Resurrection, Inc., 
by Kevin J. Anderson; 
Overlook Connection Press, 1999; 
263 pgs.; $45.00

I should admit up front that this re-issued first novel by prolific Anderson took a while to win me over, though it did even if doubts still plagued me. There's a satirical voice here inconsistent enough to keep the narrative veering from comical to deadly earnest. But this was the 
author's first novel, so these flaws may be forgiven.

A man is found murdered in a neo-Satanic ritual, and becomes yet another corpse to reanimate. Resurrection, Inc. is the brainchild of Francois Nathans, and its purpose is to bring the dead back to useful life as Servants, man-machines ruled by synhearts and microprocessor-stimulated brains. Androids are just too expensive to build, but dead humans are plentiful. Nathans wanted to give humanity the chance to evolve to a higher plane by leaving menial tasks to Servants, but the Blues (blue collars) instead lost their jobs and became a whining underclass.

The murdered man returns as the servant Danal, but from the start there's something different about him. His vat was visited by Nathans himself, and Van Ryman, head of the neo-Satanists. Chosen as a Servant to Van Ryman, Danal finds his memory impossibly returning. Suddenly, he realizes why he is so special and breaks away to search for Julia, his 
lover, also killed by Nathans. But nothing is quite so simple, and Danal slowly learns who he really is, and his true purpose. It's not a stretch to see Danal as a Christ-image, and the role he is given is indeed that of Messiah. But for whom?

Though focused on Danal and his differences from other Servants  and the act he commits which cements his difference  the novel didn't kick into gear for me until Anderson's characters calmly dissect major religions and decide which elements the bogus neo-Satanism will and won't embrace. But this nagged me: would Christian churches allow a neo-Satanic church to be created? Whatever the true answer, the questions forced me to think. How bad can that be?

Alternating between pure Cyberpunk-Blade Runner SF and horror, Resurrection, Inc. certainly covers a lot of ground. While the second half is more serious and intriguing than the first, it's still recommended!