Nebula Tasting Part 4 – Mechs and Biohacking

I did not know what I was expecting when I bought Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach, but it certainly wasn’t what I got. This book was a wild ride. There were literally times when I had to stop and ask myself, “What the hell did I just read?”

Spoiler alert – the protagonist has 8 legs. You read that correctly. I am maybe not the quickest on the draw and did not figure that out for many chapters.

Now that I look closely at the cover, I understand that the protagonist Minh has 8 cybernetic tentacles but initially that did not register with me when I purchased the book. But it’s a central theme of the futurism in the story–biohacking.

The question that this story poses is this: If your world was ecologically devastated, is it better to use your technology and resources to fix it…

or, given the enhanced tech, does it make more sense to time travel and experience Earth pre-calamity and ruin?

I found the themes in this novel thought provoking. Minh is not your typical protagonist. For one thing, she’s much older than the heroines I’m used to seeing. Also, she was cybernetically modified as a child and she has a lifelong dependency to drugs and tweaking her chemical and hormone levels.

Also unexpected, I felt the wonder and delight of the characters when they experienced something I take for granted–a running river. Horses. A worthwhile and provocative read.

A Nebula nomination that thrilled me – Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and Ronnie Virdi’s Messenger.

For fans of Pacific Rim, this one is a must read. The origin story for this tale points out and challenges something that we often miss–why do aliens always attack America?

From a sheer land mass size, or population density, it would make more sense for an alien invasion to take place in Asia somewhere.

Enter Messenger, a story where the aliens have been devastating Asia, and the warriors in this battle are men integrated into mech suits who have the characteristics of Hindu gods. The protagonist is Vishnu, or the soldier who has now melded with Vishnu. Picture a culture who worships these gods, builds these metal warriors in the image of these gods and then continues to worship the gods. Is it any wonder that this gives birth to the godhead?

The writing is vivid and beautiful. This story is about the intersection of man, machine, and divinity.