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mikewhiteman's review
3.0
This is a fairly basic police procedural laid over a fascinatingly ambiguous world which had the potential for much more interesting stories to arise.
There are flashes of the opportunities available - the unknown intentions and level of manipulation of the aliens, the effects of Elder technology on society, the segregation of planets based mostly on geographic locations - but we mostly get a by-the-numbers murder investigation and woman-on-the-run.
It's a shame, as there is so much good stuff that we see but don't get to focus on for very long. The mysteries of the races which occupied the planets before the humans were allowed there and where they are now, as well as the intentions of the aliens already arrived, could all serve as the base for a story of their own.
There is a lot of overly brand-specific, "He got out of the Jaguar F-Type, tucking a Glock .45 into the pocket of his Armani jacket" description, which always grates on me.
Chloe regularly observes that the men around her are getting into a dick-swinging contest which will end in violence, and then the finale is... a big violent dick-swinging contest where she runs around, hides, gets shot and is generally ineffectual. Huh. It's fine, but felt like it was going somewhere else.
At least the "aliens arrive" deus ex machina is slightly subverted as Chloe and Fahad have to briefly make a go of saving themselves, although it's still there in the set up for the sequel.
Hopefully that book will deal more with the world created (the events of the last few chapters are promising on that front, at least) and deliver a story that lives up to it.
There are flashes of the opportunities available - the unknown intentions and level of manipulation of the aliens, the effects of Elder technology on society, the segregation of planets based mostly on geographic locations - but we mostly get a by-the-numbers murder investigation and woman-on-the-run.
It's a shame, as there is so much good stuff that we see but don't get to focus on for very long. The mysteries of the races which occupied the planets before the humans were allowed there and where they are now, as well as the intentions of the aliens already arrived, could all serve as the base for a story of their own.
There is a lot of overly brand-specific, "He got out of the Jaguar F-Type, tucking a Glock .45 into the pocket of his Armani jacket" description, which always grates on me.
Chloe regularly observes that the men around her are getting into a dick-swinging contest which will end in violence, and then the finale is... a big violent dick-swinging contest where she runs around, hides, gets shot and is generally ineffectual. Huh. It's fine, but felt like it was going somewhere else.
At least the "aliens arrive" deus ex machina is slightly subverted as Chloe and Fahad have to briefly make a go of saving themselves, although it's still there in the set up for the sequel.
Hopefully that book will deal more with the world created (the events of the last few chapters are promising on that front, at least) and deliver a story that lives up to it.
mort's review
2.0
Very run-of-the-mill sf thriller, started interesting, but slouched a lot towards the end.
knowledgelost's review
1.0
Aliens exist, and now they need our help. After Earth is ruined by nuclear and environmental disasters, it is puzzling that humanity has been given fifteen habitable planets to start a fresh. The Jackaroo assist with the move to the new planets, infrastructure is built and humanity is saved. Chloe Millar is mapping out the changes caused by importing alien technology when she stumbles upon a pair of orphaned children that appear to be possessed by an ancient ghost. On one of the new planets, Vic Gayle is investigating a murder in a remote excavation site that could lead to a war between rival gangs. Something is Coming Through is a new novel by prolific science fiction novelist Paul McAuley.
Something is Coming Through interlinks the story of Chloe Millar and Vic Gayle, all the while trying to understand why the Jackaroo are helping humanity. The premise of this book sounded too intriguing to pass up; think a science fiction crime novel that explores the concept of first contact. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work within the book; it tries to do so much but everything moves too slowly to make it enjoyable. Even the Jackaroo sound like they are an interesting race but there is no real exploration into their motivations which really hurt the novel.
I am not sure if I am no longer into reading science fiction; it has been a while since I enjoyed this genre (with the exception of Russian sci-fi). Or maybe I just need to stick to the classics, those novels from the 60s and 70s that explore sociology and philosophy. I just found Something is Coming Through to be a very bland novel that relied too heavily on dialogue. I have to accept the fact that I enjoy novels with substance that explore themes or ideas over plot; this is why Russian sci-fi is still great.
I struggle to find anything positive to say about Something is Coming Through; it is one of those occasions where I should have abandoned the book. I honestly cannot even remember why I decided to pick this book up but I was intrigued by the premise. Sadly I found nothing enjoyable about this novel and I do not know if I will try Paul McAuley again. I would like to think I was willing to try authors again but at the moment, there is no way.
This book review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2015/05/13/something-coming-through-by-paul-mcauley/
Something is Coming Through interlinks the story of Chloe Millar and Vic Gayle, all the while trying to understand why the Jackaroo are helping humanity. The premise of this book sounded too intriguing to pass up; think a science fiction crime novel that explores the concept of first contact. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work within the book; it tries to do so much but everything moves too slowly to make it enjoyable. Even the Jackaroo sound like they are an interesting race but there is no real exploration into their motivations which really hurt the novel.
I am not sure if I am no longer into reading science fiction; it has been a while since I enjoyed this genre (with the exception of Russian sci-fi). Or maybe I just need to stick to the classics, those novels from the 60s and 70s that explore sociology and philosophy. I just found Something is Coming Through to be a very bland novel that relied too heavily on dialogue. I have to accept the fact that I enjoy novels with substance that explore themes or ideas over plot; this is why Russian sci-fi is still great.
I struggle to find anything positive to say about Something is Coming Through; it is one of those occasions where I should have abandoned the book. I honestly cannot even remember why I decided to pick this book up but I was intrigued by the premise. Sadly I found nothing enjoyable about this novel and I do not know if I will try Paul McAuley again. I would like to think I was willing to try authors again but at the moment, there is no way.
This book review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2015/05/13/something-coming-through-by-paul-mcauley/
graculus's review
2.0
First off, before I talk about the book itself, I have to say something about the cover. It's awful. Really, home-made with MS Paint Kindle book cover awful. I really expected more from Gollancz and it also doesn't tie in at all with the covers for this author's previous books (see 400 Billion Stars for an example).
Anyway, after that on to the book itself.
It's set in the near future, after two significant events have rocked the world - firstly, a series of small-scale nuclear attacks in major cities with all the devastation that involves, and then the arrival of aliens. The latter, a bunch of folks called the Jackaroo who nobody ever gets to see face to face, claim to want to help humanity survive and offer them the opportunity to colonise 15 new planets. These planets are connected to Earth by wormholes and can only be accessed via shuttles controlled by the Jackaroo, so while getting to and from those worlds is now easy(ish) it's completely on the Jackaroo's timetable. In addition, those planets are studded with artefacts from their previous inhabitants (with no explanation of why they're not inhabited any more) and those artefacts have an effect on people if they're exposed to them for too long.
Our protagonists, since it's mostly a two-handed story with alternating chapters till their storylines end up coming together, are a woman whose job it is to find people affected by those alien artefacts and a detective dealing with serious crime on one of the newly inhabited planets. There's a high bodycount among people inhabiting minor roles in this story, so if that's an issue for you then Something Coming Through is probably not going to be your thing.
I think the best way to talk about Paul McAuley's books, for me at least, is to say they're good but not great. I always seem to actually finish them, which isn't anything like guaranteed, but they never really stick with me for very long. I've read 5 of his books now and the most any of them has managed for me is 3 stars. This is apparently the first book of a duology (with a bit of not very subtle setting up for this at the end of this book), with various short stories also set in this universe, but I can't say that I'm desperate to read the next one given the size of my TBR pile.
Anyway, after that on to the book itself.
It's set in the near future, after two significant events have rocked the world - firstly, a series of small-scale nuclear attacks in major cities with all the devastation that involves, and then the arrival of aliens. The latter, a bunch of folks called the Jackaroo who nobody ever gets to see face to face, claim to want to help humanity survive and offer them the opportunity to colonise 15 new planets. These planets are connected to Earth by wormholes and can only be accessed via shuttles controlled by the Jackaroo, so while getting to and from those worlds is now easy(ish) it's completely on the Jackaroo's timetable. In addition, those planets are studded with artefacts from their previous inhabitants (with no explanation of why they're not inhabited any more) and those artefacts have an effect on people if they're exposed to them for too long.
Our protagonists, since it's mostly a two-handed story with alternating chapters till their storylines end up coming together, are a woman whose job it is to find people affected by those alien artefacts and a detective dealing with serious crime on one of the newly inhabited planets. There's a high bodycount among people inhabiting minor roles in this story, so if that's an issue for you then Something Coming Through is probably not going to be your thing.
I think the best way to talk about Paul McAuley's books, for me at least, is to say they're good but not great. I always seem to actually finish them, which isn't anything like guaranteed, but they never really stick with me for very long. I've read 5 of his books now and the most any of them has managed for me is 3 stars. This is apparently the first book of a duology (with a bit of not very subtle setting up for this at the end of this book), with various short stories also set in this universe, but I can't say that I'm desperate to read the next one given the size of my TBR pile.
nigellicus's review
5.0
The Jackaroo pop in to help humanity after an unfortunate incident with a nuclear bomb in the middle of London, providing shuttle flights through wormholes to a number of gift-worlds where Earth can establish colonies amongst the stars and make the same mistakes and maybe find a few new ones. Littered with the remains of previous alien races who have been beneficiaries of the Jackaroo's slightly mysterious benevolence, ancient artifacts make their way back to earth and cause strange ideas to spread, memes and eidolons inspiring cults and and various types of odd behaviour.
Chloe Miller checks up on what promises to be a harmless breakout and finds two children possessed by an alien ghost. On Mangala, one of the Jackaroo gift-worlds, Vic Gayle investigates a murder that leads him to a web of crime and corruption centering on a distant archaeological site. It looks like humanity's about to find something rather interesting, or that something interesting has found them, but will they be the better or the worse for it?
Chloe Miller checks up on what promises to be a harmless breakout and finds two children possessed by an alien ghost. On Mangala, one of the Jackaroo gift-worlds, Vic Gayle investigates a murder that leads him to a web of crime and corruption centering on a distant archaeological site. It looks like humanity's about to find something rather interesting, or that something interesting has found them, but will they be the better or the worse for it?
johnday's review
5.0
This excellent novel has most of my favorite things: mysterious alien objects, Elder Cultures, and even a ray gun. How could you not like an intelligent look at how benevolent aliens effect civilization? Read this now and hope for many sequels.
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