Light

by M. John Harrison

Bantam Spectra, 418 pp., $6.99

Imagine a world where the 1970s New Wave movement in science fiction didn’t die out, in which the leading authors remained critical outsiders of their society, and wrote stories exploring the meaning of life and human relations. As these authors matured over the decades, their stylistic skills may expand, to latch onto more common literary styles, yet maintain that edgy insight into the universe. What would we see? Chapters in novels may have clever titles of their own, like ‘Disillusioned by the Actual’ or ‘The Circus of Pathet Lao.’ The author’s voice could be as clever and hip as the chapter titles, yet no longer trying to be different just for the sake of difference. He’s ready to tell a story about the purpose of humanity, the science fiction purpose to explore in a spaceship.

Before he gets to that grand conclusion, though, we need the lives of three characters to intersect: the gambler Ed, the woman-turned-into-pirate-spaceship Seria Mau, and the spacetime researcher Kearney, who happens to be a serial sex killer on the side. This seemed a bit gratuitous, though it did give some suspense every time he interacted with his wife. The author adds his two cents to the explanation of why such killers do it, but that’s not really a mystery these days. Fortunately he doesn’t go into any gory details of killing, which raises the prospect of symbolism he’s making. Mad scientists as the ultimate sicko killers? This sicko is on the run from a creature called the Shrander, and their final meeting ties up all the story strands quite nicely. Yet, to judge by the cover art, there will be a sequel: Nova Swing. Where does it go from here? - M.L. Fringe