Teaser

A frozen corpse in the Alps. A mass grave in Georgia. A mysterious epidemic sweeping the world. What links these things? And what secrets are buried deep in our own DNA . . ?

Review

It really doesn’t feel like it, but this is actually my seventh Greg Bear book. I think the reason I feel so out of sorts with my Bear reading is because it’s only his second ‘proper’ novel. I use quote marks because it’s his sixth that I’ve read. But three of those were tie-ins to the Halo computer game franchise, and aren’t necessarily representative of his fiction. Then there was his authorised entry into the canon of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation saga. Again, perhaps not indicative of what one can expect from his usual work. These were all good enough to ensure that I would read his original fiction at some point. Before now, I’d read his Eon, which was a somewhat undercooked slice of Hard SF, and the short story collection Tangents, which was largely very strong. Of course, the book of his I still really want to read is Blood Music, but in the meantime I have one of his other famous novels: Darwin’s Radio.

As with Eon, I walk away from Darwin’s Radio feeling slightly underwhelmed. This isn’t by any means a bad book, but it’s not really what I’m after in my science fiction reading. It’s more in line with Michael Crichton. There’s an inciting incident and underlying scientific mystery, but most of the book is more interested in political drama and personal relations. Now, these are both interesting in their own right, but for a lot of the book it feels more like a tech thriller than what I’d usually associate with science fiction.

The big mystery at work here is a fascinating one. Women are having miscarriages, followed by mysterious spontaneous pregnancies. Is this a disease? Or is it some new stage in human evolution? As usual, some of the science goes over my head. Actually, most of it does. But I like that Bear talks about his research at the end of the book. Biology is often overlooked in science fiction (at least the stuff I read) so it’s nice to see it getting a look in.

One problem that does stem from this mystery, however, is the sexual politics. Here, I feel like the book does show it’s age a little. Now, I’m not going to claim any particular insight into the minds of women, but some of the decisions taken by Bear’s female characters are utterly baffling. On a related note, Darwin’s Radio features some of the most cringe-inducing sex scenes I’ve come across lately. I won’t spoil them for you if you haven’t read them yet, but be prepared for some uncomfortable turns of phrase.

On the plus side, if you’re looking for a political thriller, this book has it all. Betrayals, coups, rebellions, everything you could hope for in a (fictional) crisis. I don’t read a whole lot of that kind of fiction, but Bear’s depiction of a government struggling to hold a country together in the face of the unknown is up there with some of the best TV shows I’ve seen on the subject.

I still plan to read Blood Music. I still think Bear has a lot to recommend his work, but after two slightly lacklustre novels, he has dropped some way down my priorities list.

Book Stats

• Darwin’s Radio #1
• First Published 1999
• 430 Pages