Nibsy reviewed The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber
A Sci-Fi Adventure For Self-Reflection
3 stars
Peter Leigh transformed his life from a down-and-out junkie by embracing religion and becoming a well respected pastor. He married Beatrice, the nurse who saved him from himself and cared for him through the worst of his transformation. They both offered their services to USIC, a private corporation that was trying to establish a human colony on Oasis, a far off planet light years from Earth. After a rigorous screening process, Peter was hired on a mission to bring religion to the indigenous people of Oasis, the Oasans. Bea, who did not get past the initial screening, stayed home, holding down the fort and caring for their cat, Joshua, while the world fell down around her.
This is a story about western colonialism and corporate exploitation of indigenous peoples for power and profit, and how religious indoctrination is used to achieve those ends. Despite Peter's best intentions, he was blind …
Peter Leigh transformed his life from a down-and-out junkie by embracing religion and becoming a well respected pastor. He married Beatrice, the nurse who saved him from himself and cared for him through the worst of his transformation. They both offered their services to USIC, a private corporation that was trying to establish a human colony on Oasis, a far off planet light years from Earth. After a rigorous screening process, Peter was hired on a mission to bring religion to the indigenous people of Oasis, the Oasans. Bea, who did not get past the initial screening, stayed home, holding down the fort and caring for their cat, Joshua, while the world fell down around her.
This is a story about western colonialism and corporate exploitation of indigenous peoples for power and profit, and how religious indoctrination is used to achieve those ends. Despite Peter's best intentions, he was blind to the fact that he was being used as an instrument of USIC to get the Oasans to produce white flower--the only edible, and highly versatile, plant on the planet. In return, USIC provided the Oasans with drugs, which also worked to USIC's benefit. The company was prepared to go to any length to advance its interests, even if it meant great personal costs to the indigenous peoples it exploited and its own employees, like Grainger (the USIC pharmacist) and Peter, among others. It counted on its employees' loyalty, personal commitment to USIC's agenda, and the naive trading abilities of the Oasans.
Although the various story lines followed the kinds of interpersonal relationships we all have with those around us, Faber constructed this story with layers and layers of nuance. The themes in this book ranged from politics and religion, to personal commitment and personal fallibility, to the tension between the environment and raw corporate avarice. It was just the sort of book that whisked you away somewhere far from your everyday travails here on Earth, but returned you thinking about your own circumstances and how interests other than your own got you here. You don't always have to go somewhere else to find your path. Sometimes it's right in front of you.
