The works of J. Effinger created his reputation as a science fiction writer, gifted with scientific fiction. “Twisted, dark and cruel... it’s a knife behind every smile,” is how one of America’s prominent critics characterized the writer’s work. Effinger’s name does not leave the pages of newspapers and magazines, his books are instantly sold out, his characters are discussed, no one is indifferent.

Marid Audran “When there is an abyss under your feet” (When Gravity Fails, 1987) “Fire in the Sun” (A Fire in the Sun, 1989) “The Exile Kiss” (1991) Effinger’s most famous work, a cyberpunk classic. The action takes place in the 22nd century, when financial turmoil and environmental disasters led to the “Balkanization” of the West and the rise of the East. Totalitarianism and lawlessness reign everywhere, synthetic drugs are widely available, people are actively modifying their bodies. The hero of the series, private detective Marid Odran, investigates mysterious crimes with a large number of murders. The atmosphere of the novels is a hybrid of classic noir in the spirit of Raymond Chandler and cyberpunk “like Gibson.” The hero, in accordance with the laws of the genre, actively uses drugs, sleeps with transsexuals, and constantly rakes his face and other parts of the body. At the same time, Marid fundamentally does not use “modics” - brain implants that allow you to project the matrix of any personality onto your own consciousness. A person can become anyone - be it Napoleon or Hannibal Lecter. Naturally, when anyone is capable of trying on the consciousness of Jack the Ripper or Al Capone, the most sophisticated murders occur at every turn.