Firewalkers, the blurb
Firewalkers are brave. Firewalkers are resourceful. Firewalkers are expendable.
The Earth is burning. Nothing can survive at the Anchor; not without water and power. But the ultra-rich, waiting for their ride off the dying Earth? They can buy water. And as for power?
Well, someone has to repair the solar panels, down in the deserts below.
Kids like Mao, and Lupé, and Hotep; kids with brains and guts but no hope.
The Firewalkers.
Firewalkers, the review
It seems like I’ve been meaning to read Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books for ages. I’ve heard nothing but good things about his Shadows of the Apt series, a few co-bloggers of mine adore Guns of the Dawn, and a favourite author of mine once referred to Tchaikovsky as a “genius”. So when the chance came to review this short, ~200-page story and see what all the fuss was about, I jumped at it.
And I’m bloody glad I did.
Firewalkers imagines a not-too-distant future where Earth has become a dystopia. The path we took to get there is almost mundane — we just kept on doing what we’re doing now: neglecting the environment. Most of the planet has become inhospitable, and only the rich have escaped the consequences.
Humans have built an elevator into space, where there is a massive structure in which the elite live. There are still a few towns on Earth, but their economies revolve almost entirely around the little money that trickles down from this space settlement. Most of the available jobs are in service to this, too. Manning the fancy hotel that sits at the elevator floor. Delivering a steady supply of water. Making sure the power lines are secure. All that fun stuff.
The power lines run far into the most inhospitable parts of the desert, which is where the farms of solar panels are. It’s a Firewalker’s job to repair these if something goes wrong, and given how damaging this job can be to your health, only the young can do it.
Our main character, Mao, is a Firewalker. He accepts a job that pays a little more than usual since nobody that has attempted it before has survived. This job takes him into the abandoned remnants of wealthy society (before they fled Earth), where he learns more about how the structure of his world came to be.
What struck me most about this book was how angry it was. It seethes at the injustice of monetary divides, and all the privilege and suffering that comes with them. It rages at the exploitation of vulnerable people, and the fact that those who benefit from this exploitation are free to run away from the consequences.
This isn’t much of a book for character development, since most of the focus is on the concept and the plot. But it does what it does very well. It has a point to make, and it screams that point from the rooftops. There are some twists and turns, and few sci-fi revelations, but all of these are in service of its message. It may only be ~200 pages long, but trust me, this book packs a punch.
Admittedly, books like this are my catnip. Books that explore the injustices of a close-to-realistic society, and rage against them. So with that in mind, of course I was going to enjoy this one. But squinting past my subjective biases, I still think this is a great read. The worldbuilding is stellar. The writing is exciting, and the slightly-horrific atmosphere is on point. There were some parts that maybe moved a little fast for me, and I do wish that I clicked with the characters a bit more, but even so.
If you like angry books that explore the failings of society, hard sci-fi stories, and shorter reads, then Firewalkers might be the book for you.
Firewalkers releases 12th May in eBook and 14th May in limited edition signed hardcover.
We received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Rebellion for the review copy!
