Thunder Rift

Matthew Farrel's first book breaks the mold by taking a look at our cultural assumptions and giving us a brand new look at a very different alien culture, and how we interact with supposedly 'inferior' cultures. Just like many people refuse to believe a group of ancient 'savage' Egyptians could build the majestic pharoahs that amazed the European travellers of the 18th century, instead attributing the marvelous work of construction to 'alien astronouts' or other hogwash, so too is the impulse of humans in this book to assume similar things of the alien culture they encounter.Mathew Farel shows a flair for taking us outside of our predispositions and giving us a look at what the danger of drawing such cultural assumptions are.And he does this while providing a rich, character filled story that keeps you reading. Seriously, it's worth a look see. Definitely an author to keep an eye out for in the future.

...On its own terms, Thunder Rift is a nicely done book. It does, however, require fairly close reading to both follow what is going on and figure out why that matters (which is far from a criticism). It certainly has allegorical/symbolical aspects, but they are properly foreshadowed and internally consistent with the book, and do not result in just a "fairy tale"--which, in any event, is a description, not an evaluation. While I agree that the alternating-chapter structure was a bit difficult to follow, there is an actual narrative strategy behind it that appears to have escaped the shallow reading of a prior reviewer.Thunder Rift is not a perfect book. No book is a perfect book, and I'm far from an easy judge....

This is a very innovative, well written work by Matthew Farrell. His characters are believeable to me and the plot twists rather nicely at the end. The main thing that sold me on this book was the Blues, the aliens. Farrell definately knows how to write alien aliens. These were not creatures with the same agendas and motivations humans often expect to see in other races, mirroring their own. They were clearly un-human. The thickness with which the alien culture has been created is fascinating.It may be true there are some things that remind one forcibly of Arthur C. Clarke and others, but I don't see the flaw in that. SciFi is constantly speculative, but if plot lines converge for a moment or two it's not to be unexpected. This is a work that carries on the tradition of scifi while presenting fresh, new ideas for the reader's consideration.This is, in my opinion, a rare example of "literary" science fiction.

In the late 21st century, a massive electromagnetic pulse explodes in deep space, out near Jupiter. Sensitive electronics on Earth are disrupted, triggering a global economic depression.Taria Spears, a New Zealander with Maori heritage, is conceived the very night "Thunder" (as the disturbance is called) appears and grows up in this tough new world. Her parents struggle to make a living, even traveling to China to find work. Taria's mother, reluctant to assimilate to the Chinese lifestyle, is killed by a market vendor over a simple, avoidable misunderstanding - an event which scars Taria for life. Eventually Taria and her father move to the United States, where she matures into an intelligent, well-educated, yet troubled young woman. She is obsessed with "Thunder" and feels a special kinship to it. Probes have determined that Thunder is actually a wormhole to another star system. Recovering from the technological setback, the leading nations of Earth decide to mount a large manned expedition through Thunder, in hopes of making contact with its creators. Taria wins a coveted spot on the expedition.Once through Thunder, the expedition finds an Earth-like planet (which they dub "Little Sister") inhabited by intelligent, blue-skinned bipeds who use hearing, rather than sight, as their primary method of sensing the environment. The expedition quickly decides that the medieval "Blues" are too primitive to have been the Makers of Thunder, but Taria volunteers to stay behind and learn what she can about these intriguing aliens. Once there she must confront the unfathomable customs of the Blues, while striking a balance between the demands of her superiors and her ever-changing perceptions of Blue culture.Thunder Rift is an excellent first novel by Matthew Farrell. It has pretty much everything you could ask for in a science fiction adventure - a believable, complex protagonist; a brilliantly conceived alien society; and a well-paced story that never drags. Taria is a character we can admire, placed in situations which test her flaws to the limit.Farrell claims Thunder Rift is intended as a stand-alone novel, which is just as well, in my opinion. It's hard to imagine a sequel that could top the original.

This is a powerful novel examing perception and prejudice via a First Contact situation. The characters are finely drawn and realistic, the alien society is complex and interesting, and the the plots twists are exciting. Farrell has used an interesting structure, moving back and forth between the protagonist's present and past to deepen our understanding of her situation and her choices. All in all, a terrific book!