3 out of 4 stars
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"Heaven and Earth" is a science fiction novel that revolves around several scientists and an alien species that are working on making advancements in technology and farming that will save humanity. Astrophysics, chemistry, and biology are all prevalent sciences that are featured in the novel. The book takes a look at our current world, environment, and process of maintaining life as we know it and offers a perspective of what might be better methods to advance humanity.
The science in the narrative is well researched and seemingly sound (with obvious fictional exaggerations) but it is so well developed that the reader doesn’t have to suspend too much belief in order to feel like the story is within the realm of possibility. The best science fiction stories are the ones with actual science in them, and this story has plenty of that. The terms are general enough that anyone who has taken a basic science class will understand what is being described. While the science is well researched and made accessible to understand, the sections about cadmium, while interesting, seem out of place. They are very scientific and well-explained, but unlike the rest of the sci-fi narrative, they read too much like a science text book. When it is first introduced, there is no lead-in and the start of the next chapter doesn’t address it either. It is just dropped in and this is done at the end of most of the chapters, but cadmium doesn’t find its way into the narrative until chapter 5 (it is briefly mentioned in chapter 3 but nothing to give any context.) It would seem less out of place and abrupt if the issue of cadmium was introduced into the fictional narrative earlier. Then, the reader would have better context for the facts they are being given. Until chapter 5, there is no context and it is confusing to figure out why all these facts are being explained.
The narrative follows several characters, alternating story lines and weaving them together building toward a common goal. All the characters feature prominently in science and really bring the science to science fiction, grounding the narrative in a realistic and tangible way that allows the reader accessible points to bridge reality to the fictional threads.
The alien species are prominent characters, and have been given unique characteristics and language. Similar to the scientific terms, the made-up terms and words of the aliens is not too complicated that it makes it difficult to read. Instead, the terms are littered within normal sentences, changing various nouns such as titles, terms for measurements, etc. that would naturally vary by culture. With context clues, it is easy to figure out what the fictional word is intended to mean and does not inhibit the readability of the story. In fact, it adds a unique charm to it that makes the alien species more organic and realistic. “More than a bak’tun ago, my father told me of the seeds,” is a perfect example of how the alien language is creatively woven in. From the context, it’s obvious this word refers to a measurement of time. It is this attention to detail and skillful narrative that draws the reader in and welcomes them into this new world.
The information is delivered seamlessly with description so that the reader is simultaneously given what they need to know to understand this fictional world that is being built, while not reading like a boring information dump, along with intriguing action that raises questions that makes the reader want to know more. Dimensions? How many are there? What can humans offer an alien species of superior technology and advancement that would make them check on us?
The dialogue is well-written when it comes to direct communication between characters, but there is a unique style choice for phones. It is just one side of the conversation and the person’s reactions that are not written like the rest of the narrative but are more like stage directions instead. This change in style for over-the-phone dialogue feels strange when compared to the rest of the story because it reads more like a film script than a novel. It’s an interesting style choice, but is almost disruptive since it doesn’t fit with the rest of the dialogue style.
All in all, it is an enjoyable read that audiences who enjoy science and science fiction will find riveting. 3 out of 4 stars. It is a good read but has a socially political undertone that might not be for some readers. While it raises important issues, these issues such as the way we grow crops, the handling of the CDC, etc. might not be of interest to some readers.
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Heaven and Earth
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