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Reader Reviews | |
Review by Ben Macnair (300416) Rating (6/10) Review
by Ben Macnair Of course, 15 new worlds bring with them a lot more paper-work, and in London Chloe Miller is in charge of the admin. She maps the changes that the alien worlds brings with them, scraps of alien technology that could change the agenda of the smallest of groups, potentially making global terrorism even more of a threat. She stumbles across two small children, who have seen more than their youth would suggest, orphans from another world, but the authorities believe that they are bringers of a new kind of danger. At the same time, on a separate world, an earth man is killed, and Vic Gayle, during his police investigation stumbles on a turf war between two gangs. This is a novel that blends philosophy with gritty crime and believable Science Fiction. Although first seen as a gift, the fifteen planets are also, like the internet, something of a curse, if used for the wrong reasons, and the basest of human desires, greed, one-upmanship, and indifference soon becomes apparent, both to Chloe, and the many characters that build the novel. In creating fifteen, distinct worlds, and also building a number of different genre conceits into the novel, McAuley has set himself a daunting task, which he largely fulfils. The characters are all appealing, and believable, whilst Chloe Miller, as the heart of the story is strong enough to see things through to the end. This is a book that would appeal to a number of genre readers of Science Fiction, and Crime, whilst the many philosophical points that McAuley raises are well integrated into the story as a whole. |
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