The Blue, Beautiful World (SF)

The Blue, Beautiful World (SF) - Karen Lord ****

This is a genuinely original science fiction novel with an intriguing underlying concept and multiple twists and turns at its heart. It's a shame that the cover proclaims it a 'story of first contact', because one of the twists is the reveal that this is the case, which isn't obvious to begin with in the book itself, but you can't see the cover without knowing it.

The first part involves a dip into the life of international music star Owen, whose combination of magnetic stage presence and cult-like following reminded me of Valentine Michael Smith in Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. We then switch to the recruiting of a series of twenty-somethings to a mysterious global organisation and their distinctly odd training, ranging from assessing threats to the world to playing football. That abrupt switch requires a small suspension of irritation, but everything does come together in a satisfying fashion - and the 'first contact' challenge is quite unlike anything I've ever seen before.

In this respect, the novel really does earn the anonymous Guardian comment on the back 'Lord is on a par with Ursula K. Le Guin' - the originality and richness of the plotting is indeed up there with the greats. If I'm honest, the writing style isn't there yet - it's mostly fine, but a tad amateurish in places, which feel in need of a good polish. In this respect, I'm afraid, there's a way to go before catching up with Le Guin's skill as a writer.

The same applies to characterisation. All the central characters are part of a technocratic, intellectual elite who consider the ordinary people sheep to be manipulated. Theirs is a world where nepotism is actively encouraged. Lord seems to think (perhaps rightly) that major changes in society require not very nice people to make things happen.

More positively, I've always enjoyed books where you read something and think 'Huh? What's going on?' and this happens quite a few times with those aforementioned twists, including one example that for quite some time seems like a mistake on the author's part, but is then explained as the plot develops.

If you like a Star Trek-like tendency to have very humanoid aliens (with the same underlying excuse as to why this is the case) and some physically unlikely alien abilities (notably psi) that were common in earlier SF, but have rather dropped out of fashion, this is a very impressive novel.

Hardback:

Kindle:
Using these links earns us commission at no cost to you

Review by Brian Clegg - See all Brian's online articles or subscribe to a weekly email free here

Comments

Mathematics with Love – Mary Stopes-Roe *****

Admittedly it’s early days (this review is written in January), but this, for me, is the surprise hit of the year so far! I approached this book with trepidation, but found it absolutely delightful. It is described on the cover as the “courtship correspondence of Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb”, and contains a series of letters between Wallis and his cousin and eventual wife Molly Bloxham, along with some useful annotation by their daughter, Mary. The courtship itself is not without difficulties, as Wallis was 18 years older than the 17-year-old Molly at the start of the correspondence, and her father, not surprisingly, wasn’t too pleased about the interest of such an elderly suitor, but that isn’t the only reason the letters are interesting – it’s also because of maths, and Wallis’s position in the UK as the engineering hero of the Second World War. (Incidentally, it seemed very strange to see letters addressed to “Barnes” – I had always assumed Barnes Wallis was a ...

Data Empire - Roopika Risam ****

The central thesis presented by Roopika Risam is that information gives us (and particularly countries) the power to organise, control and dominate others. Although I have a couple of issues with the presentation, this is a genuinely interesting trip through the history of our use of stored information from the earliest tallies to the latest information technology. I loved a quote from Lisa Gitelman that data is is always 'cooked' so 'raw data is an oxymoron'. This neatly underlines Risam's thesis that data and information are not neutral facts, but rather tools that (like everything from fire to electronics) can be used for good or evil. As we are taken through the historical context, it can sometimes be a little difficult to judge whether Risam regards a particular example as bad or good, even when the outcome is disastrous. One thing I didn't like too much is the adherence to a popular science writing approach that has got distinctly hackneyed: opening chapte...

Andrew Jaffe - Five way interview

Andrew Jaffe is professor of astrophysics and cosmology at Imperial College, London and director of the Imperial Centre for Inference and Cosmology. His new book is The Random Universe. Why science? I’ve always been interested in science, in particular in astronomy, astrophysics, and space. One of my earliest memories - back in nursery school in New Jersey, I think - was watching one of the moon launches. I wanted that excitement to be part of my life! I never got to be an astronaut, but I did get to be part of the Planck Satellite team, and was privileged to be able to travel to the ESA Spaceport in French Guiana to watch the launch. In between, I was lucky enough to have a supportive family, get a good education, and find inspiring teachers, mentors, and collaborators. They helped me model the universe, and helped me learn how to refine those models in the face of experimental and observational evidence. That is, they taught me to be a scientist. Why this book? The Random...

Search This Blog