|
-
Hivemind social net
-
News
- Features
- Blogs
- Events
Calendar
- Editorials
- Monthly
Zine
- Offworld
Report
- Our Daily
RSS Feed
- Google Toolbar scifi
- Movie/TV
Reviews
> Recent movies
> Movies by year
> Movies by title
- Book
Reviews
> Recent books
> Books by year
> Books by title
- Home
- Worlds
- Biography
- Bibliography
- Appearances
- Reviews
- Blog
- Community
- Press
- Links
Become
an Advertiser
- Web
Site Directory
- Search
the Net
- StephenHunt.net
- WoodenRocket.com
- Check
your E-mail
- Non Sci-Fi
News
|
Against Gravity by Gary Gibson
01/10/2005 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: TOR-UK. 378 page enlarged paperback. Price: £10.99 (UK), $22.95 (CAN). ISBN: 1-4050-3446-7. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.toruk.com, www.panmacmillan.com and www.whitescreenofdespair.blogspot.com
The main problem for any new writer who does a good first book is ensuring the second lives up to it. More so, if they aren't related in the same reality. A big problem because of the restraints of deadline commitment and all kinds of problems readers don't generally think about. Although I'm loathe to compare this book to 'Angel Stations', there is a lacking in this story which makes me wonder if 'Against Gravity' pre-dates it but given a polish to reach a schedule. I should add I'm still at a loss as to what the title has to do with the actual story.
Kendrick Gallmon is amongst a group of people who survived an augmentation treatment in a research base called The Maze. The problem is that these survivors are having bad reactions to their augmentations, causing their bodies to grow appendages and whathaveyou before killing them. Gallmon collapses occasionally and with the latest, discovers he's still alive despite his heart stopping. Although the story spends some time in the past at The Maze, little time is really spent with just what are the augmentations for and why they were given. I mean why create super-humans that can't be restrained? We don't really see the people behind these actions, just those who want to exploit the results. The same applies to the augmented themselves. They might not like being guinea pigs but the emotional impact of discovering you have extra-ordinary abilities seems to have been lost on them. A lot of resentment but no one appears to be overjoyed, even for a short time, with their extras. It's as though they've been thrust into the story rather than the reader and told to get on with it.
We follow Gallmon's adventures with the other parties wanting to buy him over to their side as well as a return to The Maze to discover why some of his group have been hearing voices. All through this, there is also a plan to travel up to a space craft in orbit to a far better place for them all.
To say too much more is going to give away the plot. In some respects, this could even be regarded as an adventure plot by numbers. You can see where it's going and if you're familiar with this kind of story, I doubt if you'll be that surprised. The one thing that makes me think this is an earlier story though is the lack of emotional content. There's no real empathy for the characters and even the camaraderie doesn't really sink in. Author Gibson showed in his first book that he is capable of more than the contents of this book.
On a broader scale, considering that this Earth has been ruined by nukes and whole cities lost doesn't really sink in either. It's all business as usual. The wider issue of what to do with these augmented people isn't really exploited. It's just a lot of individuals or terrorist groups running around with no overall plan.
I wish I could say this was a better novel but can only hope that whatever Gary Gibson is working on right now is going to be his actual second book.
GF Willmetts
|
|
