 | |
| Author | Neon Yang |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Nullvoid Chronicles |
Release number | 1 |
| Genre | Science fiction; space opera |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
Publication date | 27 Sep 2022 |
| Pages | 432 |
| ISBN | 978-1-250-78897-9 |
The Genesis of Misery is a 2022 science fiction novel by Neon Yang. It is the author's first full-length novel and is the first work in the planned trilogy The Nullvoid Chronicles. It has been described as a space opera retelling of the story of Joan of Arc.
Plot
In a frame story, a human man listens to an angel narrate the story of Misery Nomaki.
Hundreds of years ago, the humans crew of a colony ship destroy it's operating AI, ALISS, after it begins forcing them into indefinite cryosleep to avoid the spread of a sickness that causes lethal, sudden mutation after a period of delusions. Eight explorers searching for a habitable planet to sustain them discover runs containing artefacts and holystone: stone like material that defies the laws of physics. All eight experience dreams from the Larex Forge, also called the Demiurge, which explains that the region of the universe humans were now in was not suited for them, allowing the 'nullvoid' to latch onto human emotions as a prelude to emerging into physicality through them, the source of their disease. The Larex Forge declares that it has chosen to protect humans from the dangers of reality, and teaches them how to utilise it's holystone. Six of these new Messiahs founded the Church of the Forge to follow the teachings of the Forge, the last two choose to look for scientific explanations rather than religious ones. These two become the ancestors of that the Faithful call the Heretics, the seed of a war that continues to the present day.
Misery (she/they) is a resident of the rural planet of Rootsdown and a citizen of the Empire of the Faithful. She has the ability to use holystone despite not being a saint; a symptom of voidmadness, which previously killed her mother. Misery has long seen visions of an Angel named Ruin. She is arrested, which coincidentally alerts the military base of the region to an attack by Heretic ships; Misery lies and claims to be the Ninth Messiah. Surprisingly, the Duke of Apis believes her and sends her to the Imperial Capital.
Misery arrives at the capital and is shocked by its corruption and deviance from the Church's teachings. There is conflict between the Throne and the Church of the Forge, led by Archbishop Storm Imogen. She is taken to the Emperor's audience hall. The Emperor's sister Lee Alodia Lightning hears Misery's petition after the Emperor rejects it. Misery publicly claims the title of Ninth Messiah and destroys the audience hall using an application of Holy Obsidian, killing hundreds of onlookers. Misery, the Duke, and Alodia are sentenced to death.
Misery is transported to Angelsteeth base, where she uses the same trick with obsidian to fight off an attack by Heretics. General Tsung comes to believe she is the Messiah and trains her to become a mech pilot. She joins a team of fighters including Alodia, Captain Sunyata Diamond, and Spider. Misery's delusions deepen; she has recurrent dreams of a weeping saint and of a man named Jericho, who she has sex with.
Despite her ease of training, when Misery first enters a seraph, a mech made of holy labrodorite, she fails to use it and is killed when the mech is converted into Holy Bluestone, which was gifted by the Forge in the form of the gates that enable FTL travel between systems. Misery is rescued from the seraph, where she spontaneously resuscitates. Ruin instructs Misery to find him, compelling them to enter the converted seraph with Lightning. They are transporter to the hiding place of Ruin; an Archangel class mech that has until that point been conjectured to exist. The transportation process fatally injures Lightning, and Ruin revives her using a cocoon of holystone, while Misery uses their mother's pendant to awaken the mech to fly back to Angelsteeth. These events confirm to both Misery and Lightning that she is the true Messiah, as prophesied by Lightning herself as a child under the influence of experimental drugs.
Misery begins to develop zealous faith in place of the fear of voidsickness that pervaded her life, and decides that Jericho is a manifestation of the nullvoid attempting to tempt her from her destiny. Heretics attack the station but are easily destroyed by the Archangel. When told of this, Jericho expressed distress, claiming to be a heretic himself, imprisoned in Angelsteeth secretly, and that Misery has been reaching out to him, not the other way around. Misery rejects him as a liar and tempter.
[lower-alpha 1]eretics attack the base again, but they are easily destroyed by Misery's archangel mech. In a dream, Jericho tries to convince Misery that killing Heretics is wrong. She rejects him as a liar.
The Emperor considers pursuing peace with the Heretics; however, Church leadership and General Tsung believe that unilateral action could turn the tide of the war effort. Monkglass Station is under siege. The Heretic commander is Esse Temple, who killed many of Captain Diamond's and Spider's crewmates in a previous engagement by void jumping directly inside their ship. Misery learns that the weeping saint from her dreams is Lady Storm Mirelle, the commander of Monkglass Station and the Archbishop's twin sister. Misery decides to interrogate Jericho for information about the Heretic's shrodinger shield. He attempts to explain Misery's dream meetings and her power over holystone as her telepath, a power anathema to the Forge faith. Indeed, Misery is able to read the mental state of anyone she looks at, which she attributes to reading their expressions. Misery is furious about these claims, refusing to feel doubt again having experienced absolute certain faith. Misery begins to dehumanise the Heretic's in her mind, and desires to exterminate their culture.
Misery leads the attack on Monkglass. She finds that Storm Mirelle has been working with both the Heretics and the Throne in order to secure a permanent peace treaty. Captain Diamond crashes the crews ship to attempt to kill Esse Temple; Temple and Tank barely survive the impact, while Esses shop somehow disrupts Misery's control of her mech. Misery is taken into the Throne's custody; General Tsung's second in command informed the Throne of his sedition to try and prevent the outbreak of further war. Storm Mireille attempts to reason with Misery, but finds her impossible to reach through her hatred.
Misery, Lightning and the archangel are turned over to the Heretic's by the Throne in payment for the damage to their ships. Misery sees that Jericho has also been returned, as he greets her.
The angel finishes narrating this tale to the human man; these characters are shown to be Ruin and Jericho. Jericho implies that Ruin is an AI, and that Ruins divine guidance was in fact his attempt to be returned to his Archangel body, which Ruin does not deny. Jericho expressed frustration with the holystone, believing it to be alien technology rather than divine gifts, and that the Heretics plan to study Misery further.
Major themes
According to Zhui Ning Chang of Strange Horizons, the novel's main narrative focus is an exploration and inversion of the Chosen One trope. At the beginning of the novel, Misery lies in order to convince people that she is the Messiah. Her journey shows what the "mantle of saviour can do to an individual" as it warps Misery's sense of self.[1]
Style
Each character is introduced with personal pronouns as a matter of fact. The neopronoun "zie" is used to refer to Misery when she melds with the archangel mech.[1]
Reception
Publishers Weekly gave the novel a starred review, calling it "a triumph" and praising its "simultaneous embrace and inversion of Chosen One narratives".[2] Writing for Locus, Paul Di Filippo praised the use of the frame story as a "smart and efficient tactic". He called the entire work "a rousing postmodern space opera".[3] Writing for Tor.com, Martin Cahill called the novel "a thrilling, inventive, enthralling book" and particularly praised Misery's character development.[4] Olivia Ho of the Straits Times gave the novel four out of five stars.[5]
A review in Strange Horizons called the novel "weird and wild" and "stylistically adventurous". The review praised the incorporation of mecha, a concept usually reserved for anime and manga. The reviewer also enjoyed the "chaotic complexity" of Misery's character development, as well as the themes of queerness, fanaticism, and religion. The same review critiqued the somewhat repetitive interludes as well as the lack of worldbuilding regarding the "Faithful and the Heretics' culture, politics, and wider power structures", feeling that this weakened Lee Alodia Lightning's characterization.[1]
The Genesis of Misery was a finalist for the 2023 Locus Award for Best First Novel.[6]
Notes
- ↑ At this point in the story, Lee Alodia Lightning allows Misery to call her by her personal name.
References
- 1 2 3 Zhui Ning Chang (21 Nov 2022). "The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang". Strange Horizons. Retrieved 5 Jul 2023.
- ↑ "Genesis of Misery". Publishers Weekly. 22 Apr 2022. Retrieved 5 Jul 2023.
- ↑ Paul Di Filippo (2 Oct 2022). "Paul Di Filippo Reviews Neon Yang's The Genesis of Misery". Locus. Retrieved 5 Jul 2023.
- ↑ Martin Cahill (3 Nov 2022). "Madness and Messiahs in The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang". Tor.com. Retrieved 5 Jul 2023.
- ↑ Olivia Ho (12 Nov 2022). "Book review: Neon Yang's The Genesis Of Misery is Joan of Arc in space". The Straits Times. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ↑ "2023 Locus Awards Top Ten Finalists". Locus. 28 Apr 2023. Retrieved 5 Jul 2023.