The Explorer
They probably dreamed up the phrase niche book for novels like this one. More than a little mind-bending, it tells the story of Cormac, a journalist-astronaut who’s part of humankind’s first manned deep-space expedition. As related by Cormac, when it came time for the cryosleeping astronauts to awaken, they soon died, one by one, for various reasons (faulty space suit, heart attack, etc.). And then the story appears to reset, going back to the beginning, with the crew waking up again; only now, Cormac is an observer, hidden from view, watching events unfold as he has just related them to us. Eventually, Cormac becomes a third-person character in his own first-person story, and by this time, sf fans have either given up in confusion or become glued to their seats. Like Moon, Duncan Jones’ recent film, the story straddles the line between reality and fantasy, but where Jones had visuals to tell his story, Smythe does it entirely with words, calling on us to supply the visuals in our own minds. A challenging and stimulating read. --David Pitt