4,8 stars

This is the best book I've read so far in 2019 and I have no idea how I'm supposed to write a review for it. Maybe I'll take the coward's way out and go with a simple list:

- I loved the writing, which was vivid yet easy to read
- The book throws you into the deep end and expects you to either sink or swim with absolutely no flotation devices
- The world is imaginative, original, and a little bit scifi noir (is that a thing?)
- The characters feel real, even though most of them are extreme and implausible
- No one's exactly good in this book, but they still have you on their side
- I had my mind screech to a halt on several occasions when the plot did not go at all where I expected it to
- Yet by the end there was a big plot twist that I did catch on to, and thus didn't have the desired shock value
- The story was so incredibly well constructed from beginning to end, that I feel like this will be a definite re-read in the future

What I don't understand is how this book isn't more popular. A definite hidden gem. ( )

Clever science fiction, well done. Two very different threads of characters are interleaved and only join together very close to the end of the story in an unexpected twist. There's a bit of clever wordplay and devolution of the language but only in a few terms, which are easy to understand.

Alef has a very faculty for numbers and computing, but living on an extremist religious planet leaves him with little opportunity to exercise his talent. He helps his father run a small shop and lives in as much contentment as the strict rules allow, with little knowledge of the wider universe, as such questions are heresy. The arrival of Pollenarc, a very rare immigrant upsets matters to a small degree, but routine quickly re-establishes itself. Years pass and then suddenly his family are attacked, Pollenarcs mum is killed, and the pair flee into space where alef learns that there are many forces acting over which he'd had no prior comprehension and hadn't allowed for in his calculations.

Meanwhile (ish) Razor is a writer for one of the Para-sites from Afterlife the social media platform of the System - all teraformed planets settled after Earth's diaspora made such homes as they could. She talks to interesting people (as defined by her AI guide) and learns their life stories to add hope to those seeking to some of the few who can be resurrected - for all people die, and even now the life expectancy isn't much about 50. She's been sent to the planet Bleak, only poorly formed with dramatic winds and raging seas. Here miners extract vital elements and also safeguard those people in suspension awaiting chances of return. Her assignation is one Bale, a police officer (Pax - keeper of the peace) who has a dangerous hobby and a somewhat one track mind when it comes to corruption and gangs.

As you get further and further along the two storylines I really couldnt' see how they were going to converge, even though a few hints started to be dropped. The revelation about 3/4 in was very well done, the remaining consequences worked out more or less as expected. There's some neat commentary on religions and technology and interesting thoughts of death resurrection and the like. This is what the best science fiction does - tells a story and makes you think. It is long and fairly slow paced, with a number of unpleasant characters and societies, but well worth persevering with.

Proper science fiction! very impressed. ( )

Did not finish. Nothing wrong with it particularly, I just couldn't get into it.

This is a collection of short stories and novellas all taking place in the same world. Sort of like Fall of Tartarus.

This book took a little longer than I thought it would, partially because it’s a whopping 615 pages long. The Rig by Roger Levy kept me hooked for every single page, though. Even as the days begin to turn to weeks since I’ve finished it the story has stayed with me, and I find myself thinking about it more as time goes on. It’s been some time since a book has stayed with me in quite this way, and I think I might have found a new favorite.

While this is most definitely a science fiction novel that slips into the realms of dystopian, it is much more than that. This is a story about people. It’s about friendship and relationships. It’s a story that is dark and atmospheric. At times it has an almost noir feel. Above all, The Rig is just a fantastic story.

The book is broken up into two main plot lines. One is told from first person point of view and follows Alef from the time he is a boy into adulthood. The other follows three other characters on a different planet within the same solar system and is told from third person point of view, skipping from Razer to Bale to Tallen as required. Despite two very different viewpoints used, the book never feels disjointed. Moving from one chapter and one writing style to the other is smooth, never ripping you out of the story. It works.

I really liked the sections from Alef’s point of view. Those sections were raw, in a sense, the emotion very palpable, which is direct contrast to the character himself who is very methodical and thinks in terms of numbers, not emotion.

Not every planet within the system is spoken about or visited, but those that are seen I found quite different than many in similar solar system spanning tales. The world of Gehenna is one of religion to the exclusion of all else. Immigration to the planet is closely relegated, and modern technologies are largely shunned. The unsaid planet is never named, and never visited, existing outside of the sphere of influence of the system by choice. Each planet we see is harsher and harsher, culminating in the location of the rig, a planet with violent seas, storms, and the unfortunate habit of driving people mad.

The majority of the characters are not wholly good people, and those who do fall more clearly on the spectrum of not having questionable actions or lack of morality are often flawed. They’re not perfect people. They have pasts that haunt them, or vices that plague their steps. They’ve very, incredibly human. They feel real. It is these sorts of characters I like reading about the most.

The two characters who are the most fascinating are the two main characters – Alef and his childhood friend Pellonhorc. They are both very interesting people. The dynamic between the pair and how their relationship evolves over time was fantastic. Another pair of characters with an interesting dynamic were Drame and Legate, two criminal masterminds who are mortal enemies. Their cleverness and intellect is only eclipsed by their hatred for one another. They are a wonderful comparison to Alef and Pellonhorc, acting almost as their foils.

The other characters and second plot line follows Razer, Bale, and Tallen. These three individuals’ lives keep intertwining, sometimes in rather unexpected ways. Chapters following this plot line sometimes tell the story from one of their point of views and sometimes switching from one to another. This section and the city it was largely centered in had a rather noir feel. By and large this part felt more like an older detective story set in a dark city with characters who might not be trustworthy with a character who drinks too much and thinks too much.

The two plot lines run in tandem for much of the book. A chapter from Alef’s point of view is always followed with a chapter from either Razer, Tallen, or Bale’s point of view. At first glance they seemed to have nothing in common, and I was very curious as to how they would eventually come together. Eventually, the reader does find out where they meet, and how the story lines combine. I will not give any spoilers here, but I will say that they were masterfully merged.

The Rig by Roger Levy is a wonderful science fiction story about relationships, friendship, death, and the afterlife. It is a memorable story, one that spans decades, and one which will stay with me for quite a long time. I highly recommend picking up a copy of this wonderful novel. It will not disappoint.

This book was sent by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review originally found on Looking Glass Reads. ( )