The Aviator: Science Fiction of the Post Global Warming World

Posted by Greg Laden on October 17, 2012
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How can you go wrong with blimps?

The Aviator is a new book that gives you a world of post-global warming climate and interesting developments in transportation technology and artificial intelligence. It is written by New Zealand based writer Gareth Renowden. The Aviator explores a post-apocalypse world where the apocalypse is not nuclear war or a large object hitting the earth, or even an outbreak of zombi-ism, but rather, unfettered human-caused climate change. The story itself is an excellent read and even qualifies as a page turner. But there is another element that readers don’t need to now, but would enjoy knowing: The author has the science on climate change right.

The truth is, a future Earth with continued climate change could end up in a number of different states, but the planet ala The Aviator is a reasonable approximation of a switched-over climate, brought to us by someone who knows the science well. I’m less sure about the interaction between Artificial and Regular “Intelligence” depicted here, but Renowden does give us an interesting interaction between fictional tropes. Climate change is real and unfettered could easily look like it does in this book. Renowden’s artificial Intelligence is, in contrast, heavily and boldy imagined, and the use of the concept in Renowden’s book is highly speculative. So, we have an interesting mix of higher and lower probabilities joined together with what is an otherwise well imagined and very well told story regardless of the science fiction itself.

I have truly enjoyed it.

The book’s web site is here.

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Comments

  1. #1 William T
    October 17, 2012

    And the running gag about the quality of coffee as served up in the US is very funny for those of us who have been forced to suffer :)

  2. #2 Daniel J. Andrews
    October 20, 2012

    I enjoyed it too. For me it was a page-turner and I didn’t put it down till I had finished it. When the characters were in danger though I never was caught up in that. It felt like those 30 minute sit-coms where everything turns out okay at the end of 30 minutes. I didn’t feel the drama, never felt the characters were in real trouble.

    I did enjoy the development of one of the characters (don’t want to give spoilers here, but the turn with the female character and the connection with the ship). I’m looking forward to his next book–this one felt like it was setting up the stage, and the next book will be even better with more character development and indepth plots.

    A good read and I found it staying with me as I thought about the book long after I’ve normally forgotten most fiction books I read.

  3. #3 John
    Portland
    October 25, 2012

    I’m reading it now..a Kindle amusement on the morning train so it will take about as long as one of Lemmy’s airship voyages to finish (no spoilers please). Good read, an occasional editing fault but that’s no big deal. It’s very imaginative and fun for a story about such a topic.

  4. #4 Becky
    October 28, 2012

    I hadn’t heard of this book until now. Looks great! I love post-apocalypse books, in fact just finished one tonight titled, “The Gyre Mission: Journey to the *sshole of the World” by Edgar Swamp. This book really made me appreciate the world and it’s immeasurable treasures. Thanks for suggesting “The Aviator.” I can’t wait to check it out!

    http://www.edgarswamp.com/