Released by Doubleday on July 20, 1979
In the near future, travelers are electronically disassembled, transmitted through wires and reassembled at their destinations. A totally safe process. Except...when sometimes travelers go in and don’t come out. That becomes a problem for Saul Lukas. The Resurrectionist. His job – find lost travelers and get them out. Before the wires disrupts them so badly they can never come out again. At least not in human form.
This time, a famous Russian ballerina has disappeared inside the wires. Aided by his special maintenance crew able to travel the wires without losing physical abilities, Saul combs the line. He finds no trace of the missing girl.
To improve the odds of locating her, Saul goes to The Bridge Authority, the monopoly which runs the wire network. He asks the Authority’s president, Michelle Warren, to temporarily suspend all wire services. She flatly refuses. Why? What possible reason could the Bridge Authority have for deciding to condemn this innocent girl to death?
As the ballerina’s life slowly ticks away inside the wires, and Saul races to unravel the mystery of her disappearance, the answer gradually comes to light. Bring this girl out, and the whole nature of civilization could change drastically for the better….or the worse. Is one life worth such a risk? The final decision rests ultimately on Saul’s unwilling shoulders.
This is the third science fiction novel by famed Roger Rabbit creator and Hugo Award winner Gary K. Wolf.