Three by Jay Posey

Published by Angry Robot on July 30, 2013

The good news is that Three is a post-apocalyptic novel with no zombies. The bad news is that Three is a post-apocalyptic novel with the Weir ... which are kinda like zombies. Fortunately, there is more to the story than the Weir. Jay Posey has populated a "wild West" landscape with people who have chemically and mechanically enhanced abilities, most of which -- like the Weir -- aren't explained. Nearly everyone has an embedded wireless connection to a satellite (handy if you need GPS or want to check the time) and they can download themselves if they're about to die (handy if you're about to die). A technological people "living rough" in a post-apocalyptic environment is an unusual concept, but again, it's given no context. We are left to imagine why the world is as it is, perhaps because Posey couldn't concoct a satisfying explanation.

The setting is interesting and the story is packed with action, but the novel works because of the characters. Cass needs drugs to function, but when she has them, she's dynamite. Her son, Wren, is a scared little boy most of the time, but he's gifted in ways that aren't immediately obvious. They've escaped from RushRuin, fleeing from a group of brainhackers who want them back -- or, at least, they want Wren.

Three is the classic silent hero, the Clint Eastwood of Spaghetti Westerns who rides into town, squints, and kills everyone who is foolish enough to mess with him. Three is a bounty hunter, a loner who (in classic Clint Eastwood fashion) finds himself doing unselfish things to help a pretty lady and her innocent child even though he'd prefer not get drawn into anyone else's drama. The familiarity of the character makes him no less appealing.

Posey writes with pace and enough power to give the story a serious kick. On occasion his prose is a little corny and sometimes the story is too hokey, but for the most part it avoids going over-the-top. Parts of the story are formulaic, particularly those involving Wren, and some of the fight scenes have a generic quality. The post-apocalyptic Western motif is far from new, although Posey repackages the story with some interesting twists. Three and Cass fighting off wave after wave of Weir is hard to swallow (although if you're prepared to swallow the existence of the Weir, perhaps it makes sense to swallow the rest of the plot, as well). Some aspects of the story are predictable, although the ending is not.

On the whole, Three is the kind of action-driven, emotion-stimulating novel that's fun to read as long as you're prepared to shut down the analytical side of your brain. If you don't think about it too much, you'll enjoy it more, particularly if you're a fan of the early Clint Eastwood westerns.

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