I've noticed a bit of a trend in Obverse Books' Faction Paradox output – namely, they seem to have a more permissive conception of what a Faction story can be. Through all the different stories told within its bounds, the series will always have a distinct feel to it – but with Obverse, the series feels very willing to let the writers decide the minutiæ of that, more than it ever was in its time under Lawrence Miles' thumb. Which is how we end up with Weapons Grade Snake Oil by Blair Bidmead: the first Faction book for which, upon attempting to describe it, my mind jumped to the words "hella cute".
Most Faction books are trying for a particular flavor of esoteric, opaque, and overcomplicated, with a certain gothic dark fantasy–cum–scifi atmosphere. Weapons Grade certainly flirts with the esoteric, but overall feels less interested in matching a specific preëstablished tone. Instead, it takes all the fun bits of worldbuilding and tone it can find from them, and uses all that along with its own unique pieces to craft a good old-fashioned fun romp.
We follow a whole cast of characters, most notably Sojo, far-future president of Pluto (and who may secretly be a character from another Doctor Who spinoff, but shh, don't tell the BBC) – who's dragged into a heist by members of Faction Paradox after spending years trying to ditch her past associations with the group. She's joined by brash mastermind Father Christèmas, laid-back Faction member Chantelle, the confidently incompetent Hussar, and his obligatory historical-figure companion, Anne Bonny. They set off to steal a timey-wimey trinket from a gambling-obsessed sect of future humans, making for the classic heist. And as is typical of heist stories, things don't exactly go to plan.
Each member of the cast shines in their own way, particularly the bloodthirsty pirate Anne Bonny (who's out of her depth but trying her best) as paired up with the bumbling Hussar. These two make a great team, and their dynamic was one of my favorite parts of the book as a new take on the traveling Time Lord / human companion dynamic. The Hussar demonstrates the stuck-up immaturity of the Great Houses, while Bonny's boldness despite her lack of knowledge is charming and provides a refreshing human perspective to proceedings. Even if she is, well, rather murdery and double-crossy. (But let's be honest, we've all been a little bit murdery and double-crossy at times, right? ... Just me?)
Funny enough, the cast member I might have the least to say about is main character Sojo – there's not much about her that stuck with me. It's not that she's underdeveloped relative to everyone else, but rather that her personality is less immediately striking. The characters in Weapons Grade can often feel like pieces meant to fit into a plotline more than anything else, with their dynamics and the effects of their actions being more important than interiority or development – and while that's not bad, it means that the cracks in each character need to be more openly visible. They are for Christèmas, Bonny, and the Hussar – but Sojo stays somewhat static, without many flaws in the present and without being meaningfully changed by her confrontation with her past vices.
The plot and setting, though, are wonderful and so, so vibrant. The obvious thing to mention is the Kraken, a timeship shaped like a – well, you can guess – which was an absolute joy, plus glamorous villain Scacia de Rein and her amorphous robotic companion Teardrop. There's a grotesque Faction member made of candy running horrifying experiments, and a piece of anarchic time as quarry. All of these and more are moving parts that interlock in unexpected yet smooth ways by the novel's end, building up to a genuinely surprising and very Faction-y conclusion. It builds up rather slowly, letting the reader take in all the weird and wild elements in play, before it ramps up in the back-half and Blair Bidmead ties everything together. The prose is simple but well-done as well, making sure the network of moving parts is clear while still finding unique means of description and generally keeping things interesting.
(I did think it really needed a copy editor – something true of all Faction
books, but if there's any book to mention it about, it's Weapons Grade. "De Rein" being spelt "De Rien" across a whole chapter, or typos like "violent steaks of
colour"... entertaining in its own way, admittedly.)
While the prose and structuring makes sure it all reads smoothly, the fact remains that Weapons Grade Snake Oil has a lot going on in a very tangible way. It emphasizes cool scifi ideas and an intrigue-filled heist plotline, without trying to be an intense thinkpiece in the way many Faction Paradox books do. The main thing is that it can feel a bit surface-level as a result, but that's not necessarily bad – this book's goal is to send you on an adventure, and that it does. I remain enamored by Bidmead's writing, and I'm excited to see what else he has in store for Faction Paradox.
No comments:
Post a Comment