/lit/ - Literature

>>22538555
Steel Frame - Andrew Skinner (2019)

Eyo Rook is a jockey, a highly skilled veteran shell pilot. She's one among a multitude of chain gang convicts who have volunteered to be sold to the Horizon. That's the Nor Collective's dreadnought and the largest space vessel ever constructed. It's stationed at the cosmic anomaly known as The Eye, which contains the remnants of an ancient civilization. They're here to serve their sentences more quickly, as time passes faster in the region, and it seems a better option than imprisonment. NorCol isn't the only corporation seeking the secrets of the ancients, several others are present. The corporations have already been here for subjective centuries without accomplishing their goals, but everything is about to change. Rook bonds with a centuries old shell, a Juno model, that can think for itself and thus begins a relationship that transcends flesh and steel.

Steel Frame is clearly influenced by mecha anime and videogames. In interviews Skinner has cited Evangelion, Knights of Sidonia, the Alien Universe, and several others as inspirations, especially in terms of its aesthetic. Personally the novel made me think more in terms of Armored Core, Zone of the Enders, and the Xeno series, but that may well be more about me. What that means that means for the mecha is that they're humanoid, fast moving, and flight capable. In terms of science fiction it's meant to be more on the Weird side, though I don't know that he quite succeeded in that regard. Iain M. Banks is noted specifically for how the book relates to AI and the story structure he wants to use.

The story is told from a first person perspective, which for me has a far greater variance of enjoyment than third person, though I felt it worked well enough here. You might think that because this is a non-Japanese mecha series, the author is South African, that that would be the most notable aspect of the book. It's definitely at the top, but arguably the non-sexual, non-romantic, yet all-consuming relationship between Rook and her Juno shell is just as important. I have to wonder if this book would've been somewhat different if it had came out after Gundam: The Witch From Mercury. That Gundam series is certainly reminiscent of it in ways, as are other media.

One of the greatest enjoyments I had while reading this was the visual imagery it conjured for me, though that may have only been possible because I had already had a considerably large visual library to draw upon for the specifics of what was detailed. It's difficult for me to know how much this affected my enjoyment versus a reader who isn't familiar with the mecha aesthetic and kinesthetic.

It's unfortunate that his debut novel hasn't received more recognition, even within its niche. It has its problems, much of which may originate from its inspirations, but I believe eventually those will be resolved. I'll be reading the sequel and I look forward to his future work.

Rating: 3.5/5