Alex James's Blog: AlexJamesNovels Blog - Posts Tagged "speculative"

The Krakow Klub is a speculative science-fiction conspiracy novel that focuses on the dangers of infinite technology and wealth. The secretive super-rich elitist group, The Krakow Klub, is plotting to finalise its takeover of the United States government. But something unprecedented occurs when the President suddenly announces that he will step down, setting into motion a series of events akin to a political earthquake.

John F Scott has limitless alien technology at his disposal, and decides to use its weaponry and wealth to preserve the US constitution from socialism. He even has his own space-station operated by an unrestrained giant alien (Mylean) computer called Maxx. Unfortunately, Maxx has an unpredictable emotional module, which adds to John’s worries that Maxx will somehow misuse the immense weaponry against “earthlings”. The space-station descriptions reminded me of sci-fi films that use a similar, patient, make-them-familiar-with-surroundings technique. The Krakow Klub improves, a lot, after Chapter Nine (70%) when the Dragon Lady/Number Eleven is introduced and the reader is given a real example of Mylean technology at work on Earth. The chapters afterward contain action/battle scenes that put the battle for the US government into context, and make John panic.

Criticism: At 10%, I didn’t identify with John because I didn’t think there was much to his personality. In a nutshell: he makes plans, dislikes the way the US constitution is being eroded by socialism, and most of all he is lonely and seeks companionship; the only thing he lacks. The sub-character introductions and technological briefs were a lot to absorb and unnecessary to the plot most of the time. At 20% I was still anxious to move beyond what was academic. Circumstances were often thought by some characters then repeated in dialogue later on. Sometimes the speculative predictions would tell me what was going to happen before the scene occurred. This detracted the thunderous surprise from events.

Overall, I found The Krakow Klub to be different from expectations in that its focus was on character and not plot; a lot of new characters were introduced, but John wasn’t properly challenged. There was character building and much humour. I suppose these elements didn’t reach out to me personally, but they may appeal to others. I can imagine the book’s audience being more political-economic readers.

Redeye, sequel to Shadow of a Dead Star, is a cyberpunk novel that speculates on to what extent dependence on machines and automation can have in a worst case scenario, where human bodies are seen only as functions or spare parts in a greater alien (Yathi) system that eludes them.

Bobbi takes centre stage in Redeye, and we see her personal life getting over what happened to partner Tom Walken. When a proficient hacker contacts her with vital information, Bobbi is thrust into a complex web of alien conspiracy, where she will make new well-conceived allies who she is not sure whether to put her trust in. The way Bobbi’s vulnerable, anxious and yet chipper mind worked was fascinating to read and such a contrast to former protagonist Agent Tom Walken’s distrustful and paranoid state. Many of the events in Shadow of a Dead Star were smoothly integrated with Redeye, perhaps painstakingly in the early pages. As soon as Bobbi physically sets out to hack alien sites, the author delivers with outstanding action that fans of classic apocalyptic Philip K Dick science-fiction will love.

Sometimes Bobbi must trust in dubious gifts bestowed by technological god-entities if she is to prevail against the enemy aliens. It is a paroxysm, but maybe an unavoidable one considering the circumstances where hacking and computer code are the basis for alien domination. Redeye shines a real light on how superficial, materialistic, and robotic people appear when they follow trends or adopt technologies they don’t really need, perhaps to show status. ‘The land of meat’ is used to refer to human society as if the computer realm views it with disdain. Ironically, despite all the warnings about digital over-reliance, the main protagonist Bobbi actually prefers the cyber-world of hacking, but is frequently ripped out of it by problems in the ruined world of meat.

Criticism: it took a while to get to the nub of the story; mostly it begins with who Bobbi can trust and this continues well into Redeye. At first I thought the group infiltration into a Yathi base progressed at a snail’s pace, with too many references to past incidents and confrontations with the Yathi in order to understand the current predicament. I see how this was used to add background to what the characters were up against, but I would have preferred present action and confrontation to be the deciding factor in how they unravelled enemy’s complexities. There were many typos, mainly between 25-30%. The author didn’t make clear why the Yathi became as technologically advanced as they were, and the characters’ comprehension of this was at times sketchy. Furthermore, this was the case with the explanations and reasons behind the aliens’ motives and their control of the global communications network. And why do the aliens appear as they do?

Overall, I really liked the balance of speculation, mystery, and action in Redeye. It developed existing ideas much better than Shadow of a Dead Star, fusing classic leader-of-the-underground ideas with an exaggerated balloon of looming ill-will and alien conquest. Every character was interesting, having their histories and characteristics. The thread of strong visual imagination continues in this series, and there is a high likelihood it won’t be too long before I’ll be reading the next.

HG Well’s The Time Machine is Victorian science-fiction that combines time-travel with speculation on the fate of humanity’s future and modern civilisation. It’s an elegantly written novel, somewhat like an essay examining the strengths and weaknesses of the major political ideologies of the nineteenth century: Marx and Engels particularly.

Many parallels can be made between Marx’s vision of a communist utopia, and HG Well’s almost satirized version, which he witnesses in the future in 800, 000 years’ time. I message I comprehended was that a socially stratified society divided into a work-force and a privileged class would come back to haunt us in the future: that the measures and securities we enforce to create a strong distinction between the have’s and have-not’s will lead to a polarisation of intelligence, and indeed may invert it in a way we would least expect. Besides the obvious connections to make between the Time Machine and the time HG Wells lived in, there was little recognisable in the future for the modern reader.

The author has a peculiar, signature writing style that is eloquent, well thought-out, and not unlike Dickens. His ability to use the foundations of profound political thinkers and scientific knowledge to foresee a future that is so revolting, ugly, and well … unacceptable to most who live in the present; proves that he is willing to go where others don’t dare, and this is quite beside his unusual range of ideas.

Overall, I would not just simply recommend The Time Machine; after having read the War of the Worlds; it would be foolish at this stage not to recommend the author himself.

How I attained this book?
In HMV there was a sale. Dozens of dystopian books surrounded me, and I took time choosing which I wanted, to my family member’s chagrin. I thought I’d settle with a Philip K Dick book alongside another that had been recommended to me – Fahrenheit 451. I could trust Philip K Dick could write a good novel from when I read much of him in 2010 and 2011.

How does it start?
When Nick Appleton’s son, Bobby, finally takes the civil service test, and fails, as everybody told him he would because they’re biased, we don’t even know what he’s truly feeling, but he’s changed. His wife is now an agent of conformity bent on using Nick to perpetuate their family’s survival instead of the notion of real love.

Is OFFF8 typical Dick?
In some ways, yes, it’s typical of author Philip K Dick. Main protagonist Nick Appleton loses affection for his wife, distrusts her even, and then goes looking for a rebellious young female who can teach him something new about life, allow him to be a bit naughty, and explore his ‘human’ side and the revolution-in-works. In this sense it’s a bit like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

In other ways, it’s not so typical. There aren’t any conspiracy theories, and the tables don’t turn on the main protagonist in quite as dramatic a way as they do in Total Recall or Minority Report. We’re looking at a fight against a dystopian system, but it’s not one that can be sought from the protagonist searching for clues, as in Paycheck. Instead we’re anticipating news from the character Thors Provoni who had abandoned Earth on a ship and seeks to elude destruction, before deciding to make a return and change things for the better, this time accompanied by a giant protoplasmic slime alien. As far as the establishment is concerned, Thors Provoni is a villain, and I’m sure the medication-reliant majority on Earth agree, except those daring enough to sell rebel preacher material.

What flavour of dystopian are we in for?
Our Friends From Frolix 8 (OFFF8) shows what happens when those in power are victim to the fear and pressure they exert on the population on a daily basis, and likens those certain people to children in their eagerness to possess, and proclaim the absolute certainty of things.

Very much a vision of a future where population control, enforced conformity, ‘relocation camps’ as punishments, surveillance, and biased two-party political systems are the norm. It makes you appreciate that from a time long ago authors such as Philip K Dick could see disadvantages with the current political model. We see news broadcasters underplaying revolutionary events to support the system in power, and their paid positions, twisting fact with fiction in a way that’s reminiscent of every time there is a real election.

I was beginning to get the feeling I was reading the solution to a problem we’re seeing emerge in modern day of increased surveillance and infringement of privacy that comes with technological advancement, and of severe measures taken against minorities or any who don’t conform to the standard majority mode of living.

Is it good?
OFFF8 is possibly the best PKD book I’ve read, and the most relevant to read now. Though it bears similarity to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, there isn’t anything much more original than a protoplasmic slime alien, and it was fun reading how the tyranny struggles to react to this. I kept talking about the book. Must read!