Saturday, October 16, 1999
Title: Teranesia and Luminous
Author: Greg Egan
Publisher: Millennium
Prabir's parents have traveled to a remote island in the Indonesian Ocean to study a strange strain of mutant butterflies. The island is so small and insignificant that it has no name, but 9 year old Prabir gives it the name Teranesia. But even in the year 2010 the politics of the region mount towards war. As a result his parents are killed and he flees to Canada with his sister Madhusree. With time's passage, Madhusree has become a biology student, and with the emergence of a number of other mutants she is going to return to her birthplace. But Prabir is driven to protect her and sets out after her. Separately they arrive in the region on the trail of inexplicable genetic changes.
Teranesia is Greg Egan's fifth novel and perhaps his most human to date, less hard-core than much of his previous work. Which gives a greater element of readability that no doubt makes this novel an easier starting place for many new readers. In many ways he is focusing on the characters and what drives them more than on blowing our minds. Although, of course, there's a background steeped in SF which slowly expands from simple mutations to an ever-expanding impact on reality.
My reading Teranesia comes close after finishing Egan's Luminous. His second collection of short stories following the mind-blowing and extremely recommended Axiomatic. Which initially I did not really get into, perhaps reaching a point where I had become numbed by having my mind blown so often. Not that I didn't enjoy any of the stories, I had just overdosed and reached a point where I needed each story to have a bigger headfu/-/ck. Which becomes difficult when it is being done by someone as good at it as Egan. Taking a break from my expectations I returned to Luminous refreshed and devoured the second half of this collection. There are many brilliant authors, but Egan is undoubtedly unique.
RVWR: PTR
October 1999
