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Radio Life
In this riveting political thriller, The Commonwealth, a post-apocalyptic civilisation on the rise, is locked in a clash of ideas with the Keepers, a fight which threatens to destroy the world... again.
When Lilly was first Chief Engineer at The Commonwealth, nearly fifty years ago, the Central Archive wasn't yet the greatest repository of knowledge in the known world, protected by scribes copying every piece of found material - books, maps, even scraps of paper - and disseminating them by Archive Runners to hidden off-site locations for safe keeping. Back then, there was no Order of Silence to create and maintain secret routes deep into the sand-covered towers of the Old World or into the northern forests beyond Sea Glass Lake. Back then, the world was still quiet, because Lilly hadn't yet found the Harrington Box.
But times change. Recently, the Keepers have started gathering to the east of Yellow Ridge - thousands upon thousands of them - and every one of them determined to burn the Central Archives to the ground, no matter the cost, possessed by an irrational fear that bringing back the ancient knowledge will destroy the world all over again. To prevent that, they will do anything.
Fourteen days ago the Keepers chased sixteen-year-old Archive Runner Elimisha into a forbidden Old World Tower and brought the entire thing down on her. Instead of being killed, though, she slipped into an ancient unmapped bomb shelter where she has discovered a cache of food and fresh water, a two-way radio like the one Lilly's been working on for years... and something else. Something that calls itself 'the internet'...
When Lilly was first Chief Engineer at The Commonwealth, nearly fifty years ago, the Central Archive wasn't yet the greatest repository of knowledge in the known world, protected by scribes copying every piece of found material - books, maps, even scraps of paper - and disseminating them by Archive Runners to hidden off-site locations for safe keeping. Back then, there was no Order of Silence to create and maintain secret routes deep into the sand-covered towers of the Old World or into the northern forests beyond Sea Glass Lake. Back then, the world was still quiet, because Lilly hadn't yet found the Harrington Box.
But times change. Recently, the Keepers have started gathering to the east of Yellow Ridge - thousands upon thousands of them - and every one of them determined to burn the Central Archives to the ground, no matter the cost, possessed by an irrational fear that bringing back the ancient knowledge will destroy the world all over again. To prevent that, they will do anything.
Fourteen days ago the Keepers chased sixteen-year-old Archive Runner Elimisha into a forbidden Old World Tower and brought the entire thing down on her. Instead of being killed, though, she slipped into an ancient unmapped bomb shelter where she has discovered a cache of food and fresh water, a two-way radio like the one Lilly's been working on for years... and something else. Something that calls itself 'the internet'...
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 21, 2021
53 people are currently reading
791 people want to read
About the author
Derek B. Miller
11 books738 followersDerek B. Miller is an American novelist, who worked in international affairs before turning to writing full-time. He is the author of six novels, all highly acclaimed: Norwegian by Night, The Girl in Green, American by Day, Radio Life, Quiet Time (an Audible Original) and How to Find Your Way in the Dark. His work has been shortlisted for many awards, with Norwegian by Night winning the CWA John Creasey Dagger award for best first crime novel, an eDunnit Award and the Goldsboro Last Laugh Award. How to Find Your Way in the Dark was a Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and a New York Times Best Mystery of 2021.
Miller is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College (BA), Georgetown (MA) and he earned his Ph.D., summa cum laude, in international relations from The Graduate Institute in Geneva. He is currently connected to numerous peace and security research and policy centres in North America, Europe and Africa, and previously worked with the United Nations for over a decade. He has lived abroad for over twenty-five years in Israel, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Switzerland, Norway and Spain.
Miller is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College (BA), Georgetown (MA) and he earned his Ph.D., summa cum laude, in international relations from The Graduate Institute in Geneva. He is currently connected to numerous peace and security research and policy centres in North America, Europe and Africa, and previously worked with the United Nations for over a decade. He has lived abroad for over twenty-five years in Israel, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Switzerland, Norway and Spain.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
November 29, 2020
Derek B Miller moves into a rather different direction with his latest offering, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi set in a future where the world has been destroyed and now populated by disparate groups of survivors, such as The Commonwealth based at the Stadium, intent on recovering ancient past knowledge, amassed in the Central Archive, the largest repository, and the Keepers, a paranoid group certain that it is that knowledge that led to the destruction of the world previously and are stubbornly determined that this should not happen again and are willing to fight for their beliefs. This is compulsive philosophical and political storytelling, with great world building, entertaining, humorous and thought provoking, with a wide cast of characters, some more fleshed out than others. However, while this is a intrinsically fascinating political thriller that concludes with a sense of hope, it is an uneven read, but so worthwhile in the ideas it explores when it comes to humanity and how it handles knowledge and technology. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.
January 2, 2021
Derek Miller's new book has headed away from his previous quirky and often humorous crime novels into a post apocalyptic world. It's a world where two groups of philosophically opposed human factions are at odds over whether previous technology and knowledge should be reclaimed or destroyed. The Commonwealth is a well organised group that live within the walls of a giant stadium. From there they send searchers out into the world to bring back useful items found amongst the destroyed buildings of the old world or in scavengers markets. The Keepers are those who are opposed to the reclamation of knowledge and technology that resulted to the poisoning and destruction of the old world and their numbers have been growing to the point where they feel ready to take on the Commonwealth.
Miller has built a fascinating imagined world out of the remnants of Earth with buried towers under a great sandy desert and remnants of planes and ships. Along with presenting opposing and thoughtful philosophical and political ideologies, he has created a host of interesting characters and his signature wit is evident as he has fun with old sayings that no one understands anymore and the discovery of old recordings of rock and disco music.
With thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for a copy to read
Miller has built a fascinating imagined world out of the remnants of Earth with buried towers under a great sandy desert and remnants of planes and ships. Along with presenting opposing and thoughtful philosophical and political ideologies, he has created a host of interesting characters and his signature wit is evident as he has fun with old sayings that no one understands anymore and the discovery of old recordings of rock and disco music.
With thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for a copy to read
February 8, 2021
'A review? By the author? That's ridiculous …'
And you'd be right. It's preposterous. And yet … it's done. Why? Well, not a review per se. I won't be reviewing the book. That's the province of readers, not writers. In fact, and as a general rule, I long for the days of more professional reviews by people who had dedicated their careers to situating works within the wider scope of the genre and the culture itself, and being a guide to our encounters with them.
Remember Robert Ebert and his movie reviews? Not the TV show, but his Pulitzer-winning written ones? They were terribly good. Not only because he could rise above mere opinion and genre-preferences and the like, but because he had a depth of knowledge about cinema and its movement. He understood drama. He was willing to laugh and be surprised and he held no (serious) grudges. I long for such reviewers. I'm not one of them. I'm just a writer. So … no. I won't be reviewing my book or many others. It is good though. As best I can tell, anyway.
So what am I doing here? Well, I can't write rambling essays unless I rate the darn thing and … I'm not passing up that opportunity. And if I can't justify why I'M here, I can at least tell you why the BOOK is here.
RADIO LIFE was an absolute labor of love for me and a massive risk. My work to date has largely been considered crime, thriller or mystery — though, to me, it was always contemporary or general fiction because I'm not genre-lead. Still, people saw "science fiction" and panicked and I insisted … no, it'll be fine. It's a futuristic political thriller with an ensemble cast (of mostly women, I learned, in retrospect), and has just as much of a widescreen, immersive, humane and driven story — with dashes of comedy — as all my other books.
So if you loved the humanity of Norwegian by Night; the absurdity and boldness of The Girl in Green; or the mystery and heartbreak of American by Day, I invite you back to join me for RADIO LIFE. I hope your time with Lilly and Alessandra, Henry and Graham, brave Elimisha, and the folks of the Commonwealth and Abbey, the Crossing and the Order of Silence all bring you immense reading pleasure and pull you deep into that fictional dream where you can dwell in an unexpected and lavish world for at least a while.
Happy reading. These are dark times. It's nice to spend time with people who are also looking for a way out. Whether they find it or not will be an adventure to relish.
— Derek, Oslo, Norway. 2021
And you'd be right. It's preposterous. And yet … it's done. Why? Well, not a review per se. I won't be reviewing the book. That's the province of readers, not writers. In fact, and as a general rule, I long for the days of more professional reviews by people who had dedicated their careers to situating works within the wider scope of the genre and the culture itself, and being a guide to our encounters with them.
Remember Robert Ebert and his movie reviews? Not the TV show, but his Pulitzer-winning written ones? They were terribly good. Not only because he could rise above mere opinion and genre-preferences and the like, but because he had a depth of knowledge about cinema and its movement. He understood drama. He was willing to laugh and be surprised and he held no (serious) grudges. I long for such reviewers. I'm not one of them. I'm just a writer. So … no. I won't be reviewing my book or many others. It is good though. As best I can tell, anyway.
So what am I doing here? Well, I can't write rambling essays unless I rate the darn thing and … I'm not passing up that opportunity. And if I can't justify why I'M here, I can at least tell you why the BOOK is here.
RADIO LIFE was an absolute labor of love for me and a massive risk. My work to date has largely been considered crime, thriller or mystery — though, to me, it was always contemporary or general fiction because I'm not genre-lead. Still, people saw "science fiction" and panicked and I insisted … no, it'll be fine. It's a futuristic political thriller with an ensemble cast (of mostly women, I learned, in retrospect), and has just as much of a widescreen, immersive, humane and driven story — with dashes of comedy — as all my other books.
So if you loved the humanity of Norwegian by Night; the absurdity and boldness of The Girl in Green; or the mystery and heartbreak of American by Day, I invite you back to join me for RADIO LIFE. I hope your time with Lilly and Alessandra, Henry and Graham, brave Elimisha, and the folks of the Commonwealth and Abbey, the Crossing and the Order of Silence all bring you immense reading pleasure and pull you deep into that fictional dream where you can dwell in an unexpected and lavish world for at least a while.
Happy reading. These are dark times. It's nice to spend time with people who are also looking for a way out. Whether they find it or not will be an adventure to relish.
— Derek, Oslo, Norway. 2021
October 6, 2020
Radio Life is the fourth novel by award- winning American author, Derek B. Miller. On her all-important tenth outing as an Archive Runner for the Commonwealth, sixteen-year-old Elimisha is pursued by tribesmen of the Keepers, forced into the reputedly-Sickness-laden depths of the Aladdin tower as it is destroyed. By chance, she finds a Hard Room, the key to her survival: water, food and first aid. And, unexpectedly, more than this, a device that holds a trove of information, of Knowledge: the internet.
Trapped underground, she may be, but she can communicate her find to Lilly, the Chief of Weapons and Communications, via the partially-dysfunctional radio that Lilly found fifty-four years earlier, in a similar situation. Elimisha immediately understands that she must protect this significant find, for not all share the Commonwealth’s belief in, and thirst for, the Knowledge.
The Keepers are hostile to the Knowledge: “… my people look around at the world and know two things: the Ancients knew more than us. And that knowledge led to this… Whatever they knew – whatever is under the sand – is what destroyed the world. If you continue to learn, there is every reason to believe that you will do the same.”
And now, amassed nearby, is an army of those who follow, with almost religious fervour, the Keepers’ thinking, ready to fight against what they believe will once again bring destruction to the land. And not everyone in the Stadium, the Commonwealth’s fortress, agrees on what to do about it.
For his fourth novel, Miller departs from his usual genre to give the reader a post-apocalyptic tale set somewhere in America in the early 25th Century. The obligatory world-building is fairly seamlessly achieved; the sizeable cast of players requires that many merit only vignettes, somewhat precluding character depth, though the main protagonists are not one-dimensional. Lilly, in particular, is a feisty seventy-one-year-old: “I was talking to myself and I won’t apologise for it. I’m interesting.”
The story gives Miller the chance to explore many provocative issues and dilemmas. The Keepers’ flawed logic leads to the question of if and how technology should be regulated. Young Alessandra’s decisions about what to save, as well as entertaining us with her first priority (disco music), raise the question of censorship and reminds us that “those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it".
The “Shinies” collected by those who “Spade, Raid or Trade”, often thought to do nothing, are, Lilly concludes, dependent on the non-functioning internet, illustrating what we already see today: too heavy a reliance on technology stifles certain crafts, skills and innovative thinking.
Remnants of things lost in the series of apocalyptic events remain in the language, making for amusing dialogue:
‘I’m curious, that’s all.’
‘Curiosity killed the cat,’ the woman said.
‘What’s a cat?’
‘Something dead because it tried to learn too much.’
‘The cat probably asked the wrong questions,’ Lilly said.
Miller creates a fascinating yet credible setting, fills it with realistic characters and sets them on an unpredictable path. There’s action and excitement, politics, philosophy and wisdom, a bit of nostalgia and ample laugh-out-loud moments to occasionally relieve the tension. Interesting, thought-provoking and often funny, this one is likely to appeal to fans of the genre.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Jo Fletcher Books
Trapped underground, she may be, but she can communicate her find to Lilly, the Chief of Weapons and Communications, via the partially-dysfunctional radio that Lilly found fifty-four years earlier, in a similar situation. Elimisha immediately understands that she must protect this significant find, for not all share the Commonwealth’s belief in, and thirst for, the Knowledge.
The Keepers are hostile to the Knowledge: “… my people look around at the world and know two things: the Ancients knew more than us. And that knowledge led to this… Whatever they knew – whatever is under the sand – is what destroyed the world. If you continue to learn, there is every reason to believe that you will do the same.”
And now, amassed nearby, is an army of those who follow, with almost religious fervour, the Keepers’ thinking, ready to fight against what they believe will once again bring destruction to the land. And not everyone in the Stadium, the Commonwealth’s fortress, agrees on what to do about it.
For his fourth novel, Miller departs from his usual genre to give the reader a post-apocalyptic tale set somewhere in America in the early 25th Century. The obligatory world-building is fairly seamlessly achieved; the sizeable cast of players requires that many merit only vignettes, somewhat precluding character depth, though the main protagonists are not one-dimensional. Lilly, in particular, is a feisty seventy-one-year-old: “I was talking to myself and I won’t apologise for it. I’m interesting.”
The story gives Miller the chance to explore many provocative issues and dilemmas. The Keepers’ flawed logic leads to the question of if and how technology should be regulated. Young Alessandra’s decisions about what to save, as well as entertaining us with her first priority (disco music), raise the question of censorship and reminds us that “those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it".
The “Shinies” collected by those who “Spade, Raid or Trade”, often thought to do nothing, are, Lilly concludes, dependent on the non-functioning internet, illustrating what we already see today: too heavy a reliance on technology stifles certain crafts, skills and innovative thinking.
Remnants of things lost in the series of apocalyptic events remain in the language, making for amusing dialogue:
‘I’m curious, that’s all.’
‘Curiosity killed the cat,’ the woman said.
‘What’s a cat?’
‘Something dead because it tried to learn too much.’
‘The cat probably asked the wrong questions,’ Lilly said.
Miller creates a fascinating yet credible setting, fills it with realistic characters and sets them on an unpredictable path. There’s action and excitement, politics, philosophy and wisdom, a bit of nostalgia and ample laugh-out-loud moments to occasionally relieve the tension. Interesting, thought-provoking and often funny, this one is likely to appeal to fans of the genre.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Jo Fletcher Books
May 24, 2021
“Radio Life” by Derek B. Miller, SAVED MY SANITY! I was packing for a trip last weekend, and I was torn between taking “Radio Life” which I had just gotten in the mail, but is ~500 pages and heavy, or a book of Joan Silber short stories – much smaller and lighter, I was only going to have reading time in the airports and on the relatively short flight; did I really want to lug it around in my backpack all weekend? But the “Radio Life” premise was so intriguing that I decided to schlep it and I’m SO GLAD I did because coming back my flight was delayed by hours and then when we finally landed, we had to wait for over an hour for a gate! Ultimately I had over three extra reading hours and the post-apocalyptic setting was the PERFECT ESCAPE, because when you are feeling miserable and cramped on a plane with a mask on and next to a screaming baby for hours, it's great to read about a dystopian scenario that makes your situation seem like a Spa Day!
At first, “Radio Life”, seems like a big departure for Miller, but it’s really more of an extension; he’s written about the surreal nature war before (his “Girl in Green” is a masterpiece), and the themes of education (particularly of girls) and international collaboration run through his novels, so a post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel is actually right in his wheelhouse. I was thrilled to read that he hopes to make this a series! I’m in!
I won’t describe the plot, except to say that it is mercifully devoid of Vampires and Zombies! Humans are scary enough! I do want to note that while we don’t meet Abbot Francis until near the end of the book, he is a most delightful character; I wanted more of him! His community mixes the best of all the religions of the past: “All that matters here at the Abbey is trying to do good and be good and have a few drinks and laughs along the way.” His character is an homage to “A Canticle for Leibowitz”, by Walter Miller Jr. (no relation), which is an inspiration for this novel, so I look forward to more of him in subsequent novels.
Also…DISCO LIVES!!!
At first, “Radio Life”, seems like a big departure for Miller, but it’s really more of an extension; he’s written about the surreal nature war before (his “Girl in Green” is a masterpiece), and the themes of education (particularly of girls) and international collaboration run through his novels, so a post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel is actually right in his wheelhouse. I was thrilled to read that he hopes to make this a series! I’m in!
I won’t describe the plot, except to say that it is mercifully devoid of Vampires and Zombies! Humans are scary enough! I do want to note that while we don’t meet Abbot Francis until near the end of the book, he is a most delightful character; I wanted more of him! His community mixes the best of all the religions of the past: “All that matters here at the Abbey is trying to do good and be good and have a few drinks and laughs along the way.” His character is an homage to “A Canticle for Leibowitz”, by Walter Miller Jr. (no relation), which is an inspiration for this novel, so I look forward to more of him in subsequent novels.
Also…DISCO LIVES!!!
September 30, 2020
Hmmm. Post-apocalyptic SF isn’t my normal genre but I loved both Norwegian By Night and American By Day so I gave Radio Life a go. It’s not bad by any means, but it didn’t really do much for me.
Set at least a century in the future, the world has been all but destroyed and access to buried old knowledge and technology is valued by The Commonwealth but very difficult because of a Sickness still lurking in the Gone World, and because of others who want to destroy all old knowledge before it destroys the world again. Serious conflict looms...
It’s a decent set-up and Miller writes very well, of course, but I somehow never quite engaged with either the world he creates nor the characters he fills it with. It just felt a little laboured, somehow, and I was always looking in at what Miller was doing rather than being caught up in his world. This may just be me, and I think that fans of the enre may well enjoy Radio Life very much. For me, though, it’s not in the same league as, say, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road or Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. Only a qualified recommendation from me, I’m afraid.
(My thanks to Quercus for an ARC via NetGalley.)
Set at least a century in the future, the world has been all but destroyed and access to buried old knowledge and technology is valued by The Commonwealth but very difficult because of a Sickness still lurking in the Gone World, and because of others who want to destroy all old knowledge before it destroys the world again. Serious conflict looms...
It’s a decent set-up and Miller writes very well, of course, but I somehow never quite engaged with either the world he creates nor the characters he fills it with. It just felt a little laboured, somehow, and I was always looking in at what Miller was doing rather than being caught up in his world. This may just be me, and I think that fans of the enre may well enjoy Radio Life very much. For me, though, it’s not in the same league as, say, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road or Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. Only a qualified recommendation from me, I’m afraid.
(My thanks to Quercus for an ARC via NetGalley.)
January 20, 2021
Full review to follow.
June 14, 2021
Can the same story be speculative and post-apocalyptic simultaneously? Yes, Miller has created an entire new world in RADIO LIFE, approximately 400 years into the future. This future life has risen from the ashes, so to speak, following a “Rise” or catastrophic disaster that destroyed the advanced world. So, 400 years from today centers on the Commonwealth, and the past-future world is the Gone World, and the souls that lived in it are “Ancients.” (Any persons alive before the Rise are known as the Ancients.) There are parts of a skyscraper of buildings, many which have sunk to the underground, or half underground. Should ancient knowledge be pursued or suppressed? That is one of the major conflicts of this story.
Describing and inhabiting a future dystopian planet takes an imaginative but precise vision. The cover of the book is actually a quasi-decent example of areas of this new world, but you must read the book to dwell in it. Step into the Commonwealth (somewhere on the East coast), a tribe of people inhabiting a mammoth-sized stadium, who believe that knowledge is power. Their lifestyle and work supports trying to figure out the ancient fabric of society with the few clues that they have found, some that will tickle your funny bone. Words sometimes have other meanings, the Internet is long gone, and life is somewhat basic, technically primitive. Leaders of the Commonwealth have picked up pieces of information--some that help them construe a basic form of electricity, and other info or found artifacts that are used in useful and instrumental ways.
The Commonwealth’s main rivals (more like enemies) are the Keepers, a tribe that believes that accessing Gone World knowledge is dangerous, and will lead to another Rise or cataclysmic destruction. The Keepers suppress history and will kill members of the Commonwealth to assert that their philosophy is the only ideology that should exist.
Commonwealth members all have a role to play to protect their community. For example, there are trained Runners that routinely circumvent the enemy to gather information. One Runner gets trapped below a half-submerged building and discovers the Internet in captivity.
There’s also an intriguing place called the Abbey, a group of monks that supposedly live apart from Keepers and Commonwealth, far away from either camp. The section of the novel is less developed, although characterizations are wholly satisfying. It was during this notable part of the book that I began to wonder if there could be a second book or series to RADIO LIFE. In fact, Miller states just that in his endnotes--that he would like to see his book as a first of a series. I would also like to see it as a cable series—it is so rich and visual. The world that Miller built is genius.
There’s drama, adventure, laconic wit, as well as themes of loss, survival, love, friendship, betrayal, power, knowledge, and intellect. My favorite Miller book had always been his tour de force, THE GIRL IN GREEN. Although that concerned 21st century wartime, RADIO LIFE demonstrates that every epoch has wartime, conflicting ideologies, blind spots, and self-determination. This is a powerful, masterful novel.
Describing and inhabiting a future dystopian planet takes an imaginative but precise vision. The cover of the book is actually a quasi-decent example of areas of this new world, but you must read the book to dwell in it. Step into the Commonwealth (somewhere on the East coast), a tribe of people inhabiting a mammoth-sized stadium, who believe that knowledge is power. Their lifestyle and work supports trying to figure out the ancient fabric of society with the few clues that they have found, some that will tickle your funny bone. Words sometimes have other meanings, the Internet is long gone, and life is somewhat basic, technically primitive. Leaders of the Commonwealth have picked up pieces of information--some that help them construe a basic form of electricity, and other info or found artifacts that are used in useful and instrumental ways.
The Commonwealth’s main rivals (more like enemies) are the Keepers, a tribe that believes that accessing Gone World knowledge is dangerous, and will lead to another Rise or cataclysmic destruction. The Keepers suppress history and will kill members of the Commonwealth to assert that their philosophy is the only ideology that should exist.
Commonwealth members all have a role to play to protect their community. For example, there are trained Runners that routinely circumvent the enemy to gather information. One Runner gets trapped below a half-submerged building and discovers the Internet in captivity.
There’s also an intriguing place called the Abbey, a group of monks that supposedly live apart from Keepers and Commonwealth, far away from either camp. The section of the novel is less developed, although characterizations are wholly satisfying. It was during this notable part of the book that I began to wonder if there could be a second book or series to RADIO LIFE. In fact, Miller states just that in his endnotes--that he would like to see his book as a first of a series. I would also like to see it as a cable series—it is so rich and visual. The world that Miller built is genius.
There’s drama, adventure, laconic wit, as well as themes of loss, survival, love, friendship, betrayal, power, knowledge, and intellect. My favorite Miller book had always been his tour de force, THE GIRL IN GREEN. Although that concerned 21st century wartime, RADIO LIFE demonstrates that every epoch has wartime, conflicting ideologies, blind spots, and self-determination. This is a powerful, masterful novel.
April 5, 2021
Radio Life is hard to rate. I will say that the blurb let's it down quite a bit. Elimisha is not the main charcter of the book. She's really a side character with the two most prominent characters being Lily, a 71 year old woman and Alessandra, a 17 year old girl. The book sounds like a dystopian ya but it's not (this isn't a complaint, just a comment about the blurb).
It's a pretty solid dystopian, I found it entertaining. Unfortunately the antagonists (the Keepers) don't feel like an actual threat at any point. Sure, they might take out a few people but they can't defeat the Commonwealth (not a fan of that name, makes me think of colonialism). Their philosophy doesn't stand up to any scrutiny, as much of the philosophy in this book doesn't. Alessandra's choice in the end makes little sense, Lily's (and the leaders of the Commonwealth's) choice to find and then limit knowledge made little sense and wasn't explained (they believe their way forward is to research the tech/science of the past but then hide it from their own people and each other).
The ending seems like an entirely new novel but in one chapter...
Overall, when read for surface level story, it's fine but I think Derek Miller wanted to impart more on the reader. Unfortunately Radio Life just isn't thought out that well, odd as the author mentions doing a lot of research. I just wish I could have seen evidence of that.
January 22, 2021
This is the first book I read by this author and requested it because I was fascinated by the plot.
I had no expectations and even if I had them they were surely exceeded because it’s a highly entertaining and thought provoking story that I couldn’t put down.
There’s plenty of humor but there’s also plenty of philosophical consideration about knowledge, our relationship with technology and the world we live.
It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where knowledge can define your way of living and it defines the two opposed factions: the Commonwealth and the Keepers. They have a different way of living but both are living in the aftermath of a catastrophe that destroyed the previous civilization.
Being a knowledge worker I was fascinated by how the two factions approached technology and how they differ in the approach to the world around them.
It could seem a very serious book, speculative fiction, but there’s a lot of humor and action making it gripping and enjoyable.
The world building is excellent and I loved how the author described the environment and the way of living.
There’s a lot of great women characters: they are strong willed, fleshed out and fascinating. The character development is excellent and all the characters are vivid and well written.
Mr Miller is a talented storyteller and once you start reading you are hooked.
I read somewhere this is the first in a series and I can’t wait to read the next installment.
I loved this story and it’s strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I had no expectations and even if I had them they were surely exceeded because it’s a highly entertaining and thought provoking story that I couldn’t put down.
There’s plenty of humor but there’s also plenty of philosophical consideration about knowledge, our relationship with technology and the world we live.
It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where knowledge can define your way of living and it defines the two opposed factions: the Commonwealth and the Keepers. They have a different way of living but both are living in the aftermath of a catastrophe that destroyed the previous civilization.
Being a knowledge worker I was fascinated by how the two factions approached technology and how they differ in the approach to the world around them.
It could seem a very serious book, speculative fiction, but there’s a lot of humor and action making it gripping and enjoyable.
The world building is excellent and I loved how the author described the environment and the way of living.
There’s a lot of great women characters: they are strong willed, fleshed out and fascinating. The character development is excellent and all the characters are vivid and well written.
Mr Miller is a talented storyteller and once you start reading you are hooked.
I read somewhere this is the first in a series and I can’t wait to read the next installment.
I loved this story and it’s strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
February 20, 2022
DNF.
A really compelling premise in a post-apocalyptic world filled with promise and intrigue.
I hated the author’s writing style.
It is janky. He writes as if describing a picture. The picture is the characters in the scene.
He shoehorns a bunch of Proper Nouns together.
This is world building (apparently).
Definitely needs a stronger edit to cut down on the janky sentences, build a sense of flow, and avoid a hundred short sentences.
Commas and contractions are free.
A really compelling premise in a post-apocalyptic world filled with promise and intrigue.
I hated the author’s writing style.
It is janky. He writes as if describing a picture. The picture is the characters in the scene.
He shoehorns a bunch of Proper Nouns together.
This is world building (apparently).
Definitely needs a stronger edit to cut down on the janky sentences, build a sense of flow, and avoid a hundred short sentences.
Commas and contractions are free.
January 31, 2022
Ok post apocalyptic story line with good characters but it didn't feel like it was going to say anything I hadn't read elsewhere. DNF.
October 10, 2021
'Radio Life' is a wonderful piece of speculative fiction that explores a compelling central question via the actions of powerfully-rendered characters engaged in a clash of cultures that has become a struggle for survival.
As I see it, the main question of the book is this:
If you were born into a world visibly broken by your distant ancestors, living in the cracked shells of their achievement and still in the shadow of the destruction they wrought, what would you do? Work to recover their knowledge, repair the world and avoid their mistakes or develop the faith to live in the here and now, valuing the present and refusing the temptations of kind of intellectual arrogance which killed billions of people and almost destroyed the world?
'Radio Life' isn't an academic discussion. It's an action-packed, tense struggle for survival between two groups of people the Keepers and the Commonwealth whose worldviews are inimical to one another.
I was hooked by the end of the first couple of chapters, swept along by the depth and the pace of the storytelling. There were no all-post-apocalyptic-stories-have-this short-cuts. This wasn't a video-game scenario. It was a world shaped by the people who live in it and each character was given the space and time to become a person, not a video-game persona.
'Radio Life' was a wonderful surprise - fresh, original and exciting. The narration was excellent and I loved the way engaging characters were used to bring a whole world alive. The pacing was perfect. By the time I was halfway through the book I had I'm halfway through no idea what would happen next but I really wanted to find out.
One of the things I liked about the book was the way it made me confront my own prejudices. Having lived through a massive assault on knowledge for the past five years with the silencing experts, the denial of science, the promotion of hate-based fantasies as truth and the labelling fact-based journalists as enemies of the people, I started 'Radio Life' thinking, 'What could be more relevant than a book looking at the preservation and dissemination of knowledge as a key survival trait for humanity?'
It turned out that Derek Miller had written a more challenging book than that. As I read it, I realised that I'd defaulted to a 'Knowledge = Curiosity-Driven Civilisation Faith = fear-Driven Superstition that was too glib to be real.
Part of the strength of 'Radio Life' comes from the fact that both sides of the Keeper /Commonwealth divide had a valid world view and that neither had a monopoly on the truth.
This was underlined for me by my slowly dawning recognition of how deadly and how ruthless the Commonwealth, the people my default settings had designated as the good guys by virtue of their dedication to being the repository of all human knowledge, were.
The true character of the Commonwealth, of any society perhaps, was shown not by its stated ideals but by the character of the people in it. The main characters in the Commonwealth part of the story include a lethal married couple, deeply committed to one another. and to the Commonwealth but not blind to its limitations; a genius powered as much by hate and fear as she is by curiosity; and two teenage women ready to kill and to die to do their duty and yet still light-hearted in their searching of the Internet.
As the history of the Commonwealth was revealed, I liked the way in which acts of pragmatism became institutionalised and turned into cultural artefacts. It showed how the stories we tell ourselves about who we are as a people are a collective fiction, often fuelled by the lies of those in power to protect that power.
I was impressed by Derek Miller's ability to use big ideas as the lattice that supports the growth of characters, allowing their fears and joy and hopes and blindspots to unfurl in the sun and scent the air with excitement and tension. This is Science Fiction at its best.
Part of what maintained the tension in the novel was that the conflicts were not resolved in a conventional way. It added to the drama but it also reminded me that there are always more choices, especially if you're willing to redefine the problem as well as the solution.
The final twenty per cent or so of the book didn't work as well for me as the rest. This wasn't because of the ending. The ending worked. I liked the next step offered to the Commonwealth and I liked the movement of the next generation into leadership.
What pulled me out of the story a little was the change in pace. We see one of the people who was a teenager at the start of the story grow up and become a leader of a world-changing mission but we never got back inside her head. I got the 'grand sweep of history' view rather than 'the story of my life view' the book started with. The material was great but I'd have preferred a Radio Life book two to cover it.
The change in style was a minor quibble. This was an exceptional piece of Science Fiction. It filled my imagination, kick-started my thinking, blew away some of my prejudices, kept me eager to read the next page and left me hungry for more.
I recommend the audiobook version of 'Radio Life'. Sarah Borges narration is first-rate. Click on the SoundCloud link below to hear a sample
Derek Miller is currently working on a sequel to 'Radio Life' so, if you like it, there's more to look forward to. In the meantime, I recommend reading some of his other books. His novels never disappoint, always makes me think and frequently surprises me. I've given details of the one I've read below.
July 3, 2022
With Radio Life, Derek B. Miller has entered the world of science fiction. With amazing worldbuilding, he has created a post-apocalyptic Earth in the distant future where most knowledge has been lost after a catastrophic war has wiped out most of civilization. The novel starts by introducing various members of the Commonwealth, a conglomeration of about 200 individuals who live in a modified stadium and are always searching the Gone World for physical items that they can use to make their lives easier. More important to them is their search for knowledge from the past. Elimisha, a young runner, is out exploring when she is trapped in one of the Gone World buildings. She realizes that her discoveries there have great significance yet she doesn’t know how she’ll be able to escape and share them with the Commonwealth.
A nearby tent encampment is populated by those who refer to themselves as Keepers. They believe that knowledge is what led to the destruction of the world and that they must avoid all attempts to retrieve any knowledge from the past. They live their lives as simply as possible in the now.
While members of the Commonwealth are concerned with finding and rescuing Elimisha, the Keepers have decided that now is the time to attack the Commonwealth. Each side believes that they are best equipped to defeat the other. These internecine conflicts have serious repercussion on all of their lives.
With touches of humor, Radio Life provides an interesting take on society’s usage of and dependence on technology. In the “Acknowledgement and Denials” section, the author indicates that he hopes that this novel is to be followed by a “subsequent series.” Derek B. Miller is one of my favorite authors and I’d be interested in learning more about the many characters he has created in this world.
A nearby tent encampment is populated by those who refer to themselves as Keepers. They believe that knowledge is what led to the destruction of the world and that they must avoid all attempts to retrieve any knowledge from the past. They live their lives as simply as possible in the now.
While members of the Commonwealth are concerned with finding and rescuing Elimisha, the Keepers have decided that now is the time to attack the Commonwealth. Each side believes that they are best equipped to defeat the other. These internecine conflicts have serious repercussion on all of their lives.
With touches of humor, Radio Life provides an interesting take on society’s usage of and dependence on technology. In the “Acknowledgement and Denials” section, the author indicates that he hopes that this novel is to be followed by a “subsequent series.” Derek B. Miller is one of my favorite authors and I’d be interested in learning more about the many characters he has created in this world.
April 9, 2021
Crime and thriller author Derek B Miller took A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter J Miller (no relation apparently), one of the classic post-apocalyptic books of the 20th Century as his inspiration for his new book Radio Life. What he may not have counted on when he began working on this book though would be the proliferation of post-apocalyptic tales, particularly by more mainstream authors, over the last few years. Leaving Radio Life little room to find itself in an increasingly crowded market.
Radio Life is set around four hundred years after an unspecified cataclysmic event called The Rise. It is set somewhere in the former north-eastern United States. The main civilisation is shepherded by “The Commonwealth” which has set itself up in a former Olympic Stadium near a collapsing ancient city called the Gone World. The goal of the Commonwealth is to gather knowledge and old technology and to try and rebuild that world. But the Commonwealth is under threat from a rising force called The Keepers, a growing group who believe that any acquisition of old knowledge will eventually lead to another apocalyptic event. The Keepers are gathering their forces to destroy the Commonwealth.
The events of Radio Life play out against this philosophical backdrop, made more urgent by the rediscovery of technology that gives access to the internet. Elimisha, the woman who discovers this trove, is trapped underground in the Gone World and the race is on between the two factions to either rescue her or kill her.
For readers of any recent post-apocalyptic fiction the set up will be very familiar. New societies springing up around ancient ruins who finding and repair old technologies which they barely understand. There are plenty of American western tropes with trading posts and raiders on horseback, using rifles that have been passed down through the generations. And of course, amusing reinterpretations of old texts – in this case the Commonwealth’s biggest haul has included Gibbons Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and the complete Calvin and Hobbes.
Miller is a political scientist so is interested in exploring not only the warring philosophies between the main antagonists but what informs those philosophies. He is particularly interested in the idea of knowledge and progress, culminating in a lengthy discussion on the matter between a member of the Commonwealth and the leader of the Keepers. But he also explores the power of ideas, at one point having characters who have to download parts of the internet onto an external drive debate whether the darker moments of humanity’s past should be preserved or deleted.
And underneath it all, questions as to what we should be striving for to create a viable civilisation and what could cause it to fail. In doing so, as all good post-apocalyptic fiction does, Miller takes a swipe at the current state of the world:
“…global collapse was coming because the institutions which gave peace its structure were being eroded by neglect and malevolence. He predicted that as the institutions were dismantled, civilisation’s resilience would be too, until we finally became fragile enough that even tiny events could cascade into Armageddon.”
By taking a post-apocalyptic classic from the 1960s as a starting point, Miller has produced a modern tale that from its outset feels dated. The post-apocalyptic tropes that he employs, while given a slightly new spin, all feel like they have been done before, down to a spectacularly optimistic ending. And while there are some surprises (it’s unlikely that readers will ever look at Trivial Pursuit in quite the same way again) and plenty of interesting ideas, there is not enough to set this book apart from the pack.
Radio Life is set around four hundred years after an unspecified cataclysmic event called The Rise. It is set somewhere in the former north-eastern United States. The main civilisation is shepherded by “The Commonwealth” which has set itself up in a former Olympic Stadium near a collapsing ancient city called the Gone World. The goal of the Commonwealth is to gather knowledge and old technology and to try and rebuild that world. But the Commonwealth is under threat from a rising force called The Keepers, a growing group who believe that any acquisition of old knowledge will eventually lead to another apocalyptic event. The Keepers are gathering their forces to destroy the Commonwealth.
The events of Radio Life play out against this philosophical backdrop, made more urgent by the rediscovery of technology that gives access to the internet. Elimisha, the woman who discovers this trove, is trapped underground in the Gone World and the race is on between the two factions to either rescue her or kill her.
For readers of any recent post-apocalyptic fiction the set up will be very familiar. New societies springing up around ancient ruins who finding and repair old technologies which they barely understand. There are plenty of American western tropes with trading posts and raiders on horseback, using rifles that have been passed down through the generations. And of course, amusing reinterpretations of old texts – in this case the Commonwealth’s biggest haul has included Gibbons Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and the complete Calvin and Hobbes.
Miller is a political scientist so is interested in exploring not only the warring philosophies between the main antagonists but what informs those philosophies. He is particularly interested in the idea of knowledge and progress, culminating in a lengthy discussion on the matter between a member of the Commonwealth and the leader of the Keepers. But he also explores the power of ideas, at one point having characters who have to download parts of the internet onto an external drive debate whether the darker moments of humanity’s past should be preserved or deleted.
And underneath it all, questions as to what we should be striving for to create a viable civilisation and what could cause it to fail. In doing so, as all good post-apocalyptic fiction does, Miller takes a swipe at the current state of the world:
“…global collapse was coming because the institutions which gave peace its structure were being eroded by neglect and malevolence. He predicted that as the institutions were dismantled, civilisation’s resilience would be too, until we finally became fragile enough that even tiny events could cascade into Armageddon.”
By taking a post-apocalyptic classic from the 1960s as a starting point, Miller has produced a modern tale that from its outset feels dated. The post-apocalyptic tropes that he employs, while given a slightly new spin, all feel like they have been done before, down to a spectacularly optimistic ending. And while there are some surprises (it’s unlikely that readers will ever look at Trivial Pursuit in quite the same way again) and plenty of interesting ideas, there is not enough to set this book apart from the pack.
September 29, 2021
This was good but needed some polish.
I'll start with the bad.
Tense changes. I might be wrong about this since my own relationship with verb tenses has never been amicable, but I am pretty sure there were several instances of tense changes in the same paragraph if not sentence. I find the present tense to be jarring in general, but can usually find the stride after reading for a bit. In this case I never got the chance to find that stride and felt like my brain was skipping like a record over a small imperfection.
Dumb character behavior. I do not expect kids to be highly trained spec-ops agents, but some of the things they did made me want to facepalm. And not only kids, some adults would often make the simplest mistakes for the convenience of the plot. There was also a lot of standing around monologuing when there were important things that needed attention. Things do not feel as dire as they might be when people living through them act like they are not a big deal.
The good.
Virtually all important characters were women. Women were the first settlers, women were the first leaders, women were and are the explorers. Virtually all the characters were non-white. Blonde hair and non-brown eyes were mentioned as an exception. The only sexualized description of a woman was of a picture and its sexualization was mocked for being 'sickly looking'. While rape and sexual assault concern was present, it was not used to terrorize female characters and was only mentioned casually in passing.
I loved all the 'ancient' trivia. Figures of speech incorrectly interpreted and the mention of animals that have long ago gone extinct, had me giggling with a bit of sadness. And I especially enjoyed the assumptions made about the 'ancients', such as their accident proneness.
Overall I really enjoyed the book. As I said before it could have been better, more polished, but the way it is now is still a worthwhile read. Definitely worth checking out, and I will definitely keep an eye out for other books by the author.
I'll start with the bad.
Tense changes. I might be wrong about this since my own relationship with verb tenses has never been amicable, but I am pretty sure there were several instances of tense changes in the same paragraph if not sentence. I find the present tense to be jarring in general, but can usually find the stride after reading for a bit. In this case I never got the chance to find that stride and felt like my brain was skipping like a record over a small imperfection.
Dumb character behavior. I do not expect kids to be highly trained spec-ops agents, but some of the things they did made me want to facepalm. And not only kids, some adults would often make the simplest mistakes for the convenience of the plot. There was also a lot of standing around monologuing when there were important things that needed attention. Things do not feel as dire as they might be when people living through them act like they are not a big deal.
The good.
Virtually all important characters were women. Women were the first settlers, women were the first leaders, women were and are the explorers. Virtually all the characters were non-white. Blonde hair and non-brown eyes were mentioned as an exception. The only sexualized description of a woman was of a picture and its sexualization was mocked for being 'sickly looking'. While rape and sexual assault concern was present, it was not used to terrorize female characters and was only mentioned casually in passing.
I loved all the 'ancient' trivia. Figures of speech incorrectly interpreted and the mention of animals that have long ago gone extinct, had me giggling with a bit of sadness. And I especially enjoyed the assumptions made about the 'ancients', such as their accident proneness.
Overall I really enjoyed the book. As I said before it could have been better, more polished, but the way it is now is still a worthwhile read. Definitely worth checking out, and I will definitely keep an eye out for other books by the author.
October 11, 2022
Despite so much thought and research into the story, it didn't hold together for me. As with most dystopian novels, I have trouble with the assumptions authors make about what makes people tick and therefore, societies run, leading to that inability to suspend belief and remain in the story. If we would only listen to each other, we could avoid conflict. If we would only love one another, if everyone had enough money/ decent(?!) standard of living, if everyone was literate, if everyone would eat right... there's a chassidic story by R. Nachman of Breslov about this: the master of prayer. We're looking for a solution to the world's problems in all the wrong ways and places.
This story was missing a believable foundation. The threats didn't make sense. The ecological collapse just popped up in the last 15% without any forewarning felt contrived.
He put the women in charge and that didn't work, at all. Did not feel plausible, given all the other elements in the world building. Given basic human psychology! The modern, peer reviewed psych research doesn't bear out the scenario he posits.
I really hate prose in the present tense. I find it jarring, it took me out of the story so many times. Maybe that was my problem with not believing the world building. Using the language like that kept me aware of the words and left me no opportunity to suspend belief and become immersed.
And it lacked pacing, esp. in the last 20% where it the author started to push hard to reach a place in the time line to finish up. Too much tell and not enough show. Use of an epistle info dump, which annoys me.
I found this depressing, even at the end, instead of hopeful and life affirming.
This story was missing a believable foundation. The threats didn't make sense. The ecological collapse just popped up in the last 15% without any forewarning felt contrived.
He put the women in charge and that didn't work, at all. Did not feel plausible, given all the other elements in the world building. Given basic human psychology! The modern, peer reviewed psych research doesn't bear out the scenario he posits.
I really hate prose in the present tense. I find it jarring, it took me out of the story so many times. Maybe that was my problem with not believing the world building. Using the language like that kept me aware of the words and left me no opportunity to suspend belief and become immersed.
And it lacked pacing, esp. in the last 20% where it the author started to push hard to reach a place in the time line to finish up. Too much tell and not enough show. Use of an epistle info dump, which annoys me.
I found this depressing, even at the end, instead of hopeful and life affirming.
December 25, 2023
This is a hard book to rate, because it makes you realize each star is basically equal to 20%, which means three stars is 60%, and four stars is 80%, and this book is so very much between those extremes... maybe 75%, I'd be willing to give it that rating. It's very well written, enough that I'm still looking forward to the author's 2024 release (which is why I read this in the first place, I am excited to read the upcoming one and wanted to get an idea for the writer's style).
I liked pieces of the book. Characters, scenes, situations, etc. But as a whole, it somehow falls short. The summary is VERY misleading. That scenario does happen, but it's such a small part of everything that's going on. And I never understood why the people searching for archives of "old knowledge" immediately decided to keep it secret once they did find it.
I do like that Calvin and Hobbes was one of the only pieces of pop culture that survived the end of the world. As it should be.
I liked pieces of the book. Characters, scenes, situations, etc. But as a whole, it somehow falls short. The summary is VERY misleading. That scenario does happen, but it's such a small part of everything that's going on. And I never understood why the people searching for archives of "old knowledge" immediately decided to keep it secret once they did find it.
I do like that Calvin and Hobbes was one of the only pieces of pop culture that survived the end of the world. As it should be.
August 27, 2023
Different from his other novels in that it is set in a post apocalyptic future. Contains the same humanist spirit and wisdom as his other work however. Very contemporary in its depiction of nationalism and paranoia leading to the fall of civilisation. Another classic by this brilliant author.
July 11, 2022
A promising novel with a really interesting premise. Sadly, it just fell a little flat for me 😢. I think there was too much emphasis on relations to the current world that you lost the actual story and the characters in it.
June 13, 2022
3.5 stars
I enjoyed the book as a light read that didn't necessarily make sense culturally or scientifically. The characters had some life and the story flowed well in most parts. But at 477 pages, the last 100 pages or so felt rushed with too much potentially important and interesting detail left out.
For example, after taking 14-18 months to make their epic journey from the North Command to the Southern Command by foot (How many survived? How many died? What hardships did they encounter?), it seems quite accelerated for the many people who have never seen a large body of water, did not know how to swim and never been in a boat to become comfortable sailing and navigating the high seas to the top of the world less than 2 years later, all of which apparently happened in good weather with nary a crisis during the sail.
There is also no good explanation as to why putting new seeds in old, contaminated soil is going to grow new crops, just a hope that this will happen. But as the old saying goes "hope is not a strategy".
The Keepers as culture made no sense. As Lilly ponders near the end, [paraphrase] 'How did they come to be and what do they really want'? She finally comes up with a possible explanation and this becomes an epiphany that changes her approach to everything going forward.
And what was happening at the Stadium with the Keepers while the Southern Command was blossoming? Were thousands of warriors just hanging out playing dice and card games in a long siege of the Stadium? That is unlikely.
Finally, all of the major characters through the more than 100 year history of the Northern Commonwealth seem to have been woman. It is difficult to believe this to be remotely possible in the hardscrabble world as described.
Suggesting reading this book at a high level and don't ask too many difficult questions.
I enjoyed the book as a light read that didn't necessarily make sense culturally or scientifically. The characters had some life and the story flowed well in most parts. But at 477 pages, the last 100 pages or so felt rushed with too much potentially important and interesting detail left out.
For example, after taking 14-18 months to make their epic journey from the North Command to the Southern Command by foot (How many survived? How many died? What hardships did they encounter?), it seems quite accelerated for the many people who have never seen a large body of water, did not know how to swim and never been in a boat to become comfortable sailing and navigating the high seas to the top of the world less than 2 years later, all of which apparently happened in good weather with nary a crisis during the sail.
There is also no good explanation as to why putting new seeds in old, contaminated soil is going to grow new crops, just a hope that this will happen. But as the old saying goes "hope is not a strategy".
The Keepers as culture made no sense. As Lilly ponders near the end, [paraphrase] 'How did they come to be and what do they really want'? She finally comes up with a possible explanation and this becomes an epiphany that changes her approach to everything going forward.
And what was happening at the Stadium with the Keepers while the Southern Command was blossoming? Were thousands of warriors just hanging out playing dice and card games in a long siege of the Stadium? That is unlikely.
Finally, all of the major characters through the more than 100 year history of the Northern Commonwealth seem to have been woman. It is difficult to believe this to be remotely possible in the hardscrabble world as described.
Suggesting reading this book at a high level and don't ask too many difficult questions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2020
Locked down below
Derek B Miller’s Radio Life is almost brilliant. It is quite unlike his two droll crime novels, Norwegian by Night, American by Day, but it was the quality of these two books which inspired me to try this one. It’s a post-apocalyptic tale, where a small number of disparate societies have survived a series of catastrophes and one group in particular, the Commonwealth, established in an ancient 21st Century sports stadium, are especially keen to rediscover the lost knowledge of the past, while a second group, the Keepers, are keen to stop them, as they see past knowledge as the cause of the world catastrophe. In the meantime, deep beneath the ruined towers of the past, may survive an ancient grail of all knowledge, known as the Internet.
The real focus here is on a number of characters belonging to the Commonwealth, but the Keepers are not stage villains. They have a strong belief and philosophy, excellent organisational abilities, and present a real and sustained threat to the people of the Stadium, despite their superiority in technology and weaponry. (One aspect of the Commonwealth I personally found most fascinating was their education system, the Agoge, with its references to ancient Greek, specifically Spartan, military practices.)
There is a huge amount of inventive writing here. There are sympathetic characters. There is war, conflict and death. There is much good humour and witty writing, as well as serious and thought-provoking problems and ideas. I felt that the novel was strongly influenced by the current pandemic – I could be wrong in this – with the cause of the world catastrophe, the ‘lockdown’ terminology used by the Commonwealth, one sympathetic character literally locked down below ground in a room boasting a most peculiar technology, involving all the knowledge in the world. One of the best things about the novel is not knowing how it will all turn out, but left with an ending which possesses seeds of hope.
So, why is it almost brilliant and not simply brilliant? I did feel that some parts were rather rushed, especially in the second half, and that the author cut a number of scenes in a rather clumsy way. Perhaps, this was done for editorial reasons; perhaps a longer novel would have been better, or perhaps two volumes. However, I did enjoy Radio Life very much and would recommend it as it stands as a very worthwhile read.
Derek B Miller’s Radio Life is almost brilliant. It is quite unlike his two droll crime novels, Norwegian by Night, American by Day, but it was the quality of these two books which inspired me to try this one. It’s a post-apocalyptic tale, where a small number of disparate societies have survived a series of catastrophes and one group in particular, the Commonwealth, established in an ancient 21st Century sports stadium, are especially keen to rediscover the lost knowledge of the past, while a second group, the Keepers, are keen to stop them, as they see past knowledge as the cause of the world catastrophe. In the meantime, deep beneath the ruined towers of the past, may survive an ancient grail of all knowledge, known as the Internet.
The real focus here is on a number of characters belonging to the Commonwealth, but the Keepers are not stage villains. They have a strong belief and philosophy, excellent organisational abilities, and present a real and sustained threat to the people of the Stadium, despite their superiority in technology and weaponry. (One aspect of the Commonwealth I personally found most fascinating was their education system, the Agoge, with its references to ancient Greek, specifically Spartan, military practices.)
There is a huge amount of inventive writing here. There are sympathetic characters. There is war, conflict and death. There is much good humour and witty writing, as well as serious and thought-provoking problems and ideas. I felt that the novel was strongly influenced by the current pandemic – I could be wrong in this – with the cause of the world catastrophe, the ‘lockdown’ terminology used by the Commonwealth, one sympathetic character literally locked down below ground in a room boasting a most peculiar technology, involving all the knowledge in the world. One of the best things about the novel is not knowing how it will all turn out, but left with an ending which possesses seeds of hope.
So, why is it almost brilliant and not simply brilliant? I did feel that some parts were rather rushed, especially in the second half, and that the author cut a number of scenes in a rather clumsy way. Perhaps, this was done for editorial reasons; perhaps a longer novel would have been better, or perhaps two volumes. However, I did enjoy Radio Life very much and would recommend it as it stands as a very worthwhile read.
January 25, 2021
I honestly don't know how I feel about this book, weighing up the pros and cons they are pretty even.
I'll start with the major plus and the thing that kept me reading to the end - the narrative voice. The prose has a rhythm to it that sweeps you up and carries you along. This is a really well written book.
Some of the characters are really well defined and I love the 70-odd year old woman right in the middle of things. Outside of the main group characters feel like sketches and caricatures. Everything the characters do is obvious, I knew who the spy was as soon as they appeared on the page. I didn't really care what happened to any of them so there was no nervous or gut punch moments.
There was some things that took too long to be explained and other things that were never explained at all. The start was too slow and the end was too rushed and for me it just didn't work happening 7 months later, 7 years would have sat better with me.
I like the world building and the overall plot works.
I'll start with the major plus and the thing that kept me reading to the end - the narrative voice. The prose has a rhythm to it that sweeps you up and carries you along. This is a really well written book.
Some of the characters are really well defined and I love the 70-odd year old woman right in the middle of things. Outside of the main group characters feel like sketches and caricatures. Everything the characters do is obvious, I knew who the spy was as soon as they appeared on the page. I didn't really care what happened to any of them so there was no nervous or gut punch moments.
There was some things that took too long to be explained and other things that were never explained at all. The start was too slow and the end was too rushed and for me it just didn't work happening 7 months later, 7 years would have sat better with me.
I like the world building and the overall plot works.
July 30, 2022
I really liked both Norwegian by Night and the follow up, and was ready to try another Miller in a different genre.
The first 2/3 was gripping and the last third was very disjointed and an excuse for Miller to put forward his mishmash philosphy of how human society will be able to survive war and global warming.
I wonder if this will be the equivalent of Le Carre's Niave and Sentimental Lover - a book in the airport bookstore bought on the merits of previous works and jetisoned before boarding.
The first 2/3 was gripping and the last third was very disjointed and an excuse for Miller to put forward his mishmash philosphy of how human society will be able to survive war and global warming.
I wonder if this will be the equivalent of Le Carre's Niave and Sentimental Lover - a book in the airport bookstore bought on the merits of previous works and jetisoned before boarding.
October 18, 2022
I like the idea but disliked the execution. Im one hundred pages in and bored with plodding, laboured world building and the plethora of characters. I disliked the writing style with its rapid shifting from character to character: flit, flit, flit and too much going on from different perspectives but with little depth and i find, found, that off putting. This is a book i wont bother finishing simply because nothing interesting has happened to keep me entertained. Three stars for the idea but one removed because im annoyed that the book is not as the back covers suggests.
November 10, 2020
Absolutely loved this fantastic piece of post-apocalyptic hopepunk. Nicely balances exciting, heartfelt and thought-provoking. I will definitely be checking out more of this author's work.
January 22, 2021
Full review here as part of social media blast
https://ifthesebookscouldtalk.com/202...
Spoiler: It's a bit brill
https://ifthesebookscouldtalk.com/202...
Spoiler: It's a bit brill
February 5, 2021
by Derek B. Miller
Sometime around the end of the 21st century, an apocalypse on Earth causes universal disaster through (no surprise) the lunacy of a political power grab. Some 300 years later, we meet our own descendants. There aren’t many, and live in an amnesiac world. Divided into small factions, they live simple and separate existences. In the book, we meet the Commonwealth which values the collection and sharing of knowledge. Their pursuit of learning means they’ve accomplished a few engineering feats (human-powered electricity!) despite having to re-invent the process from mere scraps from anecdotes.
Soon, another power grab looms from a more aggressive faction, the Keepers, who wish to seize assets and knowledge for their sole use and to feed their need to dominate this damaged world. Another group of resourceful nomads, called the Roamers, have noticed the failure of crops to yield and flourish, and the Commonwealth decides the time has come to take action to ensure survival. They run reccy missions. One of the Commonwealth leaders is the plucky polymath, Lilly. When Lilly picks up a radio signal using the set she has engineered to life, she hears the message that rocks her world: the scout Elimisha has found the Internet.
There is a lot of humour and humanity in this story. Because the knowledge that the Commonwealth has collected is fragmented and out of context, jokes and malapropisms ease the heat from the usual sadness of the post-apocalyptic SFF genre. The main characters are more often than not female, which, too, is a break from the usual. That means the reader must have an open mind, and the author was able to world-build in a unique way without relying on stereotype.
In a stroke of authorial genius, The Commonwealth pieces human history together (literally) from a discarded game of Trivial Pursuit, which they use to catalogue their own archive of knowledge. They also rely on other random sources for information like texts from the Greeks and a set of Calvin and Hobbes. This creates an atmosphere of wonder in the reader. Is all information useful in some way? Later in the story, a larger debate begins, should all knowledge be preserved without prejudice?
I really enjoyed the book, especially because I am a career librarian, and I think its definitely a crossover title: of interest to both YA and adult readers. I got a pre-pub copy from NetGalley to read, but with this crazy year and extra work at school, my good intentions of waiting for a good time to immerse myself in the story came after the deadline and it disappeared from my reading deck. The copy I resorted to was from Audible where the reader did an excellent job. Knowing it was a long read, I ramped the speed to 1.25X and was able to listen while I supervise key worker children. In a way, it became more meaningful because of the hopefulness and perserverence of the main characters. There are strong nudges toward a sequel, and I will look forward to reading the real paper copy of that one.
This book is a not-to-be-missed title for 2021.
You can read this on my blog too! https://wp.me/p3EciP-23
Sometime around the end of the 21st century, an apocalypse on Earth causes universal disaster through (no surprise) the lunacy of a political power grab. Some 300 years later, we meet our own descendants. There aren’t many, and live in an amnesiac world. Divided into small factions, they live simple and separate existences. In the book, we meet the Commonwealth which values the collection and sharing of knowledge. Their pursuit of learning means they’ve accomplished a few engineering feats (human-powered electricity!) despite having to re-invent the process from mere scraps from anecdotes.
Soon, another power grab looms from a more aggressive faction, the Keepers, who wish to seize assets and knowledge for their sole use and to feed their need to dominate this damaged world. Another group of resourceful nomads, called the Roamers, have noticed the failure of crops to yield and flourish, and the Commonwealth decides the time has come to take action to ensure survival. They run reccy missions. One of the Commonwealth leaders is the plucky polymath, Lilly. When Lilly picks up a radio signal using the set she has engineered to life, she hears the message that rocks her world: the scout Elimisha has found the Internet.
There is a lot of humour and humanity in this story. Because the knowledge that the Commonwealth has collected is fragmented and out of context, jokes and malapropisms ease the heat from the usual sadness of the post-apocalyptic SFF genre. The main characters are more often than not female, which, too, is a break from the usual. That means the reader must have an open mind, and the author was able to world-build in a unique way without relying on stereotype.
In a stroke of authorial genius, The Commonwealth pieces human history together (literally) from a discarded game of Trivial Pursuit, which they use to catalogue their own archive of knowledge. They also rely on other random sources for information like texts from the Greeks and a set of Calvin and Hobbes. This creates an atmosphere of wonder in the reader. Is all information useful in some way? Later in the story, a larger debate begins, should all knowledge be preserved without prejudice?
I really enjoyed the book, especially because I am a career librarian, and I think its definitely a crossover title: of interest to both YA and adult readers. I got a pre-pub copy from NetGalley to read, but with this crazy year and extra work at school, my good intentions of waiting for a good time to immerse myself in the story came after the deadline and it disappeared from my reading deck. The copy I resorted to was from Audible where the reader did an excellent job. Knowing it was a long read, I ramped the speed to 1.25X and was able to listen while I supervise key worker children. In a way, it became more meaningful because of the hopefulness and perserverence of the main characters. There are strong nudges toward a sequel, and I will look forward to reading the real paper copy of that one.
This book is a not-to-be-missed title for 2021.
You can read this on my blog too! https://wp.me/p3EciP-23
October 24, 2023
I was completely impressed by Derek B. Miller's trio of sorta-mysteries Norwegian by Night, American by Day, and How to Find Your Way in the Dark. Unfortunately, my library doesn't own this one. But the Kindle version was on sale at Amazon for a mere $2.99, so I snapped it up. (It's still a good deal: $5.99.)
I was immediately dismayed. Because it's not a sorta-mystery, it's sorta-SF. And it's one of those dystopic novels where civilization is mostly destroyed, and (bless him) Miller plops you into this nasty world with zero explanation. (I know, that's a standard tactic in this genre.) On the first few pages, terms are dropped into the narrative without explanation: the "Commonwealth", the "Stadium", the "Empty Quarter", the "Gone World". For some reason the sky is a funny color. And Miller's prose is kind of ornate, bordering on pretentioous. ("The horses are relaxed, experienced. They know this route and have not been ridden hard today. The habits of nightfall are familiar: they will be fed soon and afterwards silence will envelope them. Stillness is bred into their line.")
I'm thinking: Paul, this is gonna be a slog.
Ah, but very soon, Miller drops back into his usual strengths: strong characters, desperate situations, captivating story-telling. (And: unexpected and mostly understated humor, in the middle of desperation and horror. Miller is unparalleled at that.) And all is well, reading-wise.
Anyway: we (eventually) get the story of how civilization went down the tubes. And the Good Guys, ensconced in the Commonwealth, living in the Stadium (a literal Olympic stadium that withstood destruction) are hungry to improve mankind's miserable lot, by retrieving pieces of lost civilization. But a tribe of naysayers are threatening that noble project: revealing that ancient knowledge will irrevocably result in making the same grievous errors that caused the death and destruction so long ago. And so, it's war. And (worse) it soon becomes apparent that the Commonwealth is badly underestimating the skills and cleverness of their enemy.
In his (very funny) "Acknowledgements and Denials" afterword, Miller notes his debt to 1959's A Canticle for Liebowitz, by Walter M. ("no relation") Miller. Hey, I read that way back when, and it's—yes!—still on my shelf. Putting that into by to-be-read pile.
October 10, 2023
Will humans survive the Anthropocene? Can we find a way through climate chaos and political polarization? How can we change our ways?
These Big Qs live in my heart. They can twist my guts (and panties) with grief. If you’re awake on planet Earth, these Qs likely live in you, too.
In the 2020s we meet these Big Qs from a range of perspectives. Drinking, drugs, denial. Anxiety, anger, activism. Some capitalize on this opportunity, making plans, building products and power. Mostly it’s business as usual. Slow going.
Speculative/sci-fi has explored outcomes of the Big Qs for years. Star Trek. Terminator. Mad Max. Waterworld. The Road. Even Wall-E. Typically there's a massive die-off, then violence reigns as mankind fights over shrinking resources. Hmm.
Do you crave stories that light up other pathways? Can we face our Big Qs from our capacity for cooperation and creativity?
Radio Life is a big post-apocalyptic novel with flawed, brave, loving human characters who can dance with these Qs. While surviving the fallout of human destruction.
What I love most about Radio Life:
1. The novel opens with two scenes of two couples from opposing factions on the brink of war. Both embody the deep connection of long relationships, the skill of nonverbal communication, patience, and loving through their differences. Both genders actively balance each other's individual strengths, powers and capacity to love.
2. These leaders don’t always do as they preach. They are conflicted, human, real.
3. As members of these opposing forces take brave action, we explore how their fundamentally different world views affect their choices. We see how their tribal belief systems cause them to perceive the Other as threats. Feels like now!
Potential Spoilers here:
Two factions are at war: Seekers and Keepers. The commonwealth Seekers created systems to find, protect and study human knowledge of the Ancients. The Ancients are us - modern people who allowed their ways of life to destroy Earth’s habitat. If the Ancients were killed off by their advanced technologies, the Seekers want to know how and why it happened. Knowledge is power. The Seekers study it, catalog it, and keep it for themselves.
The opposing tribe, called the Keepers, want to stop the Seekers. Certainly their study of science will only lead to more destruction! Their belief: live in the Now. Appreciate what is, Keep things as they are, and don’t try to improve it. Isn’t a flower enough? Ironically they attack the (peaceful) Commonwealth, as their tech could threaten all of life - again.
Hmm! Not so far from the political divides in our world today.
These Big Qs live in my heart. They can twist my guts (and panties) with grief. If you’re awake on planet Earth, these Qs likely live in you, too.
In the 2020s we meet these Big Qs from a range of perspectives. Drinking, drugs, denial. Anxiety, anger, activism. Some capitalize on this opportunity, making plans, building products and power. Mostly it’s business as usual. Slow going.
Speculative/sci-fi has explored outcomes of the Big Qs for years. Star Trek. Terminator. Mad Max. Waterworld. The Road. Even Wall-E. Typically there's a massive die-off, then violence reigns as mankind fights over shrinking resources. Hmm.
Do you crave stories that light up other pathways? Can we face our Big Qs from our capacity for cooperation and creativity?
Radio Life is a big post-apocalyptic novel with flawed, brave, loving human characters who can dance with these Qs. While surviving the fallout of human destruction.
What I love most about Radio Life:
1. The novel opens with two scenes of two couples from opposing factions on the brink of war. Both embody the deep connection of long relationships, the skill of nonverbal communication, patience, and loving through their differences. Both genders actively balance each other's individual strengths, powers and capacity to love.
2. These leaders don’t always do as they preach. They are conflicted, human, real.
3. As members of these opposing forces take brave action, we explore how their fundamentally different world views affect their choices. We see how their tribal belief systems cause them to perceive the Other as threats. Feels like now!
Potential Spoilers here:
Two factions are at war: Seekers and Keepers. The commonwealth Seekers created systems to find, protect and study human knowledge of the Ancients. The Ancients are us - modern people who allowed their ways of life to destroy Earth’s habitat. If the Ancients were killed off by their advanced technologies, the Seekers want to know how and why it happened. Knowledge is power. The Seekers study it, catalog it, and keep it for themselves.
The opposing tribe, called the Keepers, want to stop the Seekers. Certainly their study of science will only lead to more destruction! Their belief: live in the Now. Appreciate what is, Keep things as they are, and don’t try to improve it. Isn’t a flower enough? Ironically they attack the (peaceful) Commonwealth, as their tech could threaten all of life - again.
Hmm! Not so far from the political divides in our world today.
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