A Death of Honor

THE GIRL WAS SPRAWLED OUT ON THE FLOOR IN THE LIVING ROOM OF HIS APARTMENT. So begins Joe Clifford Faust's classic science fiction thriller, which has entertained both SF and non-SF readers since its release nearly 25 years ago. Originally published as a paperback original by Del Rey Books, Honor was also a main selection of the Science Fiction Book Club, where it was given a generic cover and enjoyed crossover sales through the Mystery Guild Book Club. It was also chosen as a Recommended Read in the Crime and Punishment category by the Science Fiction Museum. The novel takes place in an alternate future where a crumbling United States is one of the few nations left to have fended off Soviet domination. It tells the story of seven days in the life of D.A. Payne, a bioengineer who finds the naked corpse of a woman in his apartment and is compelled to investigate her murder. As he digs deeper into the woman's identity and the cause of her death, he learns things about himself and his world that will conspire to change his life forever. The electronic editions of Honor also contain bonus material: the novel's original ending - a 2,000 word epilog that was cut before publication - along with an essay from the author telling how it came to be chopped. REVIEWS: "The science fiction mystery is an extremely difficult genre to handle well, and it's a delightful surprise when a first novelist pulls the trick off gracefully. Joe Clifford Faust has constructed a compelling mystery... Chillingly plausible." LOCUS "One of the most entertaining, well-thought-out SF/detective novels to come around in a long time... At the close, one feels one has seen a real world, met real people; certainly one has felt real suspense. This is meaty stuff; extremely satisfying." FANTASY REVIEW "Storytelling that will surely keep readers turning pages." BOOKLIST