SF Signal: REVIEW: Genetopia by Keith Brooke

REVIEW: Genetopia by Keith Brooke

REVIEW SUMMARY: An example of how change is inevitable.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Pure human Flint sets out to find his sister Amber in the Wildlands where nanotech changes humans into something not-human.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Intriguing and well-imagined world; thought-provoking; left me in a pensive mood.
CONS: Slow start; the focus of the book sometimes seemed to wander.
BOTTOM LINE: An entertaining and thought-provoking read.

The central theme of Keith Brooke's Genetopia is not hard to pick up, mostly because it affects every single being and every single object in the story. The theme of change pervades the book because the world of Genetopia is a place where it is unavoidable.

The reader is not sure if the story takes place on another world or a far-future Earth. Whichever it is, this is a world where nanotechnology is running rampant and altering anything with which it comes into contact. The disparate clans and villages of the world live separated and are dwindling even as they struggle to remain Pure - that is, unaffected by the "changing vectors", the term given to the lost science of nanotechnology and bioengineering. Those who are affected by the changing vectors become the Lost (as in Lost from Humanity), are shunned from society and left to fend for themselves. The changing vectors even affect the Mutts, the human-like beings genetically bred with loyalty to the Pure but who are treated roughly on a level slightly higher than animals. The environment is also affected by Nanotech-Gone-Wild: houses are grown straight from the ground and materials are worked by craftsmen who do not even know the true cause of the change; plants in the dangerous Wildlands between settlements bear fruit than can alter your genetic makeup; organic artificial intelligences known as Oracles attempt to gather information around them through the locals.

Against this backdrop, a Pure human named Flint seeks out his sister, Amber, who has either run away or been abducted. Flint must brave the dangers of the ever-changing environment of the Wild if he is to find her. In the process, Flint will confront a dark family secret and come to terms about what it means to be human.

Besides the in-your-face theme of change, there are quite a few subtleties in Genetopia. Evolution and diversity are common undercurrents in the story of Flint's search. Who is to say that that the Lost are not the future of humanity? As one character puts it, the Pure are kept artificially at the top of the pecking order. Change is inevitable and the Pure (unfortunately for them) fear not only what the change will bring, but also change itself. Clouding the definition of humanity is the fact that differences between Pure and Lost are sometimes undetectable. Changes can be as subtle as an eye color change or as obvious as growing a thick carpet of hair on your back.

This world is wonderfully imagined and intriguing but it took some time to get there. I found the first sixty pages or so largely uneventful despite the hook of Amber's mysterious disappearance. The reader senses a wonderful but dangerous world just beyond the story but only gets fleeting glimpses at first. I was thirsting for more so, about fifty pages into the book, I decided to backtrack a little and read the 2001 short story "Genetopia", available online at InfinityPlus, the website started by the author. That short story tells of Henritt, a Pure human who falls for a Lost girl. Henritt learns that just because you're not Pure does not mean that you are necessarily bad - a nice reinforcement of the diversity message. The short story appears as Chapter 14 in Genetopia the book. What I found interesting is that the book is not an expanded version of the short story. Instead, the story serves as an interlude to the main thrust of the novel which is Flint's search for his sister Amber. This was a wise choice as Flint's search made me care about the characters well-being.

It was slightly jarring, then, when Flint sometimes lingered too long in one settlement or another. Did he really need to spend so much time with the religious, mystic Riverwalkers? Did he need to participate in the Purging, the semi-ceremonial killing of Lost encroaching on the villages of the Pure? I found it difficult to believe that Flint would drop his search when it was the one guiding force in his young life. It seemed as if the focus of the book wandered right along with Flint's resolve to find his sister.

Still, Flint's adventures from village to village did paint the bigger picture of the dangerous and constantly-shifting world which, in turn, did add to the sense of wonder. It also served to show humanity's decline which added to the dark mood of the book. I liked that the story left me pensive even after I put the book down.

Ultimately, the book is entertaining and, with its wrestling over the definition of humanity, even thought-provoking. I won't say whether Flint finds his sister, but I will say that the ending of the book gives some much-appreciated sense of closure.