Review of "Green City Wars: A Science Fiction Thriller

Adrian Tchaikovsky's science fiction novels often contain animal characters, and this book is almost completely populated with critters. The book is set at a future time, when humanity has decided to live green. Utopian cities leave no carbon footprint, and people live in beautiful enclaves and have professional careers.



To maintain the infrastructure of the cities, scientists have genetically enhanced animals, collectively called Gerhiners. The Gerhiners include squirrels, rats, mice, raccoons, possums, turtles, birds, amphibians, and others. The critters do all the blue collar and service jobs, such as trash disposal, waste management, water reclamation, plumbing, appliance repair, cooking, cleaning, and so on.



The animals are very intelligent, have language, and are imbued with the imperative, 'Rule One: No Contact With Humans'. Thus much of the animals' work goes on underground and/or during the night.



To keep control of the animal workers, scientists built in the need for a substance called 'plantgent'. Each creature must have periodic infusions of plantgent to maintain their intelligence. Without plantgent, the critters' thinking gets fuzzy and their memory fades. Moreover, as an incentive to work, the animals' get paid in a currency called buttons.



One thing the human researchers didn't foresee was that the animals would emulate the baser instincts of humanity. Thus the beasties form gangs; set up syndicates; become criminals; run protection rackets; build weapons; have wars; and more - all without the knowledge of the people around them.



The main character in this story is a coffee-loving raccoon called Skotch, who lives under a green city called Neuwein-Grundstadt.



Skotch once worked in the trash disposal unit of the Uzco Guild, which is run by a huge snapping turtle called Benson. Skotch left Uzco to become a freelance private investigator, and his detective work has flush and fallow periods. Thus Skotch sometimes lacks buttons to buy plantgent ampoules, and he needs both as the book opens.

As luck would have it, Skotch's old boss, the snapping turtle Benson, offers the raccoon a job. Benson wants Skotch to find a mouse named Dr. Meece, and bring the little squeaker to Uzco. Benson gives Skotch an advance - plantgent and buttons - and Skotch starts his search.



Initially, the raccoon reaches out to critters who 'owe him one' to learn Dr. Meece is at a country club/restaurant that employs mice as cooks and waitstaff (a novelty situation that permits contact with humans). The mice collect all the people's leftovers, which are processed and sold to Gerhiners - and squirrel gangs take a big cut.

As it happens, Skotch arrives at the country club amidst a gang war between red squirrels and gray squirrels (distinguished by their red and gray bandanas), both of whom want the food sideline.



During the ruckus, Skotch sees Dr. Meece fleeing from a mouse-size chemistry lab in the back room and gives chase.



Dr. Meece escapes, and Skotch learns the mouse is a brilliant scientist who's being pursued by just about every group in Neuwein-Grundstadt, most of whom want to kill him. Skotch is a raccoon with a conscience, and he wants to know WHY Dr. Meece is a wanted mouse. Is the squeaker formulating a nerve poison or biological weapon to kill humanity? Or is he making something salutary?



Most of the novel follows Skotch as he has one dangerous adventure after another while trying to catch Dr. Meece AND learn what the small rodent is doing. In the course of the tale, several of Skotch's friends and acquaintances are killed and Skotch finds himself attacked with knives; pistols; bee sting guns; teeth; claws; stomping feet; etc.



Skotch's two most dangerous enemies are a weasel stoat called Szerky and an enhanced cat named Tybelle, both of whom think Skotch knows the whereabouts of Dr. Meece, and want to squeeze the information out of him.



At one point, Skotch is a hair's breadth away from being fed into a huge food processor by a cadre of animals desperate to locate the little chemist, and convinced Skotch knows more than he's telling.



Skotch does have some allies, especially a pigeon called Lulu, who belongs to a human journalist. Lulu is a researcher for the scribe, and goes around 'interviewing' the animals in Neuwein-Grundstadt for her owner's articles. Lulu makes it her mission to protect Skotch because he owes her a story about Dr. Meece. Lulu provides the story's light relief as she talks incessantly and tries to question every animal she meets, including gang members.



Besides mimicking human warmongering, the animals imitate human religion. For instance, some animal groups worship a prophet called Jeff and practice 'Jeffism', centered on community, cooperation, and self-help.



By the book's finale, we know about Dr. Meece's work and the outcome of his research, and it's a very satisfying revelation.

To me, Tchaikovsky's picture of (at least) some intelligent animals going to the dark side is realistic. Human history is rife with wars over religious and philosophical differences; territory; resources; money; hatred; bigotry; self-interest; and on and on. So why wouldn't smart critters go the same route?



The story is a relatively straightforward action thriller, but the number and variety of characters is legion, and remembering them all takes a bit of concentration. Still, I enjoyed the book, which is imaginative and fun. Highly recommended.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by John Pirhalla, who does an excellent job, especially with the different animal languages and Tchaikovsky's made-up words.

Thanks to Netgalley, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of the book.

Rating: 4 stars 

Review of "The Last Mandarin: A Thriller" by Lousie Penny and Mellissa Fung

Twenty-six-year-old Alice Li and her friend Liam Palmer, who met at Columbia University School of Journalism, both write food blogs.



Since Liam's job with a food distribution service often takes him to China, and Alice lives in DC, the friends usually communicate about and through their blogs. Alice's blog, called Junk Food, often features Asian dishes; and Liam's blog highlights little places he finds on his travels.





Alice is reading her latest message from Liam on the way to a restaurant to meet her mother for brunch. Liam sent a photo of himself on Hong Kong's Star Ferry, holding a coconut bun.



The accompanying text, seemingly meant for Liam's blog, reads, "Proceeding along the edge of the stream, I forget the distance of the road I have walked. I suddenly come across a forest of blossoming peach trees that extend uninterrupted for several hundred paces on either bank. Fragrant grasses are delicate and petals fall in riotous profusion."

Afterwards, Alice joins her mother Vivien Li in a luxury hotel eatery. Vivien is a Chinese woman who fought the troops in Tiananmen Square and is now a wealthy famous dissident in America, fighting for reform in China.



During Alice and Vivien's meal, every phone in the restaurant starts blaring; the room gets dim; and a red emergency light begins flashing. It turns out ALL THE ALARMS ALL OVER THE WORLD - in every country, on ships, on submarines, on planes, and even on the international space station - are going off all at once. People panic, there's chaos, and then the alarms suddenly stop.





Later that day, Vivien Li - who's an advisor to U.S. President Fraser Pardington - is called to a meeting at the White House along with Alice. There the president's Director of National Intelligence Grant McAllister says the malware that set off the alarms was traced to China. Moreover, McAllister reveals Liam Palmer was an American intelligence agent, and says Liam was murdered on Hong Kong's Star Ferry soon after he sent Alice his photograph.



The president and his cabinet think Liam was conveying a secret message by way of his photo and 'blog entry' (above), which is now seen as describing Liam's movements through Hong Kong's streets, alleys, and harbor. McAllister wants Alice to help interpret Liam's clandestine communication.



As information accumulates, it appears adaptive predictive artificial intelligence (APAI), originating in China, was used to set off the alarms. President Pardington and his advisors try to contact their counterparts in China, but have little success.



We learn that President Chen Jiayang of China is as flummoxed as the Americans by the alarms going off, and is just as anxious to stop the perpetrators before ACTUAL catastrophic events occur....like the U.S. launching nuclear weapons into China.



When a second APAI incident occurs, it's even worse than the first. There are global infrastructure disruptions, and thousands of people are killed when elevators fall.



It appears the perpetrators are working up to a doomsday event, which makes it imperative to stop them as soon as possible.

It would be a spoiler to reveal too much about the plot, but in a nutshell: Vivien Li takes off for China to connect with a dissident group she helped initiate after Tiananmen Square. In the meanwhile, Alice visits Liam's sister Mae and collects a bauble Liam sent her from China.



Alice then follows her mother to China, and there's maximum danger, action, and adventure as Vivien, Alice, and their collaborators try to uncover the terrorists who developed the APAI and stop them.



Some of my favorite parts of the story take place in the necropolis built by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China (circa 220 BCE). This vast imperial burial complex, meant to house Qin in the afterlife, was designed to replicate his imperial court, army, and empire below ground. Among other things, Qin's complex houses a terra cotta army that includes soldiers, horses, chariots, and other figures.









As in many espionage novels, there are moles in the story - spies who collect and transmit secret information to foreign entities. In this book, there are traitors in President Pardington's administration AND in President Chen's standing committee. (One would think the most powerful leaders in the world would do better vetting 'their people', but then there wouldn't be a story. 😊)

This is an exciting thriller, highly recommended.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Eunice Wong, who does a fine job.

Thanks to Netgalley, Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung, and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of the book.

Rating: 4 stars