The Entropy Pump

by John Barnes
4th Century Next Door novel

Synopsis: Earth has been taken over by a sentient meme construct, called One True. The settlers on Mars who are still free, fear One True, and even the slightest chance of infection with it earns you a partial memory erasure of everything you’ve experienced since your mind has been infected with the One True meme. But what if the infection happened before the events in your life that defined who you are right now?

This is a good book. This is also a very, very frustrating book, since it doesn’t advance the backstory of the “Century Next Door” sequence even a little bit. It feels like, as if Barnes is stalling before his fictional history might come down, since it doesn’t look like the conflict between those on Earth who work together with One True and those who think them controlled by it will be resolved peacefully. One of the two main characters of TSSBAB is Terpsichore Murray, a descendant of the main character of “Orbital Resonance”, but the books have even more common. This feels again like a modern Heinlein juvenile, great fun for kids, but it can also be read and very much appreciated by the grown-ups. Actually, many things will go over the head of kids, and I’m not completely sure that they really would like the book, since it’s mostly told by Terpsichore’s shrink, who tells her story in little pieces. This fragmented style robs the book a little bit of the flow and power it might have had, if it had been one ongoing stream of narrative.

Some of the speculation on education was interesting, and the writing was good all the time, highly readable without dumbed down content. Overall it’s a good book, but for those who want to know what happens next between humans and One True, frustration is guaranteed. It may have indeed been this factor, along with the fragmented style, which stopped me from fully enjoying the book. Still very recommendable.

Rating: 4/5