For this month, let’s tackle two novels that interestingly world-builds in the near future. Then, there’s one that’s set in Japan’s underworld, and one that takes on Florida’s demi-monde. 

The Mountain In the Sea by Ray Nayler
There are SciFi novels that take us galaxies away, and rely on world-building on some remote planet. And there’s that type of SciFi that dares to stay here on Earth, but conjures up an alternative near-future that’s firmly rooted in this world as we know it— with strong differences that serve as the book’s SciFi/Fantasy element. Nayler wonderfully creates a main cast of characters that include a marine biologist who specializes in consciousness and intelligence in the world of cephalopods, an android who’s our glimpse into AI, and an intriguing mercenary/security officer on an island in the Can Dao archipelago in Vietnam. There’s also the octopus of Can Dao, who exhibits hyper-intelligence and seem to participate in conscious communication inter-species. 

As it is, this ambitious novel tackles such subjects as AI, ecocide, the meaning of consciousness and unique planetary SciFi. At the core of the novel is the attempt by our female marine biologist, Ha Nguyen, to communicate with the cephalopods and be part of the drive to keep their natural habitat from being compromised or destroyed. Parallel narratives involving human trafficking and working on ships that traverse the waters in the archipelago help add texture, and we are impressed when these narratives do intersect in manners we may not have seen coming. What is interesting is that when the communicating does happen, Nayler turns the table on the humans and gives the cephalopods a distinct upper hand. 

Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
Never let it be said that Gospodinov is not ready to take on big themes, and transition the personal of what is transpiring in Europe into broad commentary—and doing all this in novel form. This latest has him creating a figure named Gaustine who once worked in a home for geriatric patients. Recreating rooms that depict particular decades, like the 1970’s or 1960’s, he would find that placing those suffering from Alzheimer’s in said rooms would make these patients become more talkative and expansive - and it would form part of the therapy, something that their relatives and friends would comment favorably on. It’s this yearning for the past, the glory days, that has Gaustine then wondering if this can be done on a bigger scale.

Pretty soon, it’s not just patients afflicted with Alzheimer’s clamoring for these ‘rooms’, but the healthy and sound of mind as well. Seems it’s a respite from the present day which torments them on a daily basis, and they look forward to the treatment. Gospodinov then makes the quantum leap and has his novel relating how all of Europe, whole nations, would then conduct referendums to decide how each country wanted to restart time in a particular decade, and move on from that era. In typical Europe-fashion, this is all doomed to failure as those whose decade of choice lost in the referendum, refuse to bow to the majority, and tech companies similarly refuse to be "phased out." In a surprise twist, the existence of Gaustine is also questioned. Here’s a deep, provocative novel. 

Three Assassins by Kotaro Isaka
Isaka is the author of "Bullet Train," a wonderful novel that, unfortunately, got a so-so film adaptation when it tried too hard with it’s casting to snare a global audience. This is the second novel of Isaka to get an English translation, and it’s easy to see why he has such a stellar reputation in his country for churning out exciting Crime Fiction. Suzuki is a former high school maths teacher whose wife was killed in a stupid accident by the son of the local crime boss. As a result, Suzuki joins the gang as a low level recruit, hoping to extract some form of vengeance. It’s a promising premise fueled by our being introduced to the three assassins, who become persons of interest. The Cicada, the Whale, and the Pusher are their monikers. 

What Isaka excels in is creating full characters, he managed to do this with all the hired killers on Bullet Train, and it is once again a special feature of this novel. The Cicada is a young knife-wielding killer who can’t stand the man he works for, and specializes in killing whole families. The Whale is known for his physical size, and his gift is convincing his victims to take their own lives. The Pusher is a family man with two adorable boys, but is known for pushing people to their death with cunning and exactitude so it looks like traffic accidents. There’s Suzuki who’s obviously blinded by his revenge mission, and is way in over his head, operating in this milieu of the Tokyo crime underworld. Great read!

Monkey Business by Carleton Eastlake
Touted as an heir apparent to Carl Hiaasen, Eastlake actually has his own signature style and humor, and the reference could be more about the Florida setting. The best way to describe the premise would be to ask, "What if E.T. was a gorgeous female exotic dancer, who could spout philosophy and psychiatry, and her Elliott was a young, struggling script writer on a crime series TV pilot’." With that combination, what we get is a SciFi social comedy that straddles both the world of Rom-Com and the world of Social Comedy/Commentary. It’s a juggling act that Eastlake deftly takes on, and, to a large degree, is successful in performing despite the swinging arcs of change in mood and tenor. 

Beyond the toxic atmosphere that surrounds a TV production set and how to survive, one has to be well versed in both The Art of War and Machiavelli. There’s much to enjoy in this loopy novel. Nicole is the exotic dancer being referred to in the previous paragraph, and she’s out to convince her hapless writer/protagonist that she really is an extra-terrestrial who was sent to Earth to discover if rational beings existed. That’s difficult to achieve when our protagonist is hopelessly in love and obsessed with Nicole—for we all know love is almost always very far from rational. Eastlake sets this up very nicely, and as we ping-pong between the TV production meetings and the scenes at the girlie club, we’re taken in by the language, food for thought, and raunchy episodes.