To say that I like science fiction would be a gross understatement. I’ve read so much of it over the decades, I think it’s actually inscribed on my genome. And when I come across the real deal it’s like a tailored virus that has been specifically designed to infect me. Song of Scarabaeus is the real deal. It’s the kind of book that anyone who wants to know how to write a compelling comprehensively imagined Sci Fi novel should snap up and devour.
Edie is a cypherteck. She’s trained in the machine language necessary to prime and interact with biocyph seeds – powerful technology that lets the crib rewrite the genetic code of a planet to make it fit for human habitation. It’s the ultimate in terraforming – Star Trek’s genesis device taken to its logical conclusion. but Edie is an unwilling servant of the Crib which – much like Firefly’s alliance – isn’t exactly the most benevolent form of government you can imagine, holding the inhabitants of biocyph reformed planets to ransom for continuing payments lest the biocyph technology be turned off and their planets revert. So when she’s kidnapped by a group of biocyph seed privateers she’s not entirely unhappy, until she finds out that their ultimate goal is to visit the planet Scarabaeus – site of one of Edie’s earliest missions, and her biggest failure.
There are a great many things to like about Scarabaeus. Sara Creasy’s background gives her an excellent grasp of the kind of technology she theorises which makes the biocyph seed, functions and drawbacks very believable. Her construction of the universe portrayed in the book is also nuanced, multifaceted and internally consistent with lots of factions and plenty of room for intrigue and outright antagonism. The internal life of her characters, chiefly Edie and her unwilling bodyguard Finn – who comes across as pure Chronicles of Riddick Vin Diesel – is also highly detailed. We understand their wants and desires, their private tragedies and fears. And the pace and plotting is masterful. I was sorry I came to the end of Song of Scarabaeus. Thank god there’s another book on the way. Sara Creasy is a writer who knows how to write science fiction that delivers the goods. Four stars.
Song of Scarabaeus is available in Australia from Eos.
