Babylon's Ashes by James S.A. Corey (Expanse #6)

Babylon's Ashes by James S.A. Corey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  The Free Navy – a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships – has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them.

James Holden and his crew know the strengths and weaknesses of this new force better than anyone. Outnumbered and outgunned, the embattled remnants of the old political powers call on the Rocinante for a desperate mission to reach Medina Station at the heart of the gate network.

But the new alliances are as flawed as the old, and the struggle for power has only just begun. As the chaos grows, an alien mystery deepens. Pirate fleets, mutiny, and betrayal may be the least of the Rocinante’s problems. And in the uncanny spaces past the ring gates, the choices of a few damaged and desperate people may determine the fate of more than just humanity.

Read for December's book group meeting.

The deal with the Expanse series is, this is classic Space Opera spanning six (now seven) books - not counting those little side stories. And I continue to adore this series because it's classic space opera. As with any series, there are some books that are a bit better than others - this one fell solidly in the middle.

War has come to the galaxy: Marco's Inaros in the name of the Free Navy, has dropped rocks on Earth effectively killing most of the planet. Filip is reeling and bitter from finding out Naiomi didn't space herself while still under Marco's thumb. Michia Pa has parted ways with Marco's realizing a need to get supplies to those in need and now Marco's is gunning for her. Avasarala, leader of Earth and parts of space is trying to keep people alive from Luna. Bobbie is now crew with Holden. James Holden and the crew of the  find themselves in a very fine mess and it's a matter of who has the most ammunition when the shooting does start.

And I'm greatly summarizing here.

I felt that there were a lot more characters viewpoints in this book, and more than once it took a bit of mental prodding to figure out just who was "talking". Yes, the authors used the characters names at the top of each chapter, but sometimes I had to think back a bit to remember where they fit into the grand scheme of things.

This installment putters along getting everyone into place, then the shift into overdrive happens so fast that I felt a little discombobulated and had to go back and re-read a chapter or two to see if I missed something.

I didn't. The plot really did shift gears that fast.

Then just as suddenly, everything is over and it felt a bit anti-climatic.

That's not to say there aren't some little "ohhhh...isn't that interesting!" bits at the end. Which there are and had me grinning like a kid in a candy store.

But I felt like there should have been a tich more BANG and there wasn't.

As I noted above: this is great Space Opera, we'll be reading book seven in the new year. Recommended if you've read the first five in the series. If not - go and start from the beginning!



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The Shell Collector by Hugh Howey

The Shell Collector by Hugh Howey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars




Jacket Blurb:  The ocean is dying. The sea is growing warmer and is gradually rising. Seashells have become so rare that collecting them is now a national obsession. Flawless specimens sell like priceless works of art. Families hunt the tideline in the dark of night with flashlights. Crowds gather on beaches at the lowest of tides, hoping to get lucky.

Supreme among these collectors is Ness Wilde, CEO of Ocean Oil. Ness owns many of the best beaches, and he keeps them to himself. It's his fault the world turned out this way. And I aim to destroy him.

My name is Maya Walsh. You might be familiar with my shelling column in the Times. I was working on a series of pieces about Mr. Wilde, when out of the blue, he called. He says he wants to talk. But I don't think he's going to like what I have to say.

Read for book group.

This began with an interesting, if not somewhat popular, premise of the effects of climate change. The oceans have risen, life in New York City and else where is inexplicably altered, sea life has disappeared. Shells are prized by collectors, even shards, and the price of a perfect shell can run into the millions. When three perfect specimens cross Maya's desk, she knows she now has the means and the method to take down the richest family for having destroyed the world in their pursuit of oil.

This is a story about assumptions and appearances. It's about being the judge, jury and executioner. And it's a story about getting things wrong.

This started out with a strong plot based on the effects of climate changed and how one family brought about the worlds demise by drilling relentlessly for oil. A bit contrived perhaps, as climate is a rather complicated aspect. But, since this is hot topic in the news and at work, I found the relevance of interest.

Then somewhere along the way, it turned into a romance.

What the heck.

What happened to my climate change exploration?

It got boinked in a submarine is what happened.

Okay, shifting gears a bit. It was a decent romance, with the usual hints and allegations and angsty moments. I never really did warm up to Maya, she just kinda grated on my nerves and I can't exactly say why. I liked Ness and his daughter Holly, both straddling the line between being a adolescent and an adult. Money will do that to a person.

And I liked the resolution at the end, it was fitting for where the book started and what it ended up being. Ultimately, an enjoyable enough read, not what I thought it would be, but good enough that I would read more of this author (and yes, Wool Trilogy is on my list).



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Zero World by Jason M. Hough

Zero World by Jason M. Hough

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Jacket Blurb:  Published in rapid succession, Jason M. Hough’s first three novels, The Darwin Elevator, The Exodus Towers, and The Plague Forge, earned mountains of praise and comparisons to such authors as James S. A. Corey and John Scalzi. Now Hough returns with a riveting near-future spy thriller that combines the adrenaline of a high-octane James Bond adventure with mind-blowing sci-fi speculations worthy of Christopher Nolan’s Inception.

Technologically enhanced superspy Peter Caswell has been dispatched on a top-secret assignment unlike any he’s ever faced. A spaceship that vanished years ago has been found, along with the bodies of its murdered crew—save one. Peter’s mission is to find the missing crew member, who fled through what appears to be a tear in the fabric of space. Beyond this mysterious doorway lies an even more confounding reality: a world that seems to be Earth’s twin.

Peter discovers that this mirrored world is indeed different from his home, and far more dangerous. Cut off from all support, and with only days to complete his operation, Peter must track his quarry alone on an alien world. But he’s unprepared for what awaits on the planet’s surface, where his skills will be put to the ultimate test—and everything he knows about the universe will be challenged in ways he never could have imagined.

October's book group book.

Premise of the book is Peter Caswell is a secret agent who never remembers his missions. He knows he assassinates people, he has a body count, but the specific missions are wiped from his memory shortly after completion. Memory wipes are painful and disorientating. After Peter's most recent assignment, his handler contacts him with a Priority job and he's shuttled off into space to investigate a salvage crew who stumbles upon something much, much bigger than mere junk: a weapons research vessel. Next breath Peter finds himself elimiating the salvage crew and being shunted down some kind of worm hole to a Earth-like planet. His mission - kill the only survivor of the research vessel. Easy for someone like Peter, except when it's not...

This was a fun read. That being said, there were some parts that just flew by, and a couple spots were the plot kinda dragged. When we discussed this at book group, all of us had some concern with the shear number of day's Peter went without eating or drinking. We liked how the different earths had different bacteria's that prevented Peter consuming food, but for the amount of activity he was doing we all questioned the biology of it. And that was taking his implants ability into account.

Melni was an interesting character and refreshingly, NOT a love interest. She could stand her own ground and did with gusto. She was a great way to visualize and show how the two planets were different: language, customs, politics, geography and more.

The little twists and turns, which I shan't elaborate upon here to avoid spoilers, were, in my humble opinion, quite delightful. A couple things I didn't see coming which made the plot all that much more enjoyable.

Ultimately, a solid scifi story that had a couple of questionable aspects but not enough to detract from the overall fun.



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Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovskey

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb:  A race for survival among the stars... Humanity's last survivors escaped earth's ruins to find a new home. But when they find it, can their desperation overcome its dangers?

WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age - a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?

September's book group selection.

DNF

Book started out with an interesting premise - the nanovirus meant to uplift monkey's on Kern's World didn't take into account invertebrates, and when the monkeys never made it to the surface of the terraformed world, the nanovirus went to work on the spiders and ants. Centuries pass and the spiders and ants evolve moving through the various phases of societal development.

I found that aspect very interesting - a failure to take into account on exactly what what the nanovirus would and wouldn't affect. The question begs to be asked, if the monkeys had made it to the planet, would the monkeys and spiders have evolved simultaneously?

Meanwhile, after centuries of traveling through space, arc ship Gligamesh is desperately looking for a place to call home. The green planet approaching has all the set criteria...except for the crazy AI in the satellite that's destroying all of Gligamesh probes and is threatening to blow the Gligamesh out of the sky. There's a ship mutiny which goes badly, and the Gligamesh moves on. They find a grey planet, covered in some kind of fungus,

It's a story about evolution on a planet and de-evolution on a generation ship.

I made it halfway through the book and lost interest. Book group was really split on this selection; half enjoyed the book but did agree that it was a bit long. Half of us did not finish, citing it was too long and boring. The half that finished happily supplied the ending for those of us who gave up. I should also note - two of us really didn't like reading about giant spiders. ((shudder))

So, from a personal pov, I can't recommend this one, BUT...others did like it so this is one you might have to read and decide for yourself.





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Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Jacket blurb: God is dead. Meet the kids.

Fat Charlie Nancy's normal life ended the moment his father dropped dead on a Florida karaoke stage. Charlie didn't know his dad was a god. And he never knew he had a brother.

Now brother Spider's on his doorstep -- about to make Fat Charlie's life more interesting... and a lot more dangerous.

August's book group book.

I read and reviewed this book back in 2010 (before I found Goodreads - SciFi with Paprika ), although I "read" this as an audio book the first time.

This was just as enjoyable the second go around, Neil Gaiman's books are like that. Just enjoyable.

Premise of the book is Fat Charlie Nancy is just your average bloke, living in an average flat, working an average job at the Graham Coates Insurance Agency, and is engaged to the lovely Rosie. While planning the guest list for his forthcoming nuptials, Rosie makes him call his Father who lives in Florida. Fat Charlie is stunned to discover he died and the funeral is the next day. Everything begins in Florida.

Of course I'm over simplifying the plot. A mere paragraph would not do this book justice. It's a delightfully woven tale of the beginning, of Spider and Tiger, of stories and of revenge, written only like Neil can write.

Go read it.




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War Factory by Neal Asher (Transformation Series #2)

War Factory by Neal Asher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jacket Blurb:  Thorvald Spear, resurrected from his death over a hundred years earlier, continues to hunt Penny Royal, the rogue AI and dangerous war criminal on the run from Polity forces. Beyond the Graveyard, a lawless and deadly area in deep space, Spear follows the trail of several enemy Prador, the crab-like alien species with a violent history of conflict with humanity.

Sverl, a Prador genetically modified by Penny Royal and slowly becoming human, pursues Cvorn, a Prador harboring deep hatred for the Polity looking to use him and other hybrids to reignite the dormant war with mankind.

Blite, captain of a bounty hunting ship, hands over two prisoners and valuable memplants from Penny Royal to the Brockle, a dangerous forensics entity under strict confinement on a Polity spaceship that quickly takes a keen interest in the corrupted AI and its unclear motives.

Penny Royal meanwhile continues to pull all the strings in the background, keeping the Polity at bay and seizing control of an attack ship. It seeks Factory Station Room 101, a wartime manufacturing space station believed to be destroyed. What does it want with the factory? And will Spear find the rogue AI before it gets there?

War Factory, the second book in the Transformation trilogy, is signature space opera from Neal Asher: breakneck pacing, high-tech science, bizarre alien creatures, and gritty, dangerous far-future worlds.

July 2017 book group selection.

I just love Asher's books - big grandiose space opera, great aliens that kinda beg the question - exactly who is the alien here - Artificial Intelligence's that are just as alien as any thing else floating around the universe, and awesome character development (or redevelopment?)

In Dark Intelligence, the reader watched the transformation of Isobel Santomi from human to hooder. In War Factory, the reader watches as Sverl turns from Prador into a triumvirate of Prador, AI, and human. Penny Royal had a hand in both instances, and the humans, AI's and aliens he touches are changed in ways only the AI understands while leaving his - victims - with more questions than answers.

War Factory is, basically, a transition book - characters from book one are moved along per Penny Royal's plans, and set up for the next book. And, as I've found in transition books, this became a tich long in the tooth. For myself, I could have used a bit less of the moving characters into place like chess pieces. I admit, I got very fidgety about the last 100 pages.

Oh heaven's, I really have no idea how to summarize this...Asher's books are like that. Penny Royal is driving everything as he manipulates the players to congregate on the Factory Station Room 101. But as I noted above, this is Sverl's story - Sverl and the War Drone Riss, Sverl and Cvorn, Trent Sobel and the Shell People. On the periphery, is Blite and his crew, and Thorvold Spear.

There is a tremendous amount of stuff going on in a relatively shore span of time. Even when taken in the context of book two of a three book series, this IS Space Opera at it's finest. Recommended if you've read Dark Intelligence, and maybe Prador Moon, Shadow of the Scorpion and The Technician.



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Revenger by Alastair Reynolds

Revenger by Alastair Reynolds

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: A superb science fiction adventure set in the rubble of a ruined universe, this is a deep space heist story of kidnap, betrayal, alien artifacts and revenge.

The galaxy has seen great empires rise and fall. Planets have shattered and been remade. Amongst the ruins of alien civilizations, building our own from the rubble, humanity still thrives.

And there are vast fortunes to be made, if you know where to find them.

Captain Rackamore and his crew do. It's their business to find the tiny, enigmatic worlds which have been hidden away, booby-trapped, surrounded by layers of protection--and to crack them open for the ancient relics and barely-remembered technologies inside. But while they ply their risky trade with integrity, not everyone is so scrupulous.

Adrana and Fura Ness are the newest members of Rackamore's crew, signed on to save their family from bankruptcy. Only Rackamore has enemies, and there might be more waiting for them in space than adventure and fortune: the fabled and feared Bosa Sennen in particular.

Revenger is a science fiction adventure story set in the rubble of our solar system in the dark, distant future--a tale of space pirates, buried treasure, and phantom weapons, of unspeakable hazards and single-minded heroism and of vengeance...

Read for June's book group.

This started out engaging and interesting. A steampunk space opera, set in a far future universe, where Occupations have come and gone as civilizations rose and fell, and now Miners seek out "baubles", wait for them to open, and basically plunder what ever was left by those earlier occupations.

Two sisters embark on an adventure with the intent of signing on with a mining ship to help their father who is in financial ruin. They show aptitude as "Bone Reader's", the ability to listen to the ancient skulls on the ship and send and receive messages.

However, their father takes exception to their stealthy departure and demands their return. Before Captain Rackamore can bring them back, the ship is beset by the dread Bosa. Bosa slaughters half the crew and takes one sister to be her new Bone Reader. Fura, the second sister, hides, is eventually saved, and returned to the father.

Fura escapes a nefarious Doctor and her Father's attempt to sequester her. Joins a ship and with the help of Prozor, they plot revenge against Bosa and well...you know how it ends. Really, you do.
This was not my first foray into the pages of Alastair Reynolds. I was expecting a space opera (which I got), but I was not expecting steampunk (surprise!). You will note I said this "This started out engaging and interesting..."  I managed to read about 2/3 of it, then I set it down and wandered away. Night before book group I realized I had a DNF and quickly skimmed the last 50 pages and confirmed what I suspected the ending would be.

This is, when all is read and done, a YA book. I'm not wild about YA and I really wish publishing houses would market their books accordingly. It must makes me annoyed when I am deceived.

• The plot is predictable. Very, very predictable.
   
• The main character was...not quite annoying, but not very interesting either. 
• Some in our book group were notably disgusted with terms like "lungstuff" and demanded to know, why not just call it "air".
  

• I DID like the ships. Those were kinda cool with the unfolding sails.
   
• The baubles that open and close - neat concept.
   
• Paladin. Best part of the story.

Recommended if you like YA, recommended for a YA.

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Time Salvager by Westly Chu

Time Salvager by Wesley Chu

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: Convicted criminal James Griffin-Mars is no one’s hero. In his time, Earth is a toxic, abandoned world and humans have fled into the outer solar system to survive, eking out a fragile, doomed existence among the other planets and their moons. Those responsible for delaying humanity’s demise believe time travel holds the key, and they have identified James, troubled though he is, as one of a select and expendable few ideally suited for the most dangerous job in history.

James is a chronman, undertaking missions into Earth's past to recover resources and treasure without altering the timeline. The laws governing use of time travel are absolute; break any one of them and, one way or another, your life is over. Most chronmen never reach old age; the stress of each jump through time, compounded by the risk to themselves and to the future, means that many chronmen rapidly reach their breaking point, and James Griffin-Mars is nearing his.

On a final mission that is to secure his retirement, James meets Elise Kim, an intriguing scientist from a previous century, who is fated to die during the destruction of an oceanic rig. Against his training and his common sense, and in violation of the chronmen’s highest law, James brings Elise back to the future with him, saving her life, but turning them both into fugitives. Remaining free means losing themselves in the wild and poisonous wastes of Earth, somehow finding allies, and perhaps discovering what hope may yet remain for humanity's home world.


Read for May book group.

It took me about 100 pages to get into the plot, I was engaged for about 100 more, then I completely lost interest.

Premise of the book was kinda interesting. A far future Earth has fallen into decay and environmental disaster. The only way the remnants of society can function is to send Chronmen back to select moments in the past to retrieve items to help them survive. James is a Tier 1 Chronman, reviled by many, disliked by his peers, his only friend is his Handler. He's got five years or so left on his contract and he can retire and get off the lousy planet.

Then James violates one of the main rules of Time Travel: he saves Elise from the wreckage of what he was told was a military installation, but in reality, was a scientific platform to fight an algae that was plaguing Earth's waters. Now on the run from his fellow Chronmen, the industrial company Valta, his only ally his handler, and responsible for Elise - James only has survival on his mind. But when Elise says she can cure Earth, every thing changes.

As I noted, I found this slow to start. James was not very interesting as a character. Curmudgeonly, cranky, irritable, he was hard to get a read on. When he rescued Elise, I thought I would see more of a personality change (improvement?) than I did.

While Elise's character brought some curiosity and lightness to an otherwise very dour outlook, I never felt like I got to know her. She expressed sadness at what was taken, interest in wanting to save this future world, she got along with the refugees, and once Grace came along, rather faded into the background.

Grace, the Mother of Time was the most interesting one of the bunch - pushy, bossy, snarky, admitting that when she created the Time Rules she and her co-horts were making things up, that they didn't know what they were doing. My complaint with Elise stands - once the two women meet, they both fade into the background as James and Schmidt continue to time jump to bring equipment back.

When we discussed this at book group, the question was raised: if they could go back in time to retrieve equipment, why didn't they go back and get the plans? Good point...because then we wouldn't have a plot.

Valta killing Schmidt seemed...unnecessary. Valta as Big Evil Corporation, mostly left me confused. A nebulous company that sabotaged it's own mission and is now hunting the scientist and James but not doing a very good job of it.

Yes, I realize this is book one and answers are forthcoming (maybe). But after skimming the last 80 pages, going "Huh, that was kinda cool" at the last paragraph (and it was cool!), I have no desire to read more.



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Son of Justice by Steven L. Hawk

Son of Justice by Steven L. Hawk

My rating: 3 of 5 stars





Jacket Blurb: 
For more than a dozen years, Eli has studied the art of war from some of the most skilled fighters on three planets. There's no question, he has what it takes to be a professional soldier.

There's just one problem. His father is General Grant Justice, the most famous man in the galaxy and leader of a new governmental alliance that unites four alien races.

When it comes time to enlist, the younger Justice has to make a choice. Rely on his last name and claim an automatic commission as an officer? Or enter basic training as a lowly private and earn his way to the top?

For Eli, the decision is an easy one. He changes his name and enlists as an anonymous recruit.
Unfortunately, not all of life's choices have such clear-cut answers. An alien-led rebellion is brewing in the ranks of the army he has just joined, and Eli is forced to choose sides. His actions will determine the fate of his father, the alliance, and the entire human race.

April's book group book.

This was a light and enjoyable military scifi book in the tradition of say, Ender's Game or loosely (and I do mean loosely) Starship Troopers. While this didn't have the emotional weight or impact of the afore mentioned books, it plays homage to the themes found therein: a young recruit making his own way through the ranks to find inner strength and resolve to stand up against adversity.

Premise of the book is Eli Jayson (ne Justice) is going through "boot camp" under an alias to avoid preferential treatment. His father is the renown General Justice, bringer of Peace to what is now the Shiale Alliance. As Eli makes his way up the ranks, he faces adversity and challenge at every turn. When he stumbles up on the Zthrn attempt to overthrown the planet, it becomes more than just a training exercise.

This felt like a young adult book. I'm not sure where it's 'shelved', technically, but the overall tone and theme read like new adult/young adult. What this did not feel like is a "coming of age" book - don't get me wrong,it basically is, but it didn't feel like it and I appreciated that.

I found the aliens interesting, the plot moved the characters smartly along, the premise of the training and new equipment felt integrated into the story and gosh darn it, Eli is just a nice guy.

What I didn't care for was the "love interest". His female acquaintance from a decade ago decides to transfer out of his battalion so they can date. Right. Uh huh. Didn't work for me - a romance where there didn't need to be one.

So other than my one romance quirk, I enjoyed the story.



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The Technician by Neal Asher

The Technician by Neal Asher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




Jacket Blurb:  The Theocracy has been dead for twenty years, and the Polity rules on Masada. But the Tidy Squad consists of rebels who cannot accept the new order. Their hate for surviving theocrats is undiminished, and the iconic Jeremiah Tombs is at the top of their hitlist.

Escaping his sanatorium Tombs is pushed into painful confrontation with reality he has avoided since the rebellion. His insanity must cured, because the near mythical hooder called the Technician that attacked him all those years ago, did something to his mind even the AIs fail to understand. Tombs might possess information about the suicide of an entire alien race.

The war drone Amistad, whose job it is to bring this information to light, recruits Lief Grant, an ex-rebel Commander, to protect Tombs, along with the black AI Penny Royal, who everyone thought was dead. The amphidapt Chanter, who has studied the bone sculptures the Technician makes with the remains of its prey, might be useful too.

Meanwhile, in deep space, the mechanism the Atheter used to reduce themselves to animals, stirs from slumber and begins to power-up its weapons.
 
Read for March scifi book group meeting.

LOVED this installment. Goodreads notes it's part of the stand alone books in Asher's universe, but I'd have to disagree. I would definitely recommend reading Prador Moon and Shadow of the Scorpion before The Technician because there is some background that is handy to know.

Premise of the book is one Jem Tombs, former Proctor of the fallen Theocracy on Mesada, is the only known survivor of a Hooder attack, and the only known survivor of an hooder attack by the massive Hooder known as the Technician. For 20 years he's resided in seclusion, in some kind of state of denial, watched by Jerval Sanders.

Until Tombs starts to wake up, murders Jerval, and flees the island he's been isolated to. Amistad, Polity War drone, starts to nudge Tombs this way and that, assigning Leif Grant as protector and reluctantly letting Shree Enkara along to record Tombs story for Earthnet.

If you've read any Asher, then you know that I'm greatly simplifying. If you haven't read any Asher - what are you waiting for?!? And, fyi, I'm greatly simplifying the plot. Asher's plots are hard to summarize without giving too much information away.

Asher's books are so rich in detail and characters, the world building is amazing, and the plots just pull me in. What was different about The Technician from some of the rest that I've read, is I was hooked from chapter one. Not infrequently, it takes me a while to get into the plot, then I find I'm flying down the proverbial slide. Not so here.

I'm totally fan-girlling. Go. Read. Enjoy.



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The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Jacket Blurb:  In the American Southwest, Nevada, Arizona, and California skirmish for dwindling shares of the Colorado River. Into the fray steps Angel Velasquez, detective, leg-breaker, assassin and spy. A Las Vegas water knife, Angel "cuts" water for his boss, Catherine Case, ensuring that her lush, luxurious arcology developments can bloom in the desert, so the rich can stay wet, while the poor get nothing but dust. When rumors of a game-changing water source surface in drought-ravaged Phoenix, Angel is sent to investigate. There, he encounters Lucy Monroe, a hardened journalist with no love for Vegas and every reason to hate Angel, and Maria Villarosa, a young Texas refugee who survives by her wits and street smarts in a city that despises everything that she represents.  With bodies piling up, bullets flying, and Phoenix teetering on collapse, it seems like California is making a power play to monopolize the life-giving flow of a river. For Angel, Lucy, and Maria time is running out and their only hope for survival rests in each other’s hands. But when water is more valuable than gold, alliances shift like sand, and the only thing for certain is that someone will have to bleed if anyone hopes to drink.

Read for February book group.

Premise of the book is water is at an all time low in the desert southwest. Reservoirs are tapped out, aquifers are tapped out, climate change has devastated Texas in the form of hurricanes and tornadoes and refugees are fleeing across New Mexico and Arizona with the hopes of making it to California. The US is fractured, martial law rules, and water rights are prized above all. The older the better.

Angel is a "water knife", an enforcer who cuts off water when Catherine Case says so. Caroline sent Angel to Phoenix because something strange was happening. Lucy is a well known reporter who starts poking around the death of her friend Jamie and finds he was dealing in far bigger than he was letting on - something that got him killed. Maria is a Texas refugee, scraping by in the projects and trying to save enough money to get out. When a scheme to sell water blows up because she forgot to pay off the local Gang Lord, in a desperate attempt to recoup the money she owes, her roommate Sarah provides a solution that leaves Sarah dead and Maria on the run.

Around these three characters is a city on the brink of upheaval, and rumors of water rights beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

I enjoyed this for multiple reasons - first and foremost, I love Bacigalupi's writing. If you haven't read Wind-up Girl or Shipbreaker, I strongly recommend them. His worlds while futuristic, are realistic and really come to life on the page. His characters are interesting and engaging, and his plots suck you in and keep you engaged right up to the last page.

Second, I've watched/read Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water (recommended), I've been to Vegas and Tucson numerous times, and I'm familiar with the water issues the southwest faces. Working in the natural resource field, hydrology, water rights, snow melt, rain water are all rather important things and integral to so much that it's mind boggling. So this book held some particular interest for me - what Bacigaluipi was proposing could happen. It's not that far fetched.

I liked the idea of the arcologies. These isolated domes of privilege while the masses swirled around the edges much like sand itself. Further, the arcologies provided and interesting link to Chinese financial influence.

Lastly, the whole plot revolving around water rights was just so well executed. The astute reader will pick up the moment everything clicks into place and it's just brilliant.

Despite my gushing, I will have to admit I found the lead-up a tich slow. You know our three main characters are going to come together at some point, I just thought it took a bit long to get there. And yeah, I fully admit I can get a bit impatient with plots.

When all is said and done, another brilliantly executed book by Mr. Bacigalupi.



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Up the Line by Robert Silverberg

Read for January book group.   Two stars out of five.

I've attended 20+ years of scifi conventions now and my friend and I have been observing one panel that seems to repeatedly crop up - The Classics. In which the panel members and audience wax poetic about "the good old days" (roughly the 1950-1970s), how the "new" books just don't have the same sense of wonder, and how EVERYONE "should" (re)reading Heinlein, Azimov, Vinge, Silverberg, Bear, etc.

I've been reading those authors since I discovered scifi in my teens.

Some books and authors have withstood the test to time.

Other books (and authors) should quietly be relegated to the bottom shelf.

Up the Line was one of those books.

The premise is interesting enough - Jud Elliot leaves a dreary Civil Servant job after three weeks and discovers he can be a Time Courier, shuttling people "up the line" to momentous events in history. His specialty is Byzantium, and after training in, he begins tours of his own. While during one layoff - a mandatory two week break between tours - he goes "up the line" to visit a fellow courier and meets Pulcheria, a young woman of remarkable beauty and a very distant relation. What happens next transcends time and timelines as one of Jeb's tourists escapes the group, messes up time, and sends the Couriers scrambling to fix the problem before the Time Patrol finds out.

What happened next was a strong desire to wash my brain in bleach.

This was sexually...gross. I don't think I can describe it any other way. What should have been a futuristic representation of the freedom of sex and sexuality came across as a male wet dream - where the women are loose and their thighs tight. Breasts are for display and nipples for grabbing. Where sex is for the taking across time and timelines. Sorry Mr. Silverberg, I know you wrote erotica before scifi - but this melding of the two genres didn't work.

Or perhaps it did...?

If I can step away from my revulsion, it would be interesting to find out how this was received in 1969/1970. Was it viewed through the lens of "Yeah! Free love, Baby!" Was this indicative of the thoughts, mores, and bra burning of the 1970's? Can someone in their 20s, 30s or even 40s read this now and marvel at the whole aspect of time traveling?

Allow me to briefly touch on the historical aspect. Some thought, study and research was obviously given to this topic. Why did Silverberg pick Byzantium? For it's richness? A cross-roads in history? I'm not a historian on Middle Eastern history so I can't speak to the accuracy of what was written. What I can say the bits that were presented came across as a lot of names delivered in rapid fire presentation as the Hagia Sophia burning and the city falling to pillaging and raping.

Of moderate interest was Jeb's "Black Death" tour - and the precautions taken to ensure the plague wasn't brought forward in time (even though it still exists, even today...).

Could Up the Line have even been written sans all the lusting, public sex and groping of pre-pubescent kids? Probably.

But it wasn't. So there it is. Not recommended.

Addendum: much to my shock, this was nominated for a Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1969, and a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1970. I probably shouldn't be so surprised...I'm willing to bet in 1970 the target audience was 98% male.