Review: Three and a half stars, but not quite there
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 7, 2014
Ms. Fitzgerald inserts a cameo into the Wool series framework. Karma enters the silo at thirty two and leaves it at eigthy two. The book describes her life in the silo, as a young mother, an adult woman and, eventually a matriarch. Through her story, and the stories of those close to her, we get insights into what the life in the silo was like. So far so good. To protect the pleasures of future readers, I'm not giving away any of the plot.Initially I was excited about Ms.Fitzgerald's ambition to fill the blanks that Hugh Howey left empty in his story. The Wool series, good as it was (see my review), seemed to me fragmented and lacking the depth of flashing out characters of the many protagonists. This a common sin of even very good SF. Unfortunately, the "corrective" effort in Karma left me cold. The writing is very good. The author spins a smooth and credible prose and (so rarely for SF) the writing about sex is organic to the story, well done (neither porn, nor Victorian), and in suitable proportion to the whole.But... Although Karma's story is at times really touching, at the end she comes over as a series of Power Point slides rather than the fully developing character she was intended to be. Some things are clearly lacking (e.g. how does she rise in the silo hierarchy?). To me, the songs and poems feel flat and artificial. She is too introspective and we are supposed to agonize with her again and again about Paradise Lost. This is rather common fault with the latest genre of dystopic looming future. 1984, or Brave New World are terrible, but is the life now so good? Just look at the news! Somewhere the SF solution, a new (completely!) ideology or religion, evades the writers, and evades Ms. Fitzgerald too. Having said all that, Karma is a good and enjoyable read nevertheless. It just falls short of its ambitious purpose (at least in this reviewer's opinion). I would like to read future Fitzgerald's writings. Despite the deficiemcies of Karma, I have a feeling she is on the right track.