Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Roboteer
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://alexlamb.com/
CITY: Santa Cruz
STATE: CA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://alexlamb.com/sample-page/ * http://www.sffworld.com/2016/04/roboteer-by-alex-lamb/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2016029374
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2016029374
HEADING: Lamb, Alex
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PERSONAL
Married Genevieve Graves (an astrophysicist and data scientist); children: Thorfinn.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Software engineer, systems researcher, instructor in improvisational theater, business educator, and writer. Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, department of ecology and evolutionary biology, former research scholar.
WRITINGS
Contributor to anthologies, including Polyphony, Volume 5, edited by Deborah Layne and Jay Lake, Wheatland Press (Wilsonville, OR), 2005. Maintains multiple blogs.
SIDELIGHTS
Alex Lamb, according to a biographer on the author’s website, “splits his time between writing science fiction, software engineering, teaching improvised theater, running business communication skills workshops, and conducting complex systems research.” He is also the author of the science-fiction novels Roboteer, Nemesis, and Exodus.
Lamb’s novels are set in a distant time long after humanity has expanded into interstellar space. Roboteer, Lamb explained in an interview on the website My Life My Books My Escape, is “about a young man, Will Monet, who’s been bred to interface with machines. He grows up on a human colony world, Galatea, that’s struggling with a failed terraforming project. Genetic engineering has become the norm. His planet finds itself suddenly caught up in a war with Earth: the homeworld that abandoned them a long time ago. The government has passed into the hands of a group of religious extremists and they want their colonies back. However, they’re not that keen on keeping the actual colonists.” “We see the forces of Galatea, a colony founded by rich corporations that left Earth as its resources dwindled,” wrote Mark Chitty on the website SFF World, “defending against the religiously hard-line forces of Earth, though not all is straightforward. While Galatea has a clear technological advantage due to its embracing nature of genetic adaption and AI technology, Earth has the weight of numbers—and a seemingly new and extremely powerful technology. It’s from here that Lamb launches us into the interstellar battle for humanity’s future, and one that is fraught with danger, intrigue, and secrets millions of years old.”
Lamb draws on real science as the inspiration for his fictional universe. “For many years, my wife was an astronomer, so I met a lot of scientists,” Lamb stated in his My Life My Books My Escape interview. “And it turns out that when you offer scientists free computer simulations, they’re often happy to talk—enthusiastic, even. And if you’re a science fiction writer, that means a lot of very fun opportunities to learn. I like to fill my books up with science that’s beyond what we’re sure of, but which might actually work. In fact, I’d go so far as to say I’m passionate about doing that.” “This is Alex Lamb’s debut novel, and his passion of the subject matter shines through on the page,” stated Jamie Sawyer on his website. “He effortlessly explains complex scientific concepts with lean and effective prose, whilst driving on the plot.” “Lamb’s got so many ideas that they almost spill off the pages,” opined Sarah Dobbs in Sci Fi Now, “and telling the story from both sides is a smart way of balancing the argument.” “This book is much more than an entertaining tale of spaceships, warfare, technology and an occasional alien presence, although it has all of those,” concluded Karen Fishwick in SF Book Reviews. “It is a book designed to really make you think about the future of humanity and where our choices might take us, which is in the best tradition of science fiction writing.”
Critics enjoyed Lamb’s debut. “The narrative starts with a bang, and honestly, it never really stops—the pacing is spot on,” enthused a contributor to Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviews. “Each crisis seems to lead to another, with the occasional moment for the reader (if not the characters) to draw a quick breath before plunging on. I won’t get into detail here, for fear of spoilers, but suffice to say that when Will launches into his secret mission, the Earth battlefleet coming for his world is quite possibly the least of his problems.” “The fight sequences in space are superb,” said a Geek Syndicate reviewer, “and the Roboteers, who are so intimately linked to their machines, make the fighting not only thrilling but an absurd emotional experience as the machines alongside them seem to seek the thrill of victory and destruction.” “Will’s thoughts and feelings are communicated to the reader in a way that makes us sympathetic towards him as a person,” said David A. Hardy, writing in SF Crow’s Nest. “Sometimes he feels naive, awkward and out of place, at others almost omnipotent, but his actions are always believable within the circumstances in which they occur. Although Lamb draws everything together in a satisfying way, there is clearly room for much more to be told about this universe and its characters. … I look forward to travelling there again!” “Lamb is a brilliant writer: the dialogue and battles are excellently constructed, the book’s pace is spot on and there is never a sense that you know what is about to happen,” asserted Lucy Ingham in Factor Tech. “It’s quite honestly an utter joy to read.”
In Nemesis, the sequel to Roboteer, explained a reviewer on the website For Winter Nights, “the interstellar war between Earth and the colonies has come to an end, leaving many people dead, including a fair few people that we remember from … Roboteer. Will is now the most powerful human alive, if he can be called human. He has been utterly changed by his discoveries. He has faced the biggest threat facing humanity, he has looked it in the eye, and his one aim is to deter mankind from doing anything that might jolt that threat into action. … But after thirty years many people choose to believe that the threat has gone away.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 15, 2016, Terry Goosey, review of Roboteer, p. 33.
Guardian (London, England), July 31, 2015, review of Roboteer.
Publishers Weekly, November 21, 2016, review of Roboteer, p. 95.
ONLINE
Alex Lamb Website, http://alexlamb.com/ (September 6, 2017).
Book Plank, http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/ (July 1, 2015), review of Roboteer.
Factor Tech, http://factor-tech.com/ (October 29, 2015) Lucy Ingham, review of Roboteer.
For Winter Nights, https://forwinternights.wordpress.com/ (April 30, 2016), review of Nemesis.
Geek Syndicate, http://geeksyndicate.co.uk/ (September 6, 2017), review of Roboteer.
Jamie Sawyer, http://jamiesawyer.com/ (May 8, 2016), Jamie Sawyer, review of Roboteer.
My Life My Books My Escape, https://mylifemybooksmyescape.wordpress.com/ (September 27, 2016), “Author Interview: Alex Lamb.”
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviews, http://sfandfreviews.blogspot.com/ (March 19, 2015), review of Roboteer.
Sci Fi Now, https://www.scifinow.co.uk/ (July 5, 2017), Sarah Dobbs, review of Roboteer.
SF Book Reviews, https://sfbook.com/ (December 16, 2015), Karen Fishwick, review of Roboteer.
SF Crow’s Nest, http://sfcrowsnest.org.uk/ (July 5, 2017), Dave Hardy, review of Roboteer.
SFF World, http://www.sffworld.com/ (April 14, 2016), Mark Chitty, review of Roboteer.
Track of Words, https://www.trackofwords.com/ (September 15, 2015), review of Roboteer.*
Alexander Lamb splits his time between writing science fiction, software engineering, teaching improvised theater, running business communication skills workshops, and conducting complex systems research.
In his day jobs, Alex has worked on a myriad of unrelated software projects, including mobile applications for biologists and publishers, risk analysis software for banks, large-scale simulation of battlefields for the US Army, hyper-optimized software interfaces for major US corporations, and novel machine-learning applications for Silicon Valley start-ups.
He has also held the position of Research Scholar in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Dept. at Princeton University, where he worked on computer simulations of complex systems. His research has spanned the simulation of gossip, the formation of human cultural norms, the arise of wealth inequality in society, new algorithms for general machine intelligence, and the modeling of the Planck-length structure of spacetime. He has several blogs, one focussed on behavior science and improv, the other on algorithmic approaches to physics.
As an improviser, Alex has founded three theater companies and is the inventor of the archetypal improv style, a technique used to bring Joseph Campbell’s theories of narrative structure to unscripted theater. As Britain’s foremost expert on spontaneous plotting, he has created play formats now used and enjoyed across the world from London to San Francisco.
As a trainer, he has worked with CEOs, high school students, international sales professionals, astrophysicists, doctors, world-class athletes, and graduate students. He has twice been a speaker at ASTD International—the largest business training conference in the world.
Along with his novels, he has two pieces of short fiction in print, Ithrulene, a short story in the Polyphony 5 anthology by Wheatland Press. He is a graduate of the Clarion West writers program and a Milford group attendee.
He currently lives in Santa Cruz, California with his wife, Genevieve Graves, (an award-winning astrophysicist turned data scientist), and his three-year-old son, Thorfinn.
SEP 27 2016
1 COMMENT
INTERVIEW
AUTHOR INTERVIEW: ALEX LAMB
13669794
Today I am interviewing Alex Lamb, author of the new science fiction, space opera novel, Roboteer, first book of the Roboteer trilogy.
◊ ◊ ◊
DJ: Hey Alex! Thanks for stopping by to do this interview!
For readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?
Alex Lamb: Sure. I was born in Britain and now live in Santa Cruz, CA. I’m a dad. I like hiking. And I’ve had a rather confused career. I’ve been an improv comedy instructor, a research scientist, a software developer, and a communication skills trainer for Olympic athletes, executives and engineers. My resume looks like a bomb hit it. Right now, though, I’m loving being a writer.
DJ: What is Roboteer about?
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Alex: It’s about a young man, Will Monet, who’s been bred to interface with machines. He grows up on a human colony world, Galatea, that’s struggling with a failed terraforming project. Genetic engineering has become the norm.
His planet finds itself suddenly caught up in a war with Earth: the homeworld that abandoned them a long time ago. The government has passed into the hands of a group of religious extremists and they want their colonies back. However, they’re not that keen on keeping the actual colonists.
Will finds himself working on a starship on a secret mission that might decide the war. However, these aren’t your nice, ordinary, clean starships. In this future, starships need to be miles on a side to fit in all the horribly radioactive accelerator machinery they run on. And the only room for people on those ships is a space about the size of a minivan tucked right down in the center. All the work on the ship is done by thousands of robots out in the hull, and it’s Will’s job to manage all of them. The other five people on the ship are genius scientists and military officers who make all the decisions.
They find themselves fighting for their lives. And the mission gets bigger than any of them expected.
DJ: What were some of your influences for Roboteer?
Alex: I have so many! I guess if I had to pick a few relevant ones, I’d go for Neal Stevenson, Dan Simmons, Kim Stanley Robinson, Joe Haldeman, Vernor Vinge, Orson Scott Card, Iain M. Banks,… I could go on. I grew up on science fiction, absorbing it all like a sponge. It’d be hard to name an author who I wasn’t influenced by.
DJ: Could you briefly tell us a little about your main characters? Do they have any cool quirks or habits, or any reason why readers with sympathize with them?
Alex: Well, there’s Will. He’s angsty, headstrong, nerdy, and not super-great at taking orders. He’s still trying to figure out how to deal with the hand life has dealt him. But he’s also whip-smart and can control giant machines with his mind.
Then there’s the captain who has to deal with him: Ira Baron. He’s a tactical genius who’s been bred for space-flight. He’s fiercely protective of his crew, a brilliant psychologist, and can also comfortably withstand fifteen gees of acceleration. He’s also struggling with grief.
Pitted against them, though not exactly a villain, is Gustav Ulanu, a high-flying scientist who’s been forced to become both a politician and a soldier in order to survive. He’s found himself in a position of power in a society he doesn’t like all that much. But he likes the Galateans with their filthy genetic tinkering even less.
DJ: What is the universe for Roboteer like?
Alex: Well, I wanted to write about a future where the path of scientific development hasn’t run smoothly. I feel that so many SF stories still expect flying cars and super-intelligent AIs. We’re always so sure we know what’s possible and what’s not, and yet hardly anyone anticipated the rise of the smartphone. I wanted to subvert some of our comfortable expectations, to create a picture of the future that was a little grittier and maybe therefore more true to life.
So in this future, it turns out that nanotechnology doesn’t work that well. Neither does AI. On the other hand, it turns out that warp drive isn’t that hard to build if you have big enough accelerators. There are interstellar colonies, but they’re fragile and desperate. Meanwhile there’s still human conflict, a failing environment to deal with, and bitter ideologies struggling for dominance, much like today. On the other hand, there’s also hope.
DJ: One of the reasons I am fan of sci-fi colonization stories, is I get to see how imaginative and – what appears to be most of the time – how intelligent some authors are. I say “intelligence” because there seems to be a decent amount of time dedicated to researching science and technology for the new colonization.
How much research did you have to do for Roboteer?
Alex: Specifically for Roboteer? Not that much, but that’s perhaps because I’ve had the surreal good fortune to have worked in a lot of different scientific disciplines without having a PhD in any of them.
I have this habit of hiring myself out for free to scientists who need computer simulations. Amongst other fields, I’ve worked in quantum gravity research, AI, evolutionary biology, and economics. How did I manage this? For many years, my wife was an astronomer, so I met a lot of scientists. And it turns out that when you offer scientists free computer simulations, they’re often happy to talk—enthusiastic, even. And if you’re a science fiction writer, that means a lot of very fun opportunities to learn. I like to fill my books up with science that’s beyond what we’re sure of, but which might actually work. In fact, I’d go so far as to say I’m passionate about doing that.
DJ: Anything cool pieces of tech you came up with or any “physically impossible” problems you ran into?
Alex: A lot of the notions we have in society of what’s possible and impossible are a little shaky, IMO. Take faster than light travel, for instance. We’ve never seen anything go faster than light (FTL). There’s no explicit reason to believe that anything ever will. But that’s very different from saying that it’s impossible.
Saying that FTL has never been witnessed is accurate. Saying that it’s not permitted by current theoretical models (because Einstein, Lorentz invariance, etc) is slightly dubious. Saying that it’s impossible isn’t scientific, even though many scientists fall into that trap. As it is, I’m rather proud of the space drive I use in Roboteer. It’s a twist on the Alcubierre warp-drive, a technology that NASA has a small, underfunded research team looking into.
In the Roboteer universe, it turns out that dark matter includes a bunch of particles carrying spatial potential being radiated by black holes. If you know what you’re doing, you can tap those particles in bursts, releasing their potential and distorting local space one blast at a time. This makes for something like a Harley Davidson warp-drive. The engines are big and dirty, and they growl.
DJ: What was your favorite part about writing Roboteer?
Alex: World building. I’m a fanatic world-builder. If I don’t make universes where I understand how the machines work, how the creatures evolved, and how society has developed, I don’t feel satisfied. Having said that, just simply striving to write roller-coaster adventures stories that will keep readers on the edge of theirs seats is fun too.
DJ: To my initial confusion, Roboteer was already released in the UK, but it only being released now in the US. Normally, I’d ask what you’d think readers will be talking about, but you already know! XD
What has been the general opinion from readers so far? What have reviews, readers, and bloggers been saying about it?
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Alex: I’ve been delighted by the response in the UK. The Guardian told me I ‘hit the ground running’ which made my day. Starburst Magazine called it ‘a terrific debut novel’, which boosted my ego no-end. Even Nature Physics seems to have liked it. They apparently ‘recommend Roboteer to anyone who appreciates solid action and visions of future technologies’.
I also seem to be hovering at about four-and-a-half stars on Amazon.co.uk, which couldn’t make me happier. For someone who’s always dreamed of having their work hit print, it’s been a very satisfying ride.
In fact, that one thing I’m yearning for is a US release. I’m so glad that Roboteer will now be coming out in my home town. It’s very odd to be an author on one side of the pond and not the other. People keep asking me where they can find my book and I struggle to answer. Now, at last, it’ll be easier.
DJ: What was your goal when you began writing the Roboteer trilogy? Roboteer is only the first book of three, but is there a particular message or meaning you are hoping to get across to readers when they finish it?
Alex: Most definitely, though I don’t want to give away too much. What I did want to do with these books was ask the question: what’s the difference between an intelligent species that wipes itself out, and one that lasts? And is that something we get to choose?
To my mind, the best SF can be thought of as ‘thinking person’s adventure fiction’. A great SF novel should give you huge chewy questions to ponder while you’re lying awake in bed racing for the ending. I aspire to writing that kind of book.
DJ: When I read, I love to collect quotes – whether it be because they’re funny, foodie, or have a personal meaning to me. Do you have any favorite quotes from Roboteer that you can share with us?
Alex: Gosh. I struggle to pick out quotes from my own book. I think the best I can do is offer quotes that others have liked.
Here’s one that a reviewer picked out:
‘Above them was a sky full of floating stuff, like clouds from some heavy-metal hell – gunmetal clouds with thorns.’
And here’s one that my editor at Gollancz Books seemed to enjoy:
‘For an eye-blink, he saw things like giant icebergs in darkness, with surfaces that crawled and rotted. It was something that shouldn’t have happened. Something he should not have seen.’
DJ: Now that Roboteer is released in the US, what is next for you?
Alex: More books! I have a new trilogy cooking in the background that I’m enjoying planning. If it comes off, it should be a blend of high action, politics, evolutionary biology, and inflationary cosmology research. With maybe a few sword-fights thrown in.
We’ll have to see how that goes. As for other projects, I have a new partnership with a movie special effects company here in Santa Cruz. We’re looking to take some of my more surreal simulation results and turn them into something huge and interactive that might be seen in public space, like an airport lobby, for instance. So far, it’s been a lot of fun.
DJ: Where can readers find out more about you?
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alex-Lamb/e/B011S3MKD2/
Blog: http://alexlamb.com/news/
Also, for more serious pondering… https://thetinkerpoint.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexlambauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13669794.Alex_Lamb
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104992406124535116851
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lamb-8343431
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_lamb
Website: http://alexlamb.com/
DJ: Before we go, what is that one thing you’d like readers to know about Roboteer that we haven’t talked about yet?
Alex: It starts with a space battle. People who like space battles seem to love that. But for readers who engage more specifically with character development, chapter two is where it starts cooking. Just FYI.
DJ: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Alex: I love feedback from readers. So if people have thoughts about the book’s big ideas, I really want to hear about it. My Facebook author page is a great place to start.
And if they like the book, I encourage them to spread the word. Authors live or die by personal recommendations. If readers enjoy an author’s work, the best thing they can ever do is tell their friends.
DJ: Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to answer my questions!
Alex: My absolute pleasure. It’s been a blast!
Roboteer
Terry Goosey
Booklist.
113.8 (Dec. 15, 2016): p33.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* Roboteer.
By Alex Lamb.
Jan. 2017.432p. Gollancz, paper, $13.99 (9781473206083).
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Not long after the discovery of faster-than-light travel, those who would improve mankind through technology and
genetic modification left Earth and started their own colony on Galatea. Generations later, the religious zealots left
behind have decided to wipe out the colonies for being heretics tampering with the human form. A great space war is
waged, and with a surprising new weapon, Earth seems to have the upper hand and is at last poised for victory. The
secret, however, is that the technology is of alien origin--a revelation that would put the masses of Earth into an uproar
as it smashed their belief of being alone in the cosmos. With factions warring over the use or destruction of the
newfound technology, a stealth Galatean ship steals into the hidden base to discover the source of the weapons. They
find that source as well as information about who created it and why when the aliens choose young Will, the ship's
most junior crew member, to pass along dire information about the future of the human race, as the incredulous crew
races home against the clock to save their world. Lamb's excellent first novel is an exciting and fast-paced, fresh take
on space warfare and the future of humankind.--Terry Goosey
Goosey, Terry
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Goosey, Terry. "Roboteer." Booklist, 15 Dec. 2016, p. 33. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA476563508&it=r&asid=7b72b7c84f3fed6d23a10aef6b2671ac.
Accessed 5 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A476563508
---
8/5/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1501972186540 2/2
Roboteer
Publishers Weekly.
263.47 (Nov. 21, 2016): p95.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Roboteer
Alex Lamb. Gollancz, $21.99 trade paper (432p) ISBN 978-1-4732-0609-0
Lamb makes a high-powered debut with this space thriller, which is jam-packed with mysterious and manipulative
aliens, starship battles, and humans on both sides of an ideological war who are thirsty for knowledge and a better
world. Will Konu-Monet is a roboteer--modified at birth to interface with the machines used to assist and maintain the
infrastructure of his home world--with dreams of becoming a starship captain. He fills a critical role in the fleet
defending against the Earthers' holy crusade. But the Earthers have a secret weapon, devastating technology given to
them by an alien relic. When Will gets his ship, he must prove his value to his crew as they go on a critical espionage
mission, looking for a way to defend against the new weapon. What they find instead could change the fate of his entire
species. The tale is quick-paced and excitingly twisty; readers will likely forgive some weak prose and over-reliance on
summary. Lamb sets high expectations for the rest of the trilogy. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Roboteer." Publishers Weekly, 21 Nov. 2016, p. 95. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA471273972&it=r&asid=a7576766f866baab1d25b60f1d487820.
Accessed 5 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A471273972
Roboteer by Alex Lamb
Mark Chitty April 14, 2016 0 Comment
Roboteer is the first book in debut author Alex Lamb’s Roboteer trilogy. Released in 2015, Roboteer is the kind of novel that calls to me to read – it has everything that I want in a science fiction novel. However, despite trying to read it on its release, I couldn’t fully immerse myself in the story. With the mass-market paperback out in February 2016, it reminded me to return to the novel and give it another go, hoping that I was in a better frame of mind to enjoy what was on offer. And enjoy it I did, though not without some reservations.
roboteer
From the publisher:
The starship Ariel is on a mission of the utmost secrecy, upon which the fate of thousands of lives depend. Though the ship is a mile long, its six crew are crammed into a space barely large enough for them to stand. Five are officers, geniuses in their field. The other is Will Kuno-Monet, the man responsible for single-handedly running a ship comprised of the most dangerous and delicate technology that mankind has ever devised. He is the Roboteer.
Roboteer is a hard-SF novel set in a future in which the colonization of the stars has turned out to be anything but easy, and civilization on Earth has collapsed under the pressure of relentless mutual terrorism. Small human settlements cling to barely habitable planets. Without support from a home-world they have had to develop ways of life heavily dependent on robotics and genetic engineering. Then out of the ruins of Earth’s once great empire, a new force arises – a world-spanning religion bent on the conversion of all mankind to its creed. It sends fleets of starships to reclaim the colonies. But the colonies don’t want to be reclaimed. Mankind’s first interstellar war begins. It is dirty, dangerous and hideously costly.
Will is a man bred to interface with the robots that his home-world Galatea desperately needs to survive. He finds himself sent behind enemy lines to discover the secret of their newest weapon. What he discovers will transform their understanding of both science and civilization forever… but at a cost.
Roboteer starts with a bang – a space battle to control an antimatter refuelling station in a system that will give the victor a strong base for either offensive or defensive reasons. We see the forces of Galatea, a colony founded by rich corporations that left Earth as its resources dwindled, defending against the religiously hard-line forces of Earth, though not all is straightforward. While Galatea has a clear technological advantage due to its embracing nature of genetic adaption and AI technology, Earth has the weight of numbers – and a seemingly new and extremely powerful technology. It’s from here that Lamb launches us into the interstellar battle for humanity’s future, and one that is fraught with danger, intrigue, and secrets millions of years old.
We follow events that are told through the eyes of our protagonists, Will Kuno-Monet, a roboteer who controls the robots aboard starships, and Ira Baron-Lecke, captain of the soft-combat ship, Ariel. These points of view are also joined by an antagonist, Gustav Ulanu, a general and scientist in the Church of Truism’s space fleet. It’s an interesting mix of characters, but they work well in telling the story within Roboteer, and each give a unique viewpoint on the matters at hand. Will is, by far, the main man here, and it’s his interactions that drive the plot forward, especially once he secret that Earth is hiding come to the fore and firmly establishes itself as the driving motivator. Ira is a counterpoint to Will in many ways, the captain of the Ariel and a man still reeling from losing his previous roboteer due to high g combat manoeuvres that he fears Will cannot stand up to, should they be needed. He’s focused, yet trusts his crew with their input, and the interactions between them all really help build a sense of camaraderie on the ship – at least when you take Will out of the picture. Gustav, however, is a strange character to include as the main viewpoint for the enemy. While we learn much of the Church and the Prophet through his eyes, he very often comes across as not committed to the goal of the Church, and also at odds with its doctrine. Add to this a supporting cast around him that highlights this point at almost every turn, especially Disciple Rodriguez, appointed to Gustav’s staff by the Prophet himself, and there’s a deeply motivated and complex persona at play.
This brings me to the main issue I had with Roboteer, and one I have whenever I read anything in science fiction with a religious group featuring prominently: it’s very difficult to give depth to an enemy that has religious fervour in its driving seat. That’s not to say that Alex Lamb doesn’t make a good case throughout Roboteer, but simply that by choosing to split humanity into two distinct factions, each with their own views – one oppressively so – he faces an uphill battle to present the society in a relatable way. However, I did enjoy the inherently classic depiction of good vs evil that this scenario can provide, and Lamb’s writing raised the story enough to put these issues to one side for the most part.
As for the good in Roboteer, well, there is much to praise. Putting aside a story that jumps from event to revelation to event, keeping you guessing and turning the pages, Roboteer is the kind of novel that packs in plenty of science to go with the fiction. From robotics to spaceflight to alien enigmas, not only is there more than enough to please any SF fan, but Lamb weaves it all into a narrative that makes the best use of all the tools at its disposal.
Alex Lamb has delivered a debut novel in Roboteer that is much fun to read. It’s not perfect and I still have issues with the religious aspect of the novel, but looking past that can show what science fiction is all about: wonder and entertainment. Recommended.
ROBOTEER BY ALEX LAMB BOOK REVIEW
Robots rule the roost in Alex Lamb’s tale of future imperfect, Roboteer
By Sarah Dobbs 17-07-15 4,480 0
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Author:
Alex Lamb
Publisher:
Gollancz
Released:
16 July 2015
Buy on Amazon
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Asimov’s classic stories of robots and the logical problems posed by their programming never get old.
In the future, wars might be fought by robots, with battle lines falling on planets many light years away. But chances are the reasons to fight will be the same: limited resources, social inequality, and religions that promote separation instead of unity.
Alex Lamb’s Roboteer depicts a future in which mankind has split itself in two. On Earth, under the rule of the Prophet, billions of standard-issue humans struggle to cope with the planet’s depleted resources.
But on the new world of Galatea, the population has found a way to genetically modify itself, creating a new race that’s adapted to space travel. They even have implants that let them communicate with robots.
Unfortunately, these advances are deemed heretical and even fascist by those left behind. Cue intergalactic conflict.
The story is told from several different perspectives, including that of titular roboteer Will, a free thinker who discovers that humanity’s only hope for survival has been downloaded into his head.
He’ll need to move fast – the interplanetary war is being observed by an alien species that’s more than willing to put humanity out of its misery if a resolution can’t be found.
Lamb’s got so many ideas that they almost spill off the pages, and telling the story from both sides is a smart way of balancing the argument. The characters are believable, and even the inevitable romance doesn’t irritate.
But considering Lamb takes pains to point out how differently women are treated on the different colonies, it’s a shame he never hands the narration over to one of his female characters.
In the future, wars might be fought by robots, but most of them will still be piloted by men, if this is anything to go by.
Roboteer by Alex Lamb (book review).
July 7, 2015 | By DaveHardy | Reply
The last year or so seems to have been a good one for new hard-SF authors. First we had Andy Weir’s remarkable ‘The Martian’ and now along comes Alex Lamb’s ‘Roboteer’. The latter has been hailed as perfect for fans of Peter F. Hamilton and Alastair Reynolds and I have to concur. Certainly the size is right for Hamilton – over 440 pages! – yet it does not seem too long and it is, I suppose, ‘space opera’. But that label does not do it justice. Lamb has a background in science, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) and it shows. A word first about the cover as there is no credit anywhere for the cover art, which is a pity as it is obviously done by an artist who has taken the trouble to read at least part of the book. Let’s hope that this is corrected in the final version which reaches the bookshops.
Roboteer
The roboteer of the title is Will Kuno-Manet. For some reason not explained, nearly all the names of people and planets, etc seem to be double-barrelled. A roboteer can insinuate himself into the computer controls and link with the Self-Aware Programs (SAPs) of a spaceship so that it almost becomes his body, controlled purely by his mind. Thanks to the development of anti-matter, the human race has spread to the stars but, in doing so, it has split. The billions left on Earth, the Earthers, live in squalor and are ruled by religious fanatics, headed by The Prophet, otherwise known as Pyotr Sanchez. Those who live in space, the Galateans, have adapted themselves using genetic modifications (heresy to the Earthers) and technology, including nano-machines. Nonetheless, Earth has now driven outwards, trying to reclaim lost colonies such as those of the Pioneers, before the war a colony of space traders. Galatea is the only world to survive and thrive.
At the start of the novel, Will, previously with the spaceship Phoenix, has been drafted aboard the Galatean starship Ariel under Captain Ira Baron-Lecke, replacing Doug, its former roboteer. He died in a fierce battle in which it becomes clear that the Earthers have a devastating new weapon, later known as the suntap. Only one outworlder ship can be spared to investigate this new threat, the Ariel. Other than Ira, its crew consists of Hugo, Dr Hugo Bessler-Vartian from Fleet Research, a rather unstable scientist who is constantly at odds with the rest; John, a cryptographer; Rachel, an engineer with whom Will forms a mildly romantic relationship and Amy, who runs navigation and medicine.
There is no doubt that Will is the central character in all this and, to some extent, the other characters on the Ariel are there to support and aid him and his role in the plot. There is some back story, both of Will and the worlds. His Galatean home planet is poor, has a low population and is subject to extreme weather conditions. Earth itself, slowly recovering from endless conflicts, is subjugated by a militant religion, the High Church, but it has discovered a strange artefact known as the Relic, whose purpose it is the Ariel’s job to try to unravel. The religion seems to have some of the characteristics of extreme Islamic culture. For instance, a recent decree by the Prophet prohibits female children from receiving an education.
The other strand of the story is headed by General Gustav Ulanu who, despite his military title, is an Earther scientist. He is responsible to the Prophet, who in turn is at least nominally under Ramon the First, King of the Nation of Man. Gustav is not pleased to be allotted an ‘assistant’, Disciple Rodriguez, in other words a spy. Gustav’s job is to research the Earth’s secret weapons project but also, ultimately, to keep the Galateans from getting anywhere near the Relic, considered to be either the work of an alien civilisation or a message from God, depending upon one’s beliefs. I don’t think I’m giving too much away to say that in this he fails spectacularly, thanks mainly to Will and the amazing abilities he proves to have as the story develops. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that whether Will succeeds or fails in the highly daunting task he is set could affect the entire future of humanity of whatever faction.
The story is well-paced and draws the reader on. Each series of actions and sometimes crises leads, just as all seems to be going well, to yet another crisis and more extreme action and while most of the characters do not have a chance to become well developed, we do believe in the character of Will and, to some extent, of Gustav. Will’s thoughts and feelings are communicated to the reader in a way that makes us sympathetic towards him as a person. Sometimes he feels naïve, awkward and out of place, at others almost omnipotent, but his actions are always believable within the circumstances in which they occur.
Although Lamb draws everything together in a satisfying way, there is clearly room for much more to be told about this universe and its characters. I don’t know whether a sequel is planned or under way, but I hope so as I look forward to travelling there again!
David A. Hardy
June 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Roboteer - Alex Lamb
Roboteer is a sci-fi adventure novel. It’s full of space battles, the occasional gunfight and corridor chase, a surprisingly sympathetic central antagonist, some incredibly unsympathetic other antagonists, an interesting universe, and a hinted at history that I’d like to see more of. It’s also Alex Lamb’s debut novel – and given that, it’s rather well done.
The centre of the text is the protagonist, Will, the ‘Roboteer’ of the title. He has, quite literally, been bred by his society to be able to link with various semi-autonomous machines, to be able to reprogram them on the fly, and to direct their actions. The society in question is a breakaway colony from earth, where genetic engineering is the only solution to a harsh environment and a low population. When we first meet Will, he’s hip deep in a space battle, hurling drones and high explosives about the sky with high abandon; shortly afterward, he’s drafted into a secret mission which may, without giving anything away, change the world.
The world is actually one of the really interesting parts of the text. We see some of Will’s home colony, battered by extreme weather, with a low population, prone to genetic engineering. We see an Earth recovering from shattering, endless conflicts, under the grip of a militant but universal religion – now driven outwards, to reclaim lost colonies, to fight, and keep fighting, to prevent fracturing into squabbling factions again. We see something of those reclaimed colonies, crushed under a government that seems uncaringly brutal. One, which specialised in entertainment, rather than engineering, seems like a sort of psychotic amusement park, populated by a demoralised populace, and a vicious, paranoid resistance. There’s a lot of good backstory here, it’s just a shame that we don’t get to hear much more about it over the course of the text. The references are largely subtle, dropped in dialogue or as part of a tangential thought from a character, and this isn’t a bad thing – but the history here is fascinating, and deserves further exploration.
The characters are, perhaps intentionally, largely in service to the plot. There’s the gruff space captain, the sociopathic security officer, the friendly love interest …each character is serviceably written, and they fulfil their roles, but at the end of the day it feels like they’re there to drive the plot forward for the protagonist. In part it’s this focus on Will that makes the other characters lose their lustre – they don’t really have the time and space to shine, or to get more development than they need to push things along. They work as characters, but perhaps not as people – at least not in this single narrative.
On the other hand, Will, as protagonist, is very well drawn – his thoughts and feelings are laid bare to the reader, his motivations and drives brought to the surface, his actions entirely believable within those confines. Will feels awkward, feels naïve feels, sometimes, dangerous – and feels like a person. The only other character with a similar treatment is his main antagonist, the startlingly sympathetic head researcher for an Earth weapons project. Whilst most of the Earth forces are shown to be zealots, thugs, or a combination of both, this man is given a more nuanced portrayal – we see the arguments for stability play out in his mind, the arguments against the engineering that produces individuals like Will, the arguments for subjugation and colonial domination – and whilst the reader’s sympathies are typically elsewhere, the arguments made are, at least, good ones, and help give the conflict a slightly more morally grey feel than might otherwise have been the case. That said, some of the discussion of politics feels a bit too straightforward, too right-and-wrong to be properly believable; it would have been nice if the depth given to the central antagonist was spread a little more broadly across the Earth forces.
The narrative starts with a bang, and honestly, it never really stops – the pacing is spot on. Each crisis seems to lead to another, with the occasional moment for the reader (if not the characters) to draw a quick breath before plunging on. I won’t get into detail here, for fear of spoilers, but suffice to say that when Will launches into his secret mission, the Earth battlefleet coming for his world is, quite possibly the least of his problems. The prose is simple, but draws situations and environments well, and combines with the pace to never let the reader go. The developments over the course of the text seem a bit too large to be contained within one novel – I suspect we’d need to have had a book at least twice the size to have properly explored all the narrative threads in play. Still, the whole edifice ties together nicely, and the ending, if a tad convenient, wraps up the narrative well – if somewhat explosively.
Overall then, a solid debut – a fast paced, action adventure of a novel, with a good core protagonist/antagonist, within a universe I’m dying to hear more about. Worth picking up!
BOOKS, REVIEW
FACTOR REVIEWS: ROBOTEER BY ALEX LAMB
OCTOBER 29, 2015 LUCY INGHAM
So often when you read a new hard SF book by a previously unpublished author it’s a disappointment, with predictable tropes and corny dialogue. Alex Lamb bucks this trend as hard as is physically possible. Roboteer is not just a brilliant first novel, it’s a brilliant novel full stop.
Set in the future when colonisation has occurred but the human race is clinging on and fighting amongst itself, the book stars Will, a man bred to interface with robots to ensure his home world of Galatea can survive the onslaught from its Earth-based enemies.
In this epic plot we encounter a dizzying array of worlds and environments, with Lamb beautifully depicting their appearance and mood. Every region encountered has its own unique sense, and you get a clear idea of how humanity’s fraught history has allowed each place to come to be.
The characters are excellently realised, with the neurodiverse, genetically enhanced Galateans in particular offering a wonderful variety of deeply explored personalities. No character feels underdeveloped, which is a particularly impressive feat given that some could have easily been made weak stereotypes.
There is also the matter of the space battles. They are truly awesome. Lamb is one of the best writers of combat I’ve ever encountered, depicting dogfights, mad scrambles for survival and moments of chilling tension wonderfully. If Roboteer is ever made into a movie, I expect his deftly written battle sequences to be faithfully recreated.
roboteer-cover-alex-lamb
Throughout the story, the book poses genuinely searching moral conundrums about the future of the human race, but in a way that adds to the mood and flow, rather than hitting you round the head with morality.
Simply put, Lamb is a brilliant writer: the dialogue and battles are excellently constructed, the book’s pace is spot on and there is never a sense that you know what is about to happen. It’s quite honestly an utter joy to read.
The world is also so brilliantly realised, rooted in logic and science. It’s fantastical without feeling absurd, and genuinely feels like a realistic portrayal of humanity’s future – should certain chains of events occur – albeit one that is fresh and devoid of the usual predictable notions.
Publisher Gollancz has already confirmed that Lamb will be publishing a sequel, and I’m delighted to hear it. This book doesn’t just deserve to be given a sequel; it deserves to be made into a cult classic. Expect far more to come from this brilliant new SF writer.
Roboteer by Alex Lamb
a review by Karen Fishwick, in the genre(s) Science Fiction. Book published by Gollancz in July 2015
Alex Lamb's Roboteer paints a picture of a future, that in the political climate of today, feels far too possible.
In this book, a war rages between two sides of humanity, two different and opposing ideologies and lifestyles. One side, combining genetic and induced mutation with advanced technology, just to survive and grow. The other dealing with over population, presumably low employment and the idea that someone is better off than they are.
We see how people have manipulated propaganda about the other side, merely to increase their own personal influence. Politics and religion are just tools in their hands, flags to wave to unite to a cause, with little evidence personal belief or morality.
As all of the religions have been loosely brought together, it becomes clear that it is not belief that unites them, more political expediency. The actual tenants of the official religion have been manipulated to allow them not to be against any of the existing faiths and becomes a self fulfilling cycle that the religion itself is the basis of the religion.
Accusations of "genetic fascism" are put forward by the Earthers as a criticism of the Colonials, but generally this is a trait we see in the characters who make this accusation loudest.
Most of the perspective of the book is from the Colonial point of view and we have more sympathy for their cause, it is only when we stop and think that we see the cracks in their own society. Through their perspective we see the downsides of deliberate mutation for specific skills, without environmental factors to even out selection, behaviour traits of obsessive compulsive disorders and autism become common.
We also get a glimpse of the fact the ability to live in a "virtual reality" gives some characters the choice of whether to opt out of "live" social interaction, creating a two tier society and creates as situation where the Captain of a ship is surprised by the genuine grief for someone who is "only a roboteer". This is reminiscent of John Scalzi’s Locked In but with a different plot reason for the condition. For some people the roboteer is “other” and possibly even sub-human.
Overall the book warns of the danger of the "end justifying the means" with the threat that the morality of any given situation, and the ability to enforce this, may not sit in human hands. On both sides we see people willing to do anything for a cause, but also individuals whose actions progress a cause that they deep down disagree with and how the results of this do not turn out well. This is shown on the personal scale, when an individual betrays his friends for a bigger cause and they and their cause suffer for it, and on the species level when humanity might be judged for its actions by an external set of values.
It ultimately concludes that without the ability and willingness to adapt to our environments, we can only take from the resources around us. If we do not aspire to create, we can only destroy. A chilling prediction perhaps.
This book is much more than an entertaining tale of spaceships, warfare, technology and an occasional alien presence, although it has all of those. It is a book designed to really make you think about the future of humanity and where our choices might take us, which is in the best tradition of Science Fiction writing.
Written on Wednesday 16th December 2015 by Karen Fishwick.
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Nemesis by Alex Lamb (Roboteer 2)
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Nemesis | Alex Lamb | 2016, Pb 2017 | Gollancz | 551p | Review copy | Buy the book
Nemesis by Alex LambNemesis is the sequel to last year’s superb debut novel by Alex Lamb, Roboteer. This depicted the conflict between the people of Earth and the genetically-modified settlers of its remote and often illegal colonies by focusing on one extraordinary and gifted individual, the Roboteer Will Kuno-Monet. Nemesis takes place thirty years or so after the conclusion of Roboteer and so you could start here – enough has changed or is explained to make it perfectly accessible. But I think that to pass over Roboteer would be a shame – it is a wonderful, fun and exciting piece of science fiction that provides so much food for thought, not to mention a great story and an intriguing, unusual bunch of characters. The first book also helps explain the nature of a Roboteer. These pilots or engineers have the technology inside their brains that enables them to move into a different, micro world, which can take any shape they wish, almost becoming the robot they control, seeing what it sees, escaping the limitations of human life. Will Kuno-Monet is the best of them all.
The review below assumes you’ve read Roboteer.
Much has changed over the last thirty years. The interstellar war between Earth and the colonies has come to an end, leaving many people dead, including a fair few people that we remember from The Roboteer. Will is now the most powerful human alive, if he can be called human. He has been utterly changed by his discoveries. He has faced the biggest threat facing humanity, he has looked it in the eye, and his one aim is to deter mankind from doing anything that might jolt that threat into action. He is a leading figure in IPSO, the peacekeeping force that keeps an eye on all the planets. But after thirty years many people choose to believe that the threat has gone away and, yet again, tensions rise between the planets. Earth is in its last phase of being able to care for life. Its inhabitants want to get off. And the best way of doing that is by joining one of the many religious sects that dominate Earth. Herded to other worlds like cattle, they become pawns in struggles for power. It’s a sorry state of affairs.
And then there’s the force of greed. Out there on the colonised planets, now accessible to humans thanks to alien technology, are the tantalising, advanced remains of the Fecund, an alien race destroyed millions of years ago. It’s no wonder that IPSO, treated with suspicion from all sides, can no longer keep the peace. Nor do they always notice when distant colonies are obliterated. But when a far planet is destroyed by an unknown astonishingly powerful weapon, the IPSO and Will cannot stand by. Three teams, one including Will, are sent to investigate. One fear is that a faction is trying to stir up both sides to trigger another war. The other fear, a fear that is almost too appalling to consider, is that mankind’s behaviour has triggered another alien threat, one even worse than the one they all still dread.
Just like Roboteer, Nemesis moves its perspective between a number of key characters, notably Will, younger Roboteers Mark and Ash, and Ann, a captain of one of the other vessels sent to investigate. Others among the expedition are also given their chapters, each with a distinct perspective and every one with their own agenda. In this universe, trust has long been blown away. Propaganda and false information has distorted truth. Nobody understands Will, including, probably, Will, and everyone has suffered damage from the events of the last thirty years. This mission gives several of the characters the chance to mend bridges. It’s all too likely, though, that other bridges will be destroyed.
The narrative structure works very well dramatically in terms of pace but it is also a huge help in enabling the reader to keep track of the opposing sides in a situation that has got out of control. At the beginning, the plot is not straightforward and I did have to re-read bits and pieces to get a handle on some of the allegiances. It’s not surprising considering the levels of suspicion and paranoia.
Although there are baddies and goodies, and some truly horrific nightmarish behaviour goes on, this is not a simple story of good versus evil. There is good and bad on both sides, and it’s not easy to determine whose side we should be on – Earthers or colonists – or neither. The intolerance of some worlds towards other colonists and the religious distortions of Earth are both extremely ugly. And then there are the aliens. Is it right to blame them?
I did have a couple of issues. I didn’t find the motivations of some of the characters believable and, unfortunately, this was the basis for much of the plot during the first half of the book. It all seemed extremely convoluted and unlikely. Also, without giving anything away, some characters are not as they seem but I can see no reason why it took Will thirty years to work this out. The gap in years between the events in the novels works well. We hear bits and pieces about what went on during that time. But I also wished for more. This would have helped me to understand the characters of Mark and Ash a little better.
Above all else, Nemesis is a very entertaining action novel with some great science fiction. I loved the concept of the Roboteer in the previous novel and I still do here. There is some really intriguing science to go with the action, as well as some well-drawn characters, some great spaceships and some very memorable habitats and aliens. I want wonder from science fiction and this novel provides it, as well as a fair bit of horror, but most of all it is fun and put me on the edge of my seat. It is also a great size! I love a science fiction brickbook that I can lose myself in for a few days and when I finished Nemesis I was more than ready for part three.
JUL
1
Book Review: Roboteer
Roboteer by Alex Lamb
The starship Ariel is on a mission of the utmost secrecy, upon which the fate of thousands of lives depend. Though the ship is a mile long, its six crew are crammed into a space barely large enough for them to stand. Five are officers, geniuses in their field. The other is Will Kuno-Monet, the man responsible for single-handedly running a ship comprised of the most dangerous and delicate technology that mankind has ever devised. He is the Roboteer.
Will is a man bred to interface with the robots that his home-world Galatea desperately needs to survive. He finds himself sent behind enemy lines to discover the secret of their newest weapon. What he discovers will transform their understanding of both science and civilization forever... but at a cost.
Not so long ago I read a very daring Science Fiction story that was also published by Gollancz, Crashing Heaven from Al Robertson, which I loved. Science Fiction is a genre where lots of things can and are explored. An aspect where Alex Lamb doesn't shy away from as well. Roboteer well what more is there to say than that it is a heavy contender for getting on the best of Science Fiction list for 2015. Roboteer is daring, it is engaging and has just a lot of cool concepts working in very well. A truly stellar debut. Gollancz is on the right track when it comes to publishing SF, already two very solid titles under its belt!
In Roboteer you follow the main protagonist, Will Kuno-Monet. When I read the first sentence of the book I was like: What!? Then I read it again and I was like: What? Then I decided to continue and it all started to make sense. This first sentence alone triggered my curiosity, nicely done. Here you learn that Will is a Roboteer, a Roboteer has the gift to interact and control machines, from drones to big robots etc. how cool is that! Will is a Galatean, humans who fled the Earth to some very hostile places in the universe and resorted to genetic engineering to make sure that they had any chance to survive. Earth is still inhabited by people who see themselves as normal and where the Galateans are seen to as filth, they have a mission and that is to wipe the Galateans of the Earth. For a long time this was has gone on already, though the Galateans are far more superior in their technology, the Earthers have strenght in numbers which make gaining the upperhand a tough job. During a mission Will learns that the Earthers have a piece of technology that is far stronger than what they had been able to design over the last years, and he learns that it will, not could, but it will end the war in favor for the Earthers. They now both have strength in number and the technology. Will gets drafted onto a special Galatean spaceship with other elite memberst to find a way to make sure the Earthers technology doesn't see the light of day. A race is on to stop the Earthers, a dangerous race where Will discovers some amazing secrets of the universe that could just make the fight in their favor... could just.
I am mightly impressed with the story that Alex Lamb has put down in Roboteer and the more I think about it the more I start to like the story and premise that he has created. The story is divided into multiple perspectives that of Will, Ira the commander of the Ariel and that of the religion Earthers, General Gustav. The executing of these perspectives is very well done, the perspectives are mostly personal scenes that you read and this added a very nice depth, pacing and forces you to find out what happens next. And as I always say when you see all the sides of a story, the dynamic is high, since you see each side plotting and thinking about their next strategy. Alex Lamb has a very engaging writing style, directly to the point, without a sacrifice of showing how big his universe truly is, the sense of wonder is easily achieved.
When it comes down to the characters. The main protagonist Will is mostly in the picture, it is his adventure. What makes Will a lovable character is the background that Alex Lamb has created behind his character, it is extensive and it comes to show that Will hasn't had the best of youths possible. In his current situation its also not for the better, when he steps on board the Ariel, he is facing another rough time. With all this happening to Will's character I really started to feel for him, he just wants to be accepted for what he does. Because what he does, is remarkable and his crew should thank him for what he can do to be honest. From the rough start up until the end of the book there is nice development in Will's character as he becomes more and more resolute and starts to shine. The secondary characters in the book, like Will's other crew members and the prophets each contribute to the storyline and readily help to make it go forward, I liked the characters don't get me wrong, they had their own quirky habits and personalities but in the end I kind off missed that little bit extra that would have made them really stand out and also connect with them more.
As I mentioned above, Science Fiction is the genre to show technology, and here Alex Lamb is no stranger. There are many different forms of it, from the genetic engineering side and what the Galateans are all capable off, down to the sun-tech part and the spaceships. It's just awesome and the way that Alex Lamb explains the things, it isn't high tech at all, it feels like every day technology, you don't have to have a PhD in science to understand. In the end its just awesome. Again I have to stress the part of Will and his being a Roboteer and all that he is capable of, just frickin awesome. I want to be able to do that! Added to this comes a very nice world building. There is great diversity in where it takes place, in outer space in the Ariel and scenes back on Earth with the Earthers prophet. What cannot be missed in such a Space Opera is of course a higher entity then the human. Oops did I say to much?
Alex Lamb's debut, Roboteer is hands down an awesome debut. Science FIction is a saturated genre but Roboteer breaks through it and, well smashes through with is with some very cool new ideas. Alex Lamb knows how to write a cool and engaging story. From the big picture of world building down to the critical features of mechanisms that make it twist and turn, the technology, and most importantly the characters, everything is shows until into the fine detail. I am looking forward to reading more of Alex Lamb's books, if this is just the start, hang on to your hats!
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BOOK REVIEW: The Roboteer by Alex Lamb
Posted by Amy Brown in Book Reviews, Books, REVIEWS | Comments Off on BOOK REVIEW: The Roboteer by Alex Lamb
roboteer book cover
Title: The Roboteer
Author: Alex Lamb
Publisher: Gollancz
Published: 2016
RRP: 8.99
Humanity has been upgraded and has spread to the stars, upgraded with technology and genetic modification. For the billions left on Earth, those who have tampered with the human form are heretics. And so the unequal war began. But Earth has deployed a devastating new weapon and so one outworlder ship and their new Roboteer are sent on what seems to be a suicide mission to discover the origins of this new threat. What they find will change the universe and the human race, for ever.
This is a brilliantly conceived book in which humans have gone beyond virtual reality and remote control and now some have been modified to become one with machines. Not only that but to ‘feel’ a semi conscious emotional connection with each weapon. Using technology they have created space in their minds to escape into the universe with the machines as they travel and destroy enemies in space. The human and machine symbiosis is both adored by those who possess it and feared by those who can’t understand it.
The action in this story is relentless. The humans are fighting amongst themselves. The Earthers who remain purists fundamentally disagree with the way that the Galateans have modified themselves and of course, as is the nature of humanity, this means war. The fight sequences in space are superb and the Robotoeers who are so intimately linked to their machines make the fighting not only thrilling but an absurd emotional experience as the machines alongside them seem to seek the thrill of victory and destruction. The line between humanity and robot is almost completely blurred. Indeed the feeling of bereavement a Roboteer feels when disconnected from the technology during one segment of the book is total.
Will, the main protagonist, finds himself planted into a new team and ship when he discovers an alien race who pick him, due to his unique ability to programme and work with machines, to represent his race. They have offered him and the rival Earthers the key to a devastating weapon which, depending on how they interact with this knowledge, could seal the fate of humanity.
Roboteer is a great book that is cunning and beguiling in its writing. However, there is not enough detail given on the societies, their values or even the basic weaponry they us. The continuous distraction of new ideas, quickly written programmes and semi-described weapons, which are vital to understand due to the relationship with the Roboteer, makes this book a difficult read. The writer has great ambitions for the visuals in the book but by failing to integrate the reader into the universe means that while the story is satisfying the reader could be left never feeling fully immersed. Even the addition of some diagrams and perhaps a brief history in a prologue would help the reader since so much complexity exists within the book.
I recommend Roboteer with the caveat that the more technically minded readers might enjoy it more.
Rating: 3.5 /5
Reviewer: The Aviator
Book review: ROBOTEER by Alex Lamb
05/08/2016 Book reviewsScience fictionSF news0 CommentAlex LambAliensRoboteerspacestarships
ROBOTEER
Verdict: Thoroughly enjoyable hard SF
ROBOTEER’s backdrop is a war between two human factions: the Earthers and the Galateans. The Earthers are presented as religious fanatics, driven to war with the Galateans as a result of the latter’s practice of human modification (labelling them “genetic fascists” and “capitalists”). Will Monet is a Galatean “roboteer” – a human modified to engage with machines and remotely control them. Will is assigned to the soft-combat ship Ariel, and sent on a mission deep into Earther territory. The Earthers have developed a weapon called a “suntap” which threatens to end the war with Galatea in a spectacular fashion. Where did this new technology come from? The Earthers have evidence of an ancient alien civilisation, something which the Prophet will do anything to repress…
ROBOTEER is a compelling and engaging read. This is Alex Lamb’s debut novel, and his passion of the subject matter shines through on the page. Lamb was a scientist before he became a full-time author, and the combination of both roles suits him well. He effortlessly explains complex scientific concepts with lean and effective prose, whilst driving on the plot. In lots of ways, ROBOTEER reminded me of classic SF works from the likes of Asimov and Clarke. The sense of adventure and handling of high-concept is very much in that vein.
Where the book probably deviates from the more classic template is the handling of character. Lamb does this well. He pays particular attention to the “hero character” Will, likening his ability as a roboteer to a high-functioning autistic and I can see how his engagement with machines is made more effective as a result of this condition. At the outset of ROBOTEER Will is presented as almost machine-like in his approach to life; understanding machines far better than he does other humans. But Will develops as a character through the course of the book, and his relationship with fellow traveller Rachel leads to him becoming more human as the book progresses.
I should also say something about Lamb’s treatment of alien races in ROBOTEER. The main alien race is referred to as “the Transcended”, and they are responsible for the suntap. Their introduction is quite sudden, which is shocking for both the reader and Lamb’s characters. Will, as a roboteer, becomes the perfect conduit for the alien-mind: becoming their mouthpiece, and simultaneously finding himself tested by them. This was an interesting way to reveal the existence and motives of a superior alien race. Will himself remains sceptical of the aliens’ motives, and his crew even more so. I thought this was very well-handled. Other species are also introduced, broadening the ROBOTEER universe, but this is done skilfully and without overburdening the reader with detail.
I really enjoyed ROBOTEER. There’s already a sequel, called NEMESIS, which I will definitely be picking up.
Roboteer
ROBOTEER – ALEX LAMB
Judged purely on its title and cover, Alex Lamb’s Roboteer could very well be mistaken for the sort of third-rate pulp fiction that many people still associate with sci-fi as a genre. In fact, upon closer inspection it turns out to be a gripping, characterful epic set to a grim future backdrop of religion, morality, and mankind’s inherent flaws. It features Will, a young man genetically engineered to be capable of programming and controlling thousands of semi-aware robots, who is thrust into a new crew aboard a high-stakes mission that might affect the very future of his race.
Will belongs to a colony of humans who once split away from the greedy, self-destructive people still inhabiting Earth and who, forced to take up residence on the unstable and resource-poor world of Galatea, have turned to genetic engineering as a means to survive. In a nice twist on the usual order, the ‘Earthers’ – led by a dictatorial prophet who preaches of humanity’s purity and right to rule – form the antagonists, technologically less developed but possessed of endless resources and a genocidal hatred of anything that doesn’t fit with their religion. This all forms part of an incredibly vivid setting that Lamb has created, rich with detail and fascinatingly thought-out. The story’s plot is no less complex as Will and his crew investigate what at first appears to be a newly developed Earther weapon but soon turns out to involve worryingly calculating intervention from distant aliens and a battle for not just mankind’s soul but its very survival as a species.
Two things particularly stand out here – firstly the level of world building, which is phenomenal, but also the level of detail that Lamb has put into the science involved. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword actually, in that on the one hand there’s an incredible sense that the science might actually work, instead of the usual Star Trek-inspired techno-babble, but on the other hand it does sometimes feel a little bewildering to be reading about particle resonance, Casimir-buffers and curvon gradients in the midst of an exciting, fast-paced story. Look past that though and there are well-drawn characters, not just Will but his crew and even some of the Earthers as well, a fantastic sense of pace and just an amazing sense of scale to the whole story.
Interestingly, despite the fact that Roboteer is the first in a planned trilogy it stands up as a satisfying story in itself, with only the amazingly detailed world building to really suggest that there might be more still to come. It won’t be for everyone, not least because of the occasionally-distracting hard science elements, but anyone looking for an enjoyable, exciting story with a complex and detailed setting would do well to look past the cover and take the plunge.
Alex Lamb’s first novel, Roboteer (Gollancz, £14.99), hits the ground running with an explosive space battle between the crew of the starship Phoenix and a battlefleet from Earth – and hardly lets up for the next 400-plus pages. Will Kuno-Monet is a roboteer who programs artificial intelligences in a long-running battle with the forces of Earth. Humanity has fractured: Earth is ruled by a totalitarian religious regime that has banned genetic modification and is bent on reclaiming autonomous colony worlds; Will was born on a colony whose environment is so inimical that genetic modification was the only option. Lamb handles the politics without resorting to info dumps and in Will has created a sympathetic and well-rounded hero.