Teaser

Earth is wounded, but not yet dead. Though ravaged by human-induced climate change, civilisation still lives. The civilisation inhabited by Michael Poole, and observed by forces unknown . . .

Review

Calm down everyone. We all knew this day was coming. After nine novels and three short story collections, I have finally completed my first readthrough of Stephen Baxter’s epic Xeelee Sequence. For those who haven’t been keeping track (and even I have struggled at times, I have read this series completely out of order. That’s not entirely my fault (for once), and I’m not just talking about book availability for once. You see, the first four novels comprise one loose arc, then the last two rewrite the timeline to create a duology. Wedged between these Xeelee novels is the Destiny’s Children series, which are Xeelee series in all but name, and flesh out the universe a lot more. The beauty of the series is that, aside from that climactic duology, you can read each of these books as standalones. In publication order you can see Baxter’s growth as a writer. In chronological order (if you can work it out) you can see the development of one of the genre’s most inventive future histories. But honestly? You can just pick up a book at random and get a really good story.

Transcendence takes place in the very near future (which was only the moderately near future when Baxter wrote it), showing us the devastating effects of climate change. Given that human action since the date of publication have only served to make the climate worse, this is often a depressing book to read. We really do seem to be heading for a Bottleneck. Human extinction is not out of the question, and I doubt we’ll have a Poole to help save us.

Running alongside this we have a story set millions of years in the future, with one of humanity’s descendants trying to make contact with the past. Though honestly, I’m not sure appearing as the ghost of a man’s dead wife is the best way to make a good impression. Unfortunately, the very far future isn’t a much nicer time to be alive than the near future. Baxter brings together threads from the other books in the Xeelee universe, but this is very much a story that puts humanity front and centre. I was particular happy (though that may not be the right word) to see the Coalescents make another appearance. With millions of years of interstellar evolution going on, you can’t help but wonder: What is it that makes us human? And can different off-shoots of humanity ever live alongside one another?

I’ve said before that Baxter is one of few authors who an make these split narratives work, and here is where it really pays off. It might take some time, but Baxter has earned my trust, and by the end of the book he has reaffirmed it. This is a fitting final novel for Destiny’s Children, and a key piece of the broader Xeelee Sequence. It’s melancholic and bleak, but never too dark for its own good. It’s a book that shows us the harshest parts of existence, but never forgets to balance them with compassion, kindness, and a fascination with knowledge.

I don’t think this is Baxter’s strongest work. For me, that will always lie with his standalones. But make no mistake about it, the Xeelee Sequence is some of the very best science fiction out there, and Transcendence is a grand finale to my lengthy stay in Baxter’s extensive future history.

Book Stats

• Destiny’s Children #3
• First Published 2005
• 522 Pages