''Voice of the Whirlwind'' is a 1987

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyber ...

science fiction novel by American writer

Walter Jon Williams Walter Jon Williams (born October 28, 1953) is an American writer, primarily of science fiction. Previously he wrote nautical adventure fiction under the name Jon Williams, in particular, ''Privateers and Gentlemen'' (1981–1984), a series of hi ...

. The novel is part of a series which includes ''

Hardwired Hardwire or hardwired may refer to: *Electrical wiring *Hardwired control unit, a part of a computer's central processing unit *In computer programming, a kludge to temporarily or quickly fix a problem *Wired communication In arts and entertainme ...

'' (1986) and " Solip:System" (1989).

Plot introduction

Etienne Steward is a clone, also known as a beta. When he awakes, his memories are fifteen years old, because the original Steward—the alpha—apparently did not have his memories updated after the clone was created. In those fifteen years, the entire world has changed. Steward Alpha's original employer, the Orbital Policorp, has collapsed in the aftermath of an off-planet war over alien artifacts. Steward Alpha fought in the war and was a commander of great renown, and afterwards was a member of humanity's alien diplomacy group. However, Steward Alpha has been murdered, resulting in the activation of his clone backup. Now Steward Beta must discover the murderer's identity while investigating the effect of alien influence on human society. 1987 American novels 1987 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Cyberpunk novels {{1980s-sf-novel-stub