Smartly written, cleverly paced, but wanting for passion.
The watchful Collective, and those who oppose it, form Safronoff’s futuristic tale of biological manipulation and the battle for individuality.
In a not-too-distant future, mankind has relegated much of its need for self-motivation to the all-knowing Collective. But all that could change, thanks to former Collective officer Eve and Joshua Falken, a man who could very well undermine the Collective’s power. Safronoff’s novel offers readers a glimpse into a world buried under the weight of its technological advances, such as GEaRS biotechnology that boosts the power of the human mind and body to inhuman levels. Technology such as the Desk, which functions similar to a computer, and Glass, the equivalent of an iPhone on steroids, form commonplace hardware in Safronoff's carefully constructed world—one in which the entire Eastern Seaboard sits under the watchful eye of the Spire, the Collective’s dark base of operations. The characters are often attributed simple titles that mark the importance of their roles, such as the unrelenting Leader. Like George Orwell’s seminal 1984, Safronoff’s tale delves into the question of personal freedom and takes it a step further. The novel owes plenty to other speculative science-fiction writers as well, particularly those of the glorious pulp era, such as Philip K. Dick’s pioneering tale Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, where everyday people struggle to understand the deeper meaning of technology. First in a planned series, the novel’s weakness comes in the form of sterile characters, predictable delivery and action sequences reminiscent of the Matrix films; too often, in fact, the novel reads as if it were written to be a film. Those who enjoy hip reads of sublime, indifferent control, bucking the system and inspired technology will find exactly what they’re looking for in Safronoff’s debut.
Smartly written, cleverly paced, but wanting for passion.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2011
ISBN: 978-1463682187
Page Count: 358
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The first installment of an effortlessly readable series that could be the illegitimate love child of Terry Pratchett and...
The debut novel from Australian actor Arnold is a fusion of paranormal fantasy and mystery set in a world where magic has been effectively destroyed by humans, forcing the supernatural population to live a radically diminished existence.
Fetch Phillips is a “Man for Hire,” which is another way of saying the down-on-his-luck, hard-drinking former Soldier–turned-detective will do just about anything to pay the bills. When a principal from a cross-species school enlists him to find a missing professor—a 300-year-old Vampire named Edmund Rye—Phillips quickly agrees. Without magic, the Vampires—and all other supernatural beings—are slowly dying. So how difficult could it be to find a withered bloodsucker who is so weak he can hardly move around? After visiting Rye’s last residence—a secluded loft space in the local library filled with the Vampire’s research and writings—Phillips discovers that one of Rye’s students is missing as well: a young Siren named January. His investigation becomes complicated when more Vampires turn up dead and he is almost killed himself. While the mystery element of the storyline is a bit thin, the focus on meticulous worldbuilding and highly detailed backstory as well as the cast of fully developed and memorable characters (Simms, the reptilian cop; Peteris, the disfigured half-werewolf; etc.) are unarguable strengths. But the real power here is in Arnold’s use of imagery throughout. His unconventional descriptive style brings a richness and depth to the narrative. Pete’s smile is “like a handbag with a broken zipper,” and the sound of Phillips’ falling from a building is “like someone stepping on an egg full of snails.”
The first installment of an effortlessly readable series that could be the illegitimate love child of Terry Pratchett and Dashiell Hammett.Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-45582-4
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Orbit/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
A love letter to imagination, adventure, the written word, and the power of many kinds of love.
An independent young girl finds a blue door in a field and glimpses another world, nudging her onto a path of discovery, destiny, empowerment, and love.
Set at the turn of the 20th century, Harrow's debut novel centers on January Scaller, who grows up under the watchful eye of the wealthy Cornelius Locke, who employs her father, Julian, to travel the globe in search of odd objects and valuable treasures to pad his collection, housed in a sprawling Vermont mansion. January appears to have a charmed childhood but is stifled by the high-society old boy’s club of Mr. Locke and his friends, who treat her as a curiosity—a mixed-race girl with a precocious streak, forced into elaborate outfits and docile behavior for the annual society gatherings. When she's 17, her father seemingly disappears, and January finds a book that will change her life forever. With her motley crew of allies—Samuel, the grocer’s son; Jane, the Kenyan woman sent by Julian to be January’s companion; and Bad, her faithful dog—January embarks on an adventure that will lead her to discover secrets about Mr. Locke, the world and its hidden doorways, and her own family. Harrow employs the image of the door (“Sometimes I feel there are doors lurking in the creases of every sentence, with periods for knobs and verbs for hinges”) as well as the metaphor (a “geometry of absence”) to great effect. Similes and vivid imagery adorn nearly every page like glittering garlands. While some stereotypes are present, such as the depiction of East African women as pantherlike, the book has a diverse cast of characters and a strong woman lead. This portal fantasy doesn’t shy away from racism, classism, and sexism, which helps it succeed as an interesting story.
A love letter to imagination, adventure, the written word, and the power of many kinds of love.Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-316-42199-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Redhook/Orbit
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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