Michelle Herbert reviews A Quantum Mythology by Gavin Smith…
This is the sequel to Gavin Smith’s The Age of Scorpio; if you haven’t yet read The Age of Scorpio [read our review here], my advice is to ignore this review, as there may be spoilers. Without reading that book, A Quantum Mythology will not make any sense to you.
A Quantum Mythology follows The Age of Scorpio in its violent nature and multi perspectives over a large time period. This book is full of battles that range from close combat with whatever sword, axe or arrow that is at hand, to gunfights and nanite weaponry, if you do not enjoy violent then this isn’t the series for you. If you like your sci-fi bloody and complicated, pick this series up now! Of course A Quantum Mythology isn’t just about violence; the story is based on survival, survival of your clan, survival of a species. It looks into what human nature is and what people are willing to sacrifice and struggle for. There is also the unending need to try and understand the technology in this book, what does it mean for the groups granted access to it and who really has control over how it is used. There are a lot of conspiracy theories that leads to a lack of knowledge amongst the characters in the different time periods of the book.
At the end of The Age of Scorpio, Scab and Vic had managed to open the egg they had gained and secured through various means; they now have to work out what to do with the newly awakened Talia who to them is a baseline human with no augmentations, but her importance may also be beyond their comprehension. This leads them on a new mission to sell Talia to the highest bidder, but who are the major players in this ultra violent future and how do they link to the past? The Scab-Vic relationship is still interestingly complex with Vic being subservient to Scab’s monstrous personality, we, like Vic have to constantly wonder how much Scab knows or is guessing at, especially as most of Scab’s plans seem to be about pissing off everyone in their known universe.
In Ancient Britain, Britha has a lot of challenges to face, after failing to save her people in the wicker man, she is torn between her quest for power and the love of two very powerful beings, she is not sure if she will ever be the woman she was before. Betraying everything she has stood for, will Britha be able to make amends to the people she once called friends? Britha stands alone, but this allows some of the group she left behind in The Age of Scorpio to take on more meaningful roles as their histories become fleshed out.
Du Bois’ story is the lynch pin between the ancient past and the distant future. In A Quantum Mythology Du Bois is on the hunt for a very disturbed individual, this hunt first began in Birmingham, 1791 and it continues six weeks before the events of The Age of Scorpio. During the course of this novel Du Bois comes closer to knowing the truth about the people he works for, but at the same time is continually thwarted in his quest for knowledge due to the control The Circle have other him and the people he works with.
With the conclusion to this trilogy being released next year there are still many questions to be answered. A few of these for me are “What is the Brass City and have they always worked in opposition to The Circle?” “How is the Eggshell involved or do they stand apart from the other factions?” “Have these groups which are still mostly names been corrupted from their original mission directives?” I like that every chapter is a piece of a larger puzzle, as A Quantum Mythology slowly gives you more information you feel like you are getting closer to its essence. It is especially dazzling when you get a glimmer in certain chapters of what the future holds for certain characters. It is that zing of recognition that keeps you engaged and wanting to know more.
Michelle Herbert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=C_zu6XuI_g4
Originally published October 9, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
