Review of 'Extremophile'

Extremophile by Ian Green

In a future earth whose population has been decimated by biological warfare the planet is split into three general groups: The “Green” are still trying to save the planet, “blue” are trying to profit from the situation, and “black” who see no hope left. Living in a decimated London Charlie, a bio-hacker for hire, considers himself part of the black lives and with his “green” partner “Parker” who play in a punk band. They are hired by an extremist green terrorist group with a stated contract of “Kill the ghost. Steal the flower. Save the world.” The extremists provide Charlie and Parker a mysterious protector by the name of “Mole” - A child genetically manipulated to become a human “mole”, with casual approach to violence as she seeks her vengeance on those who have done this to her. Their opposition includes a ruthless contract killer who has at their disposal a device, stolen from a younger Charlie, capable of creating target-specific biological weapons with a 100% success rate.

An interesting but disturbing take on a bleak future for the human race with little chance of redemption. We follow a group of anti-establishment punks as they struggle to survive in the brutal landscape of a decimated London. So, not exactly a pleasant read, no. It is interesting to see what has become of society in the face of such monumental upheavals as even a trip across the city becomes an epic tale of survival. It is hard to care for anyone even the main character Charlie as all resort to horrific action in order to simply survive. No, there is not a lot of humour here either (I give this the benefit of the doubt, I can't remember ANY humour myself). Green certainly likes to shock his readers in this novel and it is no surprise he has a degree in epigenetics (“…the study of how environmental and behavioural factors can alter gene function without changing DNA sequences” according to Google).

In “Extremophile” the reader is faced with a lot of visceral, brutal, violence and an excess of swearing throughout that often causes confusion as to what exactly is going on never mind the introduction of setting-specific phrases and slang. Indeed, the entire resolution of the plot is not entirely clear even now having finished the book. You do have to have a bit of a head for science to completely follow the ending and, without giving anything away, don't expect the world to be fixed.

So, did I enjoy it? Well, if you count “enjoyment” as finding it interesting and reading to see what happens next despite finding most of the material disturbing, then, yes, I suppose I did. If you say that “enjoyment” is walking away feeling better about the world or then absolutely not. If it is satisfaction that the major plot points are resolved then, I suppose, a reluctant yes…

Note: This review is based on an initial “limited edition proof”, “uncorrected manuscript” version of the book.

Rating: “It is OK but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2024-12-08

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Publication Date: 2024

ISBN: 9781804545843