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A review by tfrohock
The Fortress at the End of Time by J.M. McDermott
4.0
This is dark military science fiction, and probably one of the most compelling stories that I've read in some time. It's the hallmark of an excellent story when I've read it in August and both the characters and the plot remain fresh in my mind months later.
The Fortress at the End of Time follows Captain Ronaldo Aldo's clone, who is stationed at the Citadel--a listening station at the edge of the human space. Humanity is connected by ansible and is spread across space in order to fight a mysterious enemy, but no one has seen or engaged with this enemy in many generations.
The Citadel is one of the worst postings a clone can receive--a desolate outback with a barely livable planet below. McDermott uses the bare surroundings to their best effect. He neatly switches the novella's atmosphere from the claustrophobia of working in the space station's confined quarters to the immensity of space without losing a beat. But it is the overwhelming futility of the crew's existence that dominates the story. Most of the crew members work within the system to better their own lives. They've accepted the status quo and see no reason to change it, except where it might profit them.
Aldo tries that route and finds himself unable to maneuver the space station's multiple intrigues. His only way out of the Citadel is to transcend his station and clone a piece of his soul somewhere new. Unable to work within the structure, Aldo makes a desperate plan for escape.
There is no happily ever after here, but that is okay, because the reader is expecting a tragedy. The highlight of this story is that the tragedy isn't necessarily the end, but perhaps the beginning of something new, something better for Aldo--at the very least it is acceptance. I found The Fortress at the End of Time to be an engaging and intellectually astute novella that leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions about whether Aldo's actions were right or wrong. And that is the kind of story that is worthy of discussion.
The Fortress at the End of Time follows Captain Ronaldo Aldo's clone, who is stationed at the Citadel--a listening station at the edge of the human space. Humanity is connected by ansible and is spread across space in order to fight a mysterious enemy, but no one has seen or engaged with this enemy in many generations.
The Citadel is one of the worst postings a clone can receive--a desolate outback with a barely livable planet below. McDermott uses the bare surroundings to their best effect. He neatly switches the novella's atmosphere from the claustrophobia of working in the space station's confined quarters to the immensity of space without losing a beat. But it is the overwhelming futility of the crew's existence that dominates the story. Most of the crew members work within the system to better their own lives. They've accepted the status quo and see no reason to change it, except where it might profit them.
Aldo tries that route and finds himself unable to maneuver the space station's multiple intrigues. His only way out of the Citadel is to transcend his station and clone a piece of his soul somewhere new. Unable to work within the structure, Aldo makes a desperate plan for escape.
There is no happily ever after here, but that is okay, because the reader is expecting a tragedy. The highlight of this story is that the tragedy isn't necessarily the end, but perhaps the beginning of something new, something better for Aldo--at the very least it is acceptance. I found The Fortress at the End of Time to be an engaging and intellectually astute novella that leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions about whether Aldo's actions were right or wrong. And that is the kind of story that is worthy of discussion.