The Rising Tide

October 8, 2018
The appealing but flawed second Liminal Sky novel (after The Stark Divide) sees the sentient generation ship Forever—a world of bioluminescent pollen, horseback travel, and digital landscapes—struggle with an aspiring tyrant as it speeds toward a new home six years after Earth’s collapse. The Hammond family, whose inherited telepathy can physically shape the ship, and transgender marine-turned-sheriff Eddy Tremayne clash with Eddy’s authoritarian ex-lover, Davian Forrester, whose escalating coup against Forever’s triumvirate world mind aims to turn Forever’s citizens into obedient zombies. Coatsworth handles a well-rounded cast with casual humanity, but character interactions and dangers prove repetitive—even the narrative notes that “This was starting to feel eerily familiar”—and Davian’s clichéd villainy saps energy from the central conflict. The pacing flaws are somewhat mitigated by the book’s three-dimensional, warm vision of LGBTQ lives, and the story is an entertaining mix of science fantasy and family drama.