Tomorrow's Kin by Nancy Kress

Published by Tor Books on July 11, 2017

Irrational hatred of aliens is common enough in America. An irrational hatred of space aliens fuels Tomorrow’s Kin, a first contact novel that has Americans and most of world’s population blaming aliens for problems they did not cause. Although the aliens are of human origin, Nancy Kress’ point (I assume) is that irrational hatred of the “other,” stoked by politicians, may be inevitable in a country that prefers bumpkin logic to rational thought.

The other important theme in Tomorrow’s Kin is the fragility of an ecosystem. The sudden removal of one species from the Earth may have a devastating impact on the world economy, for reasons that Kress illustrates convincingly.

The novel’s central character is Marianne Jenner, who has published a paper outlining her discovery of a new haplogroup of mitochondrial DNA. Her publication party is interrupted by FBI agents who want to escort her to the president, something that regularly happens in science fiction novels and thrillers when a scientist’s knowledge is urgently needed, particularly when space aliens are involved. The aliens are in orbit, but they build a floating embassy, surrounded by an energy shield, in New York Harbor. The aliens, known to Earth folk as the Deneb, want to meet Marianne. Hence the urgent need for government agents to summon her.

Marianne’s son Noah is dependent on sugarcane, a drug that gives him confidence in his personality, although the personality differs every time he takes it. Her daughter Liz is an isolationist who has bought into “America first” propaganda, which suits her role as an overzealous border patrol officer. Her son Ryan works for a wildlife organization and argues with Liz about the benefits of globalization. The offspring play varying roles of importance as the novel progresses, and at least two of them will presumably play some role in later volumes.

We quickly learn that the Deneb are descendants of Earth, members of the haplogroup Marianne discovered. And we quickly learn that they’ve come to Earth to save it, much to the consternation of isolationist Liz (who views them as illegal aliens) and ecologist Ryan (who views them as an invasive species). The threat to Earth comes from a cloud of spores that is drifting toward Earth. The Deneb hope to find a way to save Earth because the same cloud will swarm their own planet a couple of decades later.

To avoid spoilers, I won’t say much more about the plot, apart from the fact that it is set up by the Deneb visit but otherwise doesn’t have much to do with the Deneb. In fact, the story loses some of its steam once the Deneb depart, although it does set up short-term and long-term threats to the Earth (mostly from stupid humans). Ensuing volumes will no doubt follow characters into space, which is something I will look forward to seeing.

There is a certain amount of family drama, followed by relationship drama, in Marianne’s life, but it contributes to the story without overwhelming it. There are also a bunch of children who are learning to cope with … skills? disabilities? … that have been genetically unlocked in their minds. That aspect of the story is more interesting than a conspiracy involving a rich guy, which has some good moments but is too much like other conspiracy stories to generate much excitement.

Some storylines are left dangling, and not all of the plot threads cohere, so I wouldn’t recommend this as a stand-alone, although the ending isn’t a cliffhanger. I suspect the entire trilogy will be a more satisfying reading experience than Tomorrow’s Kin standing alone. I may need to revise my opinion after reading the rest of the trilogy, but I can guardedly recommend Tomorrow’s Kin as a moderately interesting beginning to a story that, I hope, will become even more interesting as it develops.

RECOMMENDED

Fountain of Age by Nancy Kress

Published by Small Beer Press on May 8, 2012

Nancy Kress puts the science in science fiction, but more importantly, she tells stories about people. Too many writers of hard sf believe that inventive ideas are enough to carry a story. Kress knows that there is a difference between a science essay dressed up as fiction and an actual story. Beyond her emphasis on realistic characters and human emotions, her stories are defined by graceful, elegant prose. With only one exception, the stories in this collection -- all of which were published between 2007 and 2009 -- are excellent. Six of the nine are outstanding.

Kress blends humor with intrigue in "The Erdmann Nexus" as an elderly physicist and other senior citizens in his retirement home share flashes of memory -- or, as the physicist perceives them, not memories but real-time experiences. Meanwhile an alien ship executes a hasty and unexpected change of course and a ballet dancer's necklace becomes the focus of everyone's attention. How do those storylines intersect with that of the battered woman who acts as the physicist's caretaker? Ingeniously. With its sharp ideas, multi-faceted characters, and elements of mystery shrouded in science, "The Erdmann Nexus" won a well-deserved Hugo. This is short sf at its finest.

A senior citizen also headlines the Nebula-winning title story. "Fountain of Age" deals with tissue regeneration, the history of the Romani people, and creative crime, but it is fundamentally a story of enduring love tempered with sacrifice and regret. Suspense and deft plotting make this a riveting read, but it is again the carefully crafted characters that make the story memorable.

Genetic modification is a recurring theme in these stories. After a biological attack devastated Sichuan Province, a Chinese woman travels to America and becomes pregnant with a child who, unbeknownst to her, has been genetically modified. She returns to China to give birth to a child who needs to ingest a protein inhibitor every week. "First Rites" focuses on the unusual relationship between the hyperactive child and the neuroscientist who created (and illegally administered) his life-saving drug -- and the child's even more unusual response to his genetic modification. This is the cleverest application of the principle that "observation affects outcome" I've encountered. It also highlights another recurring Kress theme -- the danger of treating scientific skepticism as if it were a religion.

Kress takes the concept of children as weapons to another level in "Safeguard," as children genetically enhanced to serve as bioweapons escape from the dome in which they were raised. The story poses a moral question by pitting compassion for innocent children against the safety of a nation. Unfortunately, the potential power that lurks in this story is diluted by an ending that I regard as something of a cop-out.

Aliens visit Earth in two stories. In "The Kindness of Strangers," a woman's life is complicated in mundane ways before aliens cause cities to vanish. Stranded with a group of people inside an invisible dome outside of Rochester, the woman eventually learns why the aliens acted as they did, while at the same time learning something important about herself. Aliens have a less conventional reason for dropping by in 'Laws of Survival," a strange, touching, and wonderfully imaginative post-apocalyptic story about dogs and love.

Also taking place in a post-apocalyptic setting -- one where religious superstition has flourished -- is "By Fools Like Me." The paper books that have survived are sinful; trees are sacred. Still, an elderly woman, rejecting the doctrine that "a little bit of sin is as bad as a big sin," finds comfort in Alice in Wonderland, Jane Eyre, and a field guide to birds that no longer exist.

"End Game" posits that the ability to concentrate intensely on a single subject, blocking out all unrelated thoughts, is less desirable than it may seem -- and it may be contagious. This is an interesting story but not one of Kress' best.

"Images of Anna" answers the question "How much should you change for love?" as a photographer takes pictures of Anna that show individuals other than Anna. More fantasy than sf, the story is, to my mind, the weakest in the collection, the only one I didn't much like.

Still, two-thirds of the stories in this collection struck me as nothing short of brilliant. The stories showcase Kress as one of the premiere writers of science fiction -- and as a remarkably skillful storyteller, regardless of genre.

RECOMMENDED