REVIEW: The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough

The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough
Publishing Information: Kindle
Publisher: Del Ray; 30 July 2013
ISBN: 978-0345537126
ASIN: B00BABT9VY
Series: Dire Earth Cycle #1
Copy: Provided by Publisher
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon

Synopsis: "Jason M. Hough’s pulse-pounding debut combines the drama, swagger, and vivid characters of Joss Whedon’s Firefly with the talent of sci-fi author John Scalzi.

In the mid-23rd century, Darwin, Australia, stands as the last human city on Earth. The world has succumbed to an alien plague, with most of the population transformed into mindless, savage creatures. The planet’s refugees flock to Darwin, where a space elevator—created by the architects of this apocalypse, the Builders—emits a plague-suppressing aura.

Skyler Luiken has a rare immunity to the plague. Backed by an international crew of fellow “immunes,” he leads missions into the dangerous wasteland beyond the aura’s edge to find the resources Darwin needs to stave off collapse. But when the Elevator starts to malfunction, Skyler is tapped—along with the brilliant scientist, Dr. Tania Sharma—to solve the mystery of the failing alien technology and save the ragged remnants of humanity."

When you read the blurb of the novel, one cannot wait to jump in and check out Hough's debut novel. An author that quickly admits he is a huge Star Wars fan and it is quite obvious when you look at his protagonist. Our hero is named Skyler Luiken, an immune, able to walk in the plagued landscape without a Hazmat suit. He is also the captain of the Melville, a ship capable of traveling great distances and returning to Darwin.

His crew is also a bit cliche, he has a tough female soldier and a sniper with a reserved personality who assist him on scavenger missions. Add to the crew, is the rookie pilot who is a natural at flying. It is a lot to take in and believe.

The world building for The Darwin Elevator is just enough to tell the story. An Alien space elevator mysteriously arrives in Darwin, Australia just before a plague sweeps the world and turns the majority of Earth into zombie-like creatures. Under the protection of the space elevator, mankind is able to stave off the plague. Those that live in Darwin are the have nots and the haves live in space. There is a symbiosis between the two groups. Darwin provides oxygen and water and those living in space provide vegetables and other food sources.

While I really wanted to like The Darwin Elevator ts was really hard. There are really dumb nods to other Science Fiction favorites. For instance, the bar in space is called Ten Backward, a reference to Star Trek, The Next Generation. Of course there are plenty of little nods to his favorite Star Wars as well. Each little homage lowered my enjoyment to the point where the entire story became forgettable.

The Darwin Elevator is the first in the Dire Earth Cycle, a trilogy that will see one book released each month starting today, 30 July 2013, Followed by The Exodus Tower on 27 August, and finally Plague Force on 24 September 2013. Unfortunately, I just can't see myself sticking with the series. It never captured my imagination and never really felt like an original story, more like it borrowed from some of the timeless classics that came before it. While I have the second book in the series, I have no plans to read it. Hough shows he can write and write well, he just needs to find something that feels a little more original and make it his own.

Plot 6/10
Characters 6/10
Style 5/10

Overall 6.5/10