Datonga

by Martin Smalley

Datonga is a science fiction adventure story which explores the creativity of great scientists. It is hard science fiction, based on time travel round Gödel loops within the known laws of physics. The power source that makes this possible is discovered by Grace O’Malley in 1984 and rediscovered in the Universal world in 3050 by Hu Song. Both geniuses show symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome and Grace’s calculations are like psychotic episodes. The ancient records suggest that Grace was murdered before her breakthrough and a mission is sent back from Datonga, the capital of the Universal world, to investigate the crime.

Kindle Edition

Published December 11, 2024

Reviews

[Chiara Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this book so much as a fan of science fiction, but whilst I enjoyed parts of it, others were lacking, resulting in an ok read for me in the end.

There are a lot of things happening and although I easily grasped all the scientific notions and the space and time travels explanations (but mind this is hard sci-fi), I had a hard time understanding the flow of the events. I thought the author wanted to cram in this book a lot, resulting in a somewhat collage of subplots and situations, with some events just superficially explained and not really contributing to the main happenings anyway.
Another thing I noticed was the lack of development in the characters, apart from the android Olaf and I was surprised by how suddenly these characters would fall in love with one another, without me even realising there was a spark of interest in the first place!

I want to underline that this is my experience of the book and it would be different for other readers, so please give it a chance as the main subject was a very interesting one.

The highlights of this book for me were: how volatile humans are, even in the future we don’t change much, although the future looks definitely brighter for us and mainly that the only “beings” we can really count on are androids (lol).

Thanks to the author and Literally PR for a copy and this is my honest opinion.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book a little slow at the start, but that's quite common with the sci-fi genre as the science element has to be solidly laid down. I think this was done really well and I (who is not a science brain person) was able to fully follow the science.

Despite not being a science brain, I'm actually a huge sci-fi fan, particularly anything to do with time travel. I love to think it really would be possible one day, and also hope it never is because I'm not sure we should be messing with the world that way.

Anyway on to the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this once it got going. There were so many fantastic elements to the story. Like the hints that Earth has become almost uninhabitable and that people on earth are unable to go outside. I also loved the historical crime that they were trying to solve 1066 years after it happened.

I also thought the book was an interesting narrative about how society works on earth, and how that could be done differently, which was shown by having the contrasting universal society. I especially loved the idea of the young people teaching the old, which is the reverse to what we do.

I did find that there was some dated and potentially jarring language, eg mentions Aspergers Syndrome and half-caste. At times the speech felt a little wooden, but if course it's entirely possible that that is how people will speak in the year 3050!

Overall I thought this was a fantastic time travel based look at society, free will, and how the ability to travel through time affects this.

[Nicola Manby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin was a university friend and I was keen to read this sci fi story. I wish he’d let me edit it - I was distracted from the good plot by the clunky he said/she said oddly set-out dialogue and repetitive adjectives. But I was glad to have read it and intrigued by the time travel plot.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Datonga by Martin Smalley is a fascinating hard science fiction adventure that takes readers on a journey through time travel and the minds of brilliant scientists. The story revolves around Grace O’Malley, who, in 1984, discovers a powerful energy source, and Hu Song, who re-discovers it in the year 3050. Both characters exhibit traits of Asperger’s syndrome, and Grace’s mathematical genius is portrayed as akin to psychotic episodes.

The narrative is anchored in Gödel loops and adheres to the known laws of physics, making it a compelling read for fans of hard sci-fi. The plot thickens as the investigation into Grace’s mysterious murder unfolds, prompted by a mission from Datonga, the capital of the Universal world. Smalley skillfully weaves together elements of science, mystery, and human complexity, making Datonga a unique and thought-provoking tale. Recommended for readers who appreciate deep scientific exploration alongside gripping storytelling.

Side note - I feel the need to emphasise that this is hardcore science fiction but don’t let that put you off giving it a try! It really is a great story!