BLACKBOX : A novel in 840 Chapters, Nick Walker. While reading this, I consistently found myself flashing back to Geoff Ryman's "hypertext" novel 254, where each chapter takes on the thoughts and descriptions of a tube passenger. Blackbox explores a similar premise in the lives of interconnected strangers tied to a particular airline flight. As you might expect from the title, the chapters are extremely short and hop quickly and, at times, chaotically from one character to the next, forming tenuous connections that gain strength as further layers are revealed. It's a quick read, despite the bit of mental gymnastics, and, for all it's pre tense, not terribly profound. It does manage to entertain and question, which all successful novels should do, and for that alone, is worth a look.