Dev Harmer works for the ISS a security firm that is sent in to deal with the hard cases. He died during the war against the Poli a digital creature that down loads itself into the singularity when its form is destroyed, kind of like the Cyborgs in Battlestar Galactic. Dev is also downloadable, while he was dying the ISS downloaded his concise and he is now sent via message to host after host to solve planetary problem that have become so bad they require an ISS agent.

He wakes up in Alighieri, a thermal planet and soon discovers his mission is to find the source of earthquakes that should be impossible and are now threatening all life upon the planet. As he works alongside the chief of police he soon realizes not only his life is in danger, but the lives of everyone around him are in danger too. He must find the Poli agent and his accomplice soon before it is too late for him and the planet.

James Lovegrove writes many of his stories using religious figures and then twists them historically to fit his story line which is very interesting. This time he has gone all out and humans no longer believe in a higher power and those they fight against do. Even when humankind has quit believing in religion to better itself they are still fighting for their lives in what is basically a religious battle. Using the idea that a powerful private agency has stolen the technology to download the human concise into what amounts to the internet and upload it into bodies on different planets to complete missions is an interesting idea.

The consciousness or person retains all of their memories and lives out life body to body solving case after case until they are able to buy their way back to their original self.

Dev Harmer is a good character that is sarcastic and funny making jokes at the constant trouble he gets into trying to solve the problems facing him in his current mission. WORLD OF FIRE is the first in a new series by James Lovegrove and Dev seems to be the kind of guy who can keep us reading about his antics for a while. Nice twist on the future of crime fighting makes Dev a character with a future.