‘Bitter Angels’ – C.L. Anderson (Spectra)

You’ve probably noticed already but just recently I’ve been going through a phase of reading nothing but fantasy. Well, all things come to an end (especially as it’s now October, you can expect to see a lot more horror this month for a start!) and I figured that it was time to get some science fiction on here! It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve read any... C.L. Anderson’s ‘Bitter Angels’ seemed as good a place as any to start, a space opera style detective story that’s had good things said about it by one of my favourite new sci-fi writers (David J. Williams, ‘The Mirrored Heavens’ and ‘The Burning Skies’, check them out if you haven’t already).
As it turned out, maybe I should have picked something else to start on. Every so often I find myself reading a book that I’m not really enjoying but still feel compelled to finish. ‘Bitter Angels’ was one of those books...

The Erasmus System is dying on its feet. It’s infrastructure of indentured servitude has the populace muttering rebelliously but still living in fear that the ruling elite will stop the flow of water going into the poorer planets. The economy has nosedived (due to new technology coming out of the Sol System) and is currently being propped up by the machinations of smugglers and spies. Could this system really be the flashpoint for a galaxy spanning war? The Erasmus System can barely keep itself afloat but the Guardians (a branch of the United World Government for Earth) seem to believe that it’s a ‘hot spot’ and should be treated accordingly; diplomacy with the option of swift action if required...
Former Field Commander Terese Drajeske has been recalled to active service and sent to the Erasmus System to investigate the death of a former colleague, an incident that may be linked to the ominous signs emanating from the System. Terese’s last mission, as a Guardian, left her scarred but alive; what she is about to uncover in the Erasmus System may not leave her alive to tell the tale...

Initially, ‘Bitter Angels’ has a lot of good things going for it which piqued my interest and made me decide to carry on reading. The Erasmus System is beautifully realised, if the word ‘beautiful’ can be used to describe a place labouring under extreme poverty and a cruel regime. You can feel the oppression in every word and through characters such as Amerand the reader gets a real in depth look at just what it means to have to survive in a place like this. At the heart of all this there’s a mystery to be solved and it’s so mysterious that we don’t even know what it is, only that a Guardian’s death may somehow be linked to something even bigger. A mystery is always a great hook for a story and this one certainly did the job as far as I was concerned. Anderson’s portrayal of Terese’s recall to service also helps to draw the reader in. We’re left in no doubt as to what Terese went through previously and just what it means to her to give up her family and go on the mission. This accentuates the importance of solving the Erasmus mystery and just what is at stake if it isn’t resolved. I knew that I had to keep reading.

And then it all went off the boil...

All of the characters involved are dropped into a situation that is far larger than they can comprehend and with no idea of how to begin unravelling things. It all comes together eventually but it doesn’t half drag in the meantime! On one level this is to be expected, if you don’t know what’s going on then you’re more than likely to flail around a bit until it all comes together. Be that as it may though, it does interfere with the pacing of the novel; things were set up to speed along and what we get instead is a crawl...

I found myself in a position where the initial promise of ‘Bitter Angels’ kept me going but it was steadily diluted more and more by the feeling of being bogged down in a story that was going nowhere. When I find myself skim reading, missing stuff and having to go back and re-read then something is wrong (quite apart from the fact that doing this interrupted the pace of the book even more!) Things dragged to the point where the ending felt (to me) like a bit of a damp squib, even though it’s pretty powerful stuff! To have characters spend ages searching for clues etc and to then have the answers suddenly become apparent in the last couple of chapters made it feel like a bit of a rush job and robbed the ending of the impact that it deserved. This may be the way it goes in real life but that didn’t come across in the book.

If this wasn’t bad enough, the ‘dragging effect’ robbed Terese of the chance to really develop (as a character) throughout the book. Terese hit so many dead ends that she had no chance to move forwards until right at the very end of the book. Terese’s frustration echoed mine and this ‘reflection’ made it even more difficult to get into the book...

‘Bitter Angels’ is a great idea that is spoiled by what felt like it’s glacial pace. I’d give Anderson’s work another go but probably won’t pick this one up again.

Six and a Half out of Ten