Genre: Science Fiction
Description:
This is subtitled ‘Book 1 of Empath, Go
Home’, apparently to be the first of a number of books in this timeline set in Scott
Rhine’s created world, between the author’s ‘Jezebel’s Ladder’ series and ‘Gigaparsec’
space operas.
The book could be very interesting to YA
readers who enjoy a complex thriller (which is what this is).
There is a lot going on here. Jackdaw
Speaks-with-Stones is an empathic Native American boy, conceived to be given as
Speaker to the Whale Nation (yes, the underwater folk) on Earth. However, in
this time and place there is much fear of empaths because there is a kind you
can catch, which magnifies emotions and makes rational thought impossible and
leads to anarchy and violence. Jack is not that kind of empath, but his exaggerated
empathy is still a burden to him because he can quickly become overwhelmed by
the feelings of others.
Jack begins to go blind in his teens. This makes
him unsuitable as a gift to the whales. His future looks bleak until he is
offered a chance to go and live on the Moon, where he can have his sight surgically
restored. And he can go to an elite school there. However, all of this costs a LOT
of money. How to earn it?
And then all Jack’s plans begin (of course) to
go awry.
Author:
Rhine’s Amazon bio says “Scott Rhine
wanted to find a job that combined his love of reading with math problem
solving, so he studied both short stories and computer languages. When his
third publication, Doors to Eternity, hit #16 on the Amazon epic fantasy
list, he decided [to quit computer programming] to become a full-time author [in
2012]. Since then, each book of his "Jezebel's Ladder" series hit the
high-tech science fiction top 100. His medical thriller, The K2 Virus,
is his highest-rated novel. His latest books are witch academy stories written
for his teenage daughter.
Humor is a part of every story he writes because people are funny, even
when they don't think so. In the real world, something always goes wrong and
people have flaws. If you can't laugh at yourself, someone is probably doing it
for you. Strong female characters also play a major role in his stories because
he's married to a beautiful PhD who can edit, break boards, and use a
chainsaw.”
He has 33 books on Goodreads.
Appraisal:
This is a first class read. It is chockful
of goings-on (plot, characterisation, settings, gizmos and McGuffins). When
there is a momentary lull, it is only to set up the next extraordinary event.
The reader is wise to remain strapped in for the duration. I consider myself
very good at knowing what is going to happen next, and this book surprised me
so often that I gave up.
The two worlds (Earth and Moon) are very
well realised. Rhine has been building both worlds and their societies for some
time for the series I mention above. But that in no way diminishes the richness
of what he has created.
The boy Jack lives in the Arctic on Earth
and then in the Lunar habitat. The technology (or sometimes lack thereof) is
flawless. The plot is Machiavellian: Jack can only stay in control of what is
happening to him because he is an empath, and even then he often finds himself
lagging behind events.
The story spirals upwards and outwards from Jack’s
first unwitting transgression against Lunar social customs, via discovery of
massive corruption, to murder. The whole is driven by the difficulty of
maintaining any kind of privacy because almost every interaction is recorded.
The book reminded me very much of Kim
Stanley Robinson’s ‘Mars’ trilogy in the beautifully realised world building,
the driving plot and the well drawn characters.
It also reminded me of our current global
situation (thinking specifically of the UK and US) where we are now wondering
how to deal with AIs, and the surveillance of much of what we do officially by
the State, or by others through social media.
If you like science fiction I believe you will enjoy this book very
much indeed. Also if you’re curious to read about this caricature of the world
we find ourselves living in now.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
FYI:
The occasional F bomb.
Format/Typo
Issues:
None worth noting.
Rating: *****
Reviewed
by: Judi Moore
Approximate word count: 120-125,000 words
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