Sci-fi
Exceptional world building opens this novel off paired with Philip K Dick’s excellent writing. Our world is as follows: Earth is suffering in increasingly unbearable heat. More and more people are sent to the colonies on Mars and Venus to try and eek out an existence but with a hard and desolate life facing them many turn to…
…Can-D, an illegal drug smuggled to them which allows several people at once to jointly experience an ideal life back on Earth (without the heat) and escape their real lives for an hour or so.
Our literary landscape is well-written. We can really feel and imagine what it’s like on Earth and the story progresses smoothly without bumps though it does start to lose a little momentum half way through before picking up again and leading us on our way to the end which is curiously open to our thoughts. The plot is convoluted at times but not without direction, everything follows on to the next scene smoothly, but I would prefer slightly more direction and perhaps a little more of the thoughts and feelings of the characters to add a little more depth to our tale. Our main character, Barney, certainly has his share of troubles and inner demons which are explored but it feels difficult at times to slip into his shoes. The book is certainly not lacking in imagination and the author’s writing skills are evident throughout.
Score: 3 / 5
Leave a Reply