Review: Age of Gaia

By James Lovegrove

Solaris, out now

Don’t screw with Mother Nature…

Lovegrove’s third e-book in the Pantheon series, like its two predecessors, isn’t an all guns blazing, action thriller – although I have no doubt that, given the story told here, Lovegrove could have provided those trappings if it had been commissioned at 100,000 words, and not lost the core of this tale.

In common with the earlier Pantheon e-books, Age of Anansi and Age of Satan, there’s something of the Roald Dahl about this story, as two people from completely opposite worlds slowly but surely come together. They represent two opposing sides of an argument (a tycoon and an earth mother) who find a compromise. But when one of them pushes the relationship into a place where the other feels more than uncomfortable, that’s where the Godpunk element starts to really kick in, and in that respect (as well as the ending), it reminds me a little of the Leslie Charteris Saint story ‘Sibao’ about the power of voodoo.

There’s a higher sexual element to the story than usual for the series (and I’m sure that the web history involved in the research for those scenes must have made interesting reading!) but it’s key.

Verdict: Lovegrove has produced another engrossing tale. 8/10

Paul Simpson

 

Age of Gaia is available as a separate e-book here from Amazon.co.uk

or as part of the omnibus Age of Godpunk available here from Amazon.co.uk

James Lovegrove talks about the genesis of the Pantheon series here

Or read our general interview with him