The Red: First Light is a tightly-written, near-future sci-fi thriller which takes current world events and fast-forwards them a decade or two into the future to give author Linda Nagata's answer to the question "What would the world be like if the military-industrial complex continues to tighten its grip on world governments?" and, without giving away too much, "what will happen when computers and software finally outstrip our ability to understand what they are doing?"
First off, the description on the back cover does not come close to hinting the scope of the globe-trotting adventure and the trials her main character, LT James Shelley. While Linda's book starts in the African Sahel, it also depicts skirmishes on American soil, and in remote tundras. All the while, mysterious forces bigger than even the private military contractors are guiding LT Shelley along a path he's not entirely sure will end well for him, but he's fated to follow, lest tragedy befall him and those who surround him. You also won't find out whether it's good for him, either...on Charlie Stross' blog, Linda told fans this would be a trilogy, so you get to spend even more time with Shelley as the over-arching mystery unfolds. I say this, because a second look at the book reveals there are clues sprinkled all over--you just have to be watching for them.
Going back to the near-futureness of the novel, it seems Linda may have miscalculated how many decades in the future her book is taking place in...her book is coming alarmingly close to becoming alternate history! Mali (the African warzone, not the south-Asian tropical paradise) has started heating up, drawing international forces and the attention of the United States. A quick look at YouTube shows just how far DARPA and other military contractors are coming to developing exoskeletons (and automatons!) that can be used in combat. Gear-heads are creating games of pong (the computer game) that can operate off brain waves. The trading algorithms in high-end trading companies often glitch, drawing out a "ghost in the machine" that can wipe out the value of entire companies in trading frenzies, only for the same algorithms to restore the value moments later, much to the bewilderment of human traders that can't keep up with how the computer thinks. Even the news that CISPA passed in the house of representatives, pushed by a senator whose wife owns one of the companies that stands to benefit most. Linda's future is (frighteningly) prescient.
But let's forget about the technology and the world events commentary. Her characters are good and compelling, and they're refreshingly free of the stupidity and/or pathos that are infused into the characters of contemporary hits. Instead, her characters are faced with genuinely hard, crushing, and often hopeless situations...and they perform admirably in the face of overwhelming odds and, like real people, they don't always succeed. Even if world events overcome her backdrop, I believe the story is compelling and universal enough that it will survive its setting. The world enables the story, but does not overwhelm it.
In conclusion, you should read this book. It's a fun read that reveals new things with each read-through, and asks interesting questions that you can apply to things happening in our world *right now*. Lastly, and probably most importantly, you can relate to the characters and you'll enjoy spending time with them and you tear through this book.
Also, a side-note, the author is on Twitter (@LindaNagata), is fun to follow, and very responsive. She talks about her writing, and you can watch some of the research and work that goes into creating her stories...I've found that really interesting, in case any of you are into that social media stuff.
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the action is well written and avoids becoming an unnecessary bullet-porn, and the story is amazing
Reviewed in Canada on April 3, 2017
