Teaser

A gruesome murder in a remote space habitat draws the attention of many, not least the artificial intelligences who maintain the habitat. Eager to avoid a diplomatic incident, the powers that be send Andrea Cort to investigate, but Cort is a woman with her own demons . . .

Review

Science fiction and crime go together like strawberries and cream. Maybe it’s the fact that both detectives and scientists are driven by the pursuit of knowledge, or maybe it’s that the linear narrative of an investigation forces the worldbuilding and scientific exploration to play ball. Whatever the reason, the two genres complement one another wonderfully. While there are plenty of stories that focus on the crime aspect, using the science fiction as set dressing and gadgetry, Emissaries from the Dead is, first and foremost, a science fiction novel. Curiously, that almost proves to be its undoing.

Castro’s novel is the first of a series, but as is often the case with fictional detectives, this case stands on its own, with only the vague promise of more to come in future novels. This works to the genre’s strength, with the implicit promise of everything being wrapped up by the time you’re done with the book. Cort’s investigation comes with twists and turns, confessions, revelations, and ultimately a solution. All as you’d expect from a murder mystery. The investigation is the strongest part of the book, though it does sometimes get lost in the hints of a larger, overarching story for the series.

It’s not just story that threatens to drown Cort, either. A great science fiction book has one brilliant idea (what some might refer to as a novum), and some extra novelties to add some meat to the bones. Castro throws the kitchen sink into Emissaries from the Dead, and none of his ideas are small ones. Space habitat One One One is an O’Neill cylinder, but of a kind designed for a species other than humanity. Environmentally, it’s pretty unique in fiction. Those non-human inhabitants include the artificial intelligences, of course, who play a key role throughout, but they are merely the overseers for a veritable zoo of biological inhabitants. Enter the Brachiators, giant semi-sapient sloths with a love of violence. Naturally, they’re suspects in the murder, but where they really shine. No, that’s in the exploration of their alien psyche. You can tell Castro has really thought out how living in such an alien habitat would affect a being’s mind. Also in the not-quite-human category are the Porrinyards, a pair of human bodies that share a single mind. Their role is a supportive one, but their very existence could easily be a novel of its own. Therein lies the issue. There’s too much going on here, and not enough room to fully explore any of the ideas.

Likewise, the characters suffer under the weight of the worldbuidling. Cort is a thoroughly unlikeable, not-really-reformed killer herself, but is drawn well. She is no doubt abrasive enough to drive away some readers, but not quite so abrasive as to break free of the reluctant detective trope. Still, she has room in the series to grow on readers. The same cannot be said for the supporting cast, who are similarly unlikeable, but (with the notable exception of the Porrinyards) not all that memorable. Everyone in this book is broken and beaten down to the extent that they are flattened to dull background noise. They play their roles in the story well, but make no impression beyond that.

Each element of Emissaries from the Dead harbours the potential for brilliance, but the scenery is so crowded that only a few beams of light are able to emerge.

Book Stats

• Andrea Cort (#1)
• Published in 2008 by Eos
• 387 Pages