|
In this sequel to The Explorer, a new ship is sent
out into deep space twenty-three years after the disappearance
of the ISHIGURO. The new expedition is the brain child of
brilliant twin scientists, Mira and Tomas Hyvonen. Mira will
go into space with the expedition. Tomas will stay on earth
in charge of mission control. The brothers are certain they
have planned for everything and nothing can go wrong. Not
surprisingly, such hubris is quickly punished when things
go disastrously wrong. Written in first person, the novel
channels every moment through the mind of self-absorbed Mira.
The other characters are wafer thin, but that also reflects
Mira's nature. He doesn't connect with other people besides
his brother, and that relationship is far from ideal. So as
things go wrong, Mira goes deeper and deeper into himself.
This creates a creepy, claustrophobic and disturbing novel.
The pace is almost glacially slow, but like a slow-motion
accident, you simply cannot look away. For anyone who likes
their science fiction heavy on the psychological and atmospheric
and light on the science, this book delivers. And it will
keep you thinking about it long after the last page.
|
