cover image Ceres Storm

Ceres Storm

David Herter. Tor Books, $22.95 (255pp) ISBN 978-0-312-87493-3

Although this first novel deals in modern science fiction tropes such as nanotechnology and artificial intelligence, Herter's style and plot are more heavily influenced by the grand scale and breathless high adventure of Golden Age SF. In the far future, young Daric lives a simple life on terraformed Mars, caring for plants and listening to his ancient grandpapa's stories about the amazing exploits of the long-dead Emperor Darius. Then Daric learns that he and his small family are clones of the Emperor Darius; Daric is the most successful of the batch. Unfortunately, an unscrupulous company run by the Krater-Tromon clan wants to exploit Daric's knowledge by using him to open Darius's long-ago sealed complex on Earth. When Kay-Tee agents kidnap him, the boy must marshal his newfound skills and information to escape and prevent them from taking over the solar system. The first half of the novel is an often confusing setup for the second half, in which Daric attempts to outrun his enemies. The boy's youthful, often clueless, point of view leaves out much that's needed to bring the setting and characters to life. The thin backstory doesn't help much either. Despite all the antic chasing-around, there's never enough detail to make the book particularly convincing or compelling. Readers who crave high-tech pyrotechnics and brisk storytelling over thoughtful characterization and context are most likely to enjoy this debut novel. (Nov. 13)