Review: Humanity and high tech give Blank Slate superior status
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 18, 2012
Blank Slate is a potent international techno-thriller that is reminiscent of "The Manchurian Candidate" and a few of Robert Ludlum's better efforts. Without giving too much away, the riveting plot revolves around Darrren Vance and his San Diego-based CyberQuest's revolutionary "Mitobots" technology. Once Vance meets furtive First Lady Eve Mansfield, however, it's all-too evident what everyone who knows about Mitobots has in mind: using them for mass manipulation. What's not apparent are the thrills provided by the less travelled path approach of the plot and characters.Blank Slate is quite different from most globe-trotting, action hero-saves-the-day thrillers. The political and military implications of Mitobots are made obvious early-on. So, author RW Graves doesn't dwell on them too much; just enough to lend grade-A authenticity and intensity to Blank Slate without going over the average reader's head. Graves enlightens, but also entertains: no "information dump" of jargon and technology to disengage the reader.Which leads to another of Graves's gifts: characterization. The villains are suitably unsympathetic. In an era of often over-analyzed and rationalized criminal mentality, these maniacs' motives are clear: to use Mitobots as a means to increasing their money and power. However, this soulless conspiracy of slime's singular scheming is so extreme that it almost overshadows the earnest hero Darren Vance!It is only when Vance's daughter Haley disappears that he vaults to the level of valiance most readers expect. This is also where Graves scores more style points. Instead of saddling Vance with a romantic interest--though one is marginally offered with co-worker Ginger Wilson--the greater love interest in Blank Slate is not romantic. It isn't even patriotic (for a while, anyway). It is instead paternal love: that of a father's devotion to his daughter's well-being. Graves ties the greater conspiracy into Vance's search almost seamlessly.I say "almost" because while parental love is bold and admirable, aspects of the approach stall Blank Slate's up-tempo for a few chapters. Those aspects being the story's shift to Mexico. While the south-of-the-border settings are as credible as those in the rest of the story, the Tijuana encounter made Blank Slate slip into a dual identity. It was as if another separate story took place. Though obviously related, the search in Mexico seemed to temporarily undo and subdue the greater Mitobot plot.The action in South Korea brings the story back on track, as it is culturally and politically closer to the greater conspiracy (whereas Tijuana isn't). Author Graves could have built Darren Vance's heroic stature just as well by moving the action to South Korea sooner, and skipping the stop in Mexico.This isn't enough of a misstep to trip-up Blank Slate though. It still succeeds as a superior story of believable international suspense and genuine techno-thrills. Offering not only a convincing conspiracy for the computer age, but also a kind of underrated heroism--fatherhood--that will endear readers of many ages.