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The Light Brigade
Apr. 8th, 2019 08:36 amOver the weekend, I finished Kameron Hurley's new novel The Light Brigade. I found it very enjoyable although somewhat opaque.
The story is told in first person from the viewpoint of Dietz, a Brazilian and a new recruit to the "army." I put "army" in quotes because this future Earth was nearly ruined in a war and what's left is now ruled by six large corporations. Dietz is a Resident of one of those corporations, which gets him very little in the way of benefits but more than not being affiliated.
Earth, we are told, is at war with a human-settled Mars, and the war is fought by converting humans into light, shooting the light at a location, then reconverting the humans at the destination. Basically war by transporters. In Dietz's case, it appears that the transport system isn't working - he finds he's coming back from different missions than the rest of his platoon. Eventually Dietz figures out he's traveling in time.
This time travel results in a non-linear story, which requires some work on the reader's part. It's worth the effort. The book has been compared to The Forever War which is a fair comparison. Both stories take place in worlds that don't look like they are worth fighting for and much of what is happening is not what it appears to be. The book is definitely one you'll find yourself thinking about afterwards.
The story is told in first person from the viewpoint of Dietz, a Brazilian and a new recruit to the "army." I put "army" in quotes because this future Earth was nearly ruined in a war and what's left is now ruled by six large corporations. Dietz is a Resident of one of those corporations, which gets him very little in the way of benefits but more than not being affiliated.
Earth, we are told, is at war with a human-settled Mars, and the war is fought by converting humans into light, shooting the light at a location, then reconverting the humans at the destination. Basically war by transporters. In Dietz's case, it appears that the transport system isn't working - he finds he's coming back from different missions than the rest of his platoon. Eventually Dietz figures out he's traveling in time.
This time travel results in a non-linear story, which requires some work on the reader's part. It's worth the effort. The book has been compared to The Forever War which is a fair comparison. Both stories take place in worlds that don't look like they are worth fighting for and much of what is happening is not what it appears to be. The book is definitely one you'll find yourself thinking about afterwards.
