Part technical manual, part future history, Gardens of the Sun – a direct sequel to the Quiet War – is at its best when it focuses on the tumultuous changes occurring on Earth and the outer planets of the solar system. The Quiet War might have been an easy victory for the major powers on Earth -specifically Greater Brazil – but rebellion simmers away, both on Earth and the solar system.
This time around I was more accommodating of the endless descriptions of space plants and space engineering. Some of it – at least the bits I could conceptualise – was quite cool and created, even briefly, a sense of wonder. But scrape away all the engineering and space habitats and what we have is a sweeping and epic historical dealing with oppression and freedom. For all the intricate detail in the novel, the actual political commentary – the super rich are evil, if you suppress the will of the people they will revolt – is simplistic. But maybe that’s McAuley’s point. Yes we’re 500 years in the future, yes we have the technology to tweak our genome and live in inhospitable environments, but when it comes to power and class, nations will clash for supremacy and an angry populace will revolt if given enough cause.
All the characters – at least the one’s still living, and even one I thought had been killed off – appear in Gardens of the Sun. And like I said in my earlier review of The Quiet War, it’s nice to see that women play a critical role in driving the narrative of the novel. In fact I noted that most of the main characters that die happen to be men. Shocking, I know.
Did I love this book? No. Did I admire the technical detail? Yes, even if my eyes glazed over. Overall, though, I found the characters and their plight interesting enough that I never felt the urge to stop reading. And yes, I am curious to see where McAuley takes the story next.
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