5 June, 2002
Empire of Bones
Liz Williams
2002
323 pp (MMPB)
In this novel, all life on Earth is the result of long-ago intervention by an ancient alien empire. The overwhelming goal of Rasasatran society is to spread life through the universe, and our planet is only one of many experiments in progress. In the near future (2030 or thereabouts), a human being develops the ability to contact the alien ship which has been monitoring Earth for millions of years. This indicates that Earth is ready for the next stage of development-- active colonization and eventual absorption into the alien empire. A couple of aliens are dispatched to the ship (well, one is dispatched; the other, it seems, has been there for a while, acting as a monitor), with the goal of initiating contact with humanity, and beginning the colonization process.
The human Receiver who can talk to the ship is Jaya Nihalani, a member of India's Untouchable caste who is on the brink of dying from a horrible disease. She was once the leader of an failed uprising against the caste system, which has been restored and is strictly enforced as the law of the land. Now she's a poor, deformed beggar. At least, she is until the aliens make contact, and make it clear to the authorities that Jaya is the only human they will deal with. They bring her to the alien ship, and cure of her disease.
All is not good, however. One of the aliens, Ir Eth, is secretly trying to sabotage the mission, and if the mission fails, all life on Earth will be terminated as a failed experiment. The other alien, Sirru, has to accomplish his goals by subterfuge, while appearing to acquiesce to the socially-superior Ir Eth's "advice." Jaya herself is ambivalent about the aliens' plans. She recognises that the alien plan for colonization and exploitation has many negative implications for humanity, but the only alternative is extinction, so she ends up going along with it. Furthermore, she's motivated by the hope that the aliens can provide a cure for a debilitating disease which affects her people.
Most first-contact stories come in one of two forms: the violent invasion of Earth by a superior alien force, or a meeting between two societies of roughly equal levels of development. Empire of Bones takes a different approach, albeit one which is a variation on the "alien invasion" theme: the alien society is vastly more advanced and powerful than that of Earth, and the humans have no chance of resisting, in the long run. However, the "invaders" are not ruthless exploiters; the Rasasatrans believe they are only doing good, by absorbing the lost, backwards colony into the glorious Rasasatran empire. And indeed, the colonizers have much to offer humanity, such as a cure for all disease, restoring the Earth's ecology, space travel, and so forth. The price will be a loss of freedom and diversity: humanity will become one more cog in the vast, highly-structured Rasasatran society. The obvious (and intentional) parallel is the British colonial program in India itself.
The alien society is complex and interesting. The Rasasatran empire is composed of many, many species and subspecies, each of which has a set function and place in a rigid social hierarchy. Individuals accept their pre-defined roles unquestioningly, due to an assortment of biological, social, and chemical controls. One gets the impression of a great, powerful social machine, which has become so set in its ways that it's incapable of change, or even of entertaining the idea that change might be desirable. (It reminds me, in that way, of the society in Walter Jon Williams' story "Dinosaurs.") On a small scale, the subspecies, referred to as "castes," jockey for miniscule adjustments in their status, but the illusion of social mobility is just that-- an illusion.
The Rasasatrans' technology is completely biological in nature. I don't know how realistic a lot of the bio stuff is, since I am not a biologist, but Williams does a good job of painting a plausible picture of what such a society might look like, and how things might be accomplished in such a society.
In addition to its good sci-fi elements and an interesting plot, Empire of Bones has good characters. The two main characters, Jaya and the alien Sirru, are compelling, three-dimensional people. They're the best sort of characters: interesting and likeable. Both of them are strong, intelligent, capable, and compassionate. They develop and grow over the course of the novel.
While this book has a log of good stuff going for it, it isn't without flaws. The pacing is uneven; most of the plot develops at a good, steady pace, but the ending is rushed. It's not just that events happen more quickly during the last quarter of the novel; it feels like the author is skimming over things, giving "highlights" of what happens, rather than a full account. This feeling isn't helped by several plot threads and questions which are only partially resolved by the last page. Furthermore, the seed of a really cool plot is planted on the fifth-to-last page, about an idea Jaya has for revitalizing and revolutionizing Rasasatran society. If I knew there was a sequel in the works, I wouldn't mind this at all, but there's no indication that this is Book 1 of a series. So, as it is, I'm left wishing the book was 100-200 pages longer, or that Williams would write a sequel.
However, in the overal scheme of things, theses problems are minor. City of Bones is a fine piece of science fiction. It's good enough that I'll be seeking out Williams' other published novel, and keep my eyes peeled for her future work.