Neuropath
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| Written by: | R. Scott Bakker |
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| Synopsis: | |
| Genre(s): | Techno-thriller |
| First published: | 2008 |
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You are not what you think you are. |
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Neuropath is a 2008 near-future technothriller by R. Scott Bakker, better known as the author of Second Apocalypse.
Professor of psychology Thomas Bible's life is turned upside down when the FBI arrives on his doorstep with reports of murders and gruesome experiments. The prime suspect is Tom's old college buddy Neil Cassidy, who has set out to prove a philosophical argument in the most shocking way possible...
Tropes used in Neuropath include:
- Action Survivor: Mia.
- All for Nothing: Just about every bad thing the protagonist didn't want to happen, happened.
- And I Must Scream: Frankie.
- Animals Lack Attributes: Very explicitly averted when Tom's dog rolls over and exposes his genitals. Agent Gerard finds it hilarious and says it's so big it should get its own website. Then makes up some domain names. ("www.dog-got-a-bone.com")
- Ax Crazy: The Chiropractor.
- Big No: Thomas, right before Mia slams his SUV into the NYPD patrol car.
- Chase Scene: One of the few upbeat sections of the novel, in fact.
- Crapsack World: Judging by news reports, most of the world seems to have gone to hell.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: The serial killer known as the Chiropractor rips out his victims' spinal columns. This happens to one character (Neil) while he is paralyzed but still fully conscious.
- Cyberpunk: A subtle near-future example.
- Despair Event Horizon: The protagonist crosses it several times, because of Neil's Mind Rape.
- Electric Instant Gratification: The pornstar near the start, later Tom & his wife. (Unwillingly...)
- Emotion Suppression: This happens to Neil, and eventually Thomas and Nora.
- Faux Symbolism: Thomas Bible? His unusual surname is Lampshaded but it's not clear if it's meant to signify anything.
- Fate Worse Than Death Tom and his family, by the end (Frankie especially).
- Fighting From the Inside: Averted hard.
- Go Mad from the Revelation: Everybody who has come into contact with enough neuroscience suffers this at some point, although Neil takes it to extremes (though he didn't seem very nice beforehand).
- Government Conspiracy
- Ho Yay: Neil's excuse for being a Complete Monster may be that he's in love with Tom.
- Inherent in the System: Every system, be it politics, biology, or the values on which we base our lives, is basically depicted as a complete sham.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Neil Cassidy is revealed to be Frankie's father.
- Mad Scientist: Neil, obviously.
- Mind Control Device: Nicknamed "Mary".
- Mind Rape: The most horrendously extreme Mind Rape happens to Neil's victims, and quite possibly the audience experience this.
- In this near future, the NSA neurologists routinely Mind Rape suspected terrorists as interrogation.
- The Mole: Samantha Logan, who reveals herself in a truly unsettling scene.
- Mr. Exposition: Tom, rather irritatingly in places.
- Nietzsche Wannabe: Neil.
- Out with a Bang: Samantha Logan.
- Serial Killer: The Chiropractor.
- Shown Their Work: Tom's speeches about neurology and psychology. Mostly justified in-story as they are dealing with a killer who literally mind controls people, but sometimes Tom suddenly goes off on yet another rant about psychology when that scene could have done without it.
- Sliding Scale of Free Will vs. Fate: A definite type 0.
- Squishy Wizard: Having absolute power over people's minds surely qualifies Neil for this.
- Stealth Pun: Neuropath. What's a related word to 'neuro-'?'Psycho-'.
- Invisible to Gaydar: Mia.
- Tap on the Head: Subverted: Tom notes that the guard he and Mia knocked out needs serious medical attention.
- Twenty Minutes Into the Future: The year in which the novel takes place is never stated, but 2010 is mentioned as a year gone by (The novel was published in 2008).