In Searle’s SF debut, salvagers in the mid-23rd century seek a dangerous artifact.
Brothers David and Jason and their female friend Sam comprise the salvaging squad. They do supply runs for the Village, which lies underneath the domed city of New Toronto; toxic superstorms rage outside the protective barrier. The members of trio are mum about their pasts—eight years ago, they escaped being experimented upon by the United Earth Federation, and now Jason and Sam have psychic abilities. Jason, however, can’t control his, and he suppresses them with regular doses of the drug Osmium. Untreated, he hears the voice of the Abaddon Beacon, an alien obelisk that sat in the labs with the three when they were still test subjects. As Jason’s connection to the Beacon hurts him as well as others, the salvagers vow to retrieve the artifact, which promises Jason answers to his “psychic affliction.” That’s just one reason to brave the surface of New Toronto, where they’re classified as “Undocs”; the other is to salvage parts to repair their damaged 14-foot robot, the true muscle in the Village’s defense. Meanwhile, the ongoing Solar War may be nearing an end, with the very real possibility that the UEF will surrender to the Solar Empire. Cyborg Anne Oakfield, who has ties to the Village and the government’s experiments, has another idea: She sets out to kill the nefarious EmperorHadrian Mariko of the Solar Empire. All the while, the Nanophage, a plague of corrupted Nanites that infect humans and bots alike, threatens everyone.
Searle’s extensive worldbuilding turns this tale into a richly detailed epic; backstories include Anne’s murky past; particulars on Julian Yamamoto, the Village’s governor and founder; and several nods to the Great War from a century ago. The three protagonists—tortured, sympathetic Jason; fiercely loyal David, whose reason for also being in the lab is eventually revealed; and Sam, who’s refined her psionic skills—are superbly rendered. They lead an indelible cast, highlighted by the unshakable Anne, another few notable Oakfields, and the diabolical Emperor and his “augmented” Imperial legionnaires. While there are some solid action sequences, this story relies more on the buildup of tension as various groups of people come into conflict. Perpetual menaces abound as the war continues, the Abaddon Beacon’s voice proves merciless, and the Nanophage-infected victims amass in zombie-like hordes. Throughout the narrative there are signs of familiar tech, from cybernetic implants and parts (like Anne’s “cyber-eyes”) to a variety of vehicles including an airbus and a Jetbike. While these are fun details, it’s just as entertaining to watch characters get by without fantastical tech at their disposal (Jason, David, and Sam must make a hefty jump sans jetpacks and confront bulky foes in New Toronto with no assistance from their own gigantic robot). It’s hard to imagine where the salvaging trio might go next—which makes a sequel all the more appealing.
A well-developed cast enriches this sublimely constructed futuristic world.