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Third Planet Fall Down
The Ir have conquered Earth. Wiped out humanity. Installed some fancy theme parks in its stead. But when they render Pax Murillo, the greatest movie detective of the 2040s, to run one of the exhibits, the Ir get more than they bargained for. Murillo’s road to self-awareness is a bit dodgy—but then, so are the goings-on in The Corral, the Ir’s second-most lucrative planet-side tourist trap. The question isn’t whether Murillo’s up to the case—only, what’s in it for him when he succeeds?
Kindle Edition
Published December 14, 2020
4 people want to read
About the author
M.L. Clark
42 books30 followersM L Clark is a writer of speculative fiction, along with book reviews, humanist essays, and news analysis at OnlySky.Media. Canadian by birth, Clark now calls Colombia home, and is an eager translator of classic Colombian lit as well.
In 2023, Clark will be launching six books from Sí, Hay Futuros Ediciones, an indie press that represents the persistence and necessity of hope amid setbacks.
Thanks for following along, if you do.
And thank you for pursuing your own, better dreams, either way.
In 2023, Clark will be launching six books from Sí, Hay Futuros Ediciones, an indie press that represents the persistence and necessity of hope amid setbacks.
Thanks for following along, if you do.
And thank you for pursuing your own, better dreams, either way.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 12, 2021
I must admit I had pretty high hopes for this story and it did not disappoint. I have been following Clark’s works for years, and eagerly anticipate each new one published, and lament some that have yet to see the light of day. I went around 25 years with a reading gap on mysteries. I got back into it by being intrigued by one I picked up for my father and have read many over the last 2 or three years. But this one is in many ways different from the typical mystery. And for fans of the mystery or Science fiction genre that is a good thing. And for fans of Clarks works it is great to have this first volume in what looks to be an immensely entertaining series.
While reading this story several other stories, authors or even movies came to mind. First the covers immediately made me think about the editions of Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy stories that I read 35ish years ago in High School. The beginning of the story brought to mind the movie Memento. And it reminded me a lot of the stories involving Mike Hammer and Spencer. And my first thought was that I found it more of a thinking mystery than some of the other I have read. I was completely fascinated with the concept. And with the execution. But I had to go back and read a whole section because I had missed a piece and it was not making sense to me.
The story at first did not make sense because it is unlike any world we would expect. Pax Murillo is a Private Investigator, hanging out in a bar waiting for a contact. But some things are off, and he realizes this but tries to just get his job done. In the story his thoughts frequently return to an old flame. The one who got away, or it was never the right time or right place. We soon learn as Pax does that this might be Earth, but not the Earth that he knew, and definitely not the Earth that we know. And that realization and his past make him a candidate to help solve a problem in the far future.
The story deals with some huge questions. What does it mean to be? Processing of memories. And AI self actualizing. And Identity. All wrapped in an alien framework, with several species that are very un-human or should we say not very earthling like.
I was about halfway through this one when I pre ordered the next volume, The Moon is Not my Name, and the others that are currently announced and look forward to where the series will head next. The title of the next alone evokes Heinlein. But only time will tell. Those high hopes that were mentioned at the beginning of the review, they were met and even exceeded. This was an excellent first novel in a series. Just be cautious, you might end up rereading it as soon as you finish, for you will see it with new and different eyes in that second iteration. A great read that I highly recommend.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by M.L. Clark. As well as author profile and interview with M.L..
While reading this story several other stories, authors or even movies came to mind. First the covers immediately made me think about the editions of Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy stories that I read 35ish years ago in High School. The beginning of the story brought to mind the movie Memento. And it reminded me a lot of the stories involving Mike Hammer and Spencer. And my first thought was that I found it more of a thinking mystery than some of the other I have read. I was completely fascinated with the concept. And with the execution. But I had to go back and read a whole section because I had missed a piece and it was not making sense to me.
The story at first did not make sense because it is unlike any world we would expect. Pax Murillo is a Private Investigator, hanging out in a bar waiting for a contact. But some things are off, and he realizes this but tries to just get his job done. In the story his thoughts frequently return to an old flame. The one who got away, or it was never the right time or right place. We soon learn as Pax does that this might be Earth, but not the Earth that he knew, and definitely not the Earth that we know. And that realization and his past make him a candidate to help solve a problem in the far future.
The story deals with some huge questions. What does it mean to be? Processing of memories. And AI self actualizing. And Identity. All wrapped in an alien framework, with several species that are very un-human or should we say not very earthling like.
I was about halfway through this one when I pre ordered the next volume, The Moon is Not my Name, and the others that are currently announced and look forward to where the series will head next. The title of the next alone evokes Heinlein. But only time will tell. Those high hopes that were mentioned at the beginning of the review, they were met and even exceeded. This was an excellent first novel in a series. Just be cautious, you might end up rereading it as soon as you finish, for you will see it with new and different eyes in that second iteration. A great read that I highly recommend.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by M.L. Clark. As well as author profile and interview with M.L..
December 24, 2020
A very engaging start to what promises to be an entertaining and thought-provoking series of novellas. In Third Planet Fall Down, we are thrown into a world that makes as little sense at first to us as it does to our protagonist, Pax Murillo, a hard-boiled gumshoe with a soft spot for a dame, and an eye for things that don't add up. We come to learn the fate of the earth and the nature of its new administrators at the same time Murillo does, and it's a hard lesson. The thing about lessons, though, is that a sharp student learns from them, and Murillo's whetted to a very fine edge...
Clark does an outstanding job using the clever and comforting tropes of noir, seeding larger ideas about human (and decidedly in-human) nature, humanism, empathy, and justice through a lens that is entertaining, funny, and increasingly poignant.
I look forward to the next book ("The Moon is Not my Name"), and the ones to follow...
Clark does an outstanding job using the clever and comforting tropes of noir, seeding larger ideas about human (and decidedly in-human) nature, humanism, empathy, and justice through a lens that is entertaining, funny, and increasingly poignant.
I look forward to the next book ("The Moon is Not my Name"), and the ones to follow...
December 24, 2020
A first installment that has me very excited for what the rest of the series has to offer!
Third Planet Fall Down is an engaging mystery in which Pax Murillo must empathize with beings very different from humans (and sometimes frighteningly similar to humans). In a lot of ways, the story is about empathy *as* mystery, a case to crack for those who need to make sense of their place in their world--in other words: all of us.
You'll probably enjoy this book if you find any or all of these questions interesting:
-What if a fictional character had to understand its own existence through the lens of its creators as interpreted by those who destroyed its creators?
-How do you do read a partially corporeal entity's mannerisms to solve a case?
-How do you solve a mystery in a new world while still learning that world's rules?
-Universal translators are nice--but what gets lost in translation?
-What compels people (AI or otherwise) from resisting the tug of the status quo to make meaningful change?
All of these questions merge nicely, and the scope and meaning of the story blossom as Pax Murillo's understanding of the environment and surrounding characters changes. The prose is comfortably rhythmic, feeling appropriately like an old detective story with its emotional-intelligence-as-detective-work narrative. There are plenty of characters, yet it all feels intentionally lonely.
The Irians, those pesky destroyers of humanity, remind me *a bit* of the Ferengi from Star Trek, all though immensely more imaginative, both in design and the way they function beyond mere parody. For one thing, they're not annoying. And we get a glimpse of culture and social structure that doesn't rely on an oversimplified list of greed-rules as shorthand. It was pretty satisfying for me--because I have a lot of complaints about Ferengi--to see a reflection of human greed that actually says something beyond "ha ha, those capitalists, am I right?". I'm still mulling over the story's themes, but I find myself wondering about the different ways we as human beings use other people to measure our worth and achievements, either individually or collectively.
Much of action centers around memory and identity (couldn't help but think of Westworld here, most likely because of the AI-in-theme-park-simulation premise). Refreshingly, the narrative doesn't dwell on the how or treat AI violence as an inevitability. It asks the questions that come after the awakening, like "why can't I stop thinking about my beloved" and "why am I so damn nostalgic about people I used to hate?". You know, robot stuff.
The ending both closes out the story with a satisfying emotional punch and makes the promise that there's more coming. I look forward to more mysteries that treat empathy as not only an emotional response, but an intellectual endeavor.
Third Planet Fall Down is an engaging mystery in which Pax Murillo must empathize with beings very different from humans (and sometimes frighteningly similar to humans). In a lot of ways, the story is about empathy *as* mystery, a case to crack for those who need to make sense of their place in their world--in other words: all of us.
You'll probably enjoy this book if you find any or all of these questions interesting:
-What if a fictional character had to understand its own existence through the lens of its creators as interpreted by those who destroyed its creators?
-How do you do read a partially corporeal entity's mannerisms to solve a case?
-How do you solve a mystery in a new world while still learning that world's rules?
-Universal translators are nice--but what gets lost in translation?
-What compels people (AI or otherwise) from resisting the tug of the status quo to make meaningful change?
All of these questions merge nicely, and the scope and meaning of the story blossom as Pax Murillo's understanding of the environment and surrounding characters changes. The prose is comfortably rhythmic, feeling appropriately like an old detective story with its emotional-intelligence-as-detective-work narrative. There are plenty of characters, yet it all feels intentionally lonely.
The Irians, those pesky destroyers of humanity, remind me *a bit* of the Ferengi from Star Trek, all though immensely more imaginative, both in design and the way they function beyond mere parody. For one thing, they're not annoying. And we get a glimpse of culture and social structure that doesn't rely on an oversimplified list of greed-rules as shorthand. It was pretty satisfying for me--because I have a lot of complaints about Ferengi--to see a reflection of human greed that actually says something beyond "ha ha, those capitalists, am I right?". I'm still mulling over the story's themes, but I find myself wondering about the different ways we as human beings use other people to measure our worth and achievements, either individually or collectively.
Much of action centers around memory and identity (couldn't help but think of Westworld here, most likely because of the AI-in-theme-park-simulation premise). Refreshingly, the narrative doesn't dwell on the how or treat AI violence as an inevitability. It asks the questions that come after the awakening, like "why can't I stop thinking about my beloved" and "why am I so damn nostalgic about people I used to hate?". You know, robot stuff.
The ending both closes out the story with a satisfying emotional punch and makes the promise that there's more coming. I look forward to more mysteries that treat empathy as not only an emotional response, but an intellectual endeavor.
January 8, 2021
I highly recommend this to readers of Martha Wells's Murderbot and Becky Chambers's Wayfarers. Clark's series is very unique from these, but it builds on similar themes and uses a similar narrative tone - that classic sarcasm from Murderbot coupled with wonder at new potentials and new worlds (that, ultimately, act like the old ones).
It's the worldbuilding that made this novella such an exciting and thought-provoking read. Clark uncovers the details slowly, giving readers - and the main character Pax Murillo - time to digest the reality of what has become of earth and its native inhabitants. The diversity of alien species is incredible in its scope - it's a far, far cry from the humanoid species of Star Trek, ranging from seaweed to creatures with acidic fur (!!!) to the Ir, who appear as static-like beings with an overwhelming sense of ambition. With deft strokes, Clark creates a whole universe of unique beings living within a complex socio-economic system.
And here is where this novella does that magical part of science fiction because that socio-economic system is, like our own, illogical and cruel. It's a universe without compassion, only ambition and (sometimes) self-seeking acts of mercy. The commentary hits close to home, but it's so seamlessly worked into the fabric of this universe that it doesn't feel clunky or preachy - we can learn from it while watching it play out in wonder.
However, the worldbuilding is so complex and original that it makes heavy demands on the narration, at times sacrificing plot and pacing along the way. There were chapters that slowed the story considerably, taking us deep inside of Murillo's thoughts - so deep that the story came to a standstill. Be warned that there are places you'll have to push through, particularly if it's the mystery plot you're most closely engaging with. I also found that, as a result of this pacing, the resolution to the mystery felt rushed, with Murillo seemingly figuring out the perpetrator out of the blue. This resolution left some questions unanswered - like what about those seaweed creatures? Were they just red herrings? But then why is that one working at such a high level of the business? Will they be important in later books? These are questions that can, of course, only be answered by reading the next books, which I will of course do!
These are not unexpected issues for the first of a series, especially one that has to set an elaborate scene that differs from many of the currently-popular space operas. This is a universe where humanity doesn't play a role, and, as such, this series leaves one with much to ponder. It's the kind of science fiction I needed right now.
It's the worldbuilding that made this novella such an exciting and thought-provoking read. Clark uncovers the details slowly, giving readers - and the main character Pax Murillo - time to digest the reality of what has become of earth and its native inhabitants. The diversity of alien species is incredible in its scope - it's a far, far cry from the humanoid species of Star Trek, ranging from seaweed to creatures with acidic fur (!!!) to the Ir, who appear as static-like beings with an overwhelming sense of ambition. With deft strokes, Clark creates a whole universe of unique beings living within a complex socio-economic system.
And here is where this novella does that magical part of science fiction because that socio-economic system is, like our own, illogical and cruel. It's a universe without compassion, only ambition and (sometimes) self-seeking acts of mercy. The commentary hits close to home, but it's so seamlessly worked into the fabric of this universe that it doesn't feel clunky or preachy - we can learn from it while watching it play out in wonder.
However, the worldbuilding is so complex and original that it makes heavy demands on the narration, at times sacrificing plot and pacing along the way. There were chapters that slowed the story considerably, taking us deep inside of Murillo's thoughts - so deep that the story came to a standstill. Be warned that there are places you'll have to push through, particularly if it's the mystery plot you're most closely engaging with. I also found that, as a result of this pacing, the resolution to the mystery felt rushed, with Murillo seemingly figuring out the perpetrator out of the blue. This resolution left some questions unanswered - like what about those seaweed creatures? Were they just red herrings? But then why is that one working at such a high level of the business? Will they be important in later books? These are questions that can, of course, only be answered by reading the next books, which I will of course do!
These are not unexpected issues for the first of a series, especially one that has to set an elaborate scene that differs from many of the currently-popular space operas. This is a universe where humanity doesn't play a role, and, as such, this series leaves one with much to ponder. It's the kind of science fiction I needed right now.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews