Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Swarm

One day I would love to sit down with Frank Schätzing and ask him how on earth he managed to write the perfect book for a marine biologist who has been obsessed with sci-fi for decades. I started The Swarm and immediately knew that it was right up my alley, and if it hadn't been for work I think I would have read the entire thing in about 4 days. It blends marine science and oceanography with commentary on humanity and our effects on the planet and a whole lot of speculation on extraterrestrial (or I guess terrestrial?) intelligent life. It's incredibly clear from the first pages how much intense and careful research went into crafting the scientific narrative, and it was greatly appreciated. Though there is a lot of scientific jargon thrown about, none of the characters have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the world, which means that there's plenty of points where they stop and explain things to each other. This makes it incredibly readable despite the complex science the plotline is based on. It's also a relief to see - very often scientists in fiction are experts in their entire field, but The Swarm averts that from day one. Leon Anawak and Sigur Johanson may both be marine biologists, but they are specialists, and plot depends heavily on scientists from different disciplines working together.

I honestly can't emphasise how much I loved this book. From the first description of a novel polychaete to the final heartstopping pages I was completely engrossed by the story and the characters. As long as The Swarm is, I never felt like it dragged or stagnated at any point - though a little slow to start as it establishes the characters, all 900 pages drove the plot forwards relentlessly. The huge cast can be a little difficult to keep track of at first but they are all distinctive and (mostly) loveable. They all feel like people, with flaws and hangups and vices. I was particularly fond of Leon Anawak, Sigur Johanson and Karen Weaver, but there were few characters I actively hated -

Judith Li and Jack Vanderbilt being the ones I was exceptionally pleased to see meet a nasty end

.

As we were introduced to Johanson and his companion and coworker Tina Lund, I was concerned that the book would fall into the stereotype of the older, eccentric professor and his young female ingenue, with all the emotional unavailability and unhealthy relationships that trope usually brings. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that in fact Johanson was an emotionally intelligent and understanding character instead of a stereotypical womaniser, who treated Lund with respect and didn't just prioritise his ability to get laid. The book isn't without romantic relationships, and none of them left me with the bad taste in my mouth that I find so common in adult fiction. Though some felt more developed than others, there was no random pairing off of characters solely for the purpose of putting them in relationships. The platonic and familial relationships easily outnumbered the romantic ones, and were given just as much if not more time to develop and come to fruition.

I also appreciated the lack of plot armour the characters had.

It would have felt ridiculous if all or most of them made it until the end, and I was definitely anticipating some deaths, but when Tina was killed in the tsunami I realised that all of the characters were truly fair game. Some hit me harder than others (Greywolf particularly was a painful one) and a few felt rushed or a little pointless (Peak, specifically, and Tina's death felt a little fridge-y to me) but overall it meant the danger overhanging all of the characters was constantly present. And that danger was very present. This isn't a horror book, but my god it could have fooled me - some of the sequences are so full of dread and terror that it was difficult to endure. I distinctly remember having to take a moment after finishing the seemingly endless description of devastation across Europe after the collapse of the south continental shelf - then reading the words "And then the northern shelf collapsed." Schätzing can paint a picture of absolute destruction, tempt you with the promise of relief and rescue, and then utterly devastate with one short sentence.

The one issue I did have with this book (and the reason I didn't give it 5 stars) is the treatment of the ethnic minorities. The characters are extremely diverse, yes, but some of them seem to slip into stereotypes unexpectedly. Leon Anawak and Jack O'Bannon's rivalry and Leon's dismissiveness of Jack's heritage felt tone deaf in a way that white authors often are when it comes to discussions of indigenous people. Judith Li's presentation as a high-achieving Asian-American felt a little on the nose, but the worst offender to me was Major Salomon Peak. I was excited to be introduced to the first (and only, from my memory) black character in the book - and then was hit with his fantasy of sexually assaulting Li in order to bring her down a few pegs, when the other part of him "who might have been a gang-leader, a thief, a rapist and a murderer" took over. It was intensely frustrating for me to see a successful black man almost immediately fall into the trope of being from the ghetto and innately wanting to commit violence - especially when his hatred of Li could have been expressed without any specific reference to sexual violence.

This fantasy is never referenced again. Peak never attempts to carry it out, and indeed his last action is him attempting to stop Li using his authority as a member of the US Army. His character is not portrayed as especially violent, so this line is especially jarring when the rest of his actions in the book are considered

. I may have been able to overlook his and Li's stereotyping if there were any other East Asian or African-American characters included in the book - but there aren't, and so the handling of their characters is... disappointing. Not enough to ruin my enjoyment of the book, but enough to take away 0.5 stars.

At the end of the day, though, The Swarm felt like a love letter to the ocean - not just to the creatures that live in it, but also to the people who respect, study and wish to protect it. It's a love letter to the best aspects of humanity as well - a reminder that people are, often, more good than bad. The ending

is bittersweet - and rightfully so, I think. The Swarm does such a good job of depicting the yrr and their priorities as so completely alien to humans, had it ended with them making peace and living in harmony then it would have felt hollow and empty. Instead, it ends with a message of hope: a ceasefire has been announced, and humanity has a chance to get back on track. If they don't, then annihilation is almost promised - but they might, and that's what matters.

Content Warnings

indigopuzzle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

kleine_elster_'s review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

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