The Red: First Light
By Linda Nagata
Gray Planet Commentary
- Compelling
- Military SF
- Action and Character
Gray Planet Indices
- Good Book Index: 70/100
- Literature Index: 35/100
- Magic Factor: 30/100
- Sense of Wonder Index: 40/100
At first glance I would be tempted to call The Red: First Light military sf, but such a classification limits the potential audience and minimizes the impact of the novel. What’s the difference? Everything that separates good writing from formula writing and meaningful and provocative sf from old tropes rehashed.
Told in the present tense, the narrative is compelling from the beginning. It is filled with action scenes that have meaning rather than just giving adrenaline junkies a fix. Part of the way Nagata accomplishes this is through character development. Each actor is unique and the action scenes develop this uniqueness and make us care about the players. We are fascinated by the technology, excited by the action and interested in what motivates each character.
In short order we are introduced to the main themes of the novel. The world has undergone cultural and economic crises that result in wars fought solely to create economic stimulus. Such wars are promoted by large defense contractors. The money generated causes rampant political corruption which generate more wars and more money.
Lieutenant Shelley leads a squad of mercenary combatants. Under fire, Shelley is a charismatic leader who hears a mysterious voice that saves him and his squad numerous times.
It is these themes and these characters that drive the narrative and that narrative moves in unexpected directions. This is the greatest asset of the novel–we cannot predict the events, but when they occur, we realize their importance to both the characters and the themes. There are big ideas and concepts here—where is our world headed and do we want to passively go along for the ride?
Lt. Shelley does not follow along quietly and neither do the members of his squad, Sgt. Vasquez and Private Ransom (who refers to Shelley as King David because he thinks Shelley listens to the voice of god). Neither does Lissa, Shelley’s girlfriend, although she is a very reluctant participant.
This is an good novel that succeeds on three levels: enough action for anyone; an important sf theme that engages a cautionary sense of wonder; and characters who breathe with emotional life.
