Pros: Gorgeous web of scheming heavily grounded in SF concepts
Cons: Static and repetitive info-dumps; some weak characters
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Humanity and its brethren have spread to the edges of easily-reachable space, colonizing many planets and dividing up along lines both religious and secular. Strange transmissions reveal the existence of lost colonies in the distance, and the Roman Catholic Church is determined to contact them before the Caliphate claims them.
In those distant spaces, an unknown anomaly blacks out the stars and threatens the very existence of the colonies. On the lawless planet of Bakunin, an AI named Mosasa stirs in his web of data, the prospect of something he does not understand impelling him to leave his home. He puts together a team of mercenaries and scientists—including a couple of spies—and heads on his way.
The ensuing web of manipulation and intrigue is dangerous enough on its own: inciting battles, killing people by the dozens, and possibly even starting wars. But it’s nothing compared to what will happen when the nature of the anomaly is revealed.
S. Andrew Swann’s Prophets
The world-building is creative and thorough, including inventive use of FTL travel, high-tech weaponry, new and ever-more-fantastic ways of engaging in the “heresies”, and unusual social structures. The intrigue and complex web of plots exists courtesy largely of Mosasa, the AI—he was designed to analyze vast arrays of economic, social, and cultural information, and affect events by subtly manipulating small details here and there. The ways in which he goes about preparing for and setting off on his expedition to the anomaly fascinated me. I also loved the fact that the technologies became integral parts of the plot rather than window-dressing; for example, the manner in which ships travel faster-than-light factors intimately into several major plot points.
The characters were good but not great. I enjoyed Father Mallory, Wahid and Mosasa most; some of the other characters seemed one-dimensional or melodramatic. Also, there were definitely some rather static informational dumps. Some of this is tough to avoid given the amount of relevant back-story prevalent in the world, but it often broke up what would have been otherwise well-paced scenes. Also, some information got repeated too often as different characters became aware of it.
Despite those two issues, I absolutely enjoyed the plotting and world of Prophets, and have already started in on the other books in the series: Heretics and Messiah.
I really enjoy reading sci-fi books and am always on the lookout for new authors, this sounds like an interesting author I have not come across before, my favourite authors are David Weber, Frank Herbert, John Ringo and Elizabeth Moon, although I have read many others over the years. Off to the library to see if they have any of S. Andrew Swann’s book’s in stock.
Not an author I have read before I may check it out as I’m on the look out for a good holiday read.
The apocalyptic tone of this book is a good fit for dining room reading materials that can really “spice up” dinner or lunch time conversations. It’s not near Isaac Asimov’s The End of Eternity or Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code in terms of religious outcries, but it does hold a candle against this generation’s pathetic list of sci-i novels. Mixing together religion with machines and future colonization can really open up new discussions parallel to our individual beliefs and conflicting ideologies about the power of science and the miracles of faith.