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Entanglement (SF) - Gerald Kilby ***

If there is still such a thing as GOFSF (good old-fashioned science fiction), Entanglement very much fits that category. Our central characters are the classic space travel misfits, on a survey vessel in the Asteroid Belt, hence the series title (this is very much a series book).

Our hapless heroes get the opportunity to get the finders' fee on a missing piece of tech in a derelict ship. Briefly they're very happy - until they find out every government and dodgy corporation wants to get their hands on this technology, and will stop at nothing to do so.

It all plays out nicely, with two set piece adventures. To be honest, Gerald Kilby's ideas are better than his writing style - but that wasn't a problem for Asimov, so it's not really a criticism. The writing is workmanlike, but rarely page turning, while the characters, if not two-dimensional are on the thin side. At least, unlike Asimov, he has significant female characters.

What makes it GOFSF is the solid use of science, with the 'one little omission' rule applied. Kilby's ships can't magically speed up and slow down, nor can they descend from orbit as if they're dropping in a lift. Topically, he has two major AI characters - except these are quantum AI, and as such much closer to real artificial general intelligence than the rest. 

The 'one little omission' rule is that SF writers are generally allowed to have one piece of technology that doesn't make much scientific sense, whether it's a warp drive or a time machine. Kilby uses a different one - instantaneous communication. This is not new in SF. James Blish, for example, used it as a central device in his short story Beep and the expanded novel version The Quincunx of Time, as did Ursula Le Guin in The Dispossessed. Here it's provided by a device that makes use of quantum entanglement. While this can't work physically (see The God Effect) it's not a bad cover.

Overall, I would give the book four stars for ideas, but it's pulled down both by the writing and the heavy series feel - it doesn't so much end as point on to the next volume. It's perfectly possible to write a great series where each book operates successfully standalone, but this one isn't like that. I'd also say that the AIs are (disappointingly) hugely underused, presumably so they can come to the fore later in the series.

Paperback:   
Kindle:  

Note: Bookshop version is audiobook only, but includes the first three books in the series.

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