The Fifth World
Jacob Foxx
5 stars
A
well-thought-out and well-articulated combination of futuristic speculative and
science fiction, “The Fifth World” begins with the Hopi explanation of the five
worlds in which humans have lived since creation by the spirits, and then leaps
immediately into the chaotic and uproarious 22rd century, an era of
space travel and potential off-planet colonization. But this novel goes much
deeper than simply explaining faster-than-light travel. It is philosophical,
metaphysical, spiritual in that it examines tenets of many faiths, scientific;
and it is also a novel of character.
I’d be hard
pressed to select the main characters; both planet Earth and the
newly-colonized planet, Gaia, in another solar system, are characters in their
own right. So are the spaceships: the Ark, the Mayflower, the Atlantis, the
Prophet. Important also are terraforming scientist Becca Newman; her brother
Alex of the U.S. Department of Justice and among the first group of colonists
to Gaia; Marissa du Preece, formerly Alex’s professional protégé and fourteen
years later the Ambassador to the Terran Federation; and many others, including
Brazilian scientist Felix and Iranian scientist Khalid, both astrophysicists.
There are layers and layers of characters, layers upon layers of politics,
economics, society, cultures.
I found this an
exceptional novel and was very glad for the opportunity to read it. I was
provided an ebook copy by the author via NetGalley in return for my fair and
impartial review.
Sounds very interesting...
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