"Edge of Dark" by Brenda Cooper / Reviewed by Jonathan Thurston
Killer Nashville Book of the Day
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Brenda Cooper
Credit: Tim Reha
"Edge of Dark" by Brenda Cooper / Reviewed by Jonathan Thurston
From the author of “The Creative Fire” and “The Diamond Deep” comes a new epic science fiction work that will leave you craving the sequel.
Brenda Cooper returns with a tale of grand proportions. Three unlikely protagonists must team up to struggle with and understand a banished race of semi-AI beings who want back into the solar system.
Charlie Windar is the Han Solo and Dr. Grant of the novel, being a lover of nature and his own pet predator. He is also the best pilot in the galaxy. Gradually, he finds himself pulled into a mix of politics and action, carrying Nona Hall. Nona becomes the heir to a grand sum of money and is chosen to help revolutionize the policies of her new kingdom and face the issue of the incoming invasion. Things certainly don’t seem much better when her best friend Chrystal wakes up now as a robot.
What Cooper excels in is her amazing capacity for creating a vivid setting. It is a rarely seen talent in science fiction to envision a world so fully and then communicate that same completeness to readers. Whether it is the groaning depths of the barbarous jungles or the silent caverns of a metallic spaceship, Cooper paints perfectly a picture for all her readers.
Through these marvelous settings, Cooper also manages to throw in social critique. If we achieve artificial intelligence, what are the ethical complications we are likely to see? What struggle would we see evolving in politics? And the big question: with a society of such artificially intelligent beings, what actually makes us human?
If you are a fan of science fiction or even just a good story, this book is the one for you. Take a deep breath yourself, and then decide who out of these intricate characters has the moral right to draw another: man, beast, or machine. Breathe out.
Jonathan W. Thurston is a literary studies graduate student. Aside from his studies, he owns a small publishing house called Thurston Howl Publications and serves as its editor-in-chief. He has written several books on his own and always enjoys reading a good horror novel. When he's not busy with grad school or his business, he is often found reading a good book with hot tea in one hand and his dog Temerita curled up at his feet (she often thinks she is a cat, you see).
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