“I’m empowered, on behalf of Her Majesty’s government, to welcome you to Earth,” she went on, “but first I need to know how long you’ve been here and where your home solar system is.”
Pep burst out laughing. [loc. 986]
A novella of two halves: in the first part, we meet Sergeant Frank Grant, comfortably policing a rural area somewhere in Yorkshire. Unfortunately, his report on an intruder at a remote farmhouse attracts the attention of Internal Affairs, and Frank has to abandon some long-range plans. The second half of the story makes it obvious that he's not going back to his flat above the police station -- though it's not at all clear what he'll be doing instead.
It's hard to write much about Nomads without giving the plot away (the quotation at the top of this review doesn't spoil anything), but there are hints and allusions scattered through the opening chapters that combine to produce a sense of oddness, and make complete sense after the Big Reveal. I did feel, though, that the final few chapters were rushed: there's a lot more story to tell, and I'd love to read it.
Like all of Hutchinson's work, there's a low-key comfortable cynicism and some dry wit here. The everyday business of subterfuge -- safe houses, minders, decoys and press releases -- is sometimes reminiscent of Le Carre: no glamour here. Frank is a pragmatic protagonist, not given to bemoaning his lot, and possibly not as wholesome as his narrative suggests. I would like to see more of him.
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