Cold People: From the multi-million copy bestselling author of Child 44

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Spellbinding . . . suspenseful . . . electrifying . . . A speculative masterpiece that will resonate with fans of Emily St. John Mandel, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Jeff VanderMeer.” — Library Journal (starred review) The premise is that aliens suddenly arrive in the sky and humans receive messages, though televisions, phones and other tech devices, that they need to go to Antarctica within thirty days or else…. Well, you never really know what will happen at the time, but we follow our main characters, Liza and Atto, as they join the rest of humanity fleeing to the coldest and most inhospitable part of the world. Liza is an American, on holiday in Portugal, when she meets Atto, and their relationship is interesting, and we watch it develop through this crisis. Does humanity survive? I’ll leave that up to you to find out, but I will say a second novel would easily follow this one. Oh, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a motion picture based on this novel is created – the scenery, nostalgic landmarks and special effects would be amazing. Genetic engineering plays an enormous role in Cold People and is highly controversial in our world as well. Look up some of the modern uses of CRISPR and discuss some theories for its future applications. What do you make of these developments? We end up with four subcultures. The originating aliens, a group of genetically engineered beings (read monsters here) with mega super powers, the cold people, who can withstand the Antarctic cold weather and also have some super powers, and the ordinary every day people. The race is on to see who wins out as the new reigning population, and who they will take under their wing, and who they will banish to a lessor portion of the frozen world. And in the end will it remain status quo or will more changes be seen in the future?

So? Are the cold people unemotional, or aren't they? Was this a continuity issue in the writing process? Original and imaginative, as profoundly intimate as it is grand in scope, Cold People is a masterful and unforgettable epic. I adored this so much about this book and it does lean towards many different genres. The way people organise themselves, govern and also find new ways to manage and exist. Antarctica has research facilities so it is a given that there are going to be scientists and experiments involved, these are so intriguing and they start to add a more sci-fi and thriller edge to an already gripping story.So, they end up creating a super powerful alien – of all things (weren’t they put here in the first place by aliens?). And low and behold it is released into the wild causing mayhem. One thing that was very distracting to me for much of the book was trying to figure out how this new society, which was fairly primitive, existing on native sea life, plants, and materials scavenged from airplanes and boats, was somehow creating sophisticated genetically mutated people. Granted, there was the prior existence of McMurdo Station (an existing science research station) but McMurdo was not conducting genetic experiments. Around the 70% mark it was finally explained that a top geneticist had brought equipment and knowledge with her, but it would have been helpful to have been told that earlier. They then sail to Antarctica in an oil tanker full of hundreds of thousands of people. Which then bumps into a cruise liner, which they zip line down to, then walk across a nuclear submarine on to the beach. I’ll let you digest that for a minute. What starts with a chance meeting ends in a story of survival and the author brings in so many twists and unexpected dilemmas that provide a dilemma. At times this almost felt like the story was verging on a horror story but with the obvious sci-fi leaning. While aliens are mentioned they are not really part of the story. Not much is known about them or why they targeted humans as the threat but left all other creatures alive. You can make your own mind up about that one! This story instead focuses on Antarctica and the residents of this isolated land. The world has fallen. Without warning, a mysterious and omnipotent force has claimed the planet for their own. There are no negotiations, no demands, no reasons given for their actions. All they have is a message: humanity has thirty days to reach the one place on Earth where they will be allowed to exist…Antarctica.

I read The Farm by Tom Rob Smith in 2014 and I can still remember the gasp I made when I realised the predicament the main character was in. In 2014, I published my first ever Top 5 Books list and The Farm was proudly featured. This book follows the journey that the human race makes as it tries to work out who gets to go, each country has their own criteria and priorities. There are also individuals who make their own way as well. It is a group of individuals that are the main focus as they make their journey to the frozen south. I couldn’t read this book fast enough. It’s been several days since I closed the book and I still can’t get it out of my head. The story ended with it being set up for a possible sequel. Please, please, please let there be a sequel. I have questions! So many questions! The “exodus” to Antarctica occurs in the summer of 2023, and the narrative is divided between the events of that year, chronicling the colonisation of a new society and seen largely through the eyes of a young couple, Liza and Atto, and a crisis point that occurs 20 years later, at the culmination of the project to genetically engineer a new generation of “ice-adapted” people bred to thrive in the harshest conditions. The most successful of these humanoid creatures is ready to be “integrated” into the community, but the dilemma remains: will this superior species, created by humans, save or destroy us? The answer, according to Yotam, the scientist who has “raised” the creature from birth, will depend on its capacity to love. “But how can I teach something I’ve been looking for my whole life?” Yotam wonders.When my copy of Cold People arrived, I couldn’t start it soon enough. I just knew from the description that it was exactly my cup of tea. You did feel sorry for Cold People, and there's the rub: they are often described as being unemotional. And yet..... there are scenes where Eitan is loving, euphoric, and even expresses grief. OK, I wonder how these people will survive, it seems incredibly unlikely that they won’t all die, but I’m interested in seeing how they manage it. However, Cold People is a departure from his usual genres and whilst the writing is still fantastic, the story didn't grip me as much as his previous works. Part of this comes down to pacing - the flow of the story is frequently interrupted to explain futuristic developments - most of which can be inferred from context and are therefore unnecessary. Also, whilst the initial story of humanity's desperate bid for survival and journey to Antarctica is thrilling, the story falls off upon arrival with too many unnecessary characters, poor character development and a story that plods along with an obvious open-ended conclusion. If there's a book two, I'll be giving it a miss. Cold People follows the journeys of a handful of those who endure the frantic exodus to the most extreme environment on the planet. But their goal is not merely to survive the present. Because as they cling to life on the ice, the remnants of their past swept away, they must also confront the urgent challenge: can they change and evolve rapidly enough to ensure humanity’s future? Can they build a new society in the sub-zero cold?

I’m not going to delve into the details of the plot except to say that for me it comprises four elements: I gave up about 20% in. It’s really, really bad - almost criminally lazy writing from an author who can be better. Next came Child 44, later made into a movie on the big screen starring Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman and Noomi Rapace. I gave this 4 stars in my review and went on to become the first Australian blogger to interview Tom Rob Smith. Honestly, the book reminded me of my teenage years in the 80's, when I was a huge fan of X-Men comics. The themes of persecution and distrust of mutants, and apocalyptic global threats are definitely echoed in this novel. I don't mean that in a bad way. It was great fun. Phenomenally imagined, intricately woven, and masterfully brought to life. It’s so descriptive that rarely have I read a book where I’ve felt I am living side by side with the characters. As a writer, Smith really is one of a kind’ John Marrs, author of The OneDid I love this? Hmmmm! I liked bits and pieces of it. I think this book needed a bit more editing. After aliens occupy Earth in 2023 and enact "the largest genocide ever committed," all human survivors are forced to live in Antarctica, where genetic engineering becomes key to their survival as a species. A zany, wildly gripping, dark futuristic fantasy.” — Vogue, Most Anticipated Books of the Year * “Fascinating…a propulsive ride…through a well-built world.” — The Christian Science Monitor * The People: we’re introduced to a select few whose adventures we’ll follow, notably an American family on holiday in Lisbon, a boy the family meet there and an Israeli soldier (of course we’ll meet others as the story progresses) .