fast-paced political/sci-fi thriller, but is also remarkable for its prescience, because it appeared less than a decade into the Internet era, long before its current prominence and ubiquity. The technical descriptions of near future technologies are very convincing and apparently well researched. Its description of journalism and its professional culture are likewise highly developed, mainly due to the late Budrys' residence near Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, which appears several times in the book. Throughout the book, many references are made to classical works of art, theater, poetry and philosophy. The main character, Laurent Michaelmas, bears the name of the festival honoring the Archangel Michael, a figure in Judaism that protects God's people, and in Christianity that defeats Satan in the Book of Revelation. In the novel, Michaelmas helps to protect society from itself by influencing the balances of power in the world to avoid war and maintain relative peace. Related works The novel incorporates features of a substantially shorter and significantly different version published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1976. External links Michaelmas as serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, parts one and two, at the Internet Archive References 1977 American novels 1977 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Michael (archangel) Novels about journalists