The Meek

THE MEEK is thought-provoking, compelling and filled with clarity of thought. The setting on the asteroid Ceres is extremely well developed as is the race of genetically altered humans who ultimately are the blue-skinned "Meek," able to withstand almost no atmosphere and intense environmental conditions. Scott Mackay has superb "world-building" skills that are not often seen outside a handful of classic SF writers.While the plot moves along at a brisk pace, there is a slow but steady revelation of characters' pasts which form a complex history of the evolution of "The Meek" from human to "Orphan," to their current level of development. This back-story provides the motivations and logic behind the novel and is managed in a sure-handed manner. I found myself frequently wondering about both the ethics and possibilities that such drastic genetic alterations could cause both to the existing structure of human kind-and our future place in the universe. A satisfying read that gives you much to mull over once the story is finished.

I enjoyed "The Meek" right from the start. The chief protagonists are all burnt out whether by disappointments, personal loss or the struggle to survive. The arriving engineers engage an environment in Ceres which is completely unenvisaged by anyone. Here they meet a human derived /designed race who call themselves, the Meek. The Meek are not only alien but possess a proven and very worrying pedigree of savagery. Yet, despite their motivations, their responses, and even their physiology and appearance, it is the achievement of this author that they are revealed as fully human.The last portion of the book takes the characters to another very different world where the coalition of new and old humans discover their dependence on each other. Thoughtful, excellent (but never preachy) SF.

When I first started reading The Meek, I had the impression that I had picked up a trilogy in the middle. The author describes action that is crucial to the story, but took place in the recent past. While it threw me for a loop originally, I was drawn into the story immediately. Scott Mackay gives the reader enough of the background behind the story so that you understand the characters, and care about the outcome.This book is not a part of a trilogy, but I wish it were. There is plenty of material to write a story of the "pre-Meek" asteroid society, and another could be written about the ending journey. Without giving away any of the plot, it's difficult to write a review. The story begins as a recovery effort is underway to restore an asteroid habitat that was lost. The children of the neighboring asteroids need this habitat to grow up healthy. In an effort to provide for the children, many ethical decisions must be made, and this is what's good about the story. Scott Mackay doesn't preach any particular view, and the characters have good intentions behind their particular actions, and end up having to live with their decisions.I hope that more will read this book.

"Mackay does a very workmanlike job of creating a world and its people, and poses some intriguing ethical problems within a satisfyingly complex plot." SF Chronicle"...extraordinarily piercing and powerful ... the backdrop of Ceres is well-constructed and thorough ... an engaging story that is worth a read." Locus