Paul McAuley gives us a vision of an Africa of the future completely devastated by civil wars, disease and genetic experimentation gone awry. This is an age of multinational corporations, larger richer and more powerful than many countries, eager to maintain their positions and protect their interests.

Nick Hyde, is a charity worker on a humanitarian project. Whilst investigating the scene of a massacre in Congo his party are attacked by a group of large hairless and very aggressive white apes. During the attack one of the apes is killed and the survivors of Nick's party escape taking the corpse of the creature, and a still-living infant Nick had discovered during the initial search, with them.

Following his return from this mission, Nick is debriefed by the military and told that what they faced were kidogos, child soldiers who were painted white to elicit fear in their opponents. When Nick refuses the official line he is given notice of his deportation from Congo.

Obligate is one of the leading multinationals, and they seem determined to cover up for something they did in the past, something that may have lead to the existence of the apes. Nick sets about trying to uncover the truth and bring to light what Obligate did.

Cody Corbin is an eco-terrorist, a religious-nut evangelist. He too is keen on discovering what exists in the wilds of Congo - but his aims are to destroy these creatures he considers abominations in the sight of God and, for that matter, anyone who gets in his way.

This is an intense tightly-written near future thriller. It's dark, no – make that very dark. This is a bleak vision of the future that has a lot of similarities with Philip K. Dick's image, although updated to include the advances in technologies that have come about in the twenty years since Dick's death. It's a comparison that Paul McAuley deserves and indeed comes out of it in good light. His writing in this book is at least Dick's equal and in many ways he improves on the subgenre Dick created.

His world also shares elements with cyberpunk, although not to the sacrifice of all else, he has carefully melded together elements from various sources to fully flesh out his tale.

His world is a dangerous place. This is a world where no one has a guarantee of survival, no character seems a safe bet, and this serves to keep the tension going throughout the book. I'm just hoping this does not turn into an accurate prophecy of the 21st Century

McAuley has served notice for the rest of the sf books of 2004, this is the standard by which you will be judged.

Synopsis and Comments
'Stunning proof that McAuley now leads the world in science thrillers. Not just a gripping, insightful novel, but a genuinely important book. Jaw-droppingly good' - Michael Marshall Smith

When humanitarian charity worker, Nicholas Hyde, defies Obligate, he knows he is creating a formidable enemy. For Obligate is a global transnational with far more power than is healthy, and everyone around Nick is doing what they are told and denying what they have seen with their own eyes.

But Nick is determined to seek the truth. And however much pressure is bought to bare Nick will not stop, until the atrocities being commited all around him in the twin names of progress and science are exposed in the fierce, clear light of day...

'This is the book Michael Chrichton would write is only he could do believable characters and hard science that gripped' - The Guardian

White Devils will publish in February 2004.