Lowachee, Karin: Burndive
Burndive
Writer: Karin Lowachee
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 417
Reading Karin Lowachee is like snorting crack: once you start, you simply can’t-freaking-stop.
At least I can’t. Burndive was my reward for getting through Dune, and once again, Lowachee delivers with a novel that sucks you in and won’t let you go without some serious struggle. It’s the immediate sequel to Warchild, but told from an entirely different point of view, the son of Cairo Azarcon: Ryan.
It’s hard to review something you really enjoy. This story, like Warchild, focuses on the experience of one character and how that relates to the universe at large. But there are several differences from both a stylistic standpoint and a story standpoint.
Stylistically, Burndive is told from third person until the last seventy pages or so, and then it’s told in first. Like Warchild, it’s always important to note when the point of view changes, because it always signifies a major change within the protagonist. It worked well here: Ryan wasn’t nearly as sympathetic in the beginning of this book as Jos was in Warchild, but as Ryan evolved, it was definitely satisfying to see just how far his character comes.
If I have a complaint at all about the point of view, it’s that you know you’re ONLY going to get this ONE guy, and that’s frustrating when you finally meet characters from Warchild, particularly Jos. There was at least two times when I was DYING for Jos’s point of view, and it made me so mad (in a good way) cause I wasn’t going to get it (I will say this: Jos, Niko, LOVE).
And, if I have a complaint about Ryan, it’s that he was never an active character. Active meaning making big decisions and having the climax revolve around something specific he does. However, this isn’t a flaw of the book: the events Ryan goes through (which in the hands of other writers could’ve come off as a damsel-in-distress) forces him to evolve into a man of action, who will make things better, if not right. That comes at the end of the book, which makes me very curious to see just how far that storyline will go in the third book (I know it’s not in Ryan’s POV, which will make it doubly interesting).
Story-wise, Lowachee continues to amaze me. Politics played a larger role in this book, and a person would have to be blind not to make parallels between the events (and politicians) in this book and what’s going on currently in the world-at-large. Intentional or not, I don’t know, but the focus on the media’s view of the war (which is how civilians viewed it) versus the more practical, military side of it (we’re-the-ones-fighting-so-we-know-how-it-really-is) really hit home.
I also had to keep reminding myself to not get complacent in the last hundred pages. Where normally, writers are speeding headlong to the climax and wrap-up, Lowachee continues her pace until she completely knocks you on your rear with something unexpected and heartbreaking. And that’s the strength of her work: you care so much about these characters (indeed, I couldn’t help but smile as I recognized characters from the previous book, thinking of them as people I know, not just characters) that when something big happens, your heart might just stop on you.
This book wasn’t quite as powerful or visceral as Warchild, but that’s hardly a flaw. It’s an excellent book, and one I heartily recommend to science fiction readers ONLY after they read Warchild. It’s not necessary, because Lowachee does well with feeding you info on a need-to-know basis, but trust me, this world she’s created only gets richer as you read, so do yourself the favor of reading the books in order. I plan on reading the next book, Cagebird, right away, even though I was going to save it. I’m too wrapped up in what’s going on, and I want to see how this plays out. I know it’ll be satisfying, and I also know it just might break my heart into a million pieces. And I can’t wait.