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Evensong
A near-future thriller where those who protect humanity are not always completely human.
The future is a dangerous place. Keeping the world stable and peaceful when competing corporate interests and nation-states battle for power, wealth, and prestige has only gotten harder over the years. But that’s the United Nations� job. So the UN has changed along with the rest of the world. When the UN’s “soft� diplomacy fails, it has harder options. Quiet, scalpel-like The Dead—biologically enhanced secret operatives created by the UN to solve the problems no one else can.
Anwar Abbas is one of The Dead. When the Controller-General of the UN asks him to perform a simple bodyguard mission, he’s insulted and mere bodyguard work is a waste of his unique abilities. But he takes the job, because to refuse it would be unthinkable.
Anwar is asked to protect Olivia del Sarto, the host of an important upcoming UN conference. Olivia is head of the world’s fastest-growing church, but in her rise to power she has made shadowy enemies with apparently limitless resources.
Anwar is one of the deadliest people on earth, but her enemies have something which kills people like him. And they’ve sent it for her. It’s out there, unstoppable and untraceable, getting closer as the conference approaches.
As he and Olivia ignite a torrid affair, Anwar must uncover the conspiracy that threatens to destroy her, the UN, and even The Dead.
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
The future is a dangerous place. Keeping the world stable and peaceful when competing corporate interests and nation-states battle for power, wealth, and prestige has only gotten harder over the years. But that’s the United Nations� job. So the UN has changed along with the rest of the world. When the UN’s “soft� diplomacy fails, it has harder options. Quiet, scalpel-like The Dead—biologically enhanced secret operatives created by the UN to solve the problems no one else can.
Anwar Abbas is one of The Dead. When the Controller-General of the UN asks him to perform a simple bodyguard mission, he’s insulted and mere bodyguard work is a waste of his unique abilities. But he takes the job, because to refuse it would be unthinkable.
Anwar is asked to protect Olivia del Sarto, the host of an important upcoming UN conference. Olivia is head of the world’s fastest-growing church, but in her rise to power she has made shadowy enemies with apparently limitless resources.
Anwar is one of the deadliest people on earth, but her enemies have something which kills people like him. And they’ve sent it for her. It’s out there, unstoppable and untraceable, getting closer as the conference approaches.
As he and Olivia ignite a torrid affair, Anwar must uncover the conspiracy that threatens to destroy her, the UN, and even The Dead.
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 13, 2015
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum
At first I didn’t think this would be my type of book, with its convoluted politics, bio-engineered super killer soldiers, dispassionate violence and casual sex, not to mention at times the narrative seemed more invested in the technicalities of hand-to-hand combat rather than the time it takes to build a convincing world. I know I’m not exactly selling it so far, but hear me out � because now that I’ve finished Evensong, the heavy emotional impact this book had on me is something I just can’t ignore.
Novels like these remind me why it’s important to step out of my comfort zone, for I ended up liking it a lot. Its dark and cynical futuristic cyberpunk-ish style reminded me a little of Richard K. Morgan’s Altered Carbon, mixed in with a bit of that 007 Casino Royale vibe when it comes to the main protagonist. A biologically-enhanced operative, Anwar Abbas is an introspective character as raw and edgy as an unpolished stone, hardened by his life and work, but who nonetheless cares about standing up for what’s right.
Anwar is disgruntled when assigned bodyguard duties for Olivia del Sarto, the archbishop of the fast-growing New Anglican Church, but finds himself both repelled and intrigued by his charge’s abrasive candor. The morally ambiguous Olivia has an aggressive demeanor completely at odds with Anwar’s stubborn and systematic approach, but that doesn’t stop the two from plunging headfirst into a torrid affair � albeit one that is initially all sex and no feeling. Anwar is more than happy to satisfy Olivia’s voracious appetites, but stays by her side out of a sense of duty more than anything else, tasked to protect her from shadowy enemies who have threatened to assassinate her during a high-profile U.N summit on water rights.
Character development isn’t exactly strong, with both Anwar and Olivia’s personalities coming across as rather stunted and flat, causing me to constantly question their motivations especially when it comes to their relationship. And yet, somehow their affair manages to evolve into something much more nuanced. It’s not a love story, but at times it sure felt like one, even in all its twisted and dysfunctional glory. Here you have two characters on opposite sides of the spectrum; the harder they resist each other the more they are drawn together, becoming like one another. It sounds deceptively simple, but there’s a lot of synergy happening between the lines. It makes Evensong the perfect example of a story where the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.
John Love’s writing style also strikes me as a bit eccentric, especially since he utilizes a third person omniscient point of view for this novel, and is quite stark as he goes about his storytelling. For my part, I prefer a more personal touch, but admit that the author’s approach is also well suited for the story and its themes. I enjoyed my fair share of contemplation into the book’s more philosophical subjects � religion, human nature, etc. � but as I’d alluded to in my previous paragraph, I was mostly fascinated with the character dynamics and interactions. The author gradually adds layers to everything, so that the longer you read the novel, the more rewarding the experience gets. Like I said, there’s a combined effect at work here. At some point you’ll definitely get the feel of every piece snapping neatly into place, and suddenly it all makes sense.
I did say the novel had a huge impact on me emotionally. The revelations came at me like an explosion at the end, like one moment you’re traipsing down a sunny country lane and the next you’re blindsided by a Mack truck barreling into you at a hundred miles an hour. As the dust settled, I was left with a numbness, a melancholy that even now I find hard to explain, mixed with shock and disbelief…like, did I just read that?!!! The story definitely touched something deep inside me though, especially in light of the nature of Anwar’s character and the decisions he ultimately decided to make.
Certainly I never expected to be so powerfully affected by Evensong, since it’s such a departure from what I normally read. I can’t believe I almost dismissed this book as “not my thing�, and what a tragic mistake that would have been. I’m profoundly glad that I ended up ignoring my instincts, because against all odds, this book ended up working surprisingly well for me.
At first I didn’t think this would be my type of book, with its convoluted politics, bio-engineered super killer soldiers, dispassionate violence and casual sex, not to mention at times the narrative seemed more invested in the technicalities of hand-to-hand combat rather than the time it takes to build a convincing world. I know I’m not exactly selling it so far, but hear me out � because now that I’ve finished Evensong, the heavy emotional impact this book had on me is something I just can’t ignore.
Novels like these remind me why it’s important to step out of my comfort zone, for I ended up liking it a lot. Its dark and cynical futuristic cyberpunk-ish style reminded me a little of Richard K. Morgan’s Altered Carbon, mixed in with a bit of that 007 Casino Royale vibe when it comes to the main protagonist. A biologically-enhanced operative, Anwar Abbas is an introspective character as raw and edgy as an unpolished stone, hardened by his life and work, but who nonetheless cares about standing up for what’s right.
Anwar is disgruntled when assigned bodyguard duties for Olivia del Sarto, the archbishop of the fast-growing New Anglican Church, but finds himself both repelled and intrigued by his charge’s abrasive candor. The morally ambiguous Olivia has an aggressive demeanor completely at odds with Anwar’s stubborn and systematic approach, but that doesn’t stop the two from plunging headfirst into a torrid affair � albeit one that is initially all sex and no feeling. Anwar is more than happy to satisfy Olivia’s voracious appetites, but stays by her side out of a sense of duty more than anything else, tasked to protect her from shadowy enemies who have threatened to assassinate her during a high-profile U.N summit on water rights.
Character development isn’t exactly strong, with both Anwar and Olivia’s personalities coming across as rather stunted and flat, causing me to constantly question their motivations especially when it comes to their relationship. And yet, somehow their affair manages to evolve into something much more nuanced. It’s not a love story, but at times it sure felt like one, even in all its twisted and dysfunctional glory. Here you have two characters on opposite sides of the spectrum; the harder they resist each other the more they are drawn together, becoming like one another. It sounds deceptively simple, but there’s a lot of synergy happening between the lines. It makes Evensong the perfect example of a story where the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.
John Love’s writing style also strikes me as a bit eccentric, especially since he utilizes a third person omniscient point of view for this novel, and is quite stark as he goes about his storytelling. For my part, I prefer a more personal touch, but admit that the author’s approach is also well suited for the story and its themes. I enjoyed my fair share of contemplation into the book’s more philosophical subjects � religion, human nature, etc. � but as I’d alluded to in my previous paragraph, I was mostly fascinated with the character dynamics and interactions. The author gradually adds layers to everything, so that the longer you read the novel, the more rewarding the experience gets. Like I said, there’s a combined effect at work here. At some point you’ll definitely get the feel of every piece snapping neatly into place, and suddenly it all makes sense.
I did say the novel had a huge impact on me emotionally. The revelations came at me like an explosion at the end, like one moment you’re traipsing down a sunny country lane and the next you’re blindsided by a Mack truck barreling into you at a hundred miles an hour. As the dust settled, I was left with a numbness, a melancholy that even now I find hard to explain, mixed with shock and disbelief…like, did I just read that?!!! The story definitely touched something deep inside me though, especially in light of the nature of Anwar’s character and the decisions he ultimately decided to make.
Certainly I never expected to be so powerfully affected by Evensong, since it’s such a departure from what I normally read. I can’t believe I almost dismissed this book as “not my thing�, and what a tragic mistake that would have been. I’m profoundly glad that I ended up ignoring my instincts, because against all odds, this book ended up working surprisingly well for me.
March 15, 2015
Justify Nothing
Reading John Love is an unique experience. He crafts characters that sit just outside of humanity despite nominally being part of it. Obsessions, large appetites for just about anything, levels of intelligence that sit just outside of insanity � these are the traits that can be found in even his most sane characters. The situations he places them in fit the same mold; even the most mundane actions have two or three competing underlying themes.
It is 2060 and the UN is holding a conference to discuss the biggest issue of the day, water rights. Hosting the summit is the New Anglican church, an impossible to describe mixture of church and business that has grown into a huge power on the strength of openness, large charity projects, and it’s charismatic arch bishop Olivia del Sarto. Olivia is a shrewd leader and largely responsible for the churches success yet is better known to the public for her voracious appetites; for food, the spotlight, and sex.
Anwar is one of The Dead, physically modified operatives employed and created by the UN. When he pulls what amounts to body guard duty better suited to ‘meatslabs� we start to see the obsessions that will make up a good portion of the rest of his story. When his boss asks him if he accepts the mission however he says yes, and will guard Olivia with the same compulsion that drives him in everything. For the danger she faces is very real.
Lastly we have Marek. A terrorist with unparalleled success. His face has been seen, his body count much lower than many fundamentalist groups, but never caught. Not big on speeches or taunts, with no specific targets or patterns, his group truly lived by the works Justify Nothing. Marek’s ability to fade to black after not only committing the terrorist acts, but also having the compulsion to go back and ensure every death, makes him a true ghost in a near future where that seems impossible.
Evensong is a book obsessed with obsession, starting with Anwar. From the moment he takes the mission we see his cracks. Obsessed with his ranking among the low number of Dead. A weird compulsion over the value of containers vs their contents. This works in his favor in many cases; along with the heightened senses he can analyze any situation twenty ways faster than most can once. He is not alone though. While he tries to figure out the big detail missing the people in the background are obsessing even further.
Every conversation is being analyzed by each member for deeper meanings and hidden messages. Even the affliction of the voice gets ran through the mind repeatedly. Each word spoken is part of a large sparring match that goes on for all of Evensong. This goes beyond the characters. I am certain there are hidden meanings to the Evensong mass and even several Shakespeare sonnets that this book drops in that I am missing completely.
Everything builds up to a particularly noteworthy ending. A payoff was going to come, everything kept building for a point in time that we knew was coming. But it was impossible to know what the climax was going to be. Several times obvious choices were shot down in the days leading up to the event. Until finally? Huge reveal and a hell of an exciting climax. Followed by a gut wrenching afterword in a spot usually devoted to wrapping up loose ends in a pretty package. I still don’t know if the final ending ‘worked� but it certainly leaves an impression. Obsession carries through until the very end.
This is a book that I could read three more times and find more to over analyze. I enjoyed it greatly.
4 Stars
February 11, 2015
In early 2012, John Love made some serious waves with his debut novel Faith, a critically acclaimed space opera that was about as dark as anything I’d read in the genre. (You can read my review, one of the first I posted on this site, here.) Faith was a novel many reviewers expected to see on Best-of-2012 lists and final award ballots, but instead it disappeared without much noise at all. Whether that was due to the novel’s admittedly disturbing content, or its early January release date, or the fact that all of this happened in the early days of Night Shade Books� well-documented collapse, no one knows.
So now it’s early 2015, and John Love’s second novel Evensong just came out in early January, almost three years to the date since Faith. I’m usually pretty aware of which books are coming out when, but this one somehow snuck by me completely. Which leads me to worry: is history about to repeat itself, and is this dark, disturbing SF novel about to disappear without a trace again?
Here’s hoping it won’t, because � while inarguably flawed � Evensong by John Love is a another dark, bizarre, gripping and ultimately satisfying novel.
So now it’s early 2015, and John Love’s second novel Evensong just came out in early January, almost three years to the date since Faith. I’m usually pretty aware of which books are coming out when, but this one somehow snuck by me completely. Which leads me to worry: is history about to repeat itself, and is this dark, disturbing SF novel about to disappear without a trace again?
Here’s hoping it won’t, because � while inarguably flawed � Evensong by John Love is a another dark, bizarre, gripping and ultimately satisfying novel.
November 26, 2015
I've loved this book, especially its near future world and tormented characters! And what an interesting, brave and heart shattering ending. Evensong is like Faith, John Love's debut novel, but with indestructible human beings instead of indestructible star-ships.
April 11, 2015
Honestly probably closer to a 2.5.
I loved Faith, John Love's debut novel. A great take on science fiction, it kept within the existing tropes while trying some new stuff, a great mix. Evensong also has science fictional elements, but tries more to be a political thriller or a mystery or what have you, and it ends up being kind of muddled and messy. In this case, you essentially have a United Nations mercenary squad of sorts, and it follows one of those mercs on a broader mission that never really feels complete or entirely clear, and, with the lack of a real way to engage with anyone involved, it became progressively harder for me to find a reason to care about it.
I tend to struggle with the sort of thriller books this looks to ape, which may be part of my issue here, but, on a whole, this didn't work for me and I wanted it to really badly. Maybe the next time.
I loved Faith, John Love's debut novel. A great take on science fiction, it kept within the existing tropes while trying some new stuff, a great mix. Evensong also has science fictional elements, but tries more to be a political thriller or a mystery or what have you, and it ends up being kind of muddled and messy. In this case, you essentially have a United Nations mercenary squad of sorts, and it follows one of those mercs on a broader mission that never really feels complete or entirely clear, and, with the lack of a real way to engage with anyone involved, it became progressively harder for me to find a reason to care about it.
I tend to struggle with the sort of thriller books this looks to ape, which may be part of my issue here, but, on a whole, this didn't work for me and I wanted it to really badly. Maybe the next time.
October 17, 2015
I liked some aspects of this futuristic SF novel; however there were a lot of aspects which didn't grab me, but this was because I did not get on with the style. If someone does take to the style they might give it a higher rating.
A conference is being held in Brighton by a fast-growing New Anglican church, and apparently this creates the requirement for a specialised bodyguard. The new version of the United Nations keeps genetically altered advisors for such purposes, and one man is sent to stop assassination attempts on the Archbishop. She's a woman and he's no sooner left alone with her than he has sex with his client on the table. The attempts come thick and fast, shootings, bombings and more. There's corporate treachery too (the church is a corporation) and even the UN can't keep its advisors under control.
Points of style I did not like were that: first, the history is delivered as a long lecture or three at the start by an omniscient narrator, rather than being presented by conversations, examples, internal recollections, diary entries, film footage in the background or any of the other possible devices. The rule is to show not tell if possible.
Second, the bodyguard early undertakes a tournament of martial arts against altered people like him. We understand by now that broken bones heal fast and there is no danger or prize, it is just a ritual before starting a contract. So as the many jerky moves are described this comes across as writing down the moves of a computer fighting game.
Third, we are given no reason to like or approve of the bodyguard or the bishop, so why would we care if they are hurt or killed or made bankrupt? We're just reading without any emotional involvement.
I did like the descriptions of the conference location, the quite normal seaside town hosting a two-mile long pier in the sea with new materials keeping it strong. Though a two-mile long pier with a giant hotel on the end is a fire safety risk and wouldn't get planning permission. I also liked that the tale is mostly set in Britain, with side trips to a house modelled on Fallingwater, and for no reason I could see, except to provide a contrast, wild Croatia. And the author is right to highlight the present and increasing shortage of freshwater worldwide, with the involvement of corporations in such issues.
So it's just not a book for me, but I hope some other readers will get a lot out of it. There's a great deal of strong language, aggression and violence in this SF thriller.
A conference is being held in Brighton by a fast-growing New Anglican church, and apparently this creates the requirement for a specialised bodyguard. The new version of the United Nations keeps genetically altered advisors for such purposes, and one man is sent to stop assassination attempts on the Archbishop. She's a woman and he's no sooner left alone with her than he has sex with his client on the table. The attempts come thick and fast, shootings, bombings and more. There's corporate treachery too (the church is a corporation) and even the UN can't keep its advisors under control.
Points of style I did not like were that: first, the history is delivered as a long lecture or three at the start by an omniscient narrator, rather than being presented by conversations, examples, internal recollections, diary entries, film footage in the background or any of the other possible devices. The rule is to show not tell if possible.
Second, the bodyguard early undertakes a tournament of martial arts against altered people like him. We understand by now that broken bones heal fast and there is no danger or prize, it is just a ritual before starting a contract. So as the many jerky moves are described this comes across as writing down the moves of a computer fighting game.
Third, we are given no reason to like or approve of the bodyguard or the bishop, so why would we care if they are hurt or killed or made bankrupt? We're just reading without any emotional involvement.
I did like the descriptions of the conference location, the quite normal seaside town hosting a two-mile long pier in the sea with new materials keeping it strong. Though a two-mile long pier with a giant hotel on the end is a fire safety risk and wouldn't get planning permission. I also liked that the tale is mostly set in Britain, with side trips to a house modelled on Fallingwater, and for no reason I could see, except to provide a contrast, wild Croatia. And the author is right to highlight the present and increasing shortage of freshwater worldwide, with the involvement of corporations in such issues.
So it's just not a book for me, but I hope some other readers will get a lot out of it. There's a great deal of strong language, aggression and violence in this SF thriller.
March 6, 2015
A Fast-Paced Near Future Post-Cyberpunk Thriller About Faith and Humanity's Future
"Evensong" is a remarkable work of near future post-cyberpunk speculative fiction posing too as an espionage thriller of the highest order worthy of comparison with the likes of Graham Greene and John Le Carré . It's "A Song Called Youth" meets "Islands in the Net" worthy of comparison with these two great cyberpunk works from John Shirley and Bruce Sterling, with more than a nod or two to William Gibson's "Sprawl" trilogy and Chris Moriarty's "Spin" novels. Love introduces us to a dangerous future, a world in which countries are fighting over water rights, and the United Nations set up as two different, though related, entities, both its original deliberate body headed by a Secretary General and the more secretive UNEX (UN Executive) whose Controller-General has a special team of assistants, "The Dead", assigned to "Mission Impossible" missions. One of them, Brooklyn, NY-born Anwar Abbas, is assigned a mission he would rather refuse, acting as a bodyguard to the maverick head of a new Christian Church, New Anglican Archbishop Olivia del Sarto, as she oversees a world conference designed to settle some of the most important issues related to human stewardship of the environment and theology. Love offers readers a fast-paced trek to some of the darkest corners of that near future, with vividly rendered prose, and superb world building of a kind I have seen rarely from many of the newest writers of speculative fiction, especially those with backgrounds in mainstream literary fiction. "Evensong" raises some interesting issues with regards to theology, woven around its speculative fiction and thriller framework that may appeal too to mainstream literary fiction audiences. With his superb literary talents, John Love should be recognized for writing one of the most notable novels published this year, irrespective of genre.
"Evensong" is a remarkable work of near future post-cyberpunk speculative fiction posing too as an espionage thriller of the highest order worthy of comparison with the likes of Graham Greene and John Le Carré . It's "A Song Called Youth" meets "Islands in the Net" worthy of comparison with these two great cyberpunk works from John Shirley and Bruce Sterling, with more than a nod or two to William Gibson's "Sprawl" trilogy and Chris Moriarty's "Spin" novels. Love introduces us to a dangerous future, a world in which countries are fighting over water rights, and the United Nations set up as two different, though related, entities, both its original deliberate body headed by a Secretary General and the more secretive UNEX (UN Executive) whose Controller-General has a special team of assistants, "The Dead", assigned to "Mission Impossible" missions. One of them, Brooklyn, NY-born Anwar Abbas, is assigned a mission he would rather refuse, acting as a bodyguard to the maverick head of a new Christian Church, New Anglican Archbishop Olivia del Sarto, as she oversees a world conference designed to settle some of the most important issues related to human stewardship of the environment and theology. Love offers readers a fast-paced trek to some of the darkest corners of that near future, with vividly rendered prose, and superb world building of a kind I have seen rarely from many of the newest writers of speculative fiction, especially those with backgrounds in mainstream literary fiction. "Evensong" raises some interesting issues with regards to theology, woven around its speculative fiction and thriller framework that may appeal too to mainstream literary fiction audiences. With his superb literary talents, John Love should be recognized for writing one of the most notable novels published this year, irrespective of genre.
March 15, 2015
In early 2012, John Love made some serious waves with his debut novel Faith, a critically acclaimed space opera that was about as dark as anything I’d read in the genre. Faith was a novel many reviewers expected to see on Best-of-2012 lists and final award ballots, but instead it disappeared without much noise at all. Whether that was due to the novel’s admittedly disturbing content, or its early January release date, or the fact that all of this happened in the early days of Night Shade Books� well-documented collapse, no one knows.
So now it’s early 2015, and John Love’s second novel Evensong just came out in early January, almost three years to the date since Faith Read More:
March 29, 2015
Set in 2060, Evensong is a fast paced, sci-fi thriller featuring a biologically enhanced secret operative of the UN on a simple bodyguard mission. This book features all of the action and political intrigue that you'd expect but it also asks deeper questions regarding identity, gender and morality.
April 14, 2019
I had Faith but I lost it reading this book.
February 6, 2015
John Love's second novel is also the second that I have read by him. On a lark, based somewhat on the cover and somewhat on brilliance of Windup Girl, another new author I upon whom I had taken chance from the same publisher, I had purchased Faith before a summer caking trip a year or two back. It was a fun book. A space opera without the science, it was really more futuristic fantasy than science fiction. So when I was looking through the usually Spartan options at Barnes and Noble immediately prior to a ski trip and saw Evensong, I thought "Perfect. Mindless action and adventure."
This time Love eschews space for a more modern setting - 2060 - with all of its dark future, post-cyberpunk style. Much like his previous works, he is light on detail. The UN has gained some power, mostly through the advent of a separate, administrative branch that solves the perennial problem that the UN often faces - all talk and no real work. This new branch begins an arm to execute the will of the more traditional, political UN. It evolves in a corporate-like manner into an efficient entity that budgets for and finds significant scientific research. And somehow, this research pays off in ways that none of its member states can replicate.
That last point seems a bit thin, but with a little suspension of disbelief it works. And the research pans out. They come up with two cool discoveries. The first is more background. The VSTOL - an aircraft with vertical take off and landing capabilities that can cover 7,000 miles in 90 minutes. It does something with the air in front and behind of it. Something with superconductors that make it near frictionless. Love's characters don't really understand it and he doesn't explain it any further. Plausible? Probably not. But it's cool.
The second discovery is the technology they use for The Dead. Basically, it's organically grown, genetically modified enhancements for individuals that become the ultra-special forces of their time. Six billion dollar men (and women). Their lives are erased. They gain virtual new identities, and their bodies are re-engineered. Musculature based on felines. Heightened senses. Molecular control that adjusts the hardness of their skin. Rapid healing. And, as any good street samurai knows, they gain the most powerful ally of all - heighten reactions and speed. Nothing ground breaking hear, but pretty cool, nonetheless.
What the UN doesn't have - and indeed something that is not particularly present in the story - are non-organic enhancements. No cybernetics here. In fact, the digital technology explosion seems to have stopped in love's universe. They are all using Apple iWatches (basically) still. Years from now, when readers look at this book, i would suspect that Love's imagining of the future technology will fall woefully short. And toward they end their is some neat programming - at least in the background. I won't go into any more as it plays a part in the final plot twist.
But that's ok. It's still a good story. Like Faith it builds slowly. Extra details about the present sprinkle throughout the plot as it evolves. Love slowly adds a bit of personality and backstory to each character, making them seem less one-dimensional. Nothing fancy mind you, but well executed, enjoyable, and easily digestible. Then in a spasm of a few pages, everything explodes. He wraps everything up neatly - though probably takes a few too many pages to do so, even if the explanation at the end seems hurried.
All in all, it's a better read than it s a piece of writing. The sum of the story and its escapism certainly exceed its parts, once dissected and reviewed on their individual merits. Just what one needs for a vacation.
This time Love eschews space for a more modern setting - 2060 - with all of its dark future, post-cyberpunk style. Much like his previous works, he is light on detail. The UN has gained some power, mostly through the advent of a separate, administrative branch that solves the perennial problem that the UN often faces - all talk and no real work. This new branch begins an arm to execute the will of the more traditional, political UN. It evolves in a corporate-like manner into an efficient entity that budgets for and finds significant scientific research. And somehow, this research pays off in ways that none of its member states can replicate.
That last point seems a bit thin, but with a little suspension of disbelief it works. And the research pans out. They come up with two cool discoveries. The first is more background. The VSTOL - an aircraft with vertical take off and landing capabilities that can cover 7,000 miles in 90 minutes. It does something with the air in front and behind of it. Something with superconductors that make it near frictionless. Love's characters don't really understand it and he doesn't explain it any further. Plausible? Probably not. But it's cool.
The second discovery is the technology they use for The Dead. Basically, it's organically grown, genetically modified enhancements for individuals that become the ultra-special forces of their time. Six billion dollar men (and women). Their lives are erased. They gain virtual new identities, and their bodies are re-engineered. Musculature based on felines. Heightened senses. Molecular control that adjusts the hardness of their skin. Rapid healing. And, as any good street samurai knows, they gain the most powerful ally of all - heighten reactions and speed. Nothing ground breaking hear, but pretty cool, nonetheless.
What the UN doesn't have - and indeed something that is not particularly present in the story - are non-organic enhancements. No cybernetics here. In fact, the digital technology explosion seems to have stopped in love's universe. They are all using Apple iWatches (basically) still. Years from now, when readers look at this book, i would suspect that Love's imagining of the future technology will fall woefully short. And toward they end their is some neat programming - at least in the background. I won't go into any more as it plays a part in the final plot twist.
But that's ok. It's still a good story. Like Faith it builds slowly. Extra details about the present sprinkle throughout the plot as it evolves. Love slowly adds a bit of personality and backstory to each character, making them seem less one-dimensional. Nothing fancy mind you, but well executed, enjoyable, and easily digestible. Then in a spasm of a few pages, everything explodes. He wraps everything up neatly - though probably takes a few too many pages to do so, even if the explanation at the end seems hurried.
All in all, it's a better read than it s a piece of writing. The sum of the story and its escapism certainly exceed its parts, once dissected and reviewed on their individual merits. Just what one needs for a vacation.
November 25, 2015
I read Faith by John Love a while ago and enjoyed it, although it had some beginning author issues, so I was excited to give this book a try.
Unfortunately, I think that the author has gone in a different direction than I would have preferred. His main character is a James Bond type whose cover is being an owner of a rare book store. He loves classical music, knows a lot about philosophy ( or at least as much as the author does) and because of genetic engineering and reworking is lightning fast, super-smart, and ultra-strong. He's the perfect secret agent, bought and paid for by the UN.
He's assigned a mission- to be a bodyguard for an iconoclastic religious figure whose religion's primary appeal seems to be its secular humanist bent. She's a woman who likes to eat and have sex, and this annoys our fastidious protagonist, who is all about self-denial.
Well, I confess I didn't get very far into this one. It almost read to me like a satire of pulp, because the hero was so over the top, the name-dropping of artists, designers and philosophers seemed so designed to appeal to the casual reader who wants to feel superior because they know who Frank Lloyd Wright was and what Bauhaus furniture looks like. Was the author mocking our brand-oriented, surface level society? Unfortunately, I don't think he was, which takes him down a notch for me. He really seemed to want to write a thinking person's thriller, but his philosophers came across as pretentious and sophomoric, not interesting or original. Lots of testosterone, very serious, too earnestly intense in its styling for me.
Unfortunately, I think that the author has gone in a different direction than I would have preferred. His main character is a James Bond type whose cover is being an owner of a rare book store. He loves classical music, knows a lot about philosophy ( or at least as much as the author does) and because of genetic engineering and reworking is lightning fast, super-smart, and ultra-strong. He's the perfect secret agent, bought and paid for by the UN.
He's assigned a mission- to be a bodyguard for an iconoclastic religious figure whose religion's primary appeal seems to be its secular humanist bent. She's a woman who likes to eat and have sex, and this annoys our fastidious protagonist, who is all about self-denial.
Well, I confess I didn't get very far into this one. It almost read to me like a satire of pulp, because the hero was so over the top, the name-dropping of artists, designers and philosophers seemed so designed to appeal to the casual reader who wants to feel superior because they know who Frank Lloyd Wright was and what Bauhaus furniture looks like. Was the author mocking our brand-oriented, surface level society? Unfortunately, I don't think he was, which takes him down a notch for me. He really seemed to want to write a thinking person's thriller, but his philosophers came across as pretentious and sophomoric, not interesting or original. Lots of testosterone, very serious, too earnestly intense in its styling for me.
October 23, 2015
Let me start with the downside first:
It needs editing, there are a lot of repetitions in it. And the word "replica" is repeated like a hundred times in this book.
I don't like the fact that the main character is a superweapon, we hear a lot about how he cannot be defeated by normal people, etc, but we see nothing of it. Or maybe a little bit, but that's nothing.
The rest later, I haven't finished yet.
OK, I'm finished:
The first twist: forseeable (I foresaw it anyway)
The second twist: nice, but not nice enough to compensate for the general weakness of the book.
The third twist: WHAT THE FUCK????!!!
It needs editing, there are a lot of repetitions in it. And the word "replica" is repeated like a hundred times in this book.
I don't like the fact that the main character is a superweapon, we hear a lot about how he cannot be defeated by normal people, etc, but we see nothing of it. Or maybe a little bit, but that's nothing.
The rest later, I haven't finished yet.
OK, I'm finished:
The first twist: forseeable (I foresaw it anyway)
The second twist: nice, but not nice enough to compensate for the general weakness of the book.
The third twist: WHAT THE FUCK????!!!
January 20, 2016
I feel I am being generous giving 2 stars, honestly. I was suckered into buying the book by the blurb on the cover claiming it was like a cross between Richard K Morgan and William Gibson but better than either. NOT the case. Poor dialogue, poor character development, entire phrases cut and pasted throughout the book - I was quite surprised to find that this was not the author's first novel (it is his second). There is violence, lurid sex, and action. Just not all that well presented...and, imho, a wholly unsatisfactory ending. Hm, maybe 2 stars really is too generous.
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January 21, 2015cleverly written futuristic story, revolving around a twisted scenario
"Psychologically blown to pieces" is used in some part by the author about one of the main characters, and I can't think of a more accurate way to describe this book.
A great read for all science-fiction lovers.
"Psychologically blown to pieces" is used in some part by the author about one of the main characters, and I can't think of a more accurate way to describe this book.
A great read for all science-fiction lovers.
May 28, 2015
Mid 3-star, but less than 4.
Lots of potential. Some of it fulfilled, some of it ignored, though not necessarily wasted. Interesting near-future setting, though with so many technological/biological advances in one particular area, very little if any advances displayed in any others. Don't know if any are planned, but I'd read another book set in this world.
Lots of potential. Some of it fulfilled, some of it ignored, though not necessarily wasted. Interesting near-future setting, though with so many technological/biological advances in one particular area, very little if any advances displayed in any others. Don't know if any are planned, but I'd read another book set in this world.
January 28, 2015
Very interesting. I liked it.
January 24, 2015
Highly irregular, but strongly written.
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