A Chrono-cle

On the recommendation of a friend, I recently read a science fiction book called The Chronoliths, written by Robert Charles Wilson. My friend didn't really have to push too hard to persuade me, because the premise of the book sounded quite intriguing.

In the near future, a huge crystalline monument appears in Thailand, its arrival instantly occurring in a massive distortion that causes a wave of destruction nearby. The monument turns out to be a memorial, commemorating the victory of a warlord in a significant battle -- dated 20 years in the future. And as the months roll by, more and more of these "chronoliths" start to appear from the future, spreading out from Thailand in a pattern showing the unstoppable march of this mysterious future dictator all over the world. Can this warlord be stopped before his tyranny begins, or is the appearance of his monuments a self-fulfilling prophecy that proves his inevitability?

I found the premise immensely intriguing, but when I actually read the book, I found that the execution fell a bit short. Setting aside some nitpicks (as overall, the writing was actually very readable), I'd focus on two major flaws with the story's construction.

First, the book actually unfolds over a 20 year period, following a handful of characters as time marches on from the appearance of the first chronolith to the date that monument "foretold." And I have no problem with a story that takes on that breadth and scope. The problem for me is that the book barely breaks a slight 250 pages. Perhaps I've been reading too much epic fantasy, but I associate broad scope with high page count. Instinctively, I feel that an accurate telling of 20 years of history -- even if limited to the point of view of a single primary character -- should take more pages. Essentially, this is a "future history" novel, and when it comes to history... well, look at the door stop Doris Kearns Goodwin needed to cover about that length of time in Abraham Lincoln's life.

The second issue for me is also one of narrative focus, though in a different way. The book is divided into three sections ("acts," really), and the scale of the problems differs between them. The first and third sections are very much concerned with global problems resulting from the appearance of the chonoliths, events which the main character gets swept up in. Certainly, the role of individuals in it all is important, and you are made to feel for the characters, but there seems to be a more overriding concern about life and death on a global scale. By contrast, the second act is intimate and personal. The story does use as a backdrop the appearance of one particular chronolith in this section, but the main narrative concern has to do with something extremely personal to the main character. The rest of the world around can attend to itself.

Now don't get me wrong, I think either one of these approaches is perfectly valid. If a science fiction book wants to take on massive life and death issues in an imagined future scenario, go for it. Or if it wants to imagine a future world simply to use it as an intriguing setting for what is ultimately a personal character story, that's fine too. The annals of science fiction are filled with wonderful examples of both. And even a few examples of truly gifted writers mingling the two. But that's my problem -- there's no mingling here. The book is three liquids of different densities poured into one container and ultimately separating out into Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. Each section is pretty good unto itself, but tonally disconnected from the others.

That said, as I pointed out earlier, the page count here is rather small -- exceptionally so for most science fiction. And while that does work to its disadvantage on some levels, it does mean that the book is a very quick read. I basically read it all on the part of my flight back from London that I wasn't trying to nap on the plane. (Maybe four hours?) So if you, like me, find the premise fascinating, you can pick up the book for yourself and easily give it a try.

I'd grade the total package a B-. Not the best I've read, but above average at least.