"Not bad I suppose... ;0)"

"*** 2024 reread -

So � you’re “rereading� after having first read this book in - checks notes - November of 2023? A couple of months ago?

Yes, this book baffled and perplexed me so that I went and grabbed by book club and we all ganged up on the book.

I’m still perplexed.

One of the many great things about my book club is that we are almost never in complete agreement on a book. In over a dozen years reading the same books with this group of scholars, librarians, friends of the library, science fiction aficionados and escape artists, reading a book a month, so well over a hundred books, I don’t think we’ve ever completely agreed on a book.

We didn’t agree on this one either.

There’s just a lot going on and working on many different levels. We talked about how readers may make a comparison to William Gibson and I can see that not though I missed it before.

Dense. Several reviewers commented on how this is a dense narrative and I can agree with that and that draws further comparisons to Herbert or Wolfe.

I’m going to read the sequel.

***

Weird book, but good, I liked it, maybe liked it a lot.

The rating - this book was mesmerizing and amazing. It also got on my nerves. I literally considered giving this a 1 star, a 2, 3, 4 and even tossed around the idea of a 5 for various reasons. Did I ultimately like it? Yes, so it does not get a 1 or 2. Was it life changing, did I love it? No, so no 5 star. 3 or 4. The writing was excellent and so I’m leaning towards a 4. We’ll come back to this.

What’s it about? Sort of a first contact story, but much more than just that. This is about a post-scarcity society where some folks check out of existence and live in a virtual reality heaven. Many if not most people in this future setting are enhanced in some ways, many genetically. There is a threat to Earth and our intrepid protagonists venture out to confront the bad guys.

Except, are they really bad guys? Are they so alien that binary definitions like good and bad maybe don’t work so well?

Not gonna lie, writing this review has caused me fits. Your otherwise pithy and erudite suburban caveman became flummoxed with the task of trying to describe this tasty bit of SF.

So I won’t.

Not in the usual sense. Let me refer you, dear GR friends, to Carol or mark or Nataliya for excellent summaries and overviews on this very interesting work. I’m going to take mark’s learned counsel and just talk about one aspect of the book that especially engaged my reading enjoyment.

There is a vampire in the book!

Wait, didn’t you say this was an outer space far future science fiction book?

YES! There are space vampires!

OK, wait. That sounds a lot like some kitschy retro SF with globe helmets and Heinleinesque 50s era dialogue. “Watch out, Ace! The space vampire is on our tail and gaining fast!� And then “Roger that, Lieutenant, break out the Euclidian right angle anti-vampire display, that should slow him down!�

No, not that. Nor even an absurdist but fun satire. There is an actual ancient predator prowling the zero gravity wells and, incredibly, he’s on our side. Sort of.

Seems that one of the many genetic tomfooleries going on in this world building is that scientists have lost their ever loving rabbit assed minds and have resurrected from creepy old DNA actual vampires. Apparently they were offshoots of humanity back in the Pleistocene. The “internet� tells me that the Pleistocene epoch took place in theaters about 2.5 million years ago and finally wrapped up around 11,000 years ago. So there is some racial memory of these monsters and turns out that’s why we’re afraid of the dark! Who knew? [space shrug]

Anyway.

Watts� inclusion of the vampire in this novel is unique and only one of the many elements of this that make it work. Watts� writing, the language he uses and the prose that comes out as a result is gifted. There’s lots of high tech mumbo jumbo, various and sundry SF details that would fit in most any Sci-Fi fun factory.

So why the vampire?

Here’s what I think: this is not really a first contact story, not even really a SF novel except in the surface story. What is swimming around down in the murky depths is a story about consciousness and existential dread. The vampire in space is a none too subtle reminder that even if we’re fancy pants space travelers, down deep in what makes us human, there is still a hunter gatherer who, correctly, fears what lurks in the shadows. We are, and always will be, a mammal on the plain.

Or it’s a cool book about first contact and Oh by the way there are space vampires.

Boo!

"