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A review by ericbuscemi
The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough
4.0
This book was brought to my attention by author [a:Kevin Hearne|4414255|Kevin Hearne|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1289238438p2/4414255.jpg], who blogged about it thusly:
This is a good thing, though, because while that remains my favorite show of Whedon's, I prefer not to read rehashed fan-fiction with a cheap name-swapping veneer , a la [b:Fifty Shades of Grey|10818853|Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)|E.L. James|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372516342s/10818853.jpg|15732562]. In fact, if I am jonesing for Firefly fan-fiction, I'll pick up well-respected SF author [a:Steven Brust's|27704|Steven Brust|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1361579656p2/27704.jpg] failed media tie-in, [b:My Own Kind of Freedom|2788448|My Own Kind of Freedom A Firefly Novel|Steven Brust|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1365193577s/2788448.jpg|2814215]. But I am getting way off topic here.
The story itself begins with a world decimated by an alien plague, which created the zombie like sub-humans, or subs. However, the plague was not the first contact of the aliens -- that would be the Darwin elevator, an alien cord dropped from space into Darwin, Australia. Being in its proximity grants reprieve from the plague, leaving the tattered remains of humanity trapped in its shadow. That is, except for plague immunes, like protagonist Skyler Luiken (is this a Luke Skywalker anagram?) and his crew, who are immune to the plague virus and free to leave the confines of the aura and scavenge supplies for the paying populous of Darwin.
Needless to say, even with this bleak, post-apocalyptic introduction, things only get worse for the Big Damn Heroes from this point. Confrontations with the warden of Nightcliff, who is tasked with protecting the Darwin elevator but is more concerned with grabbing power wherever possible, and Neil Plattz, the industrialist whose company harnessed the cord to create an array of space stations on it, are only the beginning.
The book's breakneck pace had me reading it in large chunks, and I'd highly recommend it for anyone that likes action-oriented, adventure paced sci-fi. I'm looking forward to starting the second book in the trilogy, [b:The Exodus Towers|17288868|The Exodus Towers (Dire Earth Cycle, #2)|Jason M. Hough|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1363264984s/17288868.jpg|23858943].
Jason’s the next big thing in sci-fi, folks. The publisher says his books are like Firefly meets Scalzi. Here’s what I say, because I blurbed him: "The best part about alien stories is their mystery, and Jason M. Hough understands that like no other. Full of compelling characters and thick with tension, THE DARWIN ELEVATOR delivers both despair and hope along with a gigantic dose of wonder. It’s a brilliant debut and Hough can take my money whenever he writes anything from now on."The publisher's comparison to Firefly makes me wonder if they read the whole book, because while in the beginning I was seeing the same thing with the scavenger crew of plague immunes -- Skyler is Mal, Samantha is Zoe, Jake is Jayne, etc. -- halfway through the book, certain events that I will not spoil here eliminate any further chance of comparisons to the show.
This is a good thing, though, because while that remains my favorite show of Whedon's, I prefer not to read rehashed fan-fiction with a cheap name-swapping veneer , a la [b:Fifty Shades of Grey|10818853|Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)|E.L. James|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372516342s/10818853.jpg|15732562]. In fact, if I am jonesing for Firefly fan-fiction, I'll pick up well-respected SF author [a:Steven Brust's|27704|Steven Brust|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1361579656p2/27704.jpg] failed media tie-in, [b:My Own Kind of Freedom|2788448|My Own Kind of Freedom A Firefly Novel|Steven Brust|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1365193577s/2788448.jpg|2814215]. But I am getting way off topic here.
The story itself begins with a world decimated by an alien plague, which created the zombie like sub-humans, or subs. However, the plague was not the first contact of the aliens -- that would be the Darwin elevator, an alien cord dropped from space into Darwin, Australia. Being in its proximity grants reprieve from the plague, leaving the tattered remains of humanity trapped in its shadow. That is, except for plague immunes, like protagonist Skyler Luiken (is this a Luke Skywalker anagram?) and his crew, who are immune to the plague virus and free to leave the confines of the aura and scavenge supplies for the paying populous of Darwin.
Needless to say, even with this bleak, post-apocalyptic introduction, things only get worse for the Big Damn Heroes from this point. Confrontations with the warden of Nightcliff, who is tasked with protecting the Darwin elevator but is more concerned with grabbing power wherever possible, and Neil Plattz, the industrialist whose company harnessed the cord to create an array of space stations on it, are only the beginning.
The book's breakneck pace had me reading it in large chunks, and I'd highly recommend it for anyone that likes action-oriented, adventure paced sci-fi. I'm looking forward to starting the second book in the trilogy, [b:The Exodus Towers|17288868|The Exodus Towers (Dire Earth Cycle, #2)|Jason M. Hough|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1363264984s/17288868.jpg|23858943].