's far-future space opera saga. Here, Danlo has a great quest to perform: First, talk with the Solid State Entity, a gigantic and powerful computer-goddess. Second, find the Architects of the Old Church, and find some way to stop them from destroying the stars.

Of course, there are a ton of obstacles in Danlo's way. He's pursued by a rogue pilot and a deadly assassin, tempted and tested outrageously by the Solid State Entity, and forced into a computer simulation full of dead religious fanatics. He handles all these things more like a wide-eyed pseudo-Buddhist than a stereotypical sci-fi hero, but whatever.

Again, the book works, but it's not without its flaws. Danlo always seems to find a non-violent solution to all the problems he faces in this book, and that's something which doesn't jive well with the number of people and things who want to kill him here. The book's still worth reading.