Five Tribes

January 25, 2021
In 2026, a global democratic wave has radically reshaped the fate of millions, particularly in such developing countries as Cuba and Venezuela, in Nelson’s workmanlike sequel to 2018’s The Last Sword Maker. The “revolutionary transformation” of the geopolitical landscape is the work of American Vice Adm. James Curtiss, who has harnessed tools that merge “genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology” to produce living tech capable of evolving. The tech’s applications include advanced armor and camouflage for American aircraft, which participate in a mission to rescue Xiao-ping, a Chinese human rights lawyer imprisoned in a brutal work camp in Namibia. The team includes one of Curtiss’s most valuable assets, Eric Hill, whose mastery of the new science is unparalleled. Unexpected developments place Hill’s life in danger, and shift the focus from Curtiss’s machinations to a desperate struggle for survival. Stock characters and a standard thriller plot don’t do justice to the imagined political future. Readers looking for techno-thrillers whose execution match their ambition will be better served by Mark Alpert. Agent: Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary.