March 20, 2012
Marko and his teammates are a small, secretive combat engineering unit, whose recreation leave on the planet Cygnus 5 is cut short—first by the discovery of a mysterious alien artefact and then by a brutal attack by previously unknown squid-like aliens. These events catapult the team into a larger mystery. Travelling across the Human Sphere, they encounter an alien library, rogue artificial intelligences, unusual new allies and adversaries human, inhuman and posthuman. Cut off and on the run, the team must rely on its own unique talents and technical genius to prevail. Watching them all is the Games Board, which licences and broadcasts all conflict, for a price. Burnt Ice is the first novel in a new series by New Zealand author Steve Wheeler. Marko and his team are engineers, and it shows—Wheeler lingers lovingly over details of the teams’ many technological innovations and inventions. The story feels like an old-fashioned space opera in tone, with an infusion of more recent scientific ideas such as advanced biological engineering. Character sometimes takes a backseat to incident, but for those craving a tech-heavy old-school space-action adventure, this might be just the ticket.
Heath Graham is an educator currently working at the State Library of Victoria