Right, this is the third Max Barry I’ve read this year, so I think it’s safe to say, I’m a bit of a fan.
Earth finds itself in conflict with a seemingly invincible enemy from a distant star system: strange insect-like creatures whose primary method of attack is to launch miniature black holes at the enemy.
Did I say “seemingly invincible”? Why, yes! The planet responds to the threat by launching a new fleet of starships driven by AIs so sophisticated that they take the battle to the enemy with very little need for a crew. In fact, the biggest problem for the four-man crew of one these Providence-class vessels is boredom; the ship finds the enemy, plans the attack, executes, and leaves. It can even manufacture its own weaponry and crab-like robots to carry out repairs. This leaves the crew with plenty of time on its hands to contemplate the loneliness of being cooped up in an intelligent starship, light-years from home, with three other people they neither like nor trust. …
If you’re expecting epic space battles with exploding vessels and the like — well actually, it has those. But what it has more of is the story of four people being alone and facing impossible odds — even if they are crewing the most sophisticated war machine ever created.
Barry expertly weaves the back stories of the crew throughout the book, taking his time to build their less-than-perfect characters and thus explaining their somewhat bizarre coping mechanisms in dealing with their isolation. Two crew members vent their frustrations by stalking each other in a game of hide and seek — using guns.
As the ship drives itself deeper into enemy territory, the crew becomes increasingly paranoid, seeking to take control of at least some of the ship’s decision-making. The ship responds by sealing off some of its key areas from the crew, and it’s then that the ship has no real notion of the crew’s existence — and was probably surprised by their attempts to seize control.
Yup, this book works for me on so many levels: the characterisation is spot on; the technology is believable (from a sci-fi point of view).
The battles seemed a mundane after a few rounds, but that’s the whole point: you read them and you understand why the crew is bored — the ship does everything; the crew is their to “monitor” … things.
By contrast though, when the unexpected happens, all hell breaks loose, leading to a stunning, if somewhat expected climax.
Both funny and engaging. An excellent read.