I Read Books: The Quiet War
At the start of this novel humanity has split into two group, those of Earth who are trying to rebuild the world after the environmental catastrophe of the Overturn and the Outers, colonists of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, forced from Mars and the Moon during struggles during the Overturn.
A variety of characters from Earth find their way out to the Outer system, where peace missions start to go wrong. A lot revolves around the gene wizard Avernus. Professor Dr Sri Hong Owen, a gene wizard high up in the power structure of Greater Brazil is obsessed with meeting her, and with her work. As tensions rise soil expert Macy Minot has to defect; partly as a result of diplomat Loc Ifraham; hotshot singleship pilot Cash Baker is deployed out to Saturn and a gene engineered spy who goes by several names including Dave finds himself in love and needing to fulfil his mission.
MacAuley gives us strange worlds, including Earth, and strange ways of living and strange people in them. He has a cool sympathy for his broken characters, neither condemning their crimes nor forgiving them, merely bearing witness and seeing the pitiless environment that creates them.
Read This: For startlingly excellent science fiction
Don’t Read This: If you want single causes or storylines, though they do, sort of, manage to come together at the end.
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