The last Paul McAuley novel I read, Whole Wide World, fell down for me because, in part, it was set in the near future at the time it was written, but that setting itself was now in the past; and some aspects of the setting suffered badly as a result. I'm pleased to say that White Devils doesn't share that fate. Written in 2004, it is a novel of rampant biotechnology and genetic engineering set in the Africa of the 2040s in the aftermath of a major biotech accident. The setting will be depressingly familiar: an Africa riven with conflict and fragmentation, whilst neo-colonialist corporations scheme and intervene for their own ends. Into this steps Nicholas Hyde, an Englishman on a quest to find himself and explore the world. Whilst working as an environmental volunteer, he is persuaded to join a colleague on a field trip to collect samples from the scene of a suspected terrorist attack. But on arrival, the situation proves to be more deadly and horrifying than anyone suspected.

We are propelled into a compelling story of corporate conspiracy, NGOs, scientific and academic rivalry, power games, terrorism, corruption, greenwashing and local politics. Along the way, we find out more than we bargained for about the collision points between genetic research and palaeontology, and about Nicholas Hyde's own life story.

This is a substantial book, but I burnt my way through its more than 500 pages in about four days. There is action, local colour, and considerable body horror. There are some compelling images - the novel opens with one such, of butterflies, bio-engineered to carry company logos on their wings - and the sense of place is very strong. I've never been to Africa, but I had a vivid sense of what the land should look like. At the same time, the interventionist corporation that has taken over almost the complete administration and governance of the Congo is drawn in worrying detail, especially when it becomes clear that they use biochemically-induced emotional manipulation to secure employees' loyalty to the company. That is only a minor side-strand to the narrative.

Characters are well-drawn throughout, though there are a number who are distinctly unlikeable. Others are shown to be at the mercy of their circumstances, which drives their personal motivations. This may lead some readers to consider that Africans are being shown in a poor light, and European characters in a more positive one. The truth is rather more nuanced than that, but a superficial reading could mislead. And indeed, this is no Afrofuturist novel. Indeed, some may consider that its picture of a future Africa still mired in local conflict is pandering to stereotypes.

The main model for this book, however, is more Apocalypse Now as the protagonist makes a perilous journey into the interior of the continent in search of the bio-engineered creatures that killed friends and colleagues, and about which is a circle of conspiracy and murder. Along the way, he meets various characters, most of which end up very dead. Again, some stereotyping is apparent where the body count is concerned. There is a wealthy local fixer who has a ranch housing bioengineered big game animals, created for equally wealthy clients to hunt; that ranch is almost straight out of Ian Fleming's Goldfinger.

The protagonist made me think about another writer - John le Carré - as he purports to be a somewhat rootless young Englishman with an idealised view of helping the environment through assisting in research. But he has spent some time in the Army, albeit in a fairly second-echelon unit. He often comments that he never saw active service; and yet he is quite comfortable with handling weapons and explosives, and is no slouch in the action department. In this, he reminded me of the protagonist in le Carré's The Night Manager, who also had more in his past than he was prepared to admit.

But overall, this is an involving, immersive book. Many of our attitudes to issues of race and politics have changed in the twenty years since it was written, and a modern reader could find fault with a number of issues within its pages. But its African characters have agency, and their motivations are explored. And much of the villainy in the plot can be laid clearly at the feet of Western neo-colonialist capitalists. White Devils calls out blatant corporate greenwashing, and it maintains a clear view as to who the baddies are. Keep focussed on that and this book will provide a vivid and thought-provoking reading experience. ( )