Echogenesis by Gary Gibson
(Brain in a Jar Book, 2021)
Reviewed by Phil Nicholls
Echogenesis is a fascinating science fiction mystery featuring fifteen people who awake inside small stasis pods. They are puzzled to find themselves in a strange jungle beside a crashed spaceship. The unfamiliar plants suggest they are on an unknown planet, as does the wreckage of the planetary landing craft. Robots work on repairing the crashed landing craft but will not interact with the stranded.
The opening chapters deal with the initial debates between the stranded about their location and the reason why they all have holes in their memories. These gaps are more challenging for the elder members of the team who recall being old, yet now find themselves in bodies with a physical age of about twenty.
Aside from their young bodies, these starting mysteries reminded me of a sf version of Lost, or perhaps Lord of the Flies. The large cast is rapidly introduced and pose a challenge for the reader to keep so many new characters distinct. There is plenty of dialogue here as the stranded humans quickly divide into two groups, civilians and military, with differing styles of problem-solving.
Yet for all their discussions, the mysteries only seem to multiply. Gibson weaves together two intertwined threads. The sf elements are strongest in the mystery of the new planet as the stranded struggle to survive and understand how and why they arrived there. Alongside their present concerns, so many of the stranded seemed to connect in their past lives. Gibson focuses on Sam Newman, who remembers some of the other stranded in a shared past on Earth, or at least he recalls the organisation they used to work for.
The challenge when reviewing a mystery novel is knowing how much to reveal of the plot. Without spoiling this story, I assure you Gibson keeps the pace strong with frequent revelations shifting our understanding of earlier events. By the end, powerful truths are uncovered and most of the questions answered. This is not Ender’s Game, where a single big twist changes our understanding of events. Echogenesis is more of a roller coaster, with a string of revelations throughout.
For all the impressive pacing, there are a few gaps in the novel. Practicalities of survival such as food and water are treated unevenly. Both are major problems initially, requiring groups of stranded to travel long distances to find these resources. However, as the mystery plot intensifies, these topics melt away into the background. Likewise, when the stranded begin sleeping on the crashed landing craft, issues such as bedding or toileting seem to be skipped over.
Additionally, many of the large cast of stranded lack distinct personalities. Sam, our central character, is successfully portrayed even from the start, but the varied supporting cast often blur together.
Gibson works hard to blend the two threads of mystery together, yet the plot dealing with the past history of the stranded feels detached from events on the planet. This accurately represents how the stranded are detached from their own memories of their past lives. However, with so many puzzling events thrown at the reader, the opening of Echogenesis demands sustained focus to follow everything that happens.
Gibson has a fluid writing style, and I was drawn through the book by the character of Sam and a desire to see how it all plays out. He even includes flashes of geek humour in the text:
“It wasn’t a golden ticket, and it was delivered by drone rather than by an owl.”
Gibson has written a strong story with great pace and an ever-evolving plot. Faults with the consistency of the setting or multiplicity or lightly sketched stranded soon fade in the background as the plot grabs hold of the reader. He lands the ending cleverly, but you will have to read this compelling sf mystery to find out how it all connects together.
Review from BSFA Review 17 - Download your copy here.