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Jackaroo #1
Something Coming Through
One of our finest SF writers moves closer to home. London is devastated. New worlds are being explored. And the aliens have arrived...
The aliens are here. And they want to help. The extraordinary new project from one of the country's most acclaimed and consistently brilliantly SF novelists of the last 30 years.
The Jackaroo have given humanity 15 worlds and the means to reach them. They're a chance to start over, but they're also littered with ruins and artifacts left by the Jackaroo's previous clients.
Miracles that could reverse the damage caused by war, climate change, and rising sea levels. Nightmares that could for ever alter humanity - or even destroy it.
Chloe Millar works in London, mapping changes caused by imported scraps of alien technology. When she stumbles across a pair of orphaned kids possessed by an ancient ghost, she must decide whether to help them or to hand them over to the authorities. Authorities who believe that their visions point towards a new kind of danger.
And on one of the Jackaroo's gift-worlds, the murder of a man who has just arrived from Earth leads policeman Vic Gayle to a war between rival gangs over possession of a remote excavation site.
Something is coming through. Something linked to the visions of Chloe's orphans, and Vic Gayle's murder investigation. Something that will challenge the limits of the Jackaroo's benevolence...
The aliens are here. And they want to help. The extraordinary new project from one of the country's most acclaimed and consistently brilliantly SF novelists of the last 30 years.
The Jackaroo have given humanity 15 worlds and the means to reach them. They're a chance to start over, but they're also littered with ruins and artifacts left by the Jackaroo's previous clients.
Miracles that could reverse the damage caused by war, climate change, and rising sea levels. Nightmares that could for ever alter humanity - or even destroy it.
Chloe Millar works in London, mapping changes caused by imported scraps of alien technology. When she stumbles across a pair of orphaned kids possessed by an ancient ghost, she must decide whether to help them or to hand them over to the authorities. Authorities who believe that their visions point towards a new kind of danger.
And on one of the Jackaroo's gift-worlds, the murder of a man who has just arrived from Earth leads policeman Vic Gayle to a war between rival gangs over possession of a remote excavation site.
Something is coming through. Something linked to the visions of Chloe's orphans, and Vic Gayle's murder investigation. Something that will challenge the limits of the Jackaroo's benevolence...
384 pages, Paperback
First published February 19, 2015
79 people are currently reading
1625 people want to read
About the author
Paul McAuley
229 books418 followersSince about 2000, book jackets have given his name as just Paul McAuley.
A biologist by training, UK science fiction author McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction, dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternate history/alternate reality, and space travel.
McAuley has also used biotechnology and nanotechnology themes in near-future settings.
Since 2001, he has produced several SF-based techno-thrillers such as The Secret of Life, Whole Wide World, and White Devils.
Four Hundred Billion Stars, his first novel, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988. Fairyland won the 1996 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the 1997 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel.
A biologist by training, UK science fiction author McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction, dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternate history/alternate reality, and space travel.
McAuley has also used biotechnology and nanotechnology themes in near-future settings.
Since 2001, he has produced several SF-based techno-thrillers such as The Secret of Life, Whole Wide World, and White Devils.
Four Hundred Billion Stars, his first novel, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988. Fairyland won the 1996 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the 1997 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
April 17, 2020
This was a surprisingly deep and interesting SF novel that is very rich in worldbuilding. The core plot is very much a traditional Noir mystery, but the inclusion of so many great alien elements including 15 gifted planets, a whole wide slew of problems related to invasive, unintentional cultural and biota contaminants, and the usual, normal human cussedness of trying to profit on the whole chaotic mess turns this into one hell of an interesting tale.
As I was reading it, I was thinking fondly of the movie, District 9, and as fondly of Rosewater for much the same reasons.
It's rich, wildly creative, original, and not afraid to go all-out on the strange bits.
I miss this kind of novel. The kind that doesn't constantly re-use the same old plots, doing them all in the same kinds of ways. I like that this goes well beyond the first contact scenario and aims for an uneasy but vast collusion, infection, and contamination. :) And the kinds of aliens? Some made me giggle and others had me put my mind in high-gear trying to figure them out. The Jackaroo and the Eidolons in particular.
I think of John M. Harrison when I think of this novel. I also think of Daniel Suarez.
These are great writers to be compared to. :)
As I was reading it, I was thinking fondly of the movie, District 9, and as fondly of Rosewater for much the same reasons.
It's rich, wildly creative, original, and not afraid to go all-out on the strange bits.
I miss this kind of novel. The kind that doesn't constantly re-use the same old plots, doing them all in the same kinds of ways. I like that this goes well beyond the first contact scenario and aims for an uneasy but vast collusion, infection, and contamination. :) And the kinds of aliens? Some made me giggle and others had me put my mind in high-gear trying to figure them out. The Jackaroo and the Eidolons in particular.
I think of John M. Harrison when I think of this novel. I also think of Daniel Suarez.
These are great writers to be compared to. :)
April 6, 2017
More superb McAuley. Two intertwined stories, set in the near future, which become ever closer as the book proceeds.
Great characters, fast pacing, wonderful plot, mysterious aliens, dangerous technologies, and a modern western all rolled into one.
There are a number of perfect twists as the stories proceed, all surprising and quite in-character. The main protagonist, Chloe, is courageous, charming and smart, and just vulnerable enough to multiply the tension surrounding her and the other "good guys". And there are a few characters whose agenda and loyalties appear to be known, but not with certainty. Surprises here are terrific, and advance the plot to a surprise finish.
The "epilogue" is satisfying, and not over-long.
I read the last half of this book almost non-stop, and finished it at 4am last night - WOOT! -
... and then downloaded the "Into Everywhere" sequel and read 10% of that before sleeping.
Paul McAuley is truly at the height of his powers. The Quiet Sun series changed my view of human's possible future forever, and I am truly delighted with this Something Coming Through.
--------------------
Quotes:
64.0% "... "because the French government had yet to forgive the ‘English perfidy’ that had almost caused the collapse of the EU, its police were reluctant to cooperate." - McAuley prescience of idiot Brexit stupidity?"
35.0% "... quote: The pub was the kind of place where a cluster of locals clung to the bar like barnacles while tides of visitors washed in and out."
20.0% "... it's so depressing to keep reading about being in the EU in this book, while Brexiteers gloat over how we all look with our throats cut in the mirror"
15.0% ".... near future, man has wrecked the planet. No smarter in the future than today. Given 15 new worlds, we proceed to fuck them up too. Man is truly a cancer of the planet."
Jackaroo stories so far -
“Dust” (2006)
“Winning Peace” (2007)
“City Of The Dead” (2008)
“Adventure” (2008)
“Crimes And Glory” (2009)
“The Choice” (2011)
“Bruce Springsteen” (2012)
“The Man” (2012)
"Something Coming Through" (full novel, 2015)
"Into Everywhere" (full novel, 2016)
“Something Happened Here, But We’re Not Quite Sure What It Was” (2016)
Great characters, fast pacing, wonderful plot, mysterious aliens, dangerous technologies, and a modern western all rolled into one.
There are a number of perfect twists as the stories proceed, all surprising and quite in-character. The main protagonist, Chloe, is courageous, charming and smart, and just vulnerable enough to multiply the tension surrounding her and the other "good guys". And there are a few characters whose agenda and loyalties appear to be known, but not with certainty. Surprises here are terrific, and advance the plot to a surprise finish.
The "epilogue" is satisfying, and not over-long.
I read the last half of this book almost non-stop, and finished it at 4am last night - WOOT! -
... and then downloaded the "Into Everywhere" sequel and read 10% of that before sleeping.
Paul McAuley is truly at the height of his powers. The Quiet Sun series changed my view of human's possible future forever, and I am truly delighted with this Something Coming Through.
--------------------
Quotes:
64.0% "... "because the French government had yet to forgive the ‘English perfidy’ that had almost caused the collapse of the EU, its police were reluctant to cooperate." - McAuley prescience of idiot Brexit stupidity?"
35.0% "... quote: The pub was the kind of place where a cluster of locals clung to the bar like barnacles while tides of visitors washed in and out."
20.0% "... it's so depressing to keep reading about being in the EU in this book, while Brexiteers gloat over how we all look with our throats cut in the mirror"
15.0% ".... near future, man has wrecked the planet. No smarter in the future than today. Given 15 new worlds, we proceed to fuck them up too. Man is truly a cancer of the planet."
Jackaroo stories so far -
“Dust” (2006)
“Winning Peace” (2007)
“City Of The Dead” (2008)
“Adventure” (2008)
“Crimes And Glory” (2009)
“The Choice” (2011)
“Bruce Springsteen” (2012)
“The Man” (2012)
"Something Coming Through" (full novel, 2015)
"Into Everywhere" (full novel, 2016)
“Something Happened Here, But We’re Not Quite Sure What It Was” (2016)
January 14, 2015
45% DNF
I'm sorry, I really tried to like this book, I really really tried!
I like the idea of the book, different worlds, but still basically the same script as being on earth because while you may be able to move people you can't change them!
This was kind of an alien crime thriller, and again, I liked that bit.
The problem I had was that it is so slow moving! It felt like a chore moving from one chapter to the next. By the time it did reach something cool I didn't care anymore because I'd already trawled through too much filler to get there!
I could see this story itself being very good if a lot of the unnecessary filler was removed, but for now. Two stars for me I'm afraid.
I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
All reviews can be found at http://lennonslair.blogspot.co.uk
I'm sorry, I really tried to like this book, I really really tried!
I like the idea of the book, different worlds, but still basically the same script as being on earth because while you may be able to move people you can't change them!
This was kind of an alien crime thriller, and again, I liked that bit.
The problem I had was that it is so slow moving! It felt like a chore moving from one chapter to the next. By the time it did reach something cool I didn't care anymore because I'd already trawled through too much filler to get there!
I could see this story itself being very good if a lot of the unnecessary filler was removed, but for now. Two stars for me I'm afraid.
I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
All reviews can be found at http://lennonslair.blogspot.co.uk
May 22, 2021
I thought I'd made some comments about this one. If so, GR ate them! Anyway, I liked this book a lot, and will reread it at some point. The review to read here is Bradley's, who liked it 5 stars worth:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of the sequel could serve as an introduction to the Jackaroo universe, one of the most interesting in modern SF: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I think the place to start your Jackaroo reading is with his 2008 novelette “City Of The Dead”, available as a $1 Kindle ebook: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1....
My UK GR friend William has an annotated list of the Jackaroo stories. If I come across it (or if he sees this), I'll post a link to it. Ongoing series: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?3...
Most recent is in 2016. I hope he hasn't lost interest!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of the sequel could serve as an introduction to the Jackaroo universe, one of the most interesting in modern SF: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I think the place to start your Jackaroo reading is with his 2008 novelette “City Of The Dead”, available as a $1 Kindle ebook: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1....
My UK GR friend William has an annotated list of the Jackaroo stories. If I come across it (or if he sees this), I'll post a link to it. Ongoing series: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?3...
Most recent is in 2016. I hope he hasn't lost interest!
April 2, 2017
I like the quiet science fiction by Paul McAuley
The author is a veteran in the genre. In this novel he deals with some of his favorite subjects: biological contamination, likely (or “hard”) aliens, and also about the people that ends up f*cking everything... That is not exactly, in other words: we, the humans, “humanize” everything we deal with, for better or worse.
The novel has a very good worldbuilding. Another preferred subject by the author is about the characters trying to achieve their goal, or simply trying to survive in this fantastic universe. A very realistic science fiction that can be included within the hard subgenre, which also does not forget the social aspect of any fantastic phenomenon.
I understand that Paul McAuley may not appeal to all the science fiction readers, but in my opinion he is still one of the best writers in the genre.
Now I'm starting the second book, Into Everywhere.
The author is a veteran in the genre. In this novel he deals with some of his favorite subjects: biological contamination, likely (or “hard”) aliens, and also about the people that ends up f*cking everything... That is not exactly, in other words: we, the humans, “humanize” everything we deal with, for better or worse.
The novel has a very good worldbuilding. Another preferred subject by the author is about the characters trying to achieve their goal, or simply trying to survive in this fantastic universe. A very realistic science fiction that can be included within the hard subgenre, which also does not forget the social aspect of any fantastic phenomenon.
I understand that Paul McAuley may not appeal to all the science fiction readers, but in my opinion he is still one of the best writers in the genre.
Now I'm starting the second book, Into Everywhere.
May 14, 2015
Aliens exist, and now they need our help. After Earth is ruined by nuclear and environmental disasters, it is puzzling that humanity has been given fifteen habitable planets to start a fresh. The Jackaroo assist with the move to the new planets, infrastructure is built and humanity is saved. Chloe Millar is mapping out the changes caused by importing alien technology when she stumbles upon a pair of orphaned children that appear to be possessed by an ancient ghost. On one of the new planets, Vic Gayle is investigating a murder in a remote excavation site that could lead to a war between rival gangs. Something is Coming Through is a new novel by prolific science fiction novelist Paul McAuley.
Something is Coming Through interlinks the story of Chloe Millar and Vic Gayle, all the while trying to understand why the Jackaroo are helping humanity. The premise of this book sounded too intriguing to pass up; think a science fiction crime novel that explores the concept of first contact. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work within the book; it tries to do so much but everything moves too slowly to make it enjoyable. Even the Jackaroo sound like they are an interesting race but there is no real exploration into their motivations which really hurt the novel.
I am not sure if I am no longer into reading science fiction; it has been a while since I enjoyed this genre (with the exception of Russian sci-fi). Or maybe I just need to stick to the classics, those novels from the 60s and 70s that explore sociology and philosophy. I just found Something is Coming Through to be a very bland novel that relied too heavily on dialogue. I have to accept the fact that I enjoy novels with substance that explore themes or ideas over plot; this is why Russian sci-fi is still great.
I struggle to find anything positive to say about Something is Coming Through; it is one of those occasions where I should have abandoned the book. I honestly cannot even remember why I decided to pick this book up but I was intrigued by the premise. Sadly I found nothing enjoyable about this novel and I do not know if I will try Paul McAuley again. I would like to think I was willing to try authors again but at the moment, there is no way.
This book review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2015/...
Something is Coming Through interlinks the story of Chloe Millar and Vic Gayle, all the while trying to understand why the Jackaroo are helping humanity. The premise of this book sounded too intriguing to pass up; think a science fiction crime novel that explores the concept of first contact. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work within the book; it tries to do so much but everything moves too slowly to make it enjoyable. Even the Jackaroo sound like they are an interesting race but there is no real exploration into their motivations which really hurt the novel.
I am not sure if I am no longer into reading science fiction; it has been a while since I enjoyed this genre (with the exception of Russian sci-fi). Or maybe I just need to stick to the classics, those novels from the 60s and 70s that explore sociology and philosophy. I just found Something is Coming Through to be a very bland novel that relied too heavily on dialogue. I have to accept the fact that I enjoy novels with substance that explore themes or ideas over plot; this is why Russian sci-fi is still great.
I struggle to find anything positive to say about Something is Coming Through; it is one of those occasions where I should have abandoned the book. I honestly cannot even remember why I decided to pick this book up but I was intrigued by the premise. Sadly I found nothing enjoyable about this novel and I do not know if I will try Paul McAuley again. I would like to think I was willing to try authors again but at the moment, there is no way.
This book review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2015/...
January 3, 2018
I really enjoyed this - two strands of mystery, one on a damaged Earth and the other on one of the fifteen planets permitted to humans by the Jackaroo, twist along, combining elements of first contact, alien artefacts and good old fashioned conspiracy, murder and greed.
November 1, 2017
A very good mix of crime and sci-fi.
In a very near future, after a micro nuclear war claimed its toll-localized, this not a Post-Ap story, the Jackaroos appeared on Earth to "help" us and gave humans access to 15 habitable worlds where they can start anew. But these worlds were inhabited before and traces of the former local cultures remain and manifest themselves in different ways.
The story is divided in 2 timelines a few weeks apart, one on Earth and one on another planet (Mangala), before they finally collide.
On Earth young Chloe studies the way alien artefacts and eidolons (I had to check in the dictionary for this one, you do the same) affect people submitted to them. She follows the trace of a young boy who draws weird alien landscapes.
On Mangala Police Officer Vic Gayle investigates a strange murder that quickly points towards a mysterious site bought by the local mob a thousand km away.
McAuley subtly mixes the 2 genres, neither too much sci-fi nor crime, and makes good use of the different time-frames to slowly undercover what happened.
The reader is immediately embarked in the story, not much explanation is provided as to what happened before. We're now, the Jackaroos are here, make do with it. And it works. The plot is gripping enough not to bother with rationalizing the past.
No hard sci-fi either. Humans live on Mangala, that's all you need to know and time is not wasted to try and understand how this came into being.
This fact is somehow translated via the casual way the world-or at least life in its main city is described. Just like on Earth, under a different sun with "years" that last a month. Hey, they even just inaugurated a McDonald there!
To sum it up, a subtle and interesting mix of genres that can appeal to the aficionados of both if they're not too hardcore.
In a very near future, after a micro nuclear war claimed its toll-localized, this not a Post-Ap story, the Jackaroos appeared on Earth to "help" us and gave humans access to 15 habitable worlds where they can start anew. But these worlds were inhabited before and traces of the former local cultures remain and manifest themselves in different ways.
The story is divided in 2 timelines a few weeks apart, one on Earth and one on another planet (Mangala), before they finally collide.
On Earth young Chloe studies the way alien artefacts and eidolons (I had to check in the dictionary for this one, you do the same) affect people submitted to them. She follows the trace of a young boy who draws weird alien landscapes.
On Mangala Police Officer Vic Gayle investigates a strange murder that quickly points towards a mysterious site bought by the local mob a thousand km away.
McAuley subtly mixes the 2 genres, neither too much sci-fi nor crime, and makes good use of the different time-frames to slowly undercover what happened.
The reader is immediately embarked in the story, not much explanation is provided as to what happened before. We're now, the Jackaroos are here, make do with it. And it works. The plot is gripping enough not to bother with rationalizing the past.
No hard sci-fi either. Humans live on Mangala, that's all you need to know and time is not wasted to try and understand how this came into being.
This fact is somehow translated via the casual way the world-or at least life in its main city is described. Just like on Earth, under a different sun with "years" that last a month. Hey, they even just inaugurated a McDonald there!
To sum it up, a subtle and interesting mix of genres that can appeal to the aficionados of both if they're not too hardcore.
April 9, 2022
Found Something Coming Through at an Amnesty International store in London. They had a science-fiction section and it was this book by Paul McAuley and Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson that caught my attention. The whole bookstore was an incredible place - managed by a couple of old marxist friendly trolls. My good and kind friend Robert Schilling who opened up the heavy doors of London for me took me in there. One of them oldtimers dragged a heavy sack of incoming books to the storage room. I felt like helping but didn't dare intervene. They had long red shawls around their necks, unruly white hair and long nails and asked me if I will return back and where I am coming from. They seemed very shacky, like patched up trembling tech that has been put back together too many times.
The 2015 Something Coming Through - is and isn't a First Contact book but it certainly opened up new venues for me. It encourages its readers to reinvent our relation to the techne (as in The Question Concerning Technology in China: An Essay in Cosmotechnics by Yuk Hui), pulverising all encounters with alien artefacts with the potential to build entire worlds upon unsuspected xeno- archaeologists, marketing agents, investors, government regulators, private agencies, reverse engineers.
Elder Culture artefacts litter the universe of Something Getting Trough - as much as new technologies, add-ons, apps and social platform promises swept our world, and kept raining down from the Silicon Valley Big Tech disruption-mantra companies to the rest of the planet. I like that there is no overarching explanation, no all-encompassing solution or theory that would explain what happened to the previous pre-human galactic candidates.
"Eidolons" and other Elder Culture technolgies get mined by humans but there are no utilization manuals, there is no easy step by step or Warning or Disclaimers attached to them. They are mostly manifest as a craze, as outbreaks. McAuley spins this webs of hearsay, scepticism, conspirative theories surrounding the arrival of the Jackaroo aliens. In a comical strain, they are actually like a PR firm, only showing the good side of things, only pretending they are here to help. I think these might be the giveaway signs of charity capitalism, of Aid and development plans. But as in the old saying, beware of Greeks bearing gifts, and Jackaroo aliens seem to very eager to share and endow humans with tremendous and dangerous technologies, including wormhole access to new worlds, new planets and new fields of experience which are littered with the remains from previous candidates that seem to have either transcended this plane of reality or failed in their trials & errors. Paul McAuley also offers an inversion of the Reagenite anti-government Boogeyman formula (the 9 most terrifying words in EN language) to me at least. It's almost like we're dealing with an alien version of charity capitalism here raining down on unsuspecting terrestrials.
In a credible post-atomic world (following a terrorist event called 'the Spasm' -when a nuclear device gets detonated in the Trafalgar Square), a new economy (alien shock doctrine, disaster capitalism anyone?) expands around the Elder Culture artefacts with a lottery for emigrants to the various Jackaroo worlds organized by the UN.
Aliens actually like to play with the familiar pulp tropes of alien ships and martian invaders. They give humans exactly what is expected of them, they never show their 'true' face. Not only that, they actually take on a celeb glamour look - always avoiding responsibility and always ambiguous when confronted with questions from the human side (press, regulatory agencies, police, governments).
Wild (and quite interesting) speculations ensues.
I actually like the speculative bursts around the Jackaroo and the other swarmer species beings rather than the action - the predictable mysterious murders, vendetta, mobster noir moving the plotline along an apex. Probably because of MP training as a biologist, they are very intriguing indeed and seem to use convoluted narratives in their courtship, they collect galactic narratives from various worlds, planets, the more crazy and attractive the better. And for this they are willing to manipulate reality, to push the outcomes so they can get drama, action, and thrills from unsuspecting actors.
The Jackaroo still remain a complete & TOTAL enigma even as there is lots of information and speculation about their nature, even their basic components. It is not even clear what the alien hierarchies are, who is the main unit o selection (to put in Darwinist terms), or whether they are group minds, projected constructs from somewhere else? They are always slipping away, always indestructible and always play the charismatic role. At no point do we have the final answer, all the myriad possibilities that they are just interfaces, string figures, remote control AI and anything in between, and this I like.
The young Chloe Miller from the Disruption Theory company is the main lead in a quest that tries to stay ahead of the game, to anticipate these moments of disruption, of something getting trough unsuspectingly in a bid to monetize such outbreaks that cluster around 'sensitives'. Like shamanistic companion spirits, the dangerous eidolons manifest, speak and get perceived by particular persons (even children) among whom the artefact reveal themselves, lead towards unknown ends after they go through a cult-like phase with visions and trance-like states.
The 2015 Something Coming Through - is and isn't a First Contact book but it certainly opened up new venues for me. It encourages its readers to reinvent our relation to the techne (as in The Question Concerning Technology in China: An Essay in Cosmotechnics by Yuk Hui), pulverising all encounters with alien artefacts with the potential to build entire worlds upon unsuspected xeno- archaeologists, marketing agents, investors, government regulators, private agencies, reverse engineers.
Elder Culture artefacts litter the universe of Something Getting Trough - as much as new technologies, add-ons, apps and social platform promises swept our world, and kept raining down from the Silicon Valley Big Tech disruption-mantra companies to the rest of the planet. I like that there is no overarching explanation, no all-encompassing solution or theory that would explain what happened to the previous pre-human galactic candidates.
"Eidolons" and other Elder Culture technolgies get mined by humans but there are no utilization manuals, there is no easy step by step or Warning or Disclaimers attached to them. They are mostly manifest as a craze, as outbreaks. McAuley spins this webs of hearsay, scepticism, conspirative theories surrounding the arrival of the Jackaroo aliens. In a comical strain, they are actually like a PR firm, only showing the good side of things, only pretending they are here to help. I think these might be the giveaway signs of charity capitalism, of Aid and development plans. But as in the old saying, beware of Greeks bearing gifts, and Jackaroo aliens seem to very eager to share and endow humans with tremendous and dangerous technologies, including wormhole access to new worlds, new planets and new fields of experience which are littered with the remains from previous candidates that seem to have either transcended this plane of reality or failed in their trials & errors. Paul McAuley also offers an inversion of the Reagenite anti-government Boogeyman formula (the 9 most terrifying words in EN language) to me at least. It's almost like we're dealing with an alien version of charity capitalism here raining down on unsuspecting terrestrials.
In a credible post-atomic world (following a terrorist event called 'the Spasm' -when a nuclear device gets detonated in the Trafalgar Square), a new economy (alien shock doctrine, disaster capitalism anyone?) expands around the Elder Culture artefacts with a lottery for emigrants to the various Jackaroo worlds organized by the UN.
Aliens actually like to play with the familiar pulp tropes of alien ships and martian invaders. They give humans exactly what is expected of them, they never show their 'true' face. Not only that, they actually take on a celeb glamour look - always avoiding responsibility and always ambiguous when confronted with questions from the human side (press, regulatory agencies, police, governments).
Wild (and quite interesting) speculations ensues.
I actually like the speculative bursts around the Jackaroo and the other swarmer species beings rather than the action - the predictable mysterious murders, vendetta, mobster noir moving the plotline along an apex. Probably because of MP training as a biologist, they are very intriguing indeed and seem to use convoluted narratives in their courtship, they collect galactic narratives from various worlds, planets, the more crazy and attractive the better. And for this they are willing to manipulate reality, to push the outcomes so they can get drama, action, and thrills from unsuspecting actors.
The Jackaroo still remain a complete & TOTAL enigma even as there is lots of information and speculation about their nature, even their basic components. It is not even clear what the alien hierarchies are, who is the main unit o selection (to put in Darwinist terms), or whether they are group minds, projected constructs from somewhere else? They are always slipping away, always indestructible and always play the charismatic role. At no point do we have the final answer, all the myriad possibilities that they are just interfaces, string figures, remote control AI and anything in between, and this I like.
The young Chloe Miller from the Disruption Theory company is the main lead in a quest that tries to stay ahead of the game, to anticipate these moments of disruption, of something getting trough unsuspectingly in a bid to monetize such outbreaks that cluster around 'sensitives'. Like shamanistic companion spirits, the dangerous eidolons manifest, speak and get perceived by particular persons (even children) among whom the artefact reveal themselves, lead towards unknown ends after they go through a cult-like phase with visions and trance-like states.
April 16, 2015
This was a bit of an odd book for me in that I did enjoy it and wanted to know what was going to happen next, but there were a number of problems with it throughout that took the edge off.
The characters were fairly 2d cliches and there were a number of clunky information dumps to fill out where the world was, why the main protagonists were like they were - I would have preferred it if the author had had a bit more faith in his abilities and just let the important bits come out through the book (and given the ending) and following books and trusted the reader to put it all together.
Also at random intervals there would suddenly be a bit of description of something fairly inconsequential (the hard bitten detective was discussing the case in a diner when the text says something like "he spooned some chili into his mouth. It was hot, but a good hot" and then goes back to the discussion. His enjoyment or otherwise of food is never mentioned again). I couldn't work out if the original draft had been full of descriptions like this and McAuley had been told by his editor to taken them out, but missed a few; or there had been no background colour and he had been told to add some, and this was the best he could do. Either way it jarred with the rest of the writing style.
I liked the basic premise of the book and his exploration of how mankind would behave on a new set of planets (reminded me a bit of "The Long Earth") but I think he could have explored some of the big questions around the motivations of the aliens, government and business more.
The characters were fairly 2d cliches and there were a number of clunky information dumps to fill out where the world was, why the main protagonists were like they were - I would have preferred it if the author had had a bit more faith in his abilities and just let the important bits come out through the book (and given the ending) and following books and trusted the reader to put it all together.
Also at random intervals there would suddenly be a bit of description of something fairly inconsequential (the hard bitten detective was discussing the case in a diner when the text says something like "he spooned some chili into his mouth. It was hot, but a good hot" and then goes back to the discussion. His enjoyment or otherwise of food is never mentioned again). I couldn't work out if the original draft had been full of descriptions like this and McAuley had been told by his editor to taken them out, but missed a few; or there had been no background colour and he had been told to add some, and this was the best he could do. Either way it jarred with the rest of the writing style.
I liked the basic premise of the book and his exploration of how mankind would behave on a new set of planets (reminded me a bit of "The Long Earth") but I think he could have explored some of the big questions around the motivations of the aliens, government and business more.
April 15, 2016
This book is a sci-fi detective novel with an interesting structure. It is told from two different view points, a young woman named Chloe who lives on Earth, and a detective named Vic who lives on an alien planet. The story takes place a several years after an alien race that humans call the Jackaroo have created paths and means for humans to immigrate to several inhabitable alien worlds. Chloe works for a company that investigates old alien technology imported to Earth, and Vic is a detective living on one of the alien worlds. Up until the end of the book, the chapters alternate between Chloe's and Vic's viewpoints, with Vic's story line about 30 days after Chloe's. Eventually, Chloe's narrative timeline catches up with Vic's, but as it does so, we gain insight from Chloe's story about events that take place in Vic's. I liked this unique structure, which for me, turned what would have otherwise been a three-star book into a four-star experience.
March 2, 2015
Interesting and very enjoyable alien contact story. I really liked how the two strands of mystery, one on of Earth and the other on an alien planet, entwined in the last third of the novel.
August 29, 2015
This review originally appeared in the Newtown Review of Books www.newtownreviewofbooks.com.au
Paul McAuley is a multi-award-winning speculative fiction author whose Quiet War series, which spawned four novels and a collection of short stories, is one of the most enjoyable space-based speculative fiction cycles to come along in the last few years. His latest venture, Something Coming Through, revolves around a fascinating premise. Starting just a few years in our future, Earth is going from bad to worse. You name it, we’re copping it: revolutions, counter-revolutions, civil wars, terrorism, water wars, netwars all mixed up with the growing effects of climate change and financial collapse. But everything changes when we are visited by extraterrestrial intelligence …
Despite being attacked, the Jackaroo do not take offence. The wormholes are a gift to humanity, offering near instantaneous travel to 15 habitable worlds light years away, and well out of reach of our paltry chemical rocket spaceships. But these worlds had previously been inhabited by other aliens, previous recipients of the Jackaroo’s gifts, who have long since gone to dust: the Elder Cultures. Artefacts of these cultures are brought back to Earth as part of the regular Jackaroo shuttle service that supports Earth’s colonisation of the worlds, but some of these finds are dangerous, containing memes or eidolons, alien ghosts if you will, that place compelling ideas in the minds of those they infect.
It’s a huge starting point and plays immediately into all kinds of fears about the true nature of the Jackaroo gift and the effect on humanity of suddenly being given everything it desired without having to struggle for it: new worlds, untold mineral wealth, vast tracts of arable land, an end to overpopulation, hunger, scarcity as a whole. But what’s behind it? Is it meant to divert us or domesticate us? Or do the Jackaroo have some other purpose only they can understand? And did the Elder Cultures die out, were they destroyed by the Jackaroo or are they still out there somewhere?
Given the potential of these gifts for negative cultural impact and the very real danger from Elder Culture infection, it’s no surprise that a number of government and non-government enterprises emerge to study the effects of the Jackaroo appearance, while others attempt to monetise or weaponise the finds. It’s a potentially explosive situation for Chloe, the protagonist of the story.
Chloe works for a private research agency called Disruption Theory and it’s her job to sniff out potential Elder Culture flare-ups and outbreaks in the community so her colleagues can study them. One such event leads her into a dangerous search for a young boy and his younger sister who seem to have been infected by a powerful eidolon and who promptly go missing just as she tracks them down.
Meanwhile on one of the ‘gift planets’ that now hosts a burgeoning human settlement, ‘murder police’ detective Vic Gayle and his new rookie partner are investigating a suspicious death that has possible links to organised crime and in particular the illegal exportation of alien artefacts …
There’s quite a William Gibson vibe to Something Coming Through, with a thriller template being used to tell a story that goes to some very weird places indeed. In a quote provided for the book, SF author Alistair Reynolds says it’s ‘as tight and relentlessly paced as an Elmore Leonard thriller’. McAuley is a wonderful speculative fiction writer, but he’s no Elmore Leonard, and writing gripping thrillers requires a very different skill set. The Vic Gayle story thread reads like a fairly standard police procedural with a number of predictable plot beats and this is a distinct weakness in the book.
But McAuley’s description of the progress of human settlement on the planet Mangala has a depressing ring of truth to it. As we move out among the stars we bring all the bad along with the good. Crime is high on Mangala and the cities and residential areas are completely ‘McDonald-ised’ with every ounce of alien beauty seemingly wrung out of them on purpose.
On Earth, Chloe clashes with Chief Inspector Adam Nevers of the London Metropolitan Police’s Alien Technology Investigation Squad, who voices a similarly grim view of what ‘humanity’s greatest adventure’ has led to:
Chloe’s search brings her into conflict with a wider conspiracy that has some bearing on what Vic’s investigating out on Mangala, and as the story progresses, it’s the thriller aspect that more and more takes centre stage until the inevitable conflict between those who seek to use the alien artefacts for their own gain and those who just want to protect humanity.
Something Coming Through riffs on a lot of interesting concepts about cultural appropriation, the dangerous attraction of ideas – particularly ideas of alien origin – and the tawdriness of reality compared with our dreams. The engine room of the novel is powered by the central question set up at the beginning: what on Earth are the Jackaroo really up to? The ending of the book sidesteps an answer by focusing on the unexpected outcome of Chloe’s quest, which – frustratingly – is recounted via a third-person account. So I finished the book feeling somewhat perturbed. It was only while researching the title for this review that I discovered a (perhaps inevitable) sequel is in the works, Into Everywhere, which promises an answer to the central question. So, on reflection I’m not so annoyed. I’m hooked.
Paul McAuley is a multi-award-winning speculative fiction author whose Quiet War series, which spawned four novels and a collection of short stories, is one of the most enjoyable space-based speculative fiction cycles to come along in the last few years. His latest venture, Something Coming Through, revolves around a fascinating premise. Starting just a few years in our future, Earth is going from bad to worse. You name it, we’re copping it: revolutions, counter-revolutions, civil wars, terrorism, water wars, netwars all mixed up with the growing effects of climate change and financial collapse. But everything changes when we are visited by extraterrestrial intelligence …
No one had ever seen one of the Jackaroo in the flesh. They could be devils with bright red skin and horns and hooves and barbed tails, or angels, or anything in between. Gas bags evolved to ride the frigid winds of an exoJupiter. Machine intelligences. Self-organising magnetic fields. No one knew. And no one knew whether or not the Jackaroo actually inhabited their floppy spaceships – the tangles of restless vanes that had somehow towed the mouths of fifteen wormholes, each mounted on the polished face of an asteroid fragment, into L5 orbit between the Earth and Moon. Soon after the Jackaroo revealed themselves, one of their ships had been vaporised by a thirty-kiloton nuclear bomb delivered by a Chinese Long March rocket.
Despite being attacked, the Jackaroo do not take offence. The wormholes are a gift to humanity, offering near instantaneous travel to 15 habitable worlds light years away, and well out of reach of our paltry chemical rocket spaceships. But these worlds had previously been inhabited by other aliens, previous recipients of the Jackaroo’s gifts, who have long since gone to dust: the Elder Cultures. Artefacts of these cultures are brought back to Earth as part of the regular Jackaroo shuttle service that supports Earth’s colonisation of the worlds, but some of these finds are dangerous, containing memes or eidolons, alien ghosts if you will, that place compelling ideas in the minds of those they infect.
It’s a huge starting point and plays immediately into all kinds of fears about the true nature of the Jackaroo gift and the effect on humanity of suddenly being given everything it desired without having to struggle for it: new worlds, untold mineral wealth, vast tracts of arable land, an end to overpopulation, hunger, scarcity as a whole. But what’s behind it? Is it meant to divert us or domesticate us? Or do the Jackaroo have some other purpose only they can understand? And did the Elder Cultures die out, were they destroyed by the Jackaroo or are they still out there somewhere?
Given the potential of these gifts for negative cultural impact and the very real danger from Elder Culture infection, it’s no surprise that a number of government and non-government enterprises emerge to study the effects of the Jackaroo appearance, while others attempt to monetise or weaponise the finds. It’s a potentially explosive situation for Chloe, the protagonist of the story.
Chloe works for a private research agency called Disruption Theory and it’s her job to sniff out potential Elder Culture flare-ups and outbreaks in the community so her colleagues can study them. One such event leads her into a dangerous search for a young boy and his younger sister who seem to have been infected by a powerful eidolon and who promptly go missing just as she tracks them down.
Meanwhile on one of the ‘gift planets’ that now hosts a burgeoning human settlement, ‘murder police’ detective Vic Gayle and his new rookie partner are investigating a suspicious death that has possible links to organised crime and in particular the illegal exportation of alien artefacts …
There’s quite a William Gibson vibe to Something Coming Through, with a thriller template being used to tell a story that goes to some very weird places indeed. In a quote provided for the book, SF author Alistair Reynolds says it’s ‘as tight and relentlessly paced as an Elmore Leonard thriller’. McAuley is a wonderful speculative fiction writer, but he’s no Elmore Leonard, and writing gripping thrillers requires a very different skill set. The Vic Gayle story thread reads like a fairly standard police procedural with a number of predictable plot beats and this is a distinct weakness in the book.
But McAuley’s description of the progress of human settlement on the planet Mangala has a depressing ring of truth to it. As we move out among the stars we bring all the bad along with the good. Crime is high on Mangala and the cities and residential areas are completely ‘McDonald-ised’ with every ounce of alien beauty seemingly wrung out of them on purpose.
On Earth, Chloe clashes with Chief Inspector Adam Nevers of the London Metropolitan Police’s Alien Technology Investigation Squad, who voices a similarly grim view of what ‘humanity’s greatest adventure’ has led to:
‘And what does it say about us,’ Nevers said, in a level, serious voice, holding Chloe’s gaze, ‘when just about the first thing we do when we reach other worlds is look for stuff to get us high? That when we find things that are a cross between animals and machines, all we can think to do with them is squirt extracts of their blood into our veins. That’s some sorry shit right there.’
‘And that’s an impressive speech.’
Chloe was wondering if she was supposed to agree with him, to renounce her work right there and then.
‘You and I know it isn’t all shiny toys, don’t we?’ Nevers said.
‘But the difference is, maybe, you see the worst in people, and I hope for something better.’
Chloe’s search brings her into conflict with a wider conspiracy that has some bearing on what Vic’s investigating out on Mangala, and as the story progresses, it’s the thriller aspect that more and more takes centre stage until the inevitable conflict between those who seek to use the alien artefacts for their own gain and those who just want to protect humanity.
Something Coming Through riffs on a lot of interesting concepts about cultural appropriation, the dangerous attraction of ideas – particularly ideas of alien origin – and the tawdriness of reality compared with our dreams. The engine room of the novel is powered by the central question set up at the beginning: what on Earth are the Jackaroo really up to? The ending of the book sidesteps an answer by focusing on the unexpected outcome of Chloe’s quest, which – frustratingly – is recounted via a third-person account. So I finished the book feeling somewhat perturbed. It was only while researching the title for this review that I discovered a (perhaps inevitable) sequel is in the works, Into Everywhere, which promises an answer to the central question. So, on reflection I’m not so annoyed. I’m hooked.
dnf
June 22, 2021Something Coming Through? Yes, but that SOMETHING is just your avg boring something Coming at such a glacial pace that by the time anything happens, the big crunch has happened and everything's dead and nothing matters and.....
August 25, 2017
5 Stars
Something Coming Through is a fabulous read. I was already a fan of McAuley and this one didn't disappoint.
Highly recommended!
Something Coming Through is a fabulous read. I was already a fan of McAuley and this one didn't disappoint.
Highly recommended!
April 9, 2016
The alien Jackaroo came to Earth bearing nothing but gifts and goodwill—and then sat back to watch what we did with them. What could go wrong?
Oh, wait. These are human beings we're talking about...
Something Coming Through alternates chapters between England and the planet Mangala, one of the fifteen worlds to which the Jackaroo gave humanity access. Mangala is the planet colonized (mostly) by people from the British Isles; the other planets have populations from elsewhere on Earth, but we don't see much of them in this book. The Jackaroo won't say what happened to the previous recipients of their largesse, but there are many, many traces of so-called "Elder Cultures" on all of the worlds involved, and it doesn't take transplanted Earthlings very long to start poking into things they don't—and perhaps can't—understand.
On Earth, Chloe Millar works for her employer, Disruption Theory, investigating a "breakout" of cult activity in London that seems to center around the realistic alien landscapes sketched by the son of a Pakistani immigrant who's never been off the planet. On Mangala, veteran policeman Vic Gayle and his rookie partner Skip investigate a murder that seems to involve at least one alien artifact. We see quite quickly that the two are intimately connected.
One of the neatest things about Something Coming Through, at least for me, was the sheer plausibility of our collective reaction to the Jackaroos' unexplained generosity. It's often difficult for a science fiction writer to figure out just why people in the future might still have, say, anonymous white vans and drive-through fast food, but Paul McAuley's right—as humanity struggled to assimilate the reality of extraterrestrial intelligences and the science they employed, a lot of our own technological, social and political development would most likely stagnate, and our first exports to a planet like Mangala probably would be depressingly common things like McDonald's, Starbucks, and... murder.
I would have liked more assiduous copy-editing. One character named Ellis Sinclair (on p.275) becomes Ellis Peters within ten pages. There may be a reason for that—according to McAuley's Acknowledgements, Something Coming Through is based on a number of shorter stories about the Jackaroo—but still I think somebody else should have caught that one before the book went to print.
However, I think Something Coming Through is a better book than Cowboy Angels, which I read and reviewed in 2011—more complex, more thoughtful, still fast-paced but having less of an obsession with gunplay and fisticuffs. Although there is still plenty of action. Like the Jackaroo, Paul McAuley comes bearing a gift of his own: he comes up reliably with offbeat premises, and then works them out while keeping the story interesting—and, all in all, Something Coming Through came through for me, as a productive blend of First Contact (or at least its aftermath) and police procedural.
Oh, wait. These are human beings we're talking about...
Something Coming Through alternates chapters between England and the planet Mangala, one of the fifteen worlds to which the Jackaroo gave humanity access. Mangala is the planet colonized (mostly) by people from the British Isles; the other planets have populations from elsewhere on Earth, but we don't see much of them in this book. The Jackaroo won't say what happened to the previous recipients of their largesse, but there are many, many traces of so-called "Elder Cultures" on all of the worlds involved, and it doesn't take transplanted Earthlings very long to start poking into things they don't—and perhaps can't—understand.
On Earth, Chloe Millar works for her employer, Disruption Theory, investigating a "breakout" of cult activity in London that seems to center around the realistic alien landscapes sketched by the son of a Pakistani immigrant who's never been off the planet. On Mangala, veteran policeman Vic Gayle and his rookie partner Skip investigate a murder that seems to involve at least one alien artifact. We see quite quickly that the two are intimately connected.
"This guy gets a ticket to ride an alien spaceship to another world. He's here two days and gets himself whacked. If I were him, I'd ask for a refund."
—Vic Gayle, p.35
One of the neatest things about Something Coming Through, at least for me, was the sheer plausibility of our collective reaction to the Jackaroos' unexplained generosity. It's often difficult for a science fiction writer to figure out just why people in the future might still have, say, anonymous white vans and drive-through fast food, but Paul McAuley's right—as humanity struggled to assimilate the reality of extraterrestrial intelligences and the science they employed, a lot of our own technological, social and political development would most likely stagnate, and our first exports to a planet like Mangala probably would be depressingly common things like McDonald's, Starbucks, and... murder.
I would have liked more assiduous copy-editing. One character named Ellis Sinclair (on p.275) becomes Ellis Peters within ten pages. There may be a reason for that—according to McAuley's Acknowledgements, Something Coming Through is based on a number of shorter stories about the Jackaroo—but still I think somebody else should have caught that one before the book went to print.
However, I think Something Coming Through is a better book than Cowboy Angels, which I read and reviewed in 2011—more complex, more thoughtful, still fast-paced but having less of an obsession with gunplay and fisticuffs. Although there is still plenty of action. Like the Jackaroo, Paul McAuley comes bearing a gift of his own: he comes up reliably with offbeat premises, and then works them out while keeping the story interesting—and, all in all, Something Coming Through came through for me, as a productive blend of First Contact (or at least its aftermath) and police procedural.
February 22, 2015
(I got a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
3.5 to 4 stars.
This novel, while predictable in parts (in a more traditional, "cop-oriented" way), raised some interesting points in terms of what to expect in a near-future, or a parallel present, shaped by the presence of aliens. Namely the mysterious Jackaroo, who showed up some thirteen years prior to the beginning of the story with shuttles and fifteen wormholes leading to just as many new worlds for humans to colonise. Worlds ertswhile inahbited by creatures long gone and forgotten, leaving only behind strange, "Elder Culture" artefacts. Meanwhile, Earth is falling prey to memes, ideas birthed into the mind of people who have been touched bythe Vorlons some of those artefacts. And who knows how exactly the Jackaroo were responsible for this? Or their unscrutable associates, the !Cha, story-lovers who use plots to gather information used in turn to woo their mates?
Intersting, because the Jackaroo never revealed their true purpose, and because their gift was definitely a double-edged sword. Sure, it allowed humanity to recover from ongoing problems (crime, pollution), but others developed in turn, and the fifteen worlds turned into mirrors of Earth, with McDonald's and Starbuck joints popping up on Mangala and, no doubt, other places. Crime developed there just as it did on Earth, and a lot of things and events made it clear that humans basically did to these colonies what they had done to their motherworld—perhaps worse, even, due to the fact they hadn't had to "work hard" to get to these new places, served on a silver platter. The "benevolent" Jackaroo, in other words, might just be trying to repeat an experiment they did with other planets and will do again, some kind of sick experiment to see what the "lesser" races would do when gifted with space travel they didn't have to develop themselves.
The name itself is also reminiscent of the Australian word "jackaroo" and its potential etmology: wandering people, watching over cattle. At least, this is how it felt to me, and what I believe the author wanted to achieve: making readers question the purpose behind the Jackaroo's actions, all the while swathing them under layers of a thriller-and-chase plot mixed with a more typical seasoned-cop-and-rookie-partner murder investigation.
The more typical parts, as I wrote above, were a little predictable, especially Vic's, whose background is fairly unoriginal in that kind of story. However, I liked how they entwined after a while, and how you have to pay attention to the dates at the beginning of each chapter. This type of narrative can be frustrating, as you keep jumping from Chloe to Vic to Chloe to Vic again, and are left on semi-cliffhangers most of the time... but it's a style I love, and so I wasn't disappointed.
On the downside, the characters weren't that much developed. Vic is moulded on a fairly standard TV-show cop-type (divorced guy, been working for the force for years, somewhat jaded but still trying to make a difference...), Nevers and Harris are also somewhat predictable, and I would have liked to know more about Fahad and his family. Chloe's background was definitely interesting, yet it also made her somewhat aloof and distanciated—something that stood to logics, considering what happened to her mother, only it made it harder to feel involved in her quest, as she was more carried by the plot than truly active at times. (In her defence, she wasn't a dumb heroine, and was definitely aware of who was trying to manipulate her, and who intended to off her anyway once she wouldn't be useful anymore.)
Nevertheless, barring the somewhat weak characterisation, I found the world described here—drop here by drop there, with some info-dumping, but never too much to my liking—intriguing, and I wouldn't mind knowing more about it in a sequel (or in a prequel).
3.5 to 4 stars.
This novel, while predictable in parts (in a more traditional, "cop-oriented" way), raised some interesting points in terms of what to expect in a near-future, or a parallel present, shaped by the presence of aliens. Namely the mysterious Jackaroo, who showed up some thirteen years prior to the beginning of the story with shuttles and fifteen wormholes leading to just as many new worlds for humans to colonise. Worlds ertswhile inahbited by creatures long gone and forgotten, leaving only behind strange, "Elder Culture" artefacts. Meanwhile, Earth is falling prey to memes, ideas birthed into the mind of people who have been touched by
Intersting, because the Jackaroo never revealed their true purpose, and because their gift was definitely a double-edged sword. Sure, it allowed humanity to recover from ongoing problems (crime, pollution), but others developed in turn, and the fifteen worlds turned into mirrors of Earth, with McDonald's and Starbuck joints popping up on Mangala and, no doubt, other places. Crime developed there just as it did on Earth, and a lot of things and events made it clear that humans basically did to these colonies what they had done to their motherworld—perhaps worse, even, due to the fact they hadn't had to "work hard" to get to these new places, served on a silver platter. The "benevolent" Jackaroo, in other words, might just be trying to repeat an experiment they did with other planets and will do again, some kind of sick experiment to see what the "lesser" races would do when gifted with space travel they didn't have to develop themselves.
The name itself is also reminiscent of the Australian word "jackaroo" and its potential etmology: wandering people, watching over cattle. At least, this is how it felt to me, and what I believe the author wanted to achieve: making readers question the purpose behind the Jackaroo's actions, all the while swathing them under layers of a thriller-and-chase plot mixed with a more typical seasoned-cop-and-rookie-partner murder investigation.
The more typical parts, as I wrote above, were a little predictable, especially Vic's, whose background is fairly unoriginal in that kind of story. However, I liked how they entwined after a while, and how you have to pay attention to the dates at the beginning of each chapter. This type of narrative can be frustrating, as you keep jumping from Chloe to Vic to Chloe to Vic again, and are left on semi-cliffhangers most of the time... but it's a style I love, and so I wasn't disappointed.
On the downside, the characters weren't that much developed. Vic is moulded on a fairly standard TV-show cop-type (divorced guy, been working for the force for years, somewhat jaded but still trying to make a difference...), Nevers and Harris are also somewhat predictable, and I would have liked to know more about Fahad and his family. Chloe's background was definitely interesting, yet it also made her somewhat aloof and distanciated—something that stood to logics, considering what happened to her mother, only it made it harder to feel involved in her quest, as she was more carried by the plot than truly active at times. (In her defence, she wasn't a dumb heroine, and was definitely aware of who was trying to manipulate her, and who intended to off her anyway once she wouldn't be useful anymore.)
Nevertheless, barring the somewhat weak characterisation, I found the world described here—drop here by drop there, with some info-dumping, but never too much to my liking—intriguing, and I wouldn't mind knowing more about it in a sequel (or in a prequel).
April 11, 2019
First off, before I talk about the book itself, I have to say something about the cover. It's awful. Really, home-made with MS Paint Kindle book cover awful. I really expected more from Gollancz and it also doesn't tie in at all with the covers for this author's previous books (see 400 Billion Stars for an example).
Anyway, after that on to the book itself.
It's set in the near future, after two significant events have rocked the world - firstly, a series of small-scale nuclear attacks in major cities with all the devastation that involves, and then the arrival of aliens. The latter, a bunch of folks called the Jackaroo who nobody ever gets to see face to face, claim to want to help humanity survive and offer them the opportunity to colonise 15 new planets. These planets are connected to Earth by wormholes and can only be accessed via shuttles controlled by the Jackaroo, so while getting to and from those worlds is now easy(ish) it's completely on the Jackaroo's timetable. In addition, those planets are studded with artefacts from their previous inhabitants (with no explanation of why they're not inhabited any more) and those artefacts have an effect on people if they're exposed to them for too long.
Our protagonists, since it's mostly a two-handed story with alternating chapters till their storylines end up coming together, are a woman whose job it is to find people affected by those alien artefacts and a detective dealing with serious crime on one of the newly inhabited planets. There's a high bodycount among people inhabiting minor roles in this story, so if that's an issue for you then Something Coming Through is probably not going to be your thing.
I think the best way to talk about Paul McAuley's books, for me at least, is to say they're good but not great. I always seem to actually finish them, which isn't anything like guaranteed, but they never really stick with me for very long. I've read 5 of his books now and the most any of them has managed for me is 3 stars. This is apparently the first book of a duology (with a bit of not very subtle setting up for this at the end of this book), with various short stories also set in this universe, but I can't say that I'm desperate to read the next one given the size of my TBR pile.
Anyway, after that on to the book itself.
It's set in the near future, after two significant events have rocked the world - firstly, a series of small-scale nuclear attacks in major cities with all the devastation that involves, and then the arrival of aliens. The latter, a bunch of folks called the Jackaroo who nobody ever gets to see face to face, claim to want to help humanity survive and offer them the opportunity to colonise 15 new planets. These planets are connected to Earth by wormholes and can only be accessed via shuttles controlled by the Jackaroo, so while getting to and from those worlds is now easy(ish) it's completely on the Jackaroo's timetable. In addition, those planets are studded with artefacts from their previous inhabitants (with no explanation of why they're not inhabited any more) and those artefacts have an effect on people if they're exposed to them for too long.
Our protagonists, since it's mostly a two-handed story with alternating chapters till their storylines end up coming together, are a woman whose job it is to find people affected by those alien artefacts and a detective dealing with serious crime on one of the newly inhabited planets. There's a high bodycount among people inhabiting minor roles in this story, so if that's an issue for you then Something Coming Through is probably not going to be your thing.
I think the best way to talk about Paul McAuley's books, for me at least, is to say they're good but not great. I always seem to actually finish them, which isn't anything like guaranteed, but they never really stick with me for very long. I've read 5 of his books now and the most any of them has managed for me is 3 stars. This is apparently the first book of a duology (with a bit of not very subtle setting up for this at the end of this book), with various short stories also set in this universe, but I can't say that I'm desperate to read the next one given the size of my TBR pile.
February 28, 2017
Smart, rewarding and very entertaining. All kinds of things in its DNA, from the Strugatsky Brothers and Mike Harrison to political thrillers like State of Play. And it's about all those things that are so integral to the state of the world right now: populism, colonialism, the fight for resources and the nonchalance of the ruling class. Can't wait for the second one.
January 16, 2016
The Spasm devastated the Earth. Water wars, net wars, border wars culminating in a limited nuclear exchange, tactical nukes obliterating the heart of capital cities. Chloe Millar's heart was also obliterated. Her mother was vapourised, together with a square kilometre of central London...
Then the aliens came. The Jackaroo. They are here to help....
Fifteen "gift worlds" provide room for humanity to breathe, expand and recover. Under supervision of course...
In post Spasm London, Chloe seeks alien memes and eidolons which trickle in from the gift worlds infecting the minds of peoples who have encountered artefacts brought through the wormholes. These prizes can make you rich...or they can make you insane. She encounters an orphaned brother and sister who seem to be dreaming of the gift world Mangala. And Chloe is not the only one interested in these children....
On Mangala, Vic Gayle's newbie partner Skip Williams has been landed with the kind of murder case destined to keep him awake at night. Competing criminal gangs are on the trail of alien riches. There is a ray gun involved....
When these strands knot, everything changes.
The narrative zips along, the world building is strong from the familiar (grittily urban post-Spasm London, with it leavening of alien weird) , to the elegiac eeriness bestowed upon the desolate wastes of frontier Mangala. The characters, though cast in the beginning as archetypes, grow through the story. Enough that the sequel will be eagerly anticipated. And in the background, are unknown motives of the Jackaroo.
Eligible for the Best Novel in 2016, and at this time, likely to be on my nomination ballot
Then the aliens came. The Jackaroo. They are here to help....
Fifteen "gift worlds" provide room for humanity to breathe, expand and recover. Under supervision of course...
In post Spasm London, Chloe seeks alien memes and eidolons which trickle in from the gift worlds infecting the minds of peoples who have encountered artefacts brought through the wormholes. These prizes can make you rich...or they can make you insane. She encounters an orphaned brother and sister who seem to be dreaming of the gift world Mangala. And Chloe is not the only one interested in these children....
On Mangala, Vic Gayle's newbie partner Skip Williams has been landed with the kind of murder case destined to keep him awake at night. Competing criminal gangs are on the trail of alien riches. There is a ray gun involved....
When these strands knot, everything changes.
The narrative zips along, the world building is strong from the familiar (grittily urban post-Spasm London, with it leavening of alien weird) , to the elegiac eeriness bestowed upon the desolate wastes of frontier Mangala. The characters, though cast in the beginning as archetypes, grow through the story. Enough that the sequel will be eagerly anticipated. And in the background, are unknown motives of the Jackaroo.
Eligible for the Best Novel in 2016, and at this time, likely to be on my nomination ballot
September 18, 2022
In the near future, the alien Jackaroo arrive at Earth announcing that they want to help humanity. They bring the gift of space transport - fifteen terminals are setup on Earth, and at regular intervals, enormous spaceships depart to distant solar systems. Human explorers and colonists have fifteen new worlds to explore - all are inhabitable by mankind. For some reason, each of the fifteen worlds circles a red dwarf star, but the reason for this is not explained. On these new worlds, humans find the ruins of previous alien civilizations. It is clear that each of these planets were occupied for extensive periods by other cultures and aliens, though those prior inhabitants have long since vanished. But sifting through these ancient ruins, humans discover new tools, technology and artifacts - humans get powerful new items, but much of what they discover is not understood. Some of the recovered objects are dangerous.
Something Coming Through follows two protoganists in alternating chapters. One set of chapters follows Chloe Miller. She is employed by a group called Disruption Theory. When alien relics are brought back to Earth, they spark new ideas and memes. Sometimes, contact with an alien object will make humans seem to be infected by alien desires and thought processes. Chloe investigates new human organizations to see if they just standard human craziness, or if they are driven by alien memes. At the beginning, she goes to a park where a speaker will explain new ideas - is this nondescript old man really under the control of some alien object? Chloe meets two children - Fahad and Rana. Fahad seems to be gripped by a compulsion to keep drawing the same scene over and over again, a desert landscape with a strange city of spires and turrets. Young Rana talks about a make believe friend she calls Ugly Chicken. Chloe wonders - is this evidence of some alien artifact?
The second protagonist is Vic Gayle, a policeman. Thirteen years ago, Vic was one of the first colonists who emigrated to Mangala, one of the fifteen alien planets gifted to humanity by the Jackaroo. Despite the exotic setting, it seems that humans have replicated their culture on each of the new worlds. Vic is a detective who deals with the same types of crimes that would handle back on earth: drugs, theft, and sadly, murder. At the terminal where the Jackaroo spaceship docks, a man has been found dead. It appears he was killed in an unusual way - his brains have been fried - as if someone held an alien ray gun to his skull and pulled the trigger. The evidence around the terminal indicates that there was a fight, and the dead man had a partner who escaped. A quick search determines that the dead man had a false identity - what was he doing here on Mangala, what happened to his partner, and who attacked the two men with an alien weapon?
The novel reads like a police-procedural, as Vic hunts the killers, and Chloe tracks down the mystery of the alien relic. McAuley has done an excellent job of plotting here, there is a lot of action. Some characters die. Alien artifacts come into play. There are violent criminals involved in the hunt for the treasures.
The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is that I felt there are too many unanswered questions in the end. Are the Jackaroo truly benevolent? It seemed to me that although McAuley wraps up all the particular mysteries his protagonists are investigating, he leaves the bigger questions open. What happened to all of those previous civilizations that occupied the fifteen worlds before humans showed up? Are these fifteen worlds actually staging grounds, laboratories where humans must prove their worth before the Jackaroo elevate them to a higher level of galactic citizenship? I see that there is a sequel to this novel, Into Everywhere, perhaps that has some of the answers to these questions.
Something Coming Through follows two protoganists in alternating chapters. One set of chapters follows Chloe Miller. She is employed by a group called Disruption Theory. When alien relics are brought back to Earth, they spark new ideas and memes. Sometimes, contact with an alien object will make humans seem to be infected by alien desires and thought processes. Chloe investigates new human organizations to see if they just standard human craziness, or if they are driven by alien memes. At the beginning, she goes to a park where a speaker will explain new ideas - is this nondescript old man really under the control of some alien object? Chloe meets two children - Fahad and Rana. Fahad seems to be gripped by a compulsion to keep drawing the same scene over and over again, a desert landscape with a strange city of spires and turrets. Young Rana talks about a make believe friend she calls Ugly Chicken. Chloe wonders - is this evidence of some alien artifact?
The second protagonist is Vic Gayle, a policeman. Thirteen years ago, Vic was one of the first colonists who emigrated to Mangala, one of the fifteen alien planets gifted to humanity by the Jackaroo. Despite the exotic setting, it seems that humans have replicated their culture on each of the new worlds. Vic is a detective who deals with the same types of crimes that would handle back on earth: drugs, theft, and sadly, murder. At the terminal where the Jackaroo spaceship docks, a man has been found dead. It appears he was killed in an unusual way - his brains have been fried - as if someone held an alien ray gun to his skull and pulled the trigger. The evidence around the terminal indicates that there was a fight, and the dead man had a partner who escaped. A quick search determines that the dead man had a false identity - what was he doing here on Mangala, what happened to his partner, and who attacked the two men with an alien weapon?
The novel reads like a police-procedural, as Vic hunts the killers, and Chloe tracks down the mystery of the alien relic. McAuley has done an excellent job of plotting here, there is a lot of action. Some characters die. Alien artifacts come into play. There are violent criminals involved in the hunt for the treasures.
The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is that I felt there are too many unanswered questions in the end. Are the Jackaroo truly benevolent? It seemed to me that although McAuley wraps up all the particular mysteries his protagonists are investigating, he leaves the bigger questions open. What happened to all of those previous civilizations that occupied the fifteen worlds before humans showed up? Are these fifteen worlds actually staging grounds, laboratories where humans must prove their worth before the Jackaroo elevate them to a higher level of galactic citizenship? I see that there is a sequel to this novel, Into Everywhere, perhaps that has some of the answers to these questions.
February 22, 2018
I didnt like this story. Admittedly there was a long break in reading between pages 5 and 6 when my bedtime reading stopped but it had no significant impact on my read.
There were 2 main reasons I found it a less than satisfying read:
1. I didnt find any of the characters or story arcs to care about. Its told from the viewpoints of a reporter and a policeman both following the same story from different starting points and reasons. I liked Skip, Vic was OK and thats really about it. The story itself struggled with the near-future with us on new worlds, trying to place people in an alien environment where they essentially are just doing the same mudance stuff as on Earth didnt do it for me. Its a device to get a wild frontier with alien weather to set it apart from a detective story at home.
2. The writing device of it involving 2 time offset stories that slowly converge didnt really work for me. The problem was that even when you realised they were time offset (about 75% through the book) they carried on being offset and it got confusing seeing the same scenes from 2 characters viewpoints with one a little later than the other. It wasnt a device that worked for me or helped the story in any way.
So the story on Earth was interesting introducing the Jackeroo and the !Cha and a wider ranging possible conspiracy about the aliens plans for and involvement with Humankind. The crime element was interesting but also suffered from the multiple world crossover with multiplanet crime family having issues with its leadership / drug / artifact running. I thought the biochines were an interesting idea that were very poorly explored... maybe the origins of them will be explored later or maybe they are just a dead end point of interest vagely gestured at as the story drives past.
The core of the story is an Eidolon (an alien presence) that might hold the secret to giving mankind its own space travel and remove humanities dependence on the Jackeroo for interplanetary travel. On the whole the Eidolon element didnt really work for me, why would elder cultures leave behind ghosts of themselves that cause harm to younger races coming into contact with them, are they a form of immortality for the culture, a way to help pass informationdown through the ages after they have gone... where did they go, why havent the Jackeroo gone the same way. Maybe the Jackeroo will tow away the "wormholes" that give access to the 13 worlds if mankind get independent. Maybe all the answers will get given in sequels (I think there are 13 planets "given" to mankind so maybe 13 sequels). I dont think I will be buying them though.
There were 2 main reasons I found it a less than satisfying read:
1. I didnt find any of the characters or story arcs to care about. Its told from the viewpoints of a reporter and a policeman both following the same story from different starting points and reasons. I liked Skip, Vic was OK and thats really about it. The story itself struggled with the near-future with us on new worlds, trying to place people in an alien environment where they essentially are just doing the same mudance stuff as on Earth didnt do it for me. Its a device to get a wild frontier with alien weather to set it apart from a detective story at home.
2. The writing device of it involving 2 time offset stories that slowly converge didnt really work for me. The problem was that even when you realised they were time offset (about 75% through the book) they carried on being offset and it got confusing seeing the same scenes from 2 characters viewpoints with one a little later than the other. It wasnt a device that worked for me or helped the story in any way.
So the story on Earth was interesting introducing the Jackeroo and the !Cha and a wider ranging possible conspiracy about the aliens plans for and involvement with Humankind. The crime element was interesting but also suffered from the multiple world crossover with multiplanet crime family having issues with its leadership / drug / artifact running. I thought the biochines were an interesting idea that were very poorly explored... maybe the origins of them will be explored later or maybe they are just a dead end point of interest vagely gestured at as the story drives past.
The core of the story is an Eidolon (an alien presence) that might hold the secret to giving mankind its own space travel and remove humanities dependence on the Jackeroo for interplanetary travel. On the whole the Eidolon element didnt really work for me, why would elder cultures leave behind ghosts of themselves that cause harm to younger races coming into contact with them, are they a form of immortality for the culture, a way to help pass informationdown through the ages after they have gone... where did they go, why havent the Jackeroo gone the same way. Maybe the Jackeroo will tow away the "wormholes" that give access to the 13 worlds if mankind get independent. Maybe all the answers will get given in sequels (I think there are 13 planets "given" to mankind so maybe 13 sequels). I dont think I will be buying them though.
August 1, 2024
Book Review – Something Coming Through by Paul McAuley
This is one of those novels that starts with big ideas,and a number of characters, but starts things on the small scale, and grows bigger. In a future world, an alien race gifts humans with 15 extra worlds, which between them could contain information to cure all known diseases, the keys to ending all wars, and immortality, but they could also contain more horrors than we have experienced in our history.
Of course, 15 new worlds bring with them a lot more paper-work, and in London Chloe Miller is in charge of the admin. She maps the changes that the alien worlds brings with them, scraps of alien technology that could change the agenda of the smallest of groups, potentially making global terrorism even more of a threat. She stumbles across two small children, who have seen more than their youth would suggest, orphans from another world, but the authorities believe that they are bringers of a new kind of danger.
At the same time. on a separate world, an earth man is killed, and Vic Gayle, during his police investigation stumbles on a turf war between two gangs.
This is a novel that blends philosophy with gritty crime and believable Science Fiction. Although first seen as a gift, the fifteen planets are also, like the internet, something of a curse, if used for the wrong reasons, and the basest of human desires, greed, one-upmanship, and indifference soon becomes apparent, both to Chloe, and the many characters that build the novel.
In creating fifteen, distinct worlds, and also building a number of different genre conceits into the novel, McAuley has set himself a daunting task, which he largely fulfils. The characters are all appealing, and believable, whilst Chloe Miller, as the heart of the story is strong enough to see things through to the end.
This is a book that would appeal to a number of genre readers of Science Fiction, and Crime, whilst the many philosophical points that McAuley raises are well intergrated into the story as a whole.
This is one of those novels that starts with big ideas,and a number of characters, but starts things on the small scale, and grows bigger. In a future world, an alien race gifts humans with 15 extra worlds, which between them could contain information to cure all known diseases, the keys to ending all wars, and immortality, but they could also contain more horrors than we have experienced in our history.
Of course, 15 new worlds bring with them a lot more paper-work, and in London Chloe Miller is in charge of the admin. She maps the changes that the alien worlds brings with them, scraps of alien technology that could change the agenda of the smallest of groups, potentially making global terrorism even more of a threat. She stumbles across two small children, who have seen more than their youth would suggest, orphans from another world, but the authorities believe that they are bringers of a new kind of danger.
At the same time. on a separate world, an earth man is killed, and Vic Gayle, during his police investigation stumbles on a turf war between two gangs.
This is a novel that blends philosophy with gritty crime and believable Science Fiction. Although first seen as a gift, the fifteen planets are also, like the internet, something of a curse, if used for the wrong reasons, and the basest of human desires, greed, one-upmanship, and indifference soon becomes apparent, both to Chloe, and the many characters that build the novel.
In creating fifteen, distinct worlds, and also building a number of different genre conceits into the novel, McAuley has set himself a daunting task, which he largely fulfils. The characters are all appealing, and believable, whilst Chloe Miller, as the heart of the story is strong enough to see things through to the end.
This is a book that would appeal to a number of genre readers of Science Fiction, and Crime, whilst the many philosophical points that McAuley raises are well intergrated into the story as a whole.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2019
It's not often I am glad to finish a book, get it over with and move onto better things but unfortunately this book really just didn't work for me. This was the first book that I have read by this author who comes highly recommended!
In essence this is a "Cop" book in space, it was only really missing the Hard-ass Captain with a heart of gold! but it had pretty much everything else you would expect and I hate Cop books so I just couldn't get over that. If you like the idea of Cops in Space then this might just be your thing!
I was also really disappointed by the Jackaroo they were nothing more than a curiosity in the story and could have been much more central. I get the idea that they were mysterious and aloof potentially manipulative but really the author missed the main point of Science Fiction which is actually for it to feel more like Science Fiction than cops in space! While aliens are not essential when you introduce them its probably best if they contribute something to the story other than - Here's some planets oh by the way all the previous inhabitants we gave these to have "disappeared"
Exploring that disappearance, that sinister undertone to the gift now that would have been a story.
Oh well never mind, it has it's good points, the characters are good and it is will written just didn't work for me!
In essence this is a "Cop" book in space, it was only really missing the Hard-ass Captain with a heart of gold! but it had pretty much everything else you would expect and I hate Cop books so I just couldn't get over that. If you like the idea of Cops in Space then this might just be your thing!
I was also really disappointed by the Jackaroo they were nothing more than a curiosity in the story and could have been much more central. I get the idea that they were mysterious and aloof potentially manipulative but really the author missed the main point of Science Fiction which is actually for it to feel more like Science Fiction than cops in space! While aliens are not essential when you introduce them its probably best if they contribute something to the story other than - Here's some planets oh by the way all the previous inhabitants we gave these to have "disappeared"
Exploring that disappearance, that sinister undertone to the gift now that would have been a story.
Oh well never mind, it has it's good points, the characters are good and it is will written just didn't work for me!
April 30, 2015
The light of a different sun...
A science fiction detective mystery.
The story switches back and forth between Earth and Mangala, a planet given to humans by the Jackaroo, an alien race.
Vic is a homicide detective on Mangala, and Chloe investigates ancient alien artifacts, (kinda sorta) in England.
I have never read this author before so I don't know if there are other stories about the Jackaroo, or other events mentioned in this book. It seems as if there must be, because the story is so well thought out. I like that there isn't an over abundance of excessive detail and trivia about the aliens or the other planets. It's almost offhand, like you should already know about it.
This is not a non-stop action adventure, rather it's a thoughtful story with enough action to keep it interesting. And the author has an excellent turn of phrase, very elegant, sometimes witty. (That's where I got the title.)
Results: I like this book. I like the style, and the storyline. I wish it had a tiny bit more action, but I'm an adrenaline junkie anyway.
I think you'll enjoy it too.
A science fiction detective mystery.
The story switches back and forth between Earth and Mangala, a planet given to humans by the Jackaroo, an alien race.
Vic is a homicide detective on Mangala, and Chloe investigates ancient alien artifacts, (kinda sorta) in England.
I have never read this author before so I don't know if there are other stories about the Jackaroo, or other events mentioned in this book. It seems as if there must be, because the story is so well thought out. I like that there isn't an over abundance of excessive detail and trivia about the aliens or the other planets. It's almost offhand, like you should already know about it.
This is not a non-stop action adventure, rather it's a thoughtful story with enough action to keep it interesting. And the author has an excellent turn of phrase, very elegant, sometimes witty. (That's where I got the title.)
Results: I like this book. I like the style, and the storyline. I wish it had a tiny bit more action, but I'm an adrenaline junkie anyway.
I think you'll enjoy it too.
December 23, 2015
I'm a big McAuley fan, particularly of the Quiet War series with its well thought out universe and extensive descriptions. Something Coming Through has a great premise which I look forward to exploring further in coming books. However, for me, the first 60% of the book was fairly slow and not too riveting, more of a bland crime thriller with lots of dialogue. I wanted to love this book, but feel this one fell short. Nonetheless, the premises and the Universe he's developing are intriguing, and future sequels regarding the intent and purposes of the Jackaroo could be quite compelling, so I'm hoping the followup heads more of the direction of hard science fiction rather than crime noir in a science fiction setting. I would recommend that anyone interested in non-science fiction McAuley check out Pasquale's Angel, which I found much more interesting in terms of plot, characters, and writing.
September 3, 2015
I like the hybrid genre of mystery and SF. I like Paul McAuley. So why is this combination of two of my favorite things so disappointing? The reason, I suspect, is that it is not really a combination but almost like two separate novels unfolding within the same text: a scientific mystery of the aliens, and a hard-boiled thriller about some tough guys and their shenanigans. I found the latter boring, while the former was tantalizing but inconclusive. Too bad. I guess I will be waiting for the next alien-contact novel in which the suspense is provided by the mystery of the aliens alone without the tacked-on excitement of a police procedural.
July 24, 2015
About a third of the way into this, I stop. Maybe I’ve mistakenly begun the 2nd novel of a series?
Nope. The exposition and explanation to catch us up? The half-formed characters and clunky plot? It’s his writing style … and it ain’t that interesting.
However, here’s the real problem. The timing of the novel is all off. It should take place 15 years earlier when all the fascinating stuff happened. The world in chaos. The first contact. Everything referred to as background makes a more interesting story. That’s the one I want. Not this sad rushed hackneyed mystery.
Nope. The exposition and explanation to catch us up? The half-formed characters and clunky plot? It’s his writing style … and it ain’t that interesting.
However, here’s the real problem. The timing of the novel is all off. It should take place 15 years earlier when all the fascinating stuff happened. The world in chaos. The first contact. Everything referred to as background makes a more interesting story. That’s the one I want. Not this sad rushed hackneyed mystery.
December 27, 2016
I takes real talent to create and portray truly alien aliens in literature but Paul McAuley pulls it off in this book with The Jackaroo. The premise is also relatively novel and sufficiently intriguing (though a reader of Pohl’s Heechee stories might argue that they recognise some of the elements).
The novel aliens and premise are let down by a lackluster ending – however this could be amended by a decent sequel and indeed there such a book is available…
Maybe just stretches to 3.5 stars rather than the simple 3 I have to give above. Would be 4 on the Amazon scale.
The novel aliens and premise are let down by a lackluster ending – however this could be amended by a decent sequel and indeed there such a book is available…
Maybe just stretches to 3.5 stars rather than the simple 3 I have to give above. Would be 4 on the Amazon scale.
October 26, 2015
I don't mind alternating viewpoints in a book but here each chapter felt a bit short. I'd just started getting into one story and it flipped to the other. And I found Chloe's story much more compelling than Vic's which felt like a dull detective book. I'd also have liked a bit more about the other worlds the Jackeroo had given them. I felt a bit frustrated by this book on the whole... there's was a better story submerged in the whole gangster plot.
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