Darwin's Paradox

An intelligent virus and an intelligent machine conspire to sieve North America's largest city, then spread world chaos - and the only woman who can save humanity is the one who began the virus. Her return to the city she once fled will lead to a different kind of revolution in this involving story of change, perfect for any collection appealing to avid science fiction readers.

Munteanu is clearly a writer with big ideas. And those Big Ideas make up the things that are both best and worst about Darwin's Paradox. The future North American world is extremely well developed-- the novel certainly succeeds well at world building. Actually, I felt that there was not quite enough of this aspect in the book. I had a little bit of the feeling that sections had been cut for length, and that I was missing some of the environmental backstory. Whether or not this is actually true, I could have used a little more of the excellent development of the world itself. The ideas explored in the novel are also very interesting-- utopian planning, scientific engineering gone wrong, the relationship between man and machine-- rich and fertile subjects. No less interesting for the fact that many have already explored these grounds. Again, the fact that Munteanu has thought these things through is very evident. The thinking is quite solid, and I was both interested in and entertained by her various themes. The characters were less strong. I had particular issues with Julie, who too often seemed a cypher. She drove the plot. She acted, but I did not have the same belief in her motivations as a person as I did the other characters. I am not sure that I could put my finger on what precisely did not work, but she was in all ways just a little bit too much. Angel (Julie's daughter) is a much more notable success. She was one of the bright spots for me. It may be that the characters suffered from the tension between the Big Ideas and the more traditional romantic thriller plot. I found Munteanu's voice most authentic talking through the big hard stuff. I was not so interested in the romantic and dramatic subplots, and found that they often felt a little bit thrown in on top. The book could have stood (and stood better, IMO) without most of them. I had the feeling that as readers we were not trusted to like the book for its world building alone. Too bad, since I certainly would have done. In any case, a really interesting first novel. None of the flaws would be likely to keep me from reading a second. Three and a half stars.

Munteanu's vision of the future is both frightening and inspiring, embracing the dark/light dichotomy dominating Darwin's Paradox. Icaria's vee-set wearing society, with their mechanical movements and vacant stares, resembles the disconnected iPod population of today. The contrast between the sterile environments of glass towers and the rubble of the inner city mirrors our own growing economic tensions. But just as Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortal man, Julia Crane carries the key that can transform civilization as we know it. Darwin's Paradox is a fascinating look into the future where man ceases his attempt to subjugate nature, while embracing its ability to adapt.