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Fiction. Science Fiction. Thriller. HTML:Published in rapid succession, Jason M. Hough�??s first three novels, The Darwin Elevator, The Exodus Towers, and The Plague Forge, earned mountains of praise and comparisons to such authors as James S. A. Corey and John Scalzi. Now Hough returns with a riveting near-future spy thriller that combines the adrenaline of a high-octane James Bond adventure with mind-blowing sci-fi speculations worthy of Christopher Nolan�??s Inception. Technologically enhanced superspy Peter Caswell has been dispatched on a top-secret assignment unlike any he�??s ever faced. A spaceship that vanished years ago has been found, along with the bodies of its murdered crew�??save one. Peter�??s mission is to find the missing crew member, who fled through what appears to be a tear in the fabric of space. Beyond this mysterious doorway lies an even more confounding reality: a world that seems to be Earth�??s twin. Peter discovers that this mirrored world is indeed different from his home, and far more dangerous. Cut off from all support, and with only days to complete his operation, Peter must track his quarry alone on an alien world. But he�??s unprepared for what awaits on the planet�??s surface, where his skills will be put to the ultimate test�??and everything he knows about the universe will be challenged in ways he never could have imagined. Includes the complete bonus novella The Dire Earth, a prequel to the bestselling sci-fi adventure The Darwin Elevator. Praise for Zero World �??This is sci-fi writing at its best. I couldn�??t put the book down.�?��??Felicia Day, author of You�??re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) �??An enjoyable read . . . Expect minor whiplash from the frenetic pace.�?��??Entertainment Weekly �??[A] science fiction [novel that] smashes The Bourne Identity together with The End of Eternity to create a thrilling action rampage that confirms Hough as an important new voice in genre fiction.�?��??Publishers Weekly (starred review) �??No one has created a multiverse like Jason Hough does in Zero World. Imagine Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets James Bond.�?��??New York Journal of Books �??A fast-paced cinematic novel full of action . . . Story, character, world building, action�??all points are firing on all cylinders here.�?��??Bookreporter �??Hough has combined all the ingredients of a first-rate sci-fi thriller.�?��??Kirkus Reviews �??One hell of an entertaining read. Hough continues to deliver white-knuckle books anchored by unusual and fascinating characters. Zero World is a giant cup of pure badassery that secures his place among the finest sci-fi action writers today.�?��??Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Druid Chronicles �??A high-octane blend of science fiction and mystery, Zero World is a thrill ride that shoots you out of a cannon and doesn�??t let up until the very last page.�?��??Wesley Chu, author of Time Salvager �??Warning: Do not pick up this book if there is anything else you need to do.�?��??Brian Staveley, author of the Emperor�??s Blades series �??I just finished Zero World and there�??s only one thing I need to know: How… (more)
User reviews
Caswell is an assassin whose memory is wiped after every mission. Each mission is his first, and he is free from the burdens of conscience. But the latest mission, to accompany and observe the investigation of an accident on a space station, changes the rules.
Why I picked
Why I finished it: Entertaining blend of SF and spy/assassin genres. We get dropped into the plot a little too quickly for my tastes (not spending time to establish setting and style). I found some of the sci-fi markers a little too twee and heavy-handed, but they do help keep the reader grounded in the setting.
Fans of William Gibson and Neil Stephenson will find something to enjoy here.
Seriously, what can I say about this book that would do the sheer ingenuity of its premise justice? It’s like James Bond meets Memento meets an episode of Star Trek. Let’s just say the tagline of Zero World – “This will be the most interesting mission you’ll ever forget” – serves its story well, a promise of adventure and thrilling action packed into those ten simple words.
The story follows biologically enhanced secret agent Peter Caswell, who undertakes every single operation he gets with a clean conscience – literally. With the help of an implant surgically melded into his brain, he never remembers his missions; everything from dossier details to the number of people killed while he is in the field always gets thoroughly wiped from his mind upon completion. In many ways, he is the perfect superspy. And now he’s embarking on his most dangerous and secretive assignment yet, one that will take him beyond reality into another world entirely.
After passing through what appears to be a tear in the fabric of space, Caswell finds himself on an Earth eerily like his own. A lot of is the same but so much more is different, and in this alien yet familiar world, our protagonist must track and kill his quarry before irreparable damage can be done. To his surprise, Caswell receives help from an unexpected source in the form of Melni, an undercover agent on this mirror world who is also seeking the same target, but for very different reasons than his own.
If you enjoyed Jason M. Hough’s Dire Earth Cycle, picking up this book is a no-brainer. This is without a doubt his most exciting and ambitious work yet. The author’s penchant for rich world building and writing about incredibly innovative tech has always impressed me, but what I love about his science fiction is the fact that it’s also so accessible. Zero World blends futuristic elements with the best parts of the spy thriller genre to great success; the story captured my attention from the get go and it never relented with its nail-biting suspense. There were some pretty huge twists around the midway point too, leading to staggering implications for the plot and the characters. Add the seemingly insurmountable obstacles for our protagonists into the equation, and you can see why this novel kept me reading well into the wee hours of the night.
The team of Caswell and Melni is also a very unique and enjoyable partnership, one in which each of their participation is refreshingly equal. It’s always interesting to read about characters from different worlds meeting for the first time and their eventual teaming up, and I had a very good time following their exploits and watching the interplay between their personalities. Melni fascinated me with her loyalty to her organization and their cause, despite being looking down upon and treated like a foreigner by her own people. Caswell is an even bigger enigma, given how integrated he is with his implants. I have to wonder, can his attitude towards the morality of his actions be simply chalked up to denial, or might it be tied up in something much bigger? Hough’s subtle probing into the complexities of the human psyche surprised me a bit here, but I liked the depth it gave to his characters.
There’s actually some irony in the fact that Peter Caswell can’t remember his missions, because I think his adventures in Zero World are sure to stick with me for a long time. Needless to say, I really enjoyed this book and didn’t want it to end, and I believe I’ve already made those feelings glaringly clear in my opening paragraph. I despaired when I turned the page and realized the book was over. Can you tell I’m desperate for the sequel? Be sure to check out this novel if you enjoy your sci-fi thrillers filled with adrenaline rushes and high-energy action sequences; I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Net Galley Feedback
Bonus was "The Dire Earth" a prequel to the Dire Earth Cycle.
'Zero World' starts off strong, introducing us to Peter Caswell, a spy and assassin. To do his job, he relies on an implant which allows his handler to 'erase' all the memories of his missions, assuring that guilt and doubt never catch up with
It's not a surprise to the reader that this mission might up that body count significantly. This assignment, Caswell is sent out into space to investigate a derelict spacecraft. He doesn't find out until he's there that his assignment is to track down the sole surviving crewmember, Alice Vale, who has somehow traveled through a 'Conduit' and discovered another world. Not all goes as expected, and soon Caswell finds himself having to reassess and improvise, teaming up with a local spy/agent, Melni, and getting involved with a whole new set of politics.
The book is primarily action-adventure, but it does a nice job setting out layers of plots and revelations in a way which gradually increases the scope of events and the increasing ramifications of what's at stake.
My biggest complaint is that the worldbuilding seemed a little lazy. There was no convincing explanation beyond some brief handwaving for the strange similarities between Earth and the newly-discovered world, and the differences don't make cultural sense [in that we never see how the society we're shown developed in the way it did through its history]. The differences amount to a few random vocabulary words and 'reversals' (Long hair is 'masculine', women are expected to take the social lead, the discriminated-against refugees are blonde and pale.)
There's also a character who shows up solely to give a big, long, important speech about critical background and events, before being eliminated from the book. The section feels extremely forced; like the author just couldn't think of any other way to reveal this information to the characters.
As a whole, though, I still found the book highly entertaining. There's room for a sequel - but it ends at a satisfying, conclusive juncture.
Many thanks to NetGalley and DelRey for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
This one started out strong, but fell off after the halfway point for me, and I struggled to finish it.
Peter Caswell is an assassin sent to a planet in an alternate dubbed "Duplo" because of its similarities to our
In the first encounter with his target, Caswell meets a woman named Melni. These two central characters learn things that make them wary of each other, but the knowledge acquired about Earth and Duplo drives the novel’s world-building and introduces a major plot twist later on in the book. I did like Melni, a strong female character and an outstanding undercover operative, but I didn’t think it very realistic in the way she immediately trusted Caswell, which seemed really out of character for her. Speaking of Caswell, I was completely indifferent to his character. I just didn’t connect with him at all.
Just like the books to which is has been compared (The Bourne Series, James Bond, etc.), it is fast-paced and packed with violent scenes. There are a few shocking surprises that propel the plot in twists that didn’t really work, leading to a messy ending that left me quite dissatisfied.
I can't sing the praises of this book enough. Not only was the whole concept so well thought out and interesting, but the writing was intense and the plot action packed. There was seriously not one dull moment. Everything had me tense and my mind was blown by more than one revelation throughout the course of the book. I love Hough's attention to detail in his writing, the futuristic world he brings to the reader is so alive and believable I was almost taken aback when I set the book down and came back to my reality and realized I wasn't inside that universe. He's that good people. I really enjoyed how Caswell and Melnis stories intertwined and I was left absolutely wanting more at the end of the novel. I hope this is one of a planned series, I need more!
However, Caswell is curious about why this planet looks so similar to Earth where English is spoken. Answers to these questions could get him killed.
This Jason Bourne meets Buck Rogers science fiction novel was a fun read. Although science fiction since it occurs primarily on a foreign world, it is essentially a thriller-suspense story, which includes a indigenous agent named Melni whom Caswell meets on this parallel world.
This was a bit of a hard read for me. Usually I am not into the science part of Sci-Fi, and books that tend to deal with space, or traveling between
That all being said, I will admit that I was a bit let-down, and yet, not surprised with this story. The start was very good, opening with our main character Peter, finishing a mission for the IA. We find out what he does for a living, and the basics of how it works, why there are time frames to a mission. From there how he gets called back immediately for a new mission. This is where it got too "starshippy" for me, though I found it interesting in how he arrived to the "mirror world".
The adventure continues with Peter working to achieve his mission goals, and his interaction with one of the natives from this world, an actual spy that has similar goals to Peter's. Most of the book is the mission over a period of time ... I think it was like a week in Earth time. The ending was a nice twist to what I was expecting, though I wonder how would Hough write a second book to this one (not saying he plans to do so, but didn't have much interest if it continued from where it left off).
I have good and bad things about the book. I will admit to skimming through many pages at a time through most of the middle of the story. It just felt over detail-oriented and needless to me, and I would jump ahead to the next section of action, or dialogue. I could understand there being a difficulty in writing about a mirror world and working out how the similarities are there, yet different, not only in language, but technology. Hough did a good job with the science of how they talk a very nearly English as good as our planet (I don't want to give out spoilers). The book art was good - the character shown was the mental image I had of Peter. World description was done well, as noted maybe too much detail at times. For both being a spy/assassin types, I felt they were too trusting with each other, but then, one was a novice, and the other on a strange new world, so doing what they felt they needed to do would make sense I guess.