My Nerdy Friend

Book 7: Leviathan Wakes

This hefty book appeared mysteriously on my desk at work, my assumption being that it was left there by my boss who is regularly referring me to science fiction books and authors. The back cover, which described it as a bit of a science fiction mystery, hooked me right away. A mystery! In space!!

The story takes place in the future, when humans from Earth have colonized Mars as well as several of the solar system moons, and have established mining stations in the asteroid belt. Humanity has divided itself into factions of Earthers, Martians and Belters, who barely tolerate each other, existing in a cold-war state that threatens to collapse at any moment. The portrayal of life in the Belt, in particular, is beautifully handled, with insightful references to what existence would be like in rotation-generated low-gravity for people who are born and raised there. I loved the way the secondary story of life in the Belt is told, with beautifully in-laid references to everything from hot-bunking, advanced medical treatments, skeletal adaptations, high-g drug therapy and life support management.

The main narrative itself alternates between the story of Jim Holden, a spacecraft captain who makes a grisly and puzzling discovery in the outer reaches of the Belt, and Miller, a washed-up middle-aged detective who is assigned to locate a missing girl for a wealthy inner planets family. The two story lines eventually weave their way together until Holden and Miller find themselves on the same side of an unexpected fight against a common enemy. There is great character development, even of the lesser players, which frankly I would expect from a book of this size that doesn’t introduce a George R. R. Martin-sized cast. (The point is ironic, in the sense that “James S. A. Covey is actually a pseudonym for co-authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, and Franck is, in fact, an assistant to Martin).

Leviathan Wakes is the first book of The Expanse, a 5-book series, however it can stand on it’s own quite well. I will eventually read the remaining books, but I’m grateful there is no cliff-hanger that demands that I do so immediately. The book, or possibly the set of books, has also been made into a TV series which I will be keen to watch, now that I have read the book.

Rating: Buy it. If you are super-keen, you may want to re-read it as you tackle the remaining books in the set.

Book 6 – The Sisters Brothers

The Sisters Brothers is a dark comedy, written in the time and style of a classic western, narrated by Eli Sister, the younger of the two brothers. The brothers hire themselves out as hit-men for a local overlord known as the Commodore and are on their way together to complete a “job”, when Eli begins to question the morality of his life choices. With the help of an eclectic cast of characters along the way, Eli makes the decision to end his killer lifestyle after this final job, much to the chagrin of his brother Charlie, and all that remains is to figure out how to keep from getting killed in the process of resigning his position with the Commodore. A quick read, and a very enjoyable book.

Rating: Borrow it.

Book 5: The Three-Body Problem, Cixin Liu

Cixin Liu is a popular, award-winning science fiction author in China. Translated from Chinese by Ken Liu, The Three-Body Problem blends a science fiction story about earth’s first contact with an alien civilization with the historical setting of China’s Cultural Revolution. The translation provides useful footnotes about the pertinent historical points that enhance and direct the narrative of the story, which proves helpful for readers such as myself that lack knowledge of this historical time.

Characters in the book learn about the existence of the alien race through an on-line video game which places the players on an alien world locked in rotational chaos within a 3-sun system, and they move through levels by discovering partial solutions to the classical three-body problem of motion to help predict Stable eras when the video game civilization can survive and develop. Meanwhile, the world’s top scientists are dying in vast numbers, and it is the job of Wang Miao to determine why, and what role the three-body game plays in the events that are taking place.

The book is a rich story, that tackles the issue of whether humanity is capable of working together to solve the global environmental and social problems it has created, or whether we would be better off putting ourselves in the hands of an alien race with unknown intentions.

Rating; Buy it.

Book 3: Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury

I have had this book on my reading list for a long time, just, well, because. I was only peripherally aware of the story line (something about a carnival, bad things happen…). In this book, Ray Bradbury has woven a metaphor-heavy Halloween story and is worth being savoured. It is the story of two 13 year old boys, Will and Jim, alike and yet very different, trying to save their small town from an evil carnival that arrives late one October, and it’s about Will’s relationship with his insecure father who ascertains what is happening in the town and sets out the help them, at the risk of all of their lives.

The writing is brilliant and poetic, and through the use of unusual yet interestingly perfect metaphorical allusions, Ray Bradbury creates a story with incredible visual impact. The descriptions of the Illustrated Man in particular are amazingly vivid and well crafted. It is no wonder this book has served as the inspiration for myriad modern-day horror novels. I would consider this a must-read.

Rating: Buy it.