This is a very original Science Fiction novel, styled in a surrealistic setting based on Inuit legends. It is characterized by a minimalistic dearth of setting details, with only the immediate vicinity of the character even mentioned, and never the overall setting, which seems to be inside some sort of space station. In a strange way this mimics the Arctic in winter, with most of the world an even white, and only a few details standing out in stark contrast.
The result of this is that the whole of our attention is focused on the thoughts and actions of the main character, Luyten, who has a strangely stoic approach to his life. In the first few pages he commits an execution with the same amount of emotion as he would scrape a flake of rust off the tunnel wall. His only comment: “That was my other job.”
The disadvantage is that the emotional content of the tale is likewise flattened. He forces his way through the incredible trials and hardships he is subjected to with the same stoicism an Inuit fights through a blizzard.
Fortunately, the inside of Luyten’s head is a more fertile and varied space. We share his thoughts and questions as he navigates a tortuous path through the uncertainties of the mythical and real environment, and the history and present reality of a quest he does not understand. The draw of the story is for us (and him) to figure out what is really going on.
What we find out draws us further and further from the ancient myths and closer to the Science Fiction reality of his situation, which is hardly less surrealistic. The reader follows the character trying to understand incomprehensible and macabre technology, looking for forgiveness for actions he thought at the time were unavoidable.
The climax is likewise less emotional than it could have been, because the character has become well-nigh indestructible, lessening the effects of the battle and thus undercutting the suspense.
The ending winds down rather slowly, leaving us in a two-thousand-year hiatus where little happens to Luyten, but other things happen elsewhere which bring final meaning to his existence. We don’t know exactly what occurs, but the package is neatly wrapped up in an ironic twist.
A fascinating blend of ancient legend and Science Fiction.
Four stars.