The Secret of Life

-----------------------------------------------------------Rating: "A-". A stirring saga of science, Mars, and life, marred by a weak ending, but well-worth your attention.Paul McAuley's usual topics and tropisms are well-employed in this new biotech SF-thriller. In 2026 a Martian microbe, secretly brought back to Earth by a Chinese expedition, is accidentally released into the Pacific during an attempt to steal a sample by Cytex, a powerful but unscrupulous American biotech firm. The Mars-bug thrives, and grows into strange floating islands, which shed 'slicks' that kill terrestrial marine life. The descriptions of this strange alien invader are reminiscent of Ian McDonald's wonderful _Chaga_, with a nod to H.G. Wells' _War of the Worlds_. I'm not fully-qualified to judge McCauley's biologic premise (and MacGuffin), which it wouldn't be fair to reveal, but he's done his homework -- I'm weaselling here because of a research lapse I'll mention a bit later, but rest assured his premise is just fine for fiction. Is there a biologist in the house?The Americans send an expedition of their own to Mars, hoping to duplicate the Chinese discovery. The expedition scientists include Mariella Anders, our protagonist and a biological genius on the level of a Feynman or an Einstein. Like most geniuses (genii?), she is unconventional: Mariella's foibles include body-piercing, soft drugs, and rough sex. This last is used for blackmail by Penn Brown, an odious Cytex scientist also on the Mars expedition. Mariella is a high point of the book, and McCauley's best character yet, I think. The descriptions of her scientific education and career are full of neat observations and insights -- McAuley is himself a former research scientist -- and her portrayal as a Feynman-level genius is wonderful. A gen-Z greenpunk biogenius -- all right!The Martian scenes -- about half of the book -- are very fine, strongly reminescent of Kim Stanley Robinson's RGB Mars trilogy: impeccable (I hope) research and extrapolation, poetic descriptions of alien landscapes, palpable excitement in exploring a new world -- and a sadly-realistic portrait of the techno-squalor around the Martian settlements, comparable to Swanwick's gritty (and great) "Griffins Egg".When Mariella returns to Earth, on the run with stolen samples of the 'Chi', the Martian superbug, the story becomes a more conventional -- and less interesting -- pursuit-thriller. I lost track of the cardboard villains and bit-players (I fell asleep), and I'm not interested enough to go back and sort them out. The dramatic 'climax' is just silly -- Mariella the greenpunk genius as a charismatic crowd-pleaser at a big bioscience conference -- well, my dears, you've been warned, it ain't the high point of the book.McAuley makes a few other stumbles, notably in his Southern Arizona scenes, where he misplaces a mountain range by a hundred miles [note 1]. And the authorities seem curiously unconcerned about the rapidly-multiplying Mart

About a decade into the future, the United Kingdom and much of the world struggles to recover from the Infowar that erased most computer records. Needing a sense of security people turn to extreme right-wing elements to run the government. Leaders vow to cleanse society of pornography and related violence. To succeed on their quest to destroy the obscene, the Autonomous Distributed Expert Surveillance System (ADESS), a network of security cameras controlled by an artificial intelligent computer, is developed.Not everyone acquiesces to the new world order. For instance London student Sophie Booth provides live performances in her apartment almost daily for her loyal following via her webcams. However, in front of her camera, someone wearing a Thatcher mask enters her abode and kills Sophie. Detested and scorned by his peers for alleged cowardly acts during the Infowar, "exiled" Police Detective John investigates the murder. The case should be obvious, but every new clue leads to a zillion questions and several dead ends and detours.The key element to WHOLE WIDE WORLD is the chilling reality that this type of surveillance is here today even without a growing AI presence. The story line smoothly blends science fiction that feels more like science into a strong, old fashioned who-done-it starring an anti-hero with a lot on his plate besides the inquiries. All this turns into a strong suspense filled novel while Paul McAuley furbishes a convincing "warning" that will delight fans of science fiction mystery.Harriet Klausner

I am amazed at the short memory of many professional reviewers. Many seem to think that this is a major change of direction for McAuley, a deliberate turn to the more commercial. In fact it is a return to previous endeavours, and the hard political / bioscience near future timeline he created in the wonderful and hallucinatory 'Fairyland'. Mind you, you have to read this book carefully to get that point - I suspect that many 'pros' just don't bother.So what's the deal? Well, it isn't really about life on Mars. That's just the background for what is effectively a debate about science and society, and quite a complex debate at that. Despite the fact that there are 'daring hero(ines)' and 'big villains' in the tradition of sci-fi political thrillers (think Bruce Sterling's Islands in the Net as an near ancestor here), McAuley is actually more interested in the inbetweens and the contradictions. His heroine Mariella is a feminist scientist opposed to the corporatisation of research and the macho culture that promotes reductionism above holism. McAuley understands the range of green, environmental and left responses and even sympathises with parts of them - his portayal of the emerging diversity of post-environmentalist culture is remarkable compared with some of the more gung-ho 'ain't science grand' school of sci-fi writers. As a result he is actually far more effective at getting across his argument than some (see Greg Egan's Teranesia for a failed attempt). The various radical groups in this book understand that life should be enjoyable, sensual, a pleasure - however they don't always appreciate what could make that a possibility for everyone. McAuley is saying that that science, in the form of research to solve real social problems, is not the enemy of society but is an essential part of enabling life to be this good for all. But don't let me make you think that this is a worthy lecture. McAuley is an excellent writer with an unintrusive style that moves the story along. The opening sequence would grace any top thriller movie. The scenes in space and on Mars are effectively tense and claustrophic, just as those in the deserts of Arizona are expanisive and full of post-millenial possibility. In terms of character, Mariella is quirky and far from the stereoypes of either sci-fi women or scientists, and other important characters are also complex and varied enough in their emotional and political baggage to be believable. The resolution is satisfying, uplifting and positive. The Secret of Life works very well in many different ways. If you like your scienctific optimism spliced with strands of feminism, environmentalism and real-world politics, this will be just your cup of tea. What more could you want? (Just another 'Fairyland', please!)

This near term hard science fiction novel covers a lot of territory, the politics of science being one of them, Paul McAuley is a scientist so he illuminates some of the in-fighting that occasionally occurs in scientific research. I thought the story was very well executed, and characterization was superb. The plot concerns a microorganism that is spreading in the Pacific ocean and threatening the food chain, and may have part or all of it's origin on the planet Mars. Dr. Mariella Anders, a microbiologist, does her part to investigate, and is also sent to Mars for further investigations, with a greedy corporation seeking to monopolize the research. Mariella is also a free spirit, delighting in the pleasures of living, well done, and not another puritanical novel here! Paul McAuley throws in some dead accurate social commentary in this novel also, and you can even learn a bit about biology in addition. But beware, this is not a shoot-em-up space opera, it is very cerebral and may cause a reader to actually think, but it still has it's share of action and suspense, and the trek across the surface of Mars is a masterpiece. I found this novel to be very readable, it drew me in as I read more and more each day to get to the end to see what happens, and it is not far-out as some science fiction is today that lose touch with reality. This novel has as it's centerpiece a great biological mystery that I found fascinating, wrote in an easy to read, flowing style.

In 2026, humanity faces a new crisis. There is a humongous biological growth in the Pacific that threatens to destroy the food chain. NASA believes that the Slick is a result of a find by the Chinese on the Martian polar cap. Microbiologist Mariella Anders joins a team of scientists investigating the Martian northern icecap to determine what the Chinese actually uncovered. However, the idealistic Mariella must contend with bottom line scientist Penn Brown of Cytex, who wants to monopolize whatever is discovered, especially the means to eradicate Slick. On Mars, the Chinese team working at the site where the organism was originally found flees the area as they are now contaminated. The NASA team finds samples of the original organism and Mariella makes a desperate effort to return them to earth, alienating Cytex, the Chinese, and NASA. THE SECRET OF LIFE is an engaging science fiction novel that once again shows how talented Paul McAuley is in getting his message across within an entertaining plot. Mr. McAuley rips extremists on either side of scientific discovery through his intrepid lead character. The greed and the ban without debate types are skewered and ridiculed for their intolerance towards the common good. However, the secret to what enables Mr. McAuley's books (see his Confluence stories) so good is he rips skin, but does so inside a believable, terse futuristic tale.Harriet Klausner