Why hack computers when you can hack nature? Sterling's Storm Troupe lives in a post-greenhouse world ravaged by monster storms and finds itself hacking the ultimate storm: the F-6 tornado. No one in the Troupe, not even it's brilliant, driven leader, guesses the real nature of the F-6 or the shadowy forces unleashed in its twisting fury. Not until it is too late...


From Publishers Weekly
Cyberpunk prophet Sterling, whose last book was a nonfiction exploration of computer hackers and the law (The Hacker Crackdown), returns to SF with a near-future thriller. In 2031, the world suffers from "heavy weather"-tornadoes and typhoons caused by a runaway greenhouse effect. While most people wisely try to avoid the storms, one group of counterculture techno-enthusiasts calling themselves the Storm Troupe chases them through the badlands of Texas and Oklahoma. Led by the visionary scientist Jerry Mulcahey, the Troupe studies the storms with an array of high-tech equipment, trying to document what Mulcahey believes is coming soon-a superstorm, the "F-6," a tornado far more powerful than any ever seen and which might even prove unstoppable, a perpetual violent disturbance ravaging the landscape. When Mulcahey's lover, Juanita ("Jane") Unger, drags her brother Alex (who suffers from some strange disease as well as an irritating anomie) from an illegal Mexican clinic back to the Troupe's camp, tensions are ignited among the Troupers. But those plot threads are abruptly dropped when the F-6 hits, and the Troupe pulls together to fight the elements. Some similarities between this book and Sterling's previous fiction are evident: the Troupe uses the word "hack" as computer users do, saying they "hack" heavy weather, and they've got a similar case of technophilia, but it lacks the scope and the big, innovative ideas that gave novels like Islands in the Net their power. This one has some sharp moments and intriguing characters, but it never offers that exciting sense of vision. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
A dying young man and his renegade sister find acceptance and meaning in the company of the Storm Troupers, a nomad band of computer hackers and atmospheric researchers who spend their days and nights chasing and documenting the frequent tornadoes that rampage across the Texas landscape. One of cyberpunk's most gifted authors, Sterling (Islands in the Net, Ace Bks., 1989) creates a drama of real world and virtual adventure set against the stark landscape of postgreenhouse America. Along with John Barnes's Mother of Storms (LJ 6/15/94), this high-tech disaster novel should appeal to a wide readership.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Science Fiction Age
...chock full of intriguing ideas, trends and gadgets. So believable are the speculations that, as with some of Heinlein's work, one becomes convinced that the world must and will develop into what Sterling has predicted.


From Booklist
In 2031, mankind has ravaged the climate, and tornadoes roam the Texas plains. Following them are the Storm Troupers, a nomadic group of hackers led by a charismatic mathematician. They are attempting to predict the F-G, a supertornado that may overwhelm the entire world. Alex, the brother of one of the Troupers, must battle the heavy weather and his own desperate illness as he attempts to find his own place in the Troupe and the world. Sterling moves far beyond cyberpunk in this tornado-paced story, exploring not only humanity's relationship with the planet but also the intricate connections and bonds of a group of people dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. Dennis Winters


From Kirkus Reviews
Everybody talks about the weather; but Jane Unger and her band of Storm Troupers hack the weather. In the late 2030s, as a legacy of the greenhouse effect, millions of people have died or been displaced due to heavy weather. A renegade band of meteorologists and computer experts, the Storm Troupe, prowls the Texas plains, chasing funnel clouds, gathering data, and waiting for the meteorological equivalent of the Big One: an F-6 tornado, a twister so big that it could mean the end of civilization. Using flying robots, cross-terrain vehicles, virtual reality, and raw courage, the Troupe risks life and limb for the sake of scientific knowledge (and for the attendant thrills). Into the somewhat unstable society of the Troupe comes Jane's younger brother Alex, professional invalid and family ne'er-do-well. To everyone's astonishment, Alex thrives and brings a perspective on loyalty, family, and sacrifice that helps pull the Troupe into the solid team they will need to be if they are to survive an F- 6. Lucid and tremendously entertaining. Sterling (The Hacker Crackdown, 1992, etc.) shows once more his skills in storytelling and technospeak. A cyberpunk winner. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Locus
Sterling hacks the future, and an elegant hack it is.


Book Description
Bruce Sterling, one of the founding fathers of the cyberpunk genre, now presents a novel of vivid imagination and invention that proves his talent for creating brilliant speculative fiction is sharper than ever. Forty years from now, Earth's climate has been drastically changed by the greenhouse effect. Tornadoes of almost unimaginable force roam the open spaces of Texas. And on their trail are the Storm Troupers: a ragtag band of computer experts and atmospheric scientists who live to hack heavy weather -- to document it and spread the information as far as the digital networks will stretch, using virtual reality to explore the eye of the storm. Although it's incredibly addictive, this is no game. The Troupers' computer models suggest that soon an "F-6" will strike -- a tornado of an intensity that exceeds any existing scale; a storm so devastating that it may never stop. And they're going to be there when all hell breaks loose.


From the Inside Flap
Bruce Sterling, one of the founding fathers of the cyberpunk genre, now presents a novel of vivid imagination and invention that proves his talent for creating brilliant speculative fiction is sharper than ever. Forty years from now, Earth's climate has been drastically changed by the greenhouse effect.  Tornadoes of almost unimaginable force roam the open spaces of Texas.  And on their trail are the Storm Troupers: a ragtag band of computer experts and atmospheric scientists who live to hack heavy weather -- to document it and spread the information as far as the digital networks will stretch, using virtual reality to explore the eye of the storm.  Although it's incredibly addictive, this is no game.  The Troupers' computer models suggest that soon an "F-6" will strike -- a tornado of an intensity that exceeds any existing scale; a storm so devastating that it may never stop.  And they're going to be there when all hell breaks loose.

ANNOTATION

Forty years into the future, the Storm Troupe is a stalwart band devoted to chasing monster storms caused by the Greenhouse Effect that has laid waste to the Southwestern badlands--including the F-6, a tornado so horrific it has no precedent. But nobody truly comprehends this storm until they are swept into its deadly funnel.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Bruce Sterling, takes us on a wildly inventive ride into the future with a strange group of brilliant outlaws - part research team, part hacker cult. They call themselves the Storm Troupe and they hack heavy weather. They chase the monster storms that twist erratically across the Southwestern badlands laid to waste by the greenhouse effect. Heavy Weather vividly depicts a world wasted by ecological disaster, fueled by a black market in everything from semilegal narcotics and privatized currency to human organs, and populated by a cast of characters living on the edge of civilization - scientists, survivalists, ecoterrorists, computer hackers, artists, demolition experts, and what's left of the law: a freewheeling band of paramilitary Texas Rangers.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Cyberpunk prophet Sterling, whose last book was a nonfiction exploration of computer hackers and the law (The Hacker Crackdown), returns to SF with a near-future thriller. In 2031, the world suffers from ``heavy weather''-tornadoes and typhoons caused by a runaway greenhouse effect. While most people wisely try to avoid the storms, one group of counterculture techno-enthusiasts calling themselves the Storm Troupe chases them through the badlands of Texas and Oklahoma. Led by the visionary scientist Jerry Mulcahey, the Troupe studies the storms with an array of high-tech equipment, trying to document what Mulcahey believes is coming soon-a superstorm, the ``F-6,'' a tornado far more powerful than any ever seen and which might even prove unstoppable, a perpetual violent disturbance ravaging the landscape. When Mulcahey's lover, Juanita (``Jane'') Unger, drags her brother Alex (who suffers from some strange disease as well as an irritating anomie) from an illegal Mexican clinic back to the Troupe's camp, tensions are ignited among the Troupers. But those plot threads are abruptly dropped when the F-6 hits, and the Troupe pulls together to fight the elements. Some similarities between this book and Sterling's previous fiction are evident: the Troupe uses the word ``hack'' as computer users do, saying they ``hack'' heavy weather, and they've got a similar case of technophilia, but it lacks the scope and the big, innovative ideas that gave novels like Islands in the Net their power. This one has some sharp moments and intriguing characters, but it never offers that exciting sense of vision. (Sept.)

Library Journal

A dying young man and his renegade sister find acceptance and meaning in the company of the Storm Troupers, a nomad band of computer hackers and atmospheric researchers who spend their days and nights chasing and documenting the frequent tornadoes that rampage across the Texas landscape. One of cyberpunk's most gifted authors, Sterling (Islands in the Net, Ace Bks., 1989) creates a drama of real world and virtual adventure set against the stark landscape of postgreenhouse America. Along with John Barnes's Mother of Storms (LJ 6/15/94), this high-tech disaster novel should appeal to a wide readership.

BookList - Dennis Winters