The Last Mortal Man: Book One of the DeathlessWriter:
Syne MitchellGenre: Science Fiction
Pages: 435
I remember reading SciFi's review of this book when it came out last year. I was interested, but not so interested that I went out to get the book. However, when
emerald_ibis suggested it as my July/August
dare, I was happy to give it a go.
I'll go ahead and list one major complaint right here, which isn't a spoiler and not the author's fault. According to Mitchell's blog, the publisher has declined the rest of the series due to the sales of this title. I don't know if Mitchell will find another publisher for it or not (it'll be a shame if she doesn't), but I have to say, talk about disappointing. I think the title stands enough on its own, meaning it doesn't leave you with a major cliff-hanger, but knowing the series won't continue? Beyond annoying.
It deserves to continue.
With the exception of the main character using the "mirror trick" to describe her physical appearance, the opening of the book reeled me in pretty fast. In fact, I found this book very easy to stick with, which is important, when one is reading at the airport. :) I liked the characters, liked the premise, and was particularly impressed with how Mitchell handles the distribution of technology, and how she acknowledges class differences. Too often, writers and futurists ignore the fact that not everyone can afford all of this amazing technology, and thanks to the book's timescale (it takes place over the course of 150 or so years), we get to see how that changes.
I really love the fact that one of the main characters is allergic to all things nano. It creates for some interesting external conflict, and some internal conflict, though it's not always explored as fully as I'd like. For example, Jack is constantly attracted to Alexa, the kick-ass Deathless bodyguard babe of the family, but when he thinks he has the opportunity (he actually doesn't), he doesn't even begin to think how impossible that would be given his severe allergy.
There's also the interesting setting and cast of the Mennonite community. It's both logical and a little extreme: Jack lives among these people because it's one of the few places on Earth untouched by nanotechnology. However, they're old-fashioned, religious mentality gets a little too stereotypical in certain places, and while I appreciate the conflict it offers for Sarah, who has to get over her beliefs in order to function in the greater world beyond and help the orphaned Sterling children, the dialogue sometimes came off as laughable, and minor characters as stereotypical. Yes, we all know that religious zealots (in this case, Sarah's father) can be the worst kind of hypocrites, but do we have to explore that in fiction? In science fiction at that? I'm not saying religion doesn't have a place in SF--far from it, and this book definitely offers some spiritual exploration in terms of what conversion to the Deathless does to the soul--but the stereotyped dialogue and actions of some characters did nothing to win them any favors, including Sarah.
Anyway, despite that little rant, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. Sometimes it ran a little too long, and sometimes it felt like the main two characters--Alexa and Jack--just kept running into problem after problem (which will make for a good movie, me thinks), and it got a wee bit tedious, all the running and worrying about who was exposed to which environment without a protective suit. But the book offers some lovely twists in terms of characterization, and the introduction of Isobel is as chilling as it is perfect, and talk about a creepy little girl. I was pretty happy with the end, though I felt like Sarah got a bit of a shaft (even though I'm sure in the larger scheme of the story, she's got a larger story). Definitely, there's questions left unanswered, but nothing so big that you feel cheated by time you get to the end of the book.
I feel bad recommending this since I know it's book one in a series that's been axed, but you know what? It's a good book. Good action, solid characters, and a kick-ass female heroine who's believable and complex in a very positive way. Once I got started, I found myself wanting to track down Mitchell's other titles, because her prose is a smooth read, her characters are believable, and premises good. And I'll do that too, look for Mitchell's other titles. I just hope another publisher picks up this series and gives it the run it deserves. Book one is a lot of fun, and I can only imagine how fascinating the rest of the series would be, should Mitchell ever get to publish it.
Next up:
Magic or Madness by Justine Larblalestier