Fast Fantasy

When this 2019 novella arrived in my mailbox, I didn’t know what to make of the boisterous title and cover. I ignored the temptation to research before diving in, though; a friend’s recommendation was more than enough to get me reading.

The novella rewarded that curiosity by slowly and skillfully revealing its fanciful premise. The heavily impressionistic tone allows the characters to speak freely (even brazenly) of their inhuman cultures, godlike abilities, and fantastical surroundings, all while sidestepping the task of explaining the impossible. It makes the tech seem almost coherent, and it gives even the most far-flung settings a taste of authenticity.

The novella’s narrative, in contrast, has very little substance. Despite superficial similarities to Ted Chiang’s gripping Understand, the intrigue lacks the urgency of Chiang’s work. The back-and-forth between the two operatives relies much more heavily on the conclusion (maybe because the danger is so abstract), and that conclusion leaves something to be desired. It’s not a bad ending, but it’s far simpler than the authors insinuate–the third-act ruminations on steganography don’t tie back into the novella itself.

I nonetheless find myself feeling a certain fondness for the book, possibly because the style compensates for the ethereal narrative. To this end, the novella’s brevity is certainly an asset. In less than 200 pages, readers witness a couple cocky superhumans spark and defend a forbidden relationship as they traipse over an assortment of alternate universes. That’s a fun bit of escapism if there ever was one.