We learn about ‘the event’ through the eyes of a number of people: some in New York City, some in London, and others in a secret secure facility in RoWe learn about ‘the event’ through the eyes of a number of people: some in New York City, some in London, and others in a secret secure facility in Roswell, New Mexico. In Roswell, the first fully-aware artificial intelligence has been created, called DELIO. It’s creators, and in fact, all of the security at the site has one guiding principle – DELIO must never be allowed to escape. It’s just too dangerous.
The timeline and location jumps around quite a bit, but in fact this turns out to be an effective way of telling how DELIO does escape and how this impacts the world, whilst at the same time describing how this AI monster was created. The characters impacted in New York and London are a mixed bunch who each have something of their own story told. The best is a NYC cop who’s about to kill himself when it all kicks off. The worst are all of the British characters, each being irritating beyond belief and totally over the top.
This is the opening episode of a longer story. In effect it’s a scene setter. I like apocalyptic tales. They give the writer free range to describe situations we’ve never witnessed, to create a world from scratch. Ok, it’s a damaged world, but the rules we are governed by are all ripped up, and a new order needs to be created. Unless it’s complete disorder, of course. It’s too early to know which way this one will go, but by the end of this episode we’ll have already received a big pointer suggesting one likely direction. It does sound interesting.
I listened to an audio version, which probably increased my dislike of the characters from my side of the Atlantic, but which was otherwise excellently performed. I look forward to seeing/hearing what happens next… but with that singular reservation....more
It’s some point in the future, we’re not sure how far. A catastrophe has struck the planet, a man-made catastrophe we’re led to believe. A fog has graIt’s some point in the future, we’re not sure how far. A catastrophe has struck the planet, a man-made catastrophe we’re led to believe. A fog has gradually covered the planet, inhabited by insects that destroyed every living thing in its wake. There was only one place spared, a small Greek island, and ninety years after the devastation, a hundred or more people lived here. The leaders – referred to as the ‘elders’ - are three scientists. There’s also an AI system in play called Abi.
It’s not clear why the fog didn’t reach this island, but it does hover in the distance, a constant threat. The people here are a mild, friendly group, and it seems that there is no violence, no disruption to their tranquil lives. But there are also secrets, and soon there will be a murder – a death that will threaten the future of these people. They will learn that they must identify and execute the perpetrator of this act, or the fog will descend upon them. And they will have very little time in which to do this.
Turton writes carefully constructed, unconventional and complex crime thrillers; The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is, I think, a masterpiece. But what of this one? Well, it’s certainly complex, and its premise does seem to offer plenty of mystery. It took me a while to get my head around the set-up on the island and, unsurprisingly, quite a bit of information is held back and carefully parcelled out as the story unfolds. The world he constructs here is an interesting one, too. Yet I found myself strangely unengaged by the whole scenario.
One issue for me is that I struggle with stories that include the opportunity for scientific and technological developments or inventions that don’t currently exist to suddenly crop up and surprise me. This obviously offers the author the opportunity to introduce all sorts of strange twists that I couldn’t possibly have envisaged. I just find this exasperating; I like to use my wits to try to solve any puzzle I’m faced with and therefore a mystery set in a time when this vehicle exists is always likely to frustrate me.
I enjoyed the story, but I didn’t love it. It is surprising, and it is inventive, and yet I never found myself fully engaged with the fate of these people. That said, the ending is frantic and exciting, and it did keep me urgently turning each page to see how things would finally play out. I’m pretty sure many others will love this one more than I did, but it’s a three star offering for me.
My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for providing an early copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
Book 1 in this trilogy introduced us to a large group of people surviving some kind of apocalyptic event by sheltering in a large bunker, or silo, burBook 1 in this trilogy introduced us to a large group of people surviving some kind of apocalyptic event by sheltering in a large bunker, or silo, buried deep in the ground. We learned that they were there for the long-term and that our planet may be permanently uninhabitable. It was, in truth, the most compelling and surprising story in this mini-series.
Book 2 took us back to the beginning, to the time before the need for people to hide under the ground. We learned what happened and why. This prequel answered a lot of questions as it filled in the gap and then slightly overlapped events covered in the opening episode. But in my view this was the weakest of the three books.
Book 3 (this book) picks up events from where books 1 & 2 left off. We’re back inside silo territory as the key characters start to increasingly question what life outside really looks like. Is everything really so totally desolate? Once again it’s a pretty lengthy tome - perhaps a little too long for a tale that’s mainly occupied in tying up loose ends - but it does bring a satisfying, if somewhat convoluted, resolution to proceedings.
As a whole, I found it an intriguing and inventive series – one that kept me entertained for many hours as I listened to each episode on audio. I’d heartily recommend it to all lovers of dystopian fiction or just those that love long, complex tales that keep you invested and keep you guessing....more
I found the first book in this trilogy, Wool, surprising and exciting in a way I haven't experienced from a science fiction book in a while. UnfortunaI found the first book in this trilogy, Wool, surprising and exciting in a way I haven't experienced from a science fiction book in a while. Unfortunately I didn't feel the same way about this one.
But perhaps it's because most of the real mysteries were already uncovered in book 1? Well, to an extent that is the case, but there are things hidden in book 1 that are uncovered here. In fact, a good deal of the unknown from Wool is clarified in this book. No, I think it's primarily because this is a prequel, with much (but not all) of the action preceding events in book 1, and life in the world as we know it just didn't hold my interest in the same way. It's also because the characters here just didn't grab me in the same way either.
Don't get me wrong, I still worked through over 18 hours of audio without a thought of giving up on it. It's also set things up nicely for book 3, which I've already started. If you've just finished Wool, then I'm guessing, like me, you'll be desperate to know more. The background stuff is here, though I did feel that this one dragged a bit and maybe because I knew where it was headed some of it did feel a little contrived. Still, bring on book 3, where we're back to where we ended book 1. Now you're talking...
My son has been watching an adaptation of this dystopian tale on Apple TV. He suggested it might be something I’d be interested in. No alien creaturesMy son has been watching an adaptation of this dystopian tale on Apple TV. He suggested it might be something I’d be interested in. No alien creatures or inter-galactic battles, he promised. Instead, a depiction of a dystopian future for people housed in massive structure, referred to as the silo, reaches more than a hundred floors down into the earth. I decided to give it a go, going the audiobook route.
There’s quite a few unknowns here, particularly how it came to be that people are forced to confine themselves inside this structure. What is clear, though, is that the toxic environment outside is such that it can not be survived, even for short periods dressed in a protective suit. In fact, such are the strict rules in this environment that even the suggestion that you’d like to explore the space outside the silo is sure to give you a one way ticket to certain death: you’re immediately forced out into the wasteland, where you’ll perish within minutes.
Gradually, a picture starts to form this place, governed by an elected mayor and with it’s own security team led by a sheriff. The holders of these positions are based at the top, near the surface. Further down, there are floors set aside for farming, IT, accommodation, and, at the bottom, the power unit that keeps everything going. Following a relatively small cast of characters, we start to get a sense of how the whole community works, it’s stringent rules, and, yes, its harsh punishments for disobedience.
In feel, the closest comparison I can come up with is Andy Weir’s book The Martian. Good character development, a really tangible sense of claustrophobia, and a decent dose of persuasive (if hard to decipher) science underpins both stories, making them stand above most science fiction novels in my eyes. I didn’t know where this story was eventually going to take me, but before long I’d become totally invested in a number of the characters and so, as I approached the end of the book I found myself desperately hoping for some kind of positive outcome for them. The ending, when it came, was surprising and satisfying – I’ll say no more than that.
There are already thousands of mostly very positive reviews of this book on Goodreads, so 6 view is not that of an outlier. I’ve already downloaded and commenced listening to book 2 in this trilogy (a prequel) and have purchased a copy of book 3, too. If these episodes offer anything like the experience I had when listening to book 1, then I know I’m in for a treat....more
With some books it’s just better not to know too much before you start – this is one of those books. So I’ll keep the description simple. We meet threWith some books it’s just better not to know too much before you start – this is one of those books. So I’ll keep the description simple. We meet three groups of people, with the story throwing a particular focus on one member from each group. In the background a deadly virus has created chaos: if it doesn’t kill you its impact might cause you to wish it had. One of the groups are en route to a place where a number of people who are free from the virus are holed up, referred to as ‘The Retreat’. Unfortunately their coach has crashed and they are now stranded in a snowstorm. A second group is also travelling to the same location but they too are stranded, on a ski lift high in the mountains. Group three comprises those already at The Retreat.
It’s told in short alternating sections, each seeming to halt at the point of an unanswered question. There is tension in the groups – all of the groups - which often feels like it might spill over into physical violence. There’s the obvious connection between the strands – potentially everyone could end up in the same place - but it’s hard to see how the two stalled groups will be able to complete their journey. And though we’re fed some background information on the various players it’s hard to tell what is true and what’s a pack of lies. It’s all a massive brain-teaser. In fact I nearly gave up on it all about a quarter of the way in: it all just seemed so kooky, and I was really frustrated at not being able to work out where it was all headed. But I stuck with it, and I’m really glad I did.
When, finally, it became clear just how this all knitted together all I could do was smile and congratulate the author on her clever, clever construction of this tale. It suddenly all made sense and now I had an exciting finale to look forward to. It’s perhaps true to say that the whole concoction fits into the ‘highly unlikely’ box, but that would be to dismiss what is, in effect, a masterful piece of storytelling. It’s definitely a book that will remain long in my memory.
My thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review...more
For me a short story lives or dies on its plot, which either catches me or the story simply passes me by. On the other hand I enjoy novels the most whFor me a short story lives or dies on its plot, which either catches me or the story simply passes me by. On the other hand I enjoy novels the most when strong character development meets great dialogue – a good plot helps, but I can live without it. So where does a novella sit? Well, I think it needs an element of both, and that’s tricky one to pull off.
Set in Virginia, it starts with a community of black people being evicted from their homes by a violent group of white supremacists. They are chased out of town and forced to gather together in the former home of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. Will they be safe here? They’re not sure but it increasingly looks like they’re going to have to defend their position against an overwhelming opposing force. The state has some history with race divide and the Unite the Right rally, which took place in Charlottesville in 2017, might have provided some stimulus for this tale.
The action here takes place in the near future, a time in which storms have created enough chaos for social breakdown to occur (global warming is hinted at as the cause). And it’s all energy at the outset as we are introduced a significant number of characters. We see the story unfold through the eyes of Da’Naisha a young university student who is a descendent of Jefferson’s (through his relationship with a biracial woman slave called Sally Hemings). But after the drama of opening scene the pace slows significantly until, belatedly, there’s a rapid build-up to a crescendo finish.
So what to make of this one? The history is interesting and it pushed me to undertake some background research in order to flesh out which elements here are factual – the answer being quite a few. But my major grumble is that there were just too many people who I met only infrequently in these pages. Consequently, I found it hard to empathise with the plight of most of them. Well, that’s not quite true, I did collectively but not individually and for me that's not quite enough.
This story definitely has its merits and I learned a lot through reading it, but as a piece of entertainment (selfishly my principal goal in reading this one) it didn’t quite knit together for me. After a hectic beginning it's slow to develop and though I was eventually moved by what took place it took a long time for me to reach this level of engagement. Da’Naisha is the character who is designed to draw the reader in and this did work, but dialogue is strangely absent for much of the story and when it is present it consists mainly of one-liners and the odd casual comment. Therefore, I can only award this one three stars, though I predict I might be an outlier in rating this one so modestly.
Note: I read a copy of this novella alone, though it will be issued as apart of a collection of the author's stories under the same title.
My thanks to Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Short story collections can be tricky, it’s rare that all stories are to your liking so judgement on a collection’s merits usually boils down to the bShort story collections can be tricky, it’s rare that all stories are to your liking so judgement on a collection’s merits usually boils down to the balance of those that capture your interest versus those that don’t. Unfortunately, of the fourteen stories here, only two really worked for me.
There is a mix of what I would describe as apocalyptic tales, some that might fit the loose description ascribed to science fiction and others that attempt to be wryly amusing (note: all of the latter missed the mark for me). Each seems to pick on a moral issue, current in American society, and explores it in a novel way. The writing is clever, there’s no doubt about that, and yet most of the stories failed to engage me, and a few had me skipping on to the next tale well before the end. A couple that did initially prick my interest ended suddenly – unresolved, like a joke without its punchline.
It’s a pity, as the topics themselves were often interesting: a society that decides suicide at age seventy is the answer to preserve resources for others; the ability to transition from your own body to an online only presence; a world in which men have largely been eradicated due to their predilection for violence and abuse; universal childcare being introduced to avoid the pitfalls of poor or abusive parenting. But the execution often made me feel depressed or I felt that the story lapsed into something less captivating than the subject matter would suggest.
The two stories I enjoyed most concerned:
1. The ability to ‘wash’ the memory of a convicted criminal for a period decided by the court (e.g. for the past year or the whole of the person’s life). Basic life skills only would be retained in respect of the most severe sentences. 2. The prize for winning a lottery being the opportunity (for a sizable fee) to spend the night with the master of sex, a mysterious woman with untold skills.
In summary, an uneven collection is the norm but not one that provides only fifteen per cent satisfaction. It’s a two star rating from me, I’m afraid....more
She’s frozen and her tent has blown away but after six days Fran has finally banded her third. Her intention is to follow the migration of Arctic ternShe’s frozen and her tent has blown away but after six days Fran has finally banded her third. Her intention is to follow the migration of Arctic terns as they flee their breeding ground in Greenland and head to their winter quarters in the Antarctic Circle. These birds complete the longest migration of any animal and they complete it twice each year, as they’ll head back again in around six months. Their annual milage is calculated to be in excess of forty thousand miles and it can take up to three months to complete each journey. Fran plans to track them on her laptop computer as they fly south, but for her this is to be a one way trip. The only problem is, at this moment she has no way of getting access to a boat that will transport her on this crusade.
This might be the last migration of the these small but strong and brave birds. Global warming has taken its toll and the world’s animal life has been almost completely eradicated. It’s thought that in a few years forests will be gone too. Fran’s only hope is to beg a lift on one of the last fishing boats setting out in an attempt to hunt for the few fish that are left in the sea. She has a plan, the terns will need to feed at some point in their journey and that’s where the fish will be, the birds will find them. She believes this will be far south, well outside the normal fishing grounds.
Fran gets lucky when she manages to convince the captain of a fishing vessel who is desperate for one more big catch. She is a woman of few words, but she’s as strong and determined as the birds she plans to follow and is willing to take on any task to earn her passage on the boat. The crew are a mixed bag of sea dogs who largely resent her presence and the captain is pretty much invisible as he limits his movements to the boat's cabin and his own quarters. It’s going to be a tough journey but we start to learn, in flashbacks, that Fran's life has always been a difficult one. Her past is laid out in small, often cryptic, episodes. Born in Ireland but then transported to Australia, only to find her way back to the land of her birth some years later. We know she married but initially we know little of her husband or how they met. She’s a free spirit: a wonderer, a searcher… a leaver.
The journey is indeed a fraught one and all sorts of problems abound. It seems doubtful that they will be able to achieve either of their goals but through adversity comes respect and slowly Fran does at least forge an unlikely affinity with this motley group. And as a reader I had, by now, become close to them all. There is a good deal of darkness here both in the present and in the past but the characters are each, in their own way, compelling. I so want them to succeed, for some light to appear through the murk.
This is a tale about climate change and its effects, it’s an account of an epic journey and, above all, it’s Fran’s story. The deeper I got into this book the more eager I was to understand more clearly what it was that was driving this woman. I’d learned a lot along the way but there were still holes in the past that needed filling. My emotions were moving from sad to hopeful and then to near despair. The ending, when it comes, will satisfy some and disappoint others – such is the way with these things. In truth, I’m still fully processing how I feel about it.
It is a brilliantly written book by a talented Australian author. It packs a punch on many levels and I fully expect, and truly hope, that it’ll be a major success.
My sincere thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Gibson Wells is the owner and CEO of Cloud, a mega-retailer with spooky similarities to Amazon. But this is on a different scale, Cloud has pretty mucGibson Wells is the owner and CEO of Cloud, a mega-retailer with spooky similarities to Amazon. But this is on a different scale, Cloud has pretty much seen off all competition with its drone based delivery system and ability to squeeze suppliers. But it’s a sad time for Wells, he’s suffering from incurable pancreatic cancer has decided to embark on a farewell tour of his units, situated across America. Set at an indeterminate point in the future it’s clear that there’s been a societal meltdown – there are mentions of ‘Black Friday Massacres’ – and the climate has also been negatively impacted.
Demanding employers as they are, Cloud have a significant turnover of staff. We meet Paxton and Zinia as they successfully pass the entrance test and prepare to enter the same Cloud complex. Paxton, it seems, once ran his own successful business and sold his product widely through Cloud, but their aggressive stance on pricing eventually forced him out of business. Now he’s entering the belly of the beast - but with what intentions? Zinia is an attractive and feisty character who is clearly on a mission, hired a person or persons unknown to dig around and gather information on the company.
This is a well constructed sci-fi tale which takes the time to paint a picture of life inside this closed off, Big Brother-esque environment and to develop the main characters. Wells comes across as a caring but controlling employer spending his last days casting his eyes over his empire and his flock. Neither Zinia or Paxton are open books and both are evidently flawed: Zinia is clearly a tough nut who seems to lack true empathy for other human beings; Paxton is a little too eager to please and can’t seem to focus on what his aims in joining Cloud really are. Eventually they enter into a complicated relationship.
Once this is all established the story truly rattles along, and an engrossing tale it is too. We’re drip fed morsels of information throughout, but never enough to really get a grip on the bigger picture. But eventually it all takes off, with a pretty good twist and an action filled climax in which the fate of the various players is decided and we finally gain answers to all the various questions posed along the way.
It’s a very good yarn and it kept me entertained pretty much all the way through. I see that there are already plans for a film and I can absolutely see this story working well on the big (or small) screen. I’m probably at around 4.5 stars for this one but dithering as to whether to round it up or down. I’ll start with it at 4 stars, but I might just change it up later....more
At its best fiction can lift you out of the daily rigmarole and take you somewhere completely different. It can provide a totally immersive experienceAt its best fiction can lift you out of the daily rigmarole and take you somewhere completely different. It can provide a totally immersive experience, a great escape. And the genre that does it best for me is science fiction, that is to say what I’d call plausible science fiction. Now, though there is some doubt in my mind as to whether this is actually plausible (mainly because it’s so riddled with heavy science that I didn’t actually understand much of it) for me it was close enough – it worked, I was transported to that place and that place is outer space.
I’d add that in this regard audiobooks, if they’re read well, seem to work best for me. This book was supremely well read by the American actor Ray Porter. It opens with Ryland Grace waking, bereft of memory, in a place he can’t initially recognise. Hardly surprising really as the poor man isn’t even able to recall his own name. But he eventually discovers that he’s in deep space and that his two fellow crew members are dead. What the hell is he doing here, and does he even know how to operate this spaceship? He really has no idea.
Gradually his memory starts to return (in chronological bursts, which helps the story along no end) and we learn that the crew were sent on a mission to save the human race, no less. It appears that a cloud of microbes have appeared and are draining energy from the sun. Next up for Earth is a new Ice Age and total extinction, and in pretty short order too. But how did Ryland, a mid-school science teacher, end up on this ship, entrusted with such a critical task? Well, we’ll need patience to find the answer to that one but all will become clear.
At this point I’m starting to think that the story has a good deal in common with the author’s earlier mega-book The Martian. There is an awful lot of science here – in fact if you broke the text down I wouldn’t mind betting that detailed science musings comprise nearly half of it (I’m probably way out – but it really did feel that way). All of the sciences are here and though I was terrible at biology, physics and chemistry at school I have to admit that I found most of it totally fascinating. But more importantly, all of this detail made the story feel plausible, so a big tick for me.
I’m not going to go into any of the detail of the story from this point on as that would really spoil the enjoyment for future readers/listeners. What I will say is that I was very quickly hooked and during my breaks from the book I simply couldn’t wait to get back to the story to learn what happens next. Much like in The Martian, our protagonist has many, many challenges to overcome. It’s all handled brilliantly by the author who also manages to differentiate this story from his earlier book (which I also loved) successfully so that I was quickly able to overlook the obvious similarities.
Just how it all plays out and where we are left at the end is, to me, just magical. The story is as big as it gets and I think Andy Weir does it full justice. To enjoy it to the full you’ll need to jump in and go with the flow, suspending belief as necessary, and okay put up with the fact that at times it is perhaps just a little corny. But so what, it’s simply a brilliant tale told in a way that that really got to me. It’s the best audiobook I’ve listened to in ages and I’ll be very surprised if this isn’t in my top three books at the end of the year....more
I was worried about picking up a book centred on a pandemic, I mean, the timing is interesting isn’t it. But two things quickly became clear:
1. The paI was worried about picking up a book centred on a pandemic, I mean, the timing is interesting isn’t it. But two things quickly became clear:
1. The pandemic here is different - it only kills men 2. The whole thing feels completely tongue-in-cheek and is impossible to take seriously
Cole and her son Miles escape a camp in California set up to protect and exploit some of the few remaining males - semen is gold. We’re not yet clear on the details, but it seems that during the escape, Cole may have killed her sister, Billie.
Young Miles become Mila (i.e. he takes on the identity of a girl) as they make a Wacky Races style run for Canada, or maybe somewhere else if that won’t work. The early scenes are actually pretty good aided by flashbacks that allow us a glimpse of their previous lives and how the pandemic got a hold. And now we learn that Billie is alive (barely) and in hot pursuit.
Early on, my issue was that I found the exchanges between Cole and Miles/Mila irritating: the attempts at humour in their banter failed to hit the mark for me and the whole mood of the dialogue just felt off. I battled on, but when I came to a section where the pair became part of a travelling circus of saviour nuns I began to skim and soon after that I gave up at around two-thirds of my way through the book.
In truth, I’m not sure what audience this book is aimed at – young adults, perhaps? And maybe I'm just struggling to see the funny side of a pandemic at the moment (my bad if that's the case!). Either way, this story definitely wasn’t what I was expecting, and though I had a decent go at working through it I’d actually been tempted to set it aside from quite early on. Sorry, this one really wasn’t my cup of tea.
My thanks to Penguin UK and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Anna Blume has travelled to an unnamed place. She’s looking for her brother who came here too, on a journalistic assignment some time ago. She’d arrivAnna Blume has travelled to an unnamed place. She’s looking for her brother who came here too, on a journalistic assignment some time ago. She’d arrived on an aid ship, which gives us some clue as to what she’d have been likely to find here, it’s a desperate place and it’s far from safe. We learn of Anna’s plight through a letter she’s written to a old friend – in fact ‘letter’ might be understating it, it’s more a series of journal entries. The city Anna finds herself in is disappearing around her street by street, food is scarce and punishments for transgressions are harsh, meted out by no nonsense enforcers. Anna writes that beatings are commonplace, and every now and then you hear of a murder.
It’s clear that Anna has been in this place for some time now, probably for a number of years. We learn that babies aren’t born here anymore and conditions are so desperate that Euthanasia Clinics offer the opportunity to buy your own death – an assassin is assigned and you will be killed at a future point but in a way and at a time unknown to you. Groups of people run through the city screaming at the top of their voices until they drop from exhaustion. Anna explains that the point is to die as quickly as possible, to drive yourself so hard that your heart cannot stand it.
Given the meagre amount of food available, for the majority (the non-rich) survival, for those that want it, depends on earning sufficient to buy just about enough to stay alive. For most this means scavenging: either garbage collecting or object hunting. Anna has become an object hunter and has also managed to find a place to stay, she’s keeping her head above water but barely so, and so far there’s no sign of her brother.
I thought I had already read all of Auster’s novels but I’d somehow missed this one. First published in 1987 it’s a short dystopian tale with, in truth, little in terms of a discernible plot. But it is rich in atmosphere and, as you’d expect from Auster, it’s very well written. Though it’s a piece which left me with many more questions than answers I do have a feeling it’s going to haunt me for some time. I wouldn’t consider it one of the author’s very best works but such is the quality of this writer I still believe it’s worth seeking out....more
Three novellas on the end of humanity. Well, that sounded right up my street as for some reason I’m fascinated by post-apocalyptic scenarios. Ever sinThree novellas on the end of humanity. Well, that sounded right up my street as for some reason I’m fascinated by post-apocalyptic scenarios. Ever since I read McCarthy’s book The Road I’ve hankered for more of that unsettling narrative which seems to offer little hope other than perhaps just a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel (or should that be the road?).
In Andrew Lark’s story Pollen the sky changes one day and a wonderful fragrance accompanies the sight. Everyone is transfixed, totally unaware of the fact that this ‘happening’ will have profound impacts for human life across the planet. Reproduction will no longer be possible and life as we know it will simply peter out. Told in a series of statements from a lengthy cast this is probably the story that holds most surprises.
Donald Levin’s The Bright and Darkened Lands is set in a ruined landscape in which many survivors now live underground. We follow the travails of two women: a respected elder and a girl whose main task is to attempt to scavenge food and other useful items during her short trips to the surface. Very unsettling indeed, this is possibly the darkest of the tales.
The final story, Silo Six by Wendy Sura Thompson, takes us far into the future. Humans once again live underground but this time its in a very structured and controlled environment. People living in this age have not seen trees or grass or mountains but they do have access to virtual reality pods which attempt to recreate some of the experiences they’re missing out on. But, as we follow a young couple who are planning to start a family everything is about to change. I found this one to be hauntingly sad.
In two of the three stories the planet environment seems to reflect the possibility of a nuclear war and/or the extreme effects of global warning having created the uninhabitable conditions. In the other, the nature and behaviour of humans seems to have been the catalyst for some external intervention. So, in essence, these stories could be seen as morality tales. As a collection I believe they send a powerful message: no matter what problems we think we have now it could be so much worse, we need to look after this place!
My thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
The Gulf Coast of America is awash, with hurricanes coming in one after the other there seems no end to the violent storms. The government had told evThe Gulf Coast of America is awash, with hurricanes coming in one after the other there seems no end to the violent storms. The government had told everyone to leave the area but the time limit for evacuation has come and gone. However, there are still people here, for reasons known only to themselves. Now a line has been drawn south of Hattiesburg, Mississippi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana and nobody is allowed to enter this area – in fact, the whole region has been abandoned.
One of those left below the Line is Cohen. He lives alone in an unfinished house with a dog and a horse for company. He gets limited supplies from a trader who happens by from time to time and thinks constantly of Elisa, his now deceased wife, and their unborn baby. We learn of the event that caused Elisa’s death amid the wild storms and Cohen’s mind sometimes slips back to a holiday they’d once enjoyed in Venice, Italy. But one day Cohen is caught out whilst attempting to do a good deed and he slips from having very little to nothing at all.
The author is the son of a Southern Baptist preacher, from Mississippi, and has put on record his view that the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, was ‘lethargic’. In this novel the whole Gulf Coast area has been ravaged and the focus is on the people who remain, some of whom are now desperately trying to escape whilst others search for casino cash that’s rumoured to have been buried somewhere in the region. There is no law here now, it’s survival of the fittest and dog eat dog.
Cohen is forced to attempt an arduous journey to reach the Line, he cannot survive in this area with no resources. His odyssey underway, he battles not only the unremitting weather and devastated landscape but also others who inhabit this place and who are equally driven and most often morally corrupt. It’s a dark tale but just so well written that it had me from the very start.
I’d read a later novel from Farris Smith, Desperation Road, a little while ago and I’d loved the style and quality of that book. This one is equally strong. A tale of human spirit and what people are prepared to do when all is nearly lost, either to save themselves or perhaps to save others. It’s a wonderful story that is both sad and uplifting. In mood, this book put me in mind of Cormack McCarthy's The Road. There's a distinct lack of clichés and don’t expect a happy wrap around ending either, that’s not the way this writer does it. What you should expect is writing of the highest order and a story that will probably haunt you for some time. Outstanding!...more
At first the world started rotating more slowly, then it’s rotation stopped altogether.
The year is 2059 and the earth stopped turning thirty years agoAt first the world started rotating more slowly, then it’s rotation stopped altogether.
The year is 2059 and the earth stopped turning thirty years ago. Roughly half of the planet is in perpetual frozen darkness and most of the rest is turning to desert, thanks to the unremitting full force of the sun. there is a narrow habitable region which has, by luck alone, avoided either extreme. Britain won the end of the world lottery and has become the pre-eminent force in the world, and the place everyone wants to get to.
Scientist Ellen Hopper works on an oil rig in the North Atlantic, off the south coast of England. We learn that she’s divorced, has no children and is pretty much fully immersed in studying water flows and currents. But one day she receives a visit from two government officials advising her that her university lecturer and mentor is dying and has expressed a wish to talk to her. She’s reluctant to accede to this request – her relationship with her mentor having ended badly – but she’s put under pressure to pay a visit to the hospital in London where he’s seeing out his final days.
The thing I most like about this sort of fiction is that it offers up opportunities for the story to go in innumerable directions. So this book immediately fired my imagination and created a series of pictures in my mind. A great set-up.
I won’t go into what happens when Ellen meets her mentor other than to say it creates more questions in her mind than it provides answers. We learn that Britain’s totalitarian government rules with an iron fist and limitations are in force to limit the freedom of movement, and harsh punishments are in place awaiting those who flout the new laws. But Ellen’s curiosity has been piqued and she’s inclined to take a few risks in an attempt to find some answers before she returns to the rig.
The strength of the novel, I think, is in the way the people we meet are shown to be reacting to the situation everyone now finds themselves in. Nobody really knows if the planet can survive, or if it can for how long. There are fears that oxygen levels will deplete to an extent that life becomes unsustainable. Already, it seems that the area containing Britain and a few of its close neighbours is the only spot where anyone is left alive. So the mindset is altered: what’s the point of bringing children into this world, say some, and what about study and careers – why bother?
The less satisfactory element here is Ellen’s search for answers. This feels a little plodding and her successes and failures feel a little contrived, even somewhat preordained. The people she has existing relationships with from her former life on the mainland – in other words, those she is reliant on for help - just happen to have jobs and backgrounds that are a perfect fit for the purpose. But I think I could have accepted or even perhaps embraced this if the story hadn’t become quite so one dimensional in the second half. Ellen has gone all in in her quest and it all just becomes a bit of a chase. The ending also feels a little rushed, though it did offer up a nice twisty finish.
I’m somewhere between three and four stars on this one, but I’m going to round it up rather than down because I think the idea is really great even if the execution doesn’t quite match up to it.
My thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone & NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
We first meet Signe, it’s 2017 and this seventy-year-old Norwegian lady has come back to the village of her youth. She is tortured by her past, by herWe first meet Signe, it’s 2017 and this seventy-year-old Norwegian lady has come back to the village of her youth. She is tortured by her past, by her fractured relationship with her mother but more so by what has happened to this beautiful place where she once lived. For as long as anyone could remember there was the mountain which on one side became a vertical wall creating the opportunity for the Sister Falls to descend hundreds of metres toward Lake Eide. On the other side of the mountain was the River Breio, habitat of the Water Ouzel and of freshwater mussels. This idyllic spot provided a wonderful haven for animals and for the people who lived here. But then industry arrived and mechanisation – a once magnificent glacier began being mined for ice to decorate expensive drinks and the river dried up, the water having been piped away underground to provide hydroelectricity. Signe is horrified and she’s on a mission; she plans to send a message to one of the people she holds responsible.
Then we meet David and his young daughter, Lou. The year is 2041 and Europe is in the midst of a horrific drought. David worked at a water salinization plant in the South of France but he’s been forced to flee the area after a fire. It’s not yet clear exactly what happened but he’s been separated from his wife and their infant son. The pair have made their way to a camp where they plan to stay for a while and hope to reunite with the other half of their family. It appears that Europe is at war and it’s difficult to move around, but many are trying to get to the Northern European countries, where the drought doesn’t yet seem to have impacted.
These two stories are to dovetail at some point, but it’s going to take a while. In the meantime, we follow both in alternating sections, learning more about the plight of these people and of their background stories too. There are many elements to this book - it could certainly be badged an environmental novel, with its focus on the impacts of industrialisation and global warming (and I’ve seen the term cli-fi used too), but it’s also an epic tale of survival against the odds and a love story. And in some way it works on all these levels. In truth, I found it slow going in places but I was definitely gripped by the narrative even if I failed to warm to either the dour Signe or shifty David. But ultimately, I did find myself wanting to know what happens to these people and though the tenor is decidedly downbeat throughout, the open-ended final section does neatly knit the two strands together and provide some hope for the future.
This is the second novel in what is planned by the author to be a quartet of climate themed books. The first book, The History of Bees, I’ve yet to catch up with but it was an award winning piece and received rave reviews from many respected sources. I might just have to seek that one out next.
My sincere thanks to Simon & Schuster UK & NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
As a fan of novels that feature some kind of time travel and stories that have a dystopian touch this book really lit up all the bulbs for me. I absolAs a fan of novels that feature some kind of time travel and stories that have a dystopian touch this book really lit up all the bulbs for me. I absolutely gobbled it up and was left feeling empty when it drew to a close.
As the book opens Barry Sutton, a modern day New York cop, is attempting to prevent a woman jumping to her death from a high floor of a city centre building. It seems that she’s suffering from a disease called False Memory Syndrome which causes infected individuals to suddenly discover memories of an alternative life they’ve lived. It’s like an extended and more vivid form of déjà vu and it’s driving sufferers mad. It’s also apparent that once someone ‘catches’ FMS it’s quite likely that other members of their family or close friends will be similarly infected. Could Barry even develop FMS from this brief interaction?
In a parallel storyline, Helena Smith is a gifted neuroscientist who is trying to find a way of allowing people to preserve precious memories. This is driven to a large extent by the knowledge that her own mother is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and is losing more of her memories day by day. And just when she thinks her research grant is going to run out she receives a ‘money no object’ offer she simply can’t refuse.
For future readers/listeners the less you know about this book beyond these basic start points the better. There are many surprises here as the narrative zigzags its way through a mind bending series of steps toward a brilliant finish. There’s science here and much of it feels real, but a leap of faith is required when it comes to the big discovery. That can be problematic in science fiction stories such as this but I really felt myself being carried along and through that aspect here - it didn’t jar, I was sufficiently swallowed up by the story that my mind just went with it. It’s also fair to say that there’s a certain logic to proceedings that somehow made compelling sense of it all. And what a journey it was!
I’ll truly be surprised if I come across a more exciting story this year. Simply brilliant!...more
Jon Keller learns that the nuclear apocalypse has arrived over breakfast at a remote Swiss hotel. Looking at her mobile phone, a fellow guest gasps thJon Keller learns that the nuclear apocalypse has arrived over breakfast at a remote Swiss hotel. Looking at her mobile phone, a fellow guest gasps the news that Washington DC has just been bombed. Very quickly it becomes apparent that other major cities around the world have suffered a similar fate. Panic erupts as people rush to leave the hotel but Jon and a few others stay, as much through an inability to make a decision as by rational choice. A university professor who lives in San Francisco, Jon is unable to ascertain whether his wife and two children are safe as very quickly telephone and internet access to the outside world is lost.
From this point events are captured through a series of journal entries maintained by Jon. He’s not sure anybody will ever read his record of events but he’s keen to undertake this task, just in case. Around twenty guests have remained at the hotel and nationalities and language barriers quickly create cliques within the group. And the bubbling tension is quickly exacerbated by the discovery of a body in one of the hotel’s water tanks. Is it possible that one of the remaining guests is a murderer?
I do like these dystopian novels: when done well, they delve into the human psyche at every level. What has informed their fight or flight decision (if, indeed, it was a conscious choice)? Will it turn out to be the right one, or does it even matter? Will they all choose stay at the hotel or will some elect to make a run for it, even though it seems unlikely that any airports are still functioning and it's not clear whether danger now lurks outside their current confine? These and many more question will be answered.
The tension constantly increases as events play out. I have to say that I got to the point that I could hardly put this book down – I’d wake up in the morning and make a barely conscious grab for it, anxious to know what was going to happen next. The character development is brilliantly done too and I found my emotional link to a number of players changing as their varying personality traits were exposed. At times the tension was excruciating and at no point did I have a sense that actions of the survivors were anything but true. And for a change, I really like how this book ended. I'll say no more.
A superbly entertaining and thought provoking story - I loved it! My sincere thanks to Penguin Books (UK) and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
It’s not clear when it happened or what happened, but it was BIG. Now nobody talks about it, in fact everything before has been erased: there are no dIt’s not clear when it happened or what happened, but it was BIG. Now nobody talks about it, in fact everything before has been erased: there are no documents, there is no known history. This new world, in the same place as the old world, has rules that preclude lots of things and knowledge of the past is one of them. But the biggest sin is to lie, to lie about anything. To disobey this edict can result in serious jail time.
The place is called the Golden State and it’s what used to be California, or at least part of it, and it’s easy to recognise the centre in which most of this story plays out as Los Angeles. We see events through the eyes of Laszlo Ratesic. He’s a big guy with a gift: he can sense when people are not telling the truth. Laszlo job is to use this gift as part of the law enforcement team. There are cameras everywhere too – and I mean everywhere. Everything is recorded and each individual is compelled to document every interaction with people they come into contact with. Nothing is secret from the State.
It’s in this claustrophobic environment that we first encounter Laszlo as he addresses a minor lie he identifies whilst having breakfast at a restaurant. For this innocuous fib a young man will most likely serve a five-year sentence. They don’t mess around here! But soon Laszlo is called to the scene of what looks to be an accidental death: a man has fallen off a roof in what is most likely a simple working accident. But is it? From this point the story spreads out and we meet various characters including some of Ratesic’s colleagues, his ex-wife and various people loosely connected with the death. We will now see in more detail how things work in this new world.
It’s an interesting construction and I was drawn deeply into the story in the first third of the book. Laszlo is an unhappy man: haunted by the death of his brother (a fellow law officer, who also had ‘the gift’) and his estrangement from the love of his life. And he’s started to wonder about what came before the Golden State. But for a while book then seemed to struggle to balance time spent on resolving the mystery of the dead man versus the bigger picture of what the hell was going on in this place and how did we get here in the first place. I was impatient for the second element to be addressed. But in the final third the book delivered its big punches and supplied a satisfying (if not wholly surprising) finale.
I’m a little stuck between awarding four stars or five, but I’m going to settle of four simply because the midsection of the book dragged a little for me. But I do admire the invention and imagination employed here – and I might come back and upgrade my rating once I’ve spent a little longer reflecting on this thought-provoking tale.
My sincere thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
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