The Gaia Project is the second story in this series (The Gaia Effect comes before it, and I believe there's at least one more to follow), and it really does need to be read in order, not just for understanding, but because the world-building in the first novel is exceptional. The frame of reference is technology as we know it, where pervasive social media is increasingly our news source with little critical thought given to the credibility of the creators/distributors of that news.
It is this closeness to our reality that makes these stories all the more compelling and terrifying. Claire Buss has created a near-future world where technology and power go hand in hand with corruption that goes far beyond where we are now, but it is easy to see how this could be our future.
There's an intrepid band of characters at the heart of these stories, building a resistance, fighting for their lives, taking incredible risks. At times, I felt physically sick with disappointment when their plans didn't come to fruition, and I cheered and sagged in relief when something went their way. There's some real edge-of-the-seat stuff in here. It really is a fantastic read from start to end.
I do, however, have a bit of a gripe, and it relates to gender and gender roles, but I think, maybe, it's just me. I'm a mother, married to a man, and based on traditional Western gender roles, in our house we reversed them, although neither of us really fit the definitions of 'woman' and 'man'. So, when I read books where the characters almost all occupy traditional gender roles (in the home and workplace as well as in relation to their offspring), it feels...I don't know that I can explain it. Exclusive? I guess I'm looking for women like me.
The women in The Gaia Project are strong and brave - traits associated with masculinity traditionally - and I really appreciate that they're the ones leading the path to (I hope) a better future. Nor am I saying there is anything wrong with women choosing to stay at home with their children. In the real world, there is so much pressure on women to engage in paid work, usually doubling their responsibilities, and mothers are so undervalued, I really do commend the author for making mums the heroes of these stories.
There is so much social commentary in this story, and so much social commentary to be had about this story, it's a real gem for a social scientist/author like me, and since I finished reading I haven't stopped thinking about the implications, both in this fictional world and in the real one. I'm rooting for a happy ending on both sides.
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2019
Top reviews from other countries
- terry causerReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2018
Great read,5 stars all the way.
- JayfaceReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2019
Great follow on, excited for the final book!
- YvonneReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2019
A good addition to the series
- AndyPiesReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2018
The Adventures continue
