Gaia Twist

A mysterious toxin contaminating the food supply threatens Earth in 2816 in this mixed debut novel from physicist Walker, whose storytelling isn’t as innovative as his scientific concepts. Southwest Saskatchewan field monitor Galen Sjøfred, a stereotypical former hero fallen from grace, is alerted to the crisis when he discovers dead animals littering the soybean fields he oversees. The totalitarian Earth Authority’s Minister of Organic Resources is desperate to cover up the existence of Toxin X and orders the immediate arrest of Galen and his nieces, Kessa and Marta Dahlstrom, who are visiting from the planet New Gaia. Pilots Jet Castilian and Stoke Omroni join the cast of wooden characters when an inexplicably rash decision forces them to help the Dahlstrom sisters evade the government pursuit. Walker’s solid scientific concepts paint a believable vision of Earth’s future, but the combination of overly familiar plot tropes with two-dimensional characters detracts from the stimulating premise and thematic exploration of isolationism vs. community. (BookLife)