This is the best sort of book. Not only did I read it compulsively, because I wanted to see what happened to Laurel and Eli, but it also made me think about the world we live in and view things through a different lens. It’s the sort of book that you finish and then carry on thinking about for days afterwards. (I’ve spent a lot of time Googling to see which things discussed were based on things that actually exist – quite a lot, it turns out. As a writer who hates research, I’m godsmacked by the amount of research that must have gone into the writing of this book).
The book starts in McMurdo station, in Antarctica, where Laurel works in the kitchens. The descriptions of life in Antarctica are quite interesting in themselves. Then we find out, slowly, about Eli and Silas and what made Laurel the way she is.
The book is science fiction of the sort that is rooted in real theories. There’s a lot about fungi and mycelia and their symbiosis with trees. As a former microbiologist, I found this very interesting. More importantly, it ties into the story later, so it’s relevant. There’s a fair bit of discussion about physics too, but all presented quite lightly. Again, it’s relevant to the story.
I was particulary gripped by the bits in the Anti-universe, where the world tends to order rather than chaos. Reading about this required a bit of mental gymnastics to keep up.
It felt timely that this books makes you think about the effects we’re having on the world – with global warming, species extinction and other catastrophes that we’re heaping on the world. The idea of a world where technology and society goes backward is disquietening.
Buy a copy: https://amzn.to/4lJOAiv