Earth Ascendant (UK / US) is the sequel to Saturn Returns, although it begins thousands of years after. The Astropolis series uses several clever techniques to tell a story that spans millenia: tempo, where humans can change the speed at which they experience time; multiple instances of the same person; hardcasting which is teleporting a mind into a new body (and across vast distances); and extended life via implied genetic engineering. This allows the story to cross thousands and thousands of years.The problem I had with Earth Ascendant was the very purpose of the plot. It focuses on Imre Bergamasc's mission to reunite the galaxy in a Returned Continuum, following the demise of the super intelligent post-human Forts in the mysterious Slow Wave. The question I kept asking myself was, why? Why is there an assumption that the human race must join together and act as one? Why is there the need to transcend the way they live? Why can't they just live a good life and be happy? And even more importantly, what right does Imre have to thrust these changes onto entire civilisations?
Consequently I felt little sympathy for the main plot, in which Imre tries to discover a traitor and a treasonous plot, because I didn't agree with the main characters aim.
At the end of Saturn Returns I was left with many major questions, only one of which, what is Domgard?, gets answered. Meanwhile I was still left wondering who the two shadowy organisations are that seem to be fighting each other. In fact the general feeling was the dreaded, book two of a trilogy feeling; that book two was in fact unnecessary and is merely padding. Disappointing.
So, despite Saturn Returns being enjoyable, I'm afraid that Earth Ascendant failed to add anything extra to the story for me. I hope that the finale of the trilogy, The Grand Conjunction, answers the questions, and the answers are good.
Earth Ascendant is published by Orbit and is out in the UK on 6th November 2008.
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