Solomon's Knife
by Victor Koman
Also by Victor Koman
from PULPLESS.
PULPLESS.CCOOM
M,, II N
N C
C..TM
The Jehovah Contract
Kings of the High Frontier Captain Anger Adventure #1: The Microbotic Menace Death's Dimensions (forthcoming)
Millennium: Weeds
Spaceways #13: Jonuta Rising! (with Andrew J. Offutt writing as "John Cleve")(1983) Spaceways #17: The Carnadyne Horde (with Andrew J. Offutt writing as "John Cleve")(1984) a novel
by
Victor Koman
PULPLESS.
PULPLESS.CCOOM
M,, II N
N C
C..
10736 Jefferson Blvd., Suite 775
Culver City, CA 90230-4969, USA
Voice & Fax: (500) 367-7353
Home Page: http://www.pulpless.com/
Business inquiries to info@pulpless.com
Editorial inquiries & submissions to
editors@pulpless.com
Copyright © 1989, 1999 by Victor Koman
All rights reserved. Published by arrangement with
the author. Printed in the United States of America.
The rights to all previously published materials
by {authour] are owned by the author, and are
claimed both under existing copyright laws and
natural logorights. All other materials taken from
published sources without specific permission are
either in the public domain or are quoted and/or
excerpted under the Fair Use Doctrine. Except for
attributed quotations embedded in critical articles
or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including pho-tocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. pletely imaginary or used fictitiously. While the medical procedure described herein is not known to have been performed, it lurks on the borderland of technical feasibility. Any resemblance to actual persons-living, dead, or in limbo-or to actual events, locales, secret experiments, or curiously worded contracts is purely coincidental. -V.K. First edition published April, 1989 by Franklin Watts
First Pulpless.ComTM, Inc. Edition July, 1999.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 99-61055
Trade Paperback ISBN: 1-58445-072-X
Acrobat/PDF Digital Edition ISBN: 1-58445-073-8
HTML Digital Edition ISBN: 1-58445-074-6
Book designed by CaliPer, Inc.
Cover Design & Illustration by Victor Koman
© 1999 by Victor Koman
Author's Acknowledgments
Writers often refer to their novels as their "babies," with good reason. The labor through which they go to give birth to such cre-ations can often be as traumatic, physically and mentally, as the birth of a human being. Worse, the labor can last for years. The reward, though, is a lovely offspring that has the potential to live beyond its creator and touch other lives in myriad ways.
And, as with babies, the final, full-grown product is the result of many individual influences that combine to make the whole. A writer's experiences, research, and input from friends are the ge-netic material of the work. What follows is a DNA map of Solomon's Knife. "
The initial germ of the story came from that veritable fount of ideas, Samuel Edward Konkin III, whose sarcastic offhand com-ment sparked a helix of thoughts in me.
Wendy McElroy, erstwhile editrix of The Voluntaryist, wrote a passionate, logical defense of abortion that inspired me to counter-attack, with equal fervor, the flaws I perceived in her arguments. J. Neil Schulman encouraged me to write a non-fiction article about a procedure that does not exist, which ultimately found no market. Then he convinced me that a fictional treatment offered more latitude in examining the potential of such an innovation. His constant enthusiasm and support brought this work to fruition. Fur-thermore, his heroic efforts to create a new form of literature for the third millennium-the Paperless Book-has ensured that you can read this book whenever you want in the edition over which the author has had total control. Long live Pulpless.Com!
Dr. John E. Buster, pioneer in non-surgical ovum transfer, gra-ciously and patiently answered hours of questions from an obvi-ously ardent fan. The work he quietly, diligently, performs is ca-pable of changing the face of the world in ways none of us can fully imagine.
Virginia Jacobs provided me with valuable information about blood and marrow; she also coined the term transoption as a mar-velous alternative to my inferior construct transortion. Regina Cobb patiently explained how lawyers work and think, helping me immensely with the courtroom scenes.
Richard Kyle, eponymous proprietor of the best bookstore in the world-bar none-has helped me out of a bind more than a few times, providing tactical and strategic support whenever necessary. Joel Gotler, who agented this with book with Neil's assistance, has believed in me for the past a couple of decades, aiding me when he could and always maintaining a personal interest when circumstances intervened. He helped keep this work afloat when it was merely a "project"-the artistic equivalent of a dislodged ovum.
Ronni Paer, Denise DeGarmo, Ricka Fisher, and Carol Drexler demonstrated an early interest in the book and gave me a glimpse of the more obscure reactions to transoption that might arise. Robert A. Heinlein and Ray Bradbury inspired me to write, and then encouraged me onward. They both have a million sons and daughters who love them dearly.
Charles Platt, Ed Breslin, and Kent Oswald of Franklin Watts all contributed their energy and their company's money to ensure that this book was published in hardback. The previously mentioned Sam and Neil, as well as Kent Hastings and super-networker Brad Linaweaver, work wicked hard in the digital world to make sure today.
Robert Meyer Burnett-a rising star in film-making-keeps me inspired with his interest in my work and his kind words of encour-agement. Thanks!
My daughter, Vanessa, understood quickly-despite her age-that there was some causal connection between Daddy's time at the com-puter and his ability to purchase food, clothing, and surprises. Her recognition of the Koman variant of the Prime Directive is deeply appreciated. And most of all, my wife-to whom this book is lovingly dedi-cated-served as birth partner in this three-year gestation, endur-ing 5 A.M. rolls out of bed, stacks of paper atop every horizontal surface in the house, my discovery of caffeine after four decades of abstinence, and my penchant for gleefully describing imaginary medical procedures in the most lurid terms possible. Veronica did more than persevere, though, providing days and nights of insight, criticism, inspiration, proofreading, encouragement, and love. Dedicated to my wife, lover,
friend, and companion,
Veronica,
who through faith, love,
labor, and courage, served as midwife to this work.
Table of Contents CHAPTER PAGE
1 ........................................................................................ 11
2 ........................................................................................ 17
3 ........................................................................................ 25
4 ........................................................................................ 33
5 ........................................................................................ 47
6 ........................................................................................ 55