The Mary-Sue Extrusion (novel)

 is the eighteenth Virgin Bernice Summerfield New Adventures novel. It is the first novel since Deadfall to be almost entirely told from a point of view other than Bernice Summerfield's. The story is primarily told from the point of view of the (unnamed) Stratum Seven Agent. He does however encounter several of Bernice's friends and associates throughout the novel.

Publisher's summary
"Bernice Summerfield seemed to hold the key. She was in it up to her neck, and she was the one person left who could tell me what I needed to know. I rather hoped it wouldn't be necessary to snap said neck and kill her."

The planet Dellah was once one of the cultural centres of the galaxy. Now, it lies in ruins and things walk through the barren landscape, twisting the unfortunates who remain there to their unholy will.

The tragic effects of this cataclysm have been felt throughout local space, from cruel and draconian Thanaxos to the multiplexal chaos of the Proximan Chain Rafts. All know the ultimate result: a war is coming - is inevitable - and is set to blow the fragile stability of the galactic sector apart.

Only one person has the pieces of the puzzle that might prevent the coming collapse - Bernice Summerfield. The problem is, she's missing, and what's more she's not feeling precisely herself. And if Benny doesn't find out exactly who she is, and how she can fit into her newly shattered world, there isn't going to be a world for her to come back to at all.

Plot
to be added

Characters

 * Stratum Seven Agent
 * Sela Dane
 * Prince G'jimbo
 * Emile Mars-Smith
 * Jason Kane
 * Mira
 * Professor Sabron Jones
 * Bernice Summerfield

Businesses

 * Pseudopod Enterprises SA are a "holding corporation" (ie a front) for other, less savoury companies. They employ the agent to investigate the situation on Dellah.

Individuals

 * The Stratum Seven Agent has Stratum Seven clearance, which recognises certain skills and standing. There's no such thing as levels one through to six clearance. He a brain print originating in the late 21st century.
 * Roz Forrester and Chris Cwej make quick appearances (in description, but not name). The Agent has met them before.
 * Prince G'jimbo, is a quite stupid individual. He gets possessed by an All-High God (the Dellahan gods).
 * Emile Mars-Smith is hiding out on an unnamed planed meditating to keep control of the god in his head.
 * Jason Kane has been working with Mira. He's described as
 * "Mid-thirties, with the lean masculinity that comes from putting muscles to their daily use, brown-skinned with distinctive skin tone that spoke of expensively micro-customised gene-modification so that the skin could withstand high-UV and high-radiation suns. ...a vest that showed the traces of primitive childhood gang tattoos on his shoulders and arms."


 * Mira isn't a telepath, but has augmented her body and brain so much and jacked to such a high level that she might as well be one.
 * Professor Sabron Jones used to be a chemist at St Oscars University, but is now held at detention facility, tortured by the inmates. He saw Benny being saved by Clarence.
 * Bernice Summerfield has a "Mary-Sue" performed. Following the Mary Sue she calls herself Rebecca. Her return to Dellah to pick up Wolsey was the incident that activated the Mary Sue.

Literature

 * A True Adventure of the New Frontier is the name of the books written (by various authors) about Benny's adventures.
 * The Stratum Seven Agent reads A True Adventure of the New Frontier called Ship of Death which (badly) details the events on the Titanian Queen.

Locations

 * Earth Station Prime is also known as Ptolemaeus Staging Port, Puerto Luminae, Heng O's Refuge, Lunaville, Colony One and the Luna Port.
 * Beta Caprisis is a wasteland caused by high yield detonations that decimated the colony. What was once grass is now like molten glass smeared over the land. There are still moderate levels of radiation.
 * Dellah is turning back to dust as the sky pylon that kept its environment life- sustainable is gone. Without it, the planet does not receive any more rainfall and quickly dries up.

Newsreaders

 * Sela Dane is a DataDay newscaster.

Planets

 * Professor Sabron Jones grew begonias that Benny found on the Earth's moon.

Species

 * There are several Spindlekings shopping in the Proximan Chain.
 * The Stratum Seven Agent is a Synthoid.
 * A Draal refugee from Dellah is imprisoned in Thanaxos.

Technology

 * The Agent mentions body bepple and body swap.
 * Benny gets a Mary-Sue, which is usually a complete mind wipe and rebuild process, rebuilding a completely new person, complete with memories and personality. Benny's personality was only buried underneath the new personality, not erased.

Time travel

 * Time travellers are sometimes called persons of "meta-temporal displacement".
 * There is a side reference to various Doctors when discussing time travel: "Far too many connotations with gibbering idiots in flappy scarves, elderly gentlemen in wire-frame spectacles, stove pipe hats and so forth" (the Fourth Doctor, First Doctor and Second Doctor).

Weapons

 * At the final confrontation on Thanaxos with Volan, he activates a stupid bomb which locks onto the stupidest person in the room. This is Prince G'jimbo, who is killed.

Continuity

 * Benny was saved and rescued from Dellah in PROSE: Where Angels Fear.
 * There is an excerpt from A True Adventure of a New Frontier called Ship of Death, which features a particularly bad retelling of PROSE: Ship of Fools.