Lifeboat, by A.B. Shepherd

Lifeboat - a fantastic sci-fi mystery...

Cass Carmichael has lost everything; her husband, her son, and her will to live. She walks the streets and paddocks when she can't sleep. One night she sees a UFO. She can't stop thinking about it. She becomes obsessed.

When natural disasters destroy the earth she is rescued by extra-terrestrials and taken to a new world where the human race can rebuild.

But something is wrong here. This may not be the Utopia she expects. Survivors are vanishing without a trace.

Can Cass unravel the riddle in time to save herself?

Cass

Present Day – Dreaming

Rural South Australia

Rain lashed down and the wind howled. Lightning flashed across Mick’s scowling face, as the booming thunder made me jump in my seat. At least Michael slept through the storm.

Mick, four year old Michael, and I were on the road, driving home from Adelaide. We’d gone down for the day to the Royal Adelaide Show.

It had been a wonderful day. Almost perfect. We had so much fun checking out stock, and trade stalls, viewing all the entries in the various competitions, eating scrumptious show food, and buying show bags.

It was a long day though. As it grew late the three of us grew overly-tired, and cranky. Although I usually handled Michael’s rare tantrums like a pro, this time I threw my own tantrum. “Mick, would you please handle your son,” I groused, as Michael shifted from whinging to a full-fledged fit. He threw himself to the ground, kicking and screaming.

“Why is it he’s always my son when he behaves like this?” Mick retorted, obviously annoyed by my nasty tone of voice, as well as my comment. He leaned down to pick up our child. Michael resisted, throwing his body back, and continued to scream loud enough to break an average person’s eardrum.

“Because my son doesn’t act like that,” I yelled. I stomped away, ready to go home. I headed toward the car park, assuming Mick would follow. When we reached our car, Mick buckled Michael, who still screamed, into the safety seat behind Mick’s. I climbed in the front seat on the passenger side, slamming the door in my own fit of temper.

Mick got in the driver’s side, closing the door before he growled, “What the hell Cass?”

“I’m tired Mick. My feet hurt, and I’m sunburned, and I just want to go home now.”

“And that means you’re just going to leave our son in the middle of the Show?”

“I didn’t just leave him. I left him with you. It’s about time you dealt with his tantrums. You’re never there when he throws them. I’m tired of it.”

It was completely unfair of me to say that. Michael’s tantrums only occurred when he was over-tired, which didn’t happen often. Mick was a good dad. In truth, he did handle Michael’s tantrums with a great deal of patience. Much more patience than I was showing. But who is ever fair in an argument?

A.B. Shepherd

“Just take me home. I don’t want to argue anymore.” I sulked.

“Whatever you say your majesty,” he sarcastically replied.

Michael soon quieted as he fell asleep, but I continued to pout as Mick drove.

The weather all day had been unseasonably warm and sunny, but as night set in so did the storm clouds. The drive back to the farm was long. The wind picked up, and the rain slashed down. Visibility on the roads was diminished and the glare of the oncoming headlights didn’t help. I was glad Mick was behind the wheel, and not me. I couldn’t see ten metres in front of us.

Several cars had pulled over on the side of the road. We could only see their tail lights when we were nearly on top of them. The pavement was slicker than a greased pig. Twice I felt the car hydroplane, but Mick managed to keep it under control. Even so, I held my breath each time I felt the tires hit a puddle or the car jolted from the rushing of the wind as another car passed us by. My pulse raced, and my knuckles glowed white in the light from the dashboard where I squeezed my fingers together.

“Mick, maybe we should stop somewhere. Wait out the storm,” I ventured.

Mick, still annoyed with me, said, “I know how to drive, Cass. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.”

Not usually so stubborn, or so condescending, it was obvious I’d really ticked him off and he hadn’t forgiven me yet. We were about ten kilometres from home, nearly there, when it happened. The crash.

The b-double driver going too fast for road conditions hadn’t a hope of stopping. Mick didn’t see the oncoming headlights until far too late.

*****

I woke, shaking, drenched in sweat. Even after five years I still frequently relived this nightmare while I slept.

I dragged myself out of bed and threw on some clothes. My hands still trembled as I grabbed my camera on the way out the door.

I walked the streets and paddocks, hoping they would work their magic and calm my nerves.

 ________

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Review : Wool, by Hugh Howey

Hugh Howey originally released Wool as a series of installments, and I can see why the book soared to the top of the charts on Amazon. As well as having what I call “the elusive compulsion factor,” it is written with a gritty realism that mirrors the subject perfectly.

It’s the story of a post-apocalyptic world, where poisonous winds scour the landscape aboveground on Earth; people live an underground silo that extends down for over one hundred stories. 

Couples must wait for someone’s death for a ticket to try for a child; every few years there is a Cleaning, when someone leaves the Silo to go outside and clean the windows, either voluntarily or under punishment. They never return.

Wool begins with a cleaning, as Holston volunteers to go outside a year after his wife made the same request. This sets into action a series of events that end up affecting every story of the Silo and beyond.

The first section is called Holston, and it is all about his experience. The following parts are named after actions and concepts in knitting: Proper Gauge, Casting Off, Unraveling, and feature other characters. 

First up is Jahns, the Mayor of the silo, and it concentrates on her relationship with Marnes, a police officer, as they go to find a replacement for Holston. Their journey to the bottom of the silo introduces other factions in a nice, geographic outline. I felt as I read Proper Gauge I was descending with Jahns and Marnes to the lower section of the silo, meeting IT and Mechanical along the way.

IT holds Bernard, who is unlikeable from the start. Mechanical is the setting for Juliette, or Jules, and she is extremely likeable. In fact, she’s one of the most original characters I’ve met in science fiction.

All the characters interact in a very original, organic way. As an author, I marveled at Howey’s prowess at herding people from one section to another – this can be a very onerous, exhausting task at times. He manages it without any deus ex machina; as the book progressed, I really felt I was living in the Silo.

The book reminded me of the best of Verne and Wells. The gears and engines are described so perfectly, it’s no surprise to learn that Howey worked as a mechanic on ship, servicing engines that were almost as large as the ones Jules works on in Mechanical.

Meanwhile, there is the rise of Bernard, who acquires more and more power and determines to keep Jules from the upper floors of the Silo. Jules herself is perfect – she’s strong and still feminine, but most of all she is incredibly intelligent. I love the way she negotiates her adventures and challenges in the Silo and out of it.

I read a lot of comments on Goodreads and Amazon that the book shouldn’t have been called Wool. I think there is a definite reason for the title beyond the chapter headings which I won’t mention since it is a major spoiler, but feel free to message me and we can chat about it, if you have read the book.

Finally, Wool appealed to me as a grown-up, neater version of Hunger Games or Divergent. The writing is very simple – and it is in the past tense and third person, hurray! There are no instances of “I go to the mirror and look at my too-big eyes…” – a major turn-off for this reader. 

Not only that, but the plot structure is also very simple – much like the spiral staircase that supports the Silo – simple, but very clever. From that structure, a believable, exciting world blooms and evolves under the ground.

***

This review is also running on the Best in Fantasy review site. Go and check out Connie's reviews - if you need more fantasy in your life, this is the perfect spot to start!