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Radix (novel)

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Radix
First edition
AuthorA. A. Attanasio
Cover artistFred Marcellino
LanguageEnglish
SeriesRadix Tetrad
GenreScience fiction
PublisherWilliam Morrow
Publication date
1981
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages467
ISBN0-688-00135-1
OCLC7306214
813/.54 19
LC ClassPS3551.T74 R3
Followed byIn Other Worlds 

Radix is a science fiction novel by American writer A. A. Attanasio, published in 1981.[1] It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1981.[2] It is the first of four books in Attanasio's Radix Tetrad, followed by In Other Worlds in 1984.[3]

Radix is the story of a young man's odyssey of self-discovery, from dangerous adolescent to warrior, from outcast to near-god, in a far-future Earth dramatically changed from the one we know.[4]

Characters

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Sumner Kagan's alter-egos

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  • Sumner Kagan: The novel's hero, an overweight rebellious young man from a dysfunctional single-parent family. Father of Corby.
  • The Eth: One of Sumner Kagan's alter-egos, a powerful being created by accident by the Delph's fears.
  • Lotus Face: The name the Serbota tribe give to Sumner Kagan because of a facial scar in the shape of a lotus.
  • Sugarat: One of Sumner Kagan's alternate identities, an unlikely vigilante who exacts a brutal revenge on local gangs that have negatively affected his life in some way.[1]

Sumner's companions

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  • Corby: A voor, child of Jeanlu and Sumner Kagan. Eventually he puts his mind into Sumner Kagan's body.
  • Nefandi: An artificial man bioengineered by the eo. He serves the godmind called the Delph in return for a drugless brain stimulator called Coobla.
  • Dice: An inmate at a military prison called Meat City who befriends Sumner Kagan.
  • Ardent Fang: A member of the mutant Serbota tribe.
  • Drift: A né, also a member of the Serbota tribe and a genderless being with telepathic abilities.[1]

Minor characters

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  • Zelda: Sumner Kagan's mother, who makes a living as a spirit guide.
  • Johnny Yesterday: A lodger at Sumner Kagan's mother's house. An old man whose genetic mutations allow for "deep mind" abilities, which occasionally manifest themselves telekenetically.
  • Jeanlu: A voor, who lives in the Rigalu salt flats. Mother of Corby.
  • Broux: The commander of Meat City who trains Sumner Kagan.
  • Bonescrolls: A long-lived being who has had many different bodies. He has powerful mutant abilities and is a protector of the Serbota tribe.[1]

The Delph

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  • The Delph: A godmind whose powerful mental abilities are waning.
  • Jac Halevy-Cohen: A mutant from an earlier time whose mental abilities evolve him into the Delph.[1]
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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Arthur B (14 October 2007). "Reading Canary: The Radix Tetrad". FerretBrain: Reviews, Articles and Shiny Things. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  2. ^ ""1981 Nebula Awards"". Nebula Awards: Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  3. ^ Alfred Angelo Attanasio. "The Tetrad". The Radix Tetrad. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  4. ^ Alfred Angelo Attanasio. "Radix". The Radix Tetrad. Retrieved 10 May 2017.