Ian McDonald
Pyr
Prometheus
Books 2009
Reviewer: Bob Estreich
Ian McDonald has crafted a strange novel,
a series of interlocking chapters following the terraforming of Mars. It is
science fiction but has elements of fantasy and spirituality that make it much
more.
The terraforming organization, ROTECH,
remains in orbit carrying out its work and it has attained almost mystical
powers to those people on the planet. It is on ROTECH that their civilisation,
such as it is, depends. Although the planet is still being terraformed there
are a lot of people on the planet already. Many serve the Bethlehem Ares
Railroad, a huge mining and transport conglomerate that effectively rules the
planet. They have constructed a railway network across the planet so future
mineral discoveries can be exploited. Settlements have sprung up wherever
enough water can be pumped to the surface from the aquifers, since it has not
rained on Mars for millions of years.
Their operation is based on a system
called Industrial Feudalism in which each person has a place and is expected to
obey the company in all its decisions. Its workers are not always happy with
the system that suppresses any deviation from the company norm.
Out in the desert a small oasis supports
communications towers and construction and repair facilities for the railroad.
It has been abandoned for years. A traveler, Dr Alimantando, is marooned here
when his transport is blown away. Gradually other people finish up at the tiny
settlement and its population grows. Its importance to the history of Mars will
be out of proportion to its size. Its people have grown up independent of the
companies and some will try to spread that freedom to the rest of the world.
The little settlement is inadvertently named Desolation Road instead of
Destination Road.
The stories follow the progress of the
people of the village as Mars matures and eventually revolts against the
company. There are many parallels with the early settlement of the United
States. Mysticism, spirituality and magic play their part as well. There are
even Biblical touches.
McDonald’s style is a little flowery at
first, but after a while it gives the story the feel of an oral legend being
repeated to newcomers. Much the same as the Bible, in fact. This feeling of
oral tradition really suits such a sweeping story and it gives the story a
deeper feel of credibility that I really enjoyed. I only have one problem with
the book. The spelling errors are atrocious. Do the publishers know what a
spelling checker is? Or has the book been OCR-ed from an earlier print and not
checked afterwards? Still, it’s a minor niggle about a superb book.
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This
review will appear in Volume 2 No.5
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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