Imagine yourself being part of a colony populating a new planet. What sort of creatures might you find? Are they sentient? Do they have a culture? Are they friendly or hostile toward you?
These are some questions John Lars Shoberg explores in his 2020 novel. De-Evolution.
I enjoyed this novel and was impressed by the craft John displayed with his writing. There are plot twists I found entertaining and was especially pleased with the twist at the end. Overall, this is a fine sci-fi story anyone can enjoy whether or not one is a fan of the genre.
On the planet Belenius 3, humans have arrived from earth onboard a generational ship to set up a colony. They are well on their way to getting dwellings erected to live in and are becoming familiar with their surroundings. Sightings of indigenous beings are reported, but no one really knows their nature or what to expect from the few chance encounters with them. The reports are of creatures the colonists are calling Jabberwockys, so named because of their disjointed appearance. So far, there have been no problems between the colonists and the creatures.
The colony's governor, Howard McCurtel, had his dwelling built on top of a hill, believing it would be safer than having it built near the rest of the colony. Unfortunately, a torrential rainstorm caused a mudslide. He and his family narrowly escape losing their lives when another member of the colony arrived to rescue them. During their attempt to make it to safety, an accident caused the family to be split up and the Howard's two younger children turn up missing.
When the weather clears, the colonists search for the children. They find their tracks but also find the tracks of a Jabberwocky accompanying the children. As Howard and company continue to follow the tracks, it appears the children are cooperating with the Jabberwocky and are in no danger. Eventually they find the children safe and sound in the camp of beings who are friendly and have kept the children safe.
Upon further investigation of the planet’s native occupants, there is evidence of a civilisation de-evolving from a more advanced state. There has to be a reason for this, but no one seems to understand why this evolutionary retardation is happening.
What follows is a story of discovery, danger, and creative problem solving I found engaging.
There are several characters in De-Evolution that have a level of expertise in their fields including builders, scientists, medical personnel, and so on. By far, I found Howard McCurtel the most interesting and developed character in the story. When first introduced, he seemed like he would be a dictator, issuing orders and imposing his way on everyone. An avowed capitalist, he gave all the geophysical features in and around the colony names of his heroes, such as "Buffet Bay" for a nearby body of water. He had his home built on top of a tall hill where he could look down on the colony and survey the fruits of his labor. In the beginning, he didn't seem to understand the nature of being the leader of a colony. In his opening statement, he declares, "there'll be no Communists in my colony!" Obviously, he was mistaking communal living with Communist philosophy. Fortunately, he figured out his role fairly early in the book.
Soon after Howard's family was rescued from the mudslide, he learned to be a leader meant bringing people together to accomplish tasks for the good of the entire colony. He learned there are no expendable people in the group; everyone had a part to play, and all were important for the colony to survive. Several other characters noted this change in him in the text. Howard learned how to lead and went from a character I thought I would not like to a person I could care about.
I also found Howard's two younger children, Tommy and Sarah, fascinating characters. After they go missing, they are found by a member of an indigenous race who leads them to safety. The Raffians, as the natives call themselves, take the kids in and make them feel at home until the rescue party can arrive. Both Tommy and Sarah are well-educated members of the colony. They learn the Raffian language quickly and act as interpreters for the older members who are not so quick to learn languages.
The children and their attitude toward the Raffians leads me to my favorite point of the story's plot.
Leave it to the children to be open-minded enough to make a relationship with an alien race possible. Tommy and Sarah learned to communicate with the Raffians and it opened up a beneficial partnership with the human colony. Had it not been for that relationship, the colony would have ended in disaster. The same thing that caused the Raffians to de-evolve would have claimed all the human colonists in a few months. The kids were the gateway to the colony's survival.
My takeaway for this story is the importance of cooperation in a system where people live in a community. Everyone has their own specialty, and some think their role is more important than others. Depending on the situation, this may be the case, but cooperation is the cornerstone to a community’s survival. Howard was ready to set himself up as the colony's ruler, but he learned he didn't know how to direct his people effectively because he didn't have their knowledge. What he learned was to bring people together and let them use their abilities and training to help him make decisions snd complete tasks. He not only got more done, but he earned the respect of his fellow colonists.
Conquering the fear of the unknown was another theme that stood out in De-Evolution. Fear would only be a natural reaction to entering colonizing a new planet full of unknowns. In the beginning of the story, there were several sightings of the indigenous beings on Belenius 3; they were dubbed "Jabberwokys." An unknown is only so until it is known and the colonists dealt with the situation through empirical and scientific research.
I dove into this book and literally hated putting it down. It moved at a good pace and the writing was clear and concise. The science was easy to understand, and it wasn't overloaded with a lot of jargon that would have otherwise bogged down the story. Outside of the characters mentioned earlier, the others seemed to have enough development to make them individuals. Overall, I thought this was another fun and engaging story by John Shoberg and well worth the time to read. I recommend De-Evolution for readers that enjoy a solid story of discovery and adventure.
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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