And here’s the second review of the weekend. Tobias Buckell‘s Sly Mongoose recently showed its face on the shelves, and once my copy arrived, I launched through it fast enough to leave burn marks on some of the pages.
From that reaction, I’m sure you can tell that I enjoyed this book, which is the third in Buckell’s Caribbean-infused science fiction series (which all takes place in the same universe, has many of the same main characters, but, as of yet, does not have an actual series name to reference it by).
The first two books, Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin, focus on humanity’s struggle in the broad galaxy it has come to inhabit along with numerous other alien species, many of which don’t have our best of interests at heart. Humanity has been enslaved and abused in dozens of different ways, and it is only during the events in these books that we start breaking off the yokes that have held us down.
If you’ve read either of those first two books, you’ll likely remember Pepper, one of the older humans still around, thanks to the nanotechnology that gives him insane control over his bodily functions and features. He’s a warrior at heart, and is remembered for slaughtering hundreds of alien figures who paraded as “gods” and mowing through ranks of savage humans who had developed into a future-spun version of the human sacrificing Aztecs. Pepper is a war machine in the flesh.
He is also the main figure in Sly Mongoose, and his entrance in the first chapter is nothing short of fiery and spectacular. Buckell’s scope has continued to expand with each book, becoming almost “space operatic” in some scenes that involve floating cities attacking one another and entire space ships being overtaken by alien infestations.
The real threat in Sly Mongoose is startlingly familiar: Certain humans have become infected with some sort of disease which turns them into violent, unstoppable zombie-like creatures that pass on the infection by biting other people. When Pepper finds himself at the center of a infectious breakout that threatens an entire planet, Chilo, he is forced to draw on all his resources and on those around him–willing or not–to make an ultimate stand for the lives of millions.
The culture of the planet Chilo is fascinating in itself. Acidic atmosphere limits the people to floating cities, with numerous levels of wealth and poverty dividing the society. The city that Pepper finds himself on most of the time relies on a mining economy that is mostly supported and driven by teenage boys who follow an unusual code of life to maintain their worth to society.
There isn’t a moment in Sly Mongoose where you feel the threat has lessened at all. In fact, most instances of brief hope are quickly squashed by some further complication or betrayal. It is interesting to see Pepper fight against the impulses of his violent past, trying to find more diplomatic solutions, only to be stalled again and again by people’s superstitions or biases until he has to barge through them to help even a few folks survive, leaving a lot of hurt and fury in his wake.
There are several other intriguing characters who take the center stage, fighting alongside or against Pepper, and there are others who you really come to like in just a few pages and really want to survive…but you know they won’t make it. Those tragic figures have surprising impact despite their short scene times.
Buckell writes in a rather sparse, direct style, making even lengthier conversations feel more like action scenes instead of tea parties. He provides enough strong detail to set the outline of a person or world in your mind, but then leaves all the juicy details up to the reader’s imagination. This makes for a very trim, fast read without any slogging through extensive paragraphs pontificating on the weather, food, or a ton of emotional meandering. Everything in this book is essential, and you get the sense Buckell went through with an axe, then a machete, then a razor blade to make sure it got pared down to the tightest elements.
If you haven’t read the first two books, you could still pick this one up and dive in. There aren’t too many past spoilers, and this story stands on its own well enough to be enjoyable, though some references and memories Pepper hits on might be vague or confusing. But this can be great motivation to go and grab those first stories, which are all worth reading in themselves. Then snag Sly Mongoose and enjoy a (sometimes extremely violent) adventure that still has a lot of humanity at its heart.
I see that smile.