In brief: A charming first entry, brimming with ideas, into a richly realized world where sci-fi technology exists amid magic.
Arthur C. Clarke said that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Robert Sier has taken this maxim literally in his invention of a world where a human refugee from the distant future finds himself stranded on a vastly altered planet earth. Derek Kazenushi, the hero of Chains of Loss, must wield enviable technology – which observers literally believe to be magic – to survive in a world inhabited by orcs, elves, vampires, and more, all of whom possess their own magic – or is it just different technology? Sier’s book, the first in a planned series, is a charming introduction to a new and fascinating world.
The book opens with Derek’s gradual awakening, literally. In an intriguing scene indicative of the book’s many inventive scenes to come, Derek has crash landed under mysterious conditions, and his nanotechnology augmented body is busily rebuilding his body, brain and consciousness, under the guidance of a personal Artificial Intelligence, Shadow, that shares Derek’s mind. Before long, Derek will learn he has been transported back to Earth from far across the galaxy, and that alien worlds full of magic and fantasy creatures have somehow been integrated with the planet. Derek will meet inhabitants of this world, and begin a long journey away from danger and (hopefully) toward some answers.
Sier appears to have in mind a grand narrative, and this book introduces the cast and sets up the rules of the game. Beyond Derek’s struggle to survive and thrive in this new world, an old evil may have reawakened, a prophecy is unfolding, and competing kingdoms and alliances, richly drawn, wrangle with each other. There are a lot of introductions to new characters and places, some of which do not overlap with Derek’s journey (yet). This novel is just an opening tableau but nonetheless fascinating and rewarding.
Much of the pleasure of Chains of Loss comes from the ideas that it explores. Derek, for example, is an “augmented” human who comes from a society that seems to have moved beyond want. Sier paints a wonderful picture of how extreme levels of human-machine integration could work. Nanites live in Derek’s bloodstream, capable of repairing most injuries and brain augmentation gives him the ability to significantly slow his perception of time. He is mentally accompanied by a witty and caring Artificial Intelligence, a sort of perfect Siri who helps Derek think through problems, coordinate his internal machinery, and provides access to unlimited information. The portrayal of what it is like to “be” in this advanced state is one of the book’s strongest charms. Small details, like Derek’s ignorance of what scars are, also convey the perspective of someone who has never really known hardship. Yet Derek is just one creation in a novel brimming with glimpses of equally detailed alien (yet are they truly alien?) societies.
It’s also funny, in a geeky sort of way. When Derek has to part ways with Shadow, who is taking up residence in a computer, he tells his old companion to stay safe. Shadow’s response (in brackets) is,
[Me stay safe? Me?] Shadow’s laughter echoed in his mind. [I’ve moved out, now. You’re the one keeping your brain inside a bone case.]
Throughout the book, the tone is breezy and light. Characters speak in a way that would not seem out of step in our own world (at least, the human ones do). This works well most of the time, but it occasionally trips up the story when the subject matter veers into dark and traumatic topics. It also risks making the human characters seem overly similar to each other. The alien characters, on the other hand, are strange and sometimes genuinely frightening. I look forward to learning more about them and this world in general when Sier delivers the sequels.
