Divine Intervention | |||||
Ken Wharton | |||||
Ace Books, 391 pages | |||||
A review by Lisa DuMond
Divine Intervention is one of this year's nominees for the Philip K. Dick Award for distinguished
science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. As you plunge deeper and
deeper into the novel, it isn't difficult to see why it's being considered; seldom has an author
captured the enormous hubris of the creation of a religion or the ease of its breakdown.
The inhabitants of the planet Mandala have spent more than a century cut off from Earth, and in that
time they have acquired a society of their own and a religion entirely their own. Or, rather, they
have adopted a religion wholly the Captain's (the man who led their scouting mission); a
religion that sprung newborn from the man's over-weaning ego, took over a planet, and made him that
planet's Prophet. Excerpts from the Captain's log alternate between harmless musing and near-psychotic
breaks. This, though, is the religion most of the people have chosen to follow.
And, now, just as they've gotten the planet almost exactly as they want it, along comes a transport
from Earth with tens of thousands of new colonists, far more than already on Mandala. That idea doesn't
please many on the planet and many of those are in a position to do something about it.
Something irreversible. No one even knows they're coming, so who will care?
Nice, nasty idea, but there is a chemo-fly in the ointment -- a young boy who has never quite fit in,
never really given their beliefs his whole heart, who talks to his own deity. And Drew's deity is
keeping an eye on everything that goes on and above Mandala, so Drew is the first of the inhabitants
outside the highest office to know the Earth ship has arrived.
How are they going to rid themselves of the unwanted colonists if the boy goes around telling
everyone that the ship has arrived?
(A quick aside: will this novel cause even more vicious contention in the deaf community such
as there has been over devices like cochlear implants?)
With Divine Intervention, Ken Wharton not only has the guts to take on religion, prejudice,
greed, and evil, he isn't afraid to include humour, tenderness, innocence, and hope. On top of
all this, he does it in a whipcrack plot that keeps the reader running from one danger to another,
without time to catch an easy breath.
Maybe, just maybe, there is enough good in people to make us worthy explorers of the universe. Maybe
the decent people could sneak away and leave the scum here -- of course not, that's
what makes them the decent people, isn't it?
In between reviews, articles, and interviews, Lisa DuMond writes science fiction and humour. DARKERS, her latest novel, was published in August 2000 by Hard Shell Word Factory. She has also written for BOOKPAGE and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. Her articles and short stories are all over the map. You can check out Lisa and her work at her website hikeeba!. |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
If you find any errors, typos or anything else worth mentioning,
please send it to editor@sfsite.com.
Copyright © 1996-2014 SF Site All Rights Reserved Worldwide