Unspace was different. Things from real space – such as humans – had a tenuous existence there. It was a terrible, lonely place, until you sensed something . . . other. Then being alone became preferable to the alternative. [p. 38]
Idris Telemmier is an Intermediary, an engineered living weapon. Myrmidon Solace is a beautiful, genetically-altered battle angel. Together they turned aside an Architect -- an immense, inscrutable destroyer of worlds, one of the race? species? type? that had destroyed lost Earth. That was decades ago: now it seems that the Architects have returned, and Solace and Idris -- together with the rag-tag crew of the Vulture God -- have to convince both humans and aliens of the clear and present danger.
There are so many aspects of this novel that should have engaged me: diverse and intriguing characters; aliens who speak in iambic pentameter; the unsettling Presence that everyone experiences in unspace; themes of disability vs eugenics; space smugglers; alien archaeology ... and it's by Adrian Tchaikovsky, who has written some of my favourite SF of recent years. (For instance, The Doors of Eden and Dogs of War). Yet I didn't especially enjoy Shards of Earth, first in a new trilogy and shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award, and probably wouldn't have persevered past the sample chapters if it hadn't been a book club read.
Part of the problem was that there seemed to be a lot of infodumping. I don't appreciate lengthy asides on the socio-political context of a scene: if that information is essential, weave it more neatly into the narrative. I didn't really warm to either Solace or Idris, though they were both interesting characters. And though Shards of Earth features several topical themes -- disability, slavery, gender -- and some solid space opera tropes (from games, films and comics as well as written fiction), it didn't quite cohere for me.
That said, I'll probably end up reading the rest of the trilogy once it's all available, because I want to know about the moon and the Presence and the Architects and the archaeology.
Read for Lockdown Bookclub.
No comments:
Post a Comment