When I bought this e-book, there was just one other review showing. It read, "too weird for my taste. too many new woeds [SIC] with unclear meanings. I like simpler reads."
At first, I'd assumed that reviewer must be daft, but having read this gem of a novella, I now understand where he was coming from. You see, this is one of those stories where the author thrusts you thousands of years into the future, and provides no glossary to help you understand the clipped speech, new technical terms, slang, and portmanteaus of future English.
Therefore, as the reader uses context clues to begin to understand what the new words mean, that process mirrors the way the story's meaning --as well as the truth the characters are searching for-- unfolds.
This is a wonderful story about a future in which endless war has so limited the scope of human experience that those serving on the front lines have been bred and devolved into purpose-built space warriors who are very good at engaging in combat, and not much good at anything else.
The central character, a soldier programmed to yearn for "the zap," begins the story in such a state of Pavlovian unconsciousness that she can't help but mutter "Zap, zap" under her breath when being scolded by her teacher. What does "the zap" mean? Firing upon the enemy, I think.
As the story progresses, her quest to be a better killing machine puts her on a journey that awakens her long suppressed humanity.
If you're a fan of Greg Bear's "The Way" series, you'll recognize a lot of familiar territory here. As in those books, the characters have implants that augment brain function, and they spend much time in virtual worlds within computer databases. Another familiar theme from the final book in the "The Way" trilogy is the idea that human and alien computers and code in the distant future might be sophisticated enough to bridge the gap between warring species and enable them to understand each other, especially in virtual spaces.
This book has much to say about the dehumanizing effects of endless war, but I won't presume to tell you what it means. What I can tell you is that it was a great little read.
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| Length: 87 pages | Word Wise: Enabled | Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled |
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