Planetfall
★★★★★
A tale of a fledgling colony that’s built upon deceit and mystery, a protagonist who is mentally scarred and traumatised by the events of planetfall, and a mysterious alien artefact - the city of god - that looms unexplained over them all. A stranger arrives from the wilderness, unsettling the delicate balance of secrets kept for 20 years, and the lies start to unravel.
I loved everything about this. The numerous slow reveals are perfectly paced, and the backstories are expertly drip-fed. Newman never feels the need to overexplain, letting the atmosphere do the work. Her characters are relatable and well-defined, a clear product of their traumas. The world-building is rich and authentic, particularly the basics of establishing a functional frontier colony, from 3d printing technologies and smart housing to coping with allergy-inducing alien fauna.
Ren is a wonderful protagonist, scarred and twisted by planetfall, but likeable for all her flaws and guilt. I connected with her angst and have rarely seen mental health issues handled so well in SF. There’s a rising sense of anxiety and claustrophobia as Ren loses control of the situation and starts to unravel. I’m once again envious of the emotional intelligence a female writer brings to their characters:
“It’ll be fine,” I say and realise I’m trotting out the same old shit that people say without thinking. I put down the screwdriver and look at him properly for the first time since I arrived. “I can only imagine how weird it must be. But don’t worry. If there’s one thing human beings are good at, it’s adaption.” p.181
The plot delivers on the promise of its many mysteries, building up to an eventful final act that’s impossible to put down, with heightened emotions that were so convincingly written that I was just immersed. The wrap-up was well done, preserving a sense of the mysterious and avoiding cliches or easy endings. Certainly a character-driven sci-fi, but beautifully realised and highly recommended.
