The Curve of the Earth by Simon Morden

Published by Orbit on March 19, 2013 

Samuil Petrovich is back. A rather quiet decade has passed since the events described in Degrees of Freedom. The evil Americans are still ruled by religious fanatics, but the Freezone is cooking along with a proto-democracy. Major decisions are made by a consensus of individuals chosen by computer who serve on small committees organized on an ad hoc basis -- a nifty idea. Despite the abilities Petrovich has gained by virtue of his cybernetic components and his connection to the Artificial Intelligence named Michael, Petrovich follows the Freezone rules -- as he should, since the Freezone is pretty much his creation.

Petrovich's adopted daughter Lucy has lost contact with the Freezone. Petrovich nominates himself to find her. Since Lucy was doing research in Alaska when she disappeared, a hapless FBI agent named Joseph Newcomen is assigned the frustrating task of assisting Petrovich -- a man who requires little assistance and desires even less. Petrovich and Newcomen spend the first half of the novel sparring until, at about the novel's midpoint, Petrovich begins to get a handle on the reason for Lucy's disappearance. She's seen something, or learned something, that involves the apparent destruction of a satellite that was blown out of the sky. Just what Lucy found is the mystery that drives the novel. Are the Chinese and/or the Americans up to something nefarious? The answer is interesting, a little surprising, and a clear set-up to more Petrovich novels.

Petrovich hasn't exactly mellowed as he's aged, but what fun would a mellow Petrovich be? He spends much of the novel berating Newcomen who, in Petrovich's view, doesn't think or fend for himself and has committed the unpardonable sin of being an American. At times Petrovich becomes wearisome in his bullying self-righteousness. He's often having a tantrum. That's amusing for awhile but it wears thin by the end of the book, particularly since he has the same tantrum over and over and over. Apparently near-omnipotence has made it difficult for Petrovich to get over himself. At other times he's surprisingly insecure about being a science geek (apparently the kids at school picked on him) and takes it out on others by belittling anyone whose knowledge base consists of subjects that require more subtlety than the rote memorization of "the value of the gravitational constant." It was good to see Petrovich growing up a bit in the trilogy that introduced him. Clearly the dude needs to grow a bit more, starting with a lesson in humility. I'm hoping that happens in future novels.

The dystopian America Simon Morden envisions, a government controlled by the religious right, also wears a bit thin, only because it is an underdeveloped, one-note song. The novel's premise that Americans would willingly give up their right to curse suggests that Morden has never visited Texas ... or Chicago ... or the East or West Coasts. On the other hand, his satirical look at American excesses when it comes to airport security and immigration queues are spot on, and Evil America serves as a counterpoint for Freezone values -- openness, governance by consensus -- that make the Freezone seem like an appealing place to live.

Morden peppers the swiftly moving story with high energy action scenes, some of which are impressively original. To the extent that The Curve of the Earth feels like an extended set-up for the next novel in the series, it at least whets my appetite for whatever might be coming next. There are passing references to earlier events that might befuddle a reader who hasn't read The Petrovitch Trilogy, but The Curve of the Earth should be enjoyable for readers who haven't read the earlier novels.

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