★ Gordon Wyant Once again, I find myself putting off this whole writing-of-reviews thing. At least this time I have an excuse . . . getting the event schedule together. But, now I've done that, so I have no excuse. I finished "Momentum" about a week ago and now I want more. Though, I have to say that I certainly didn't think that would be the case when I was at the beginning of the novel. I'm glad I had faith in Saci's ability to spin a grim and dirty not-so-distant future; it sure paid out in the end.
So . . . review!
Publisher's Summary:
With energy wars flaring across the globe, oil prices have gone crazy, there are regular power cuts, and soldiers manage to keep the Outsiders in check. Hunter, one of the privileged of society, is fascinated by the Outsiders, so when he meets Uma he is quickly drawn into her circle of the poor and disenfranchised.
My Review: 3.5/5
I realize I haven't given an explanation of my rating system so:
1 = ugh don’t read it
2 = meh, not bad
3 = liked it, worth the read
4 = REALLY liked it, you should read it
5 = LOVED IT and everyone should read it
Saci Lloyd is the author of the Carbon Diaries duet and I love those books. What she did in those novels is miles away from what most other people have written in eco-disaster novels. First of all, they take place at the watershed moments that mark the end of the fantasy of oil dependence. They draw us a picture of carbon cards, riots, natural disasters, and all the socio-cultural stress caused by such a setting. Even though her descriptions of these things is detailed and visceral, that isn't what sets these books apart. Her choice to show these things not as key players, but merely as a setting in which a young girl is just trying to have a normal teenage life complete with family drama and romance woes. And she does so fabulously. Somehow, presenting it in this manner makes it all the more real. It was this style I was looking forward to diving into once again and when I read the flap of "Momentum" I was even more excited by what seemed sure to be an action filled thrill-ride as well.
It was easy to picture the events taking place in "Momentum" to be in the same universe as the Cabon Diaries, merely a number of decades afterward. The setting can be easily extrapolated from the "Carbon Diaries 2017" and its depictions of civil unrest and protests turned violent over unequal application of carbon laws. I do not know if this was intentional on Saci's part or not (probably not), but it ultimately resulted in a deeper experience with the setting. I felt like I had a firm grasp on many of the factors that lead to the world we see in "Momentum." Unfortunately, it may also be one of the reasons I had a hard time getting into the novel at the start, which I'll touch on shortly. All of that said, this book IS a book with no official ties to Carbon Diaries, so don't let that worry you about starting a fun book. Just understand that my own expectation has undoubtedly colored my experience.
The setting is a London on its knees. Brought to its low state by its dependence on oil, a resource now almost completely exhausted. Faced with vast energy inadequacies, the city becomes deeply divided into the haves and the have-nots. The haves live in well maintained city areas that have reasonable access to electricity, a vast virtual/augmented-reality network called the Yee-uh to keep their attentions away from what those in power would have the citizens not see (a very Brave New World form of control through over-stimulation), and a massive group of dissidents and possible terrorists, Outsiders, to blame on everything bad that has or will happen. Forcing order upon the Citizens and downright brutal attacks upon the Outsiders are the Kossaks, a para-military force with seemingly boundless abilities and very little in the way of conscience. The Outsiders are much more than the Citizens would paint them as. They are dissidents, for sure, but not the uncoordinated and unintelligent rabble the powers that be would have the Citizenry know. They are organized, skilled, with highly intelligent members and leaders and they may very well be the people with the knowledge to save the world.
Into this setting we drop Hunter, a Citizen with a fascination with the Outsiders, and Uma an Outsider with some powerful ties in their organization. As the setting makes clear, these two are in for a great deal of action and political drama as they struggle to keep information vital to the survival of the Outsiders from Kossak hands. Saci does not disappoint in this regard, as the characters (and the reader) are barely given moments to catch their breath before they must fight or run across the rooftops of London and the surrounding slums, along the Thames (and often through it), staying barely out of Kossak hands or slipping out of Outsider or Citizen intrigue. The action flows beautiful and intense with the speed and flexibility of parkour that inspired much of the action's movement. It feels real and natural, something that many authors don't quite manage, getting bogged down in details that don't matter. There is real brutality in the action, though. Everyone and anyone in the story is likely to get severely beaten, tortured, or even brutally killed . . . but, aren't those a few of the calling cards of the action genre? It really feels like you are reading a movie by Luc Besson. By the way, after finishing this book, you'll want to watch the District B-13 movies in order to get another fix of this book's flavor of action.
The characters ring true enough, given that there is very little time for them to relax enough to have great character developing moments. I did find the deep connection between Hunter and Uma a little hard to chew, which would have been a problem if I was given a moment between the action to really think about it. Where Saci's characterization really shines is in the supporting cast. Hunter's friend Leo and Uma's fellow Outsider Ruby are both characters that beg for more of the spotlight. They have depths we only see a glimpse of before Hunter and Uma must part paths with them. They are the ones truly caught between the two worlds, while the main characters are really just caught up in their growing relationship and intrigues (and, you know, trying not to be killed by seemingly everyone), and I couldn't help but long for more scenes with them.
So, given the wall of text above, why did I have a problem with the beginning of the novel? Well, it felt as if Saci was having a hard time getting a hand on her setting at the start. There was a lot of dramatic changes in scenes from the slums, to the sanitary urban setting the Citizens wall themselves inside, the augmented and virtual worlds of the Yee-Uh and the Outsider's Dreamline . . . the changes are so jarring and so quick in their transitions that I felt I was barely getting a handle on one before I was thrust into another. Once the basics of the setting is established, though, the action takes over and soon the reader is flowing from these disparate worlds with the same ease as the characters.
All-in-all a great action novel with a bit more to say than most, fantastic supporting characters, and a setting that ends up quite immersive despite it's shaky start. When you finish the book, you will want to dive directly into the next. Unfortunately, a second book has yet to be released and as Saci's next book ("Quantum Drop" which is now published in the UK) does not to seem to have anything to do with "Momentum." So, we may be waiting. I certainly hope this isn't the last we read of Hunter and Uma's adventure.
Have you read it? Let me know what you think?
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