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Bear Head is a dystopian sci-fi, cyberpunk political thriller by Adrian Tchaikovsky, published in 2021 by Bloomsbury Publishing. Although the novel stands alone, it is the second in the author's Bioforms duology, and follows on from Dogs of War.[1]
Plot
[edit]The novel is set in the near future, on Mars, in a world in which warfare has evolved to include bio-engineered, non-human soldiers. The story sees the return of Honey, the highly intelligent human/bear Bioform first introduced in Dogs of War, as well as other returning characters.[2]
Set a few decades after the events of Dogs of War, Bear Head tells of Jimmy Marten, an engineer who has been adapted to cope with the challenges of building a colony on Mars. Life in Hell City is tough, with workers and Bioforms working to create a luxury environment for a wealthy elite, without ever enjoying its benefits. Jimmy's life is bleak, and Jimmy seeks release through Stringer, a local - and very expensive - designer drug. Desperate for money, he agrees to use some of his unused headspace to carry contraband data.
However, to his surprise, Jimmy finds that his latest download is both articulate and self-aware, claiming to be a distinguished academic, author and civil rights activist - a bear named Honey.
Narrated initially by Jimmy in the first person, and then through Honey's backstory and that of a politician's secretary, we discover the political background to this. On Earth, an activist group has led to the collaring of bio-enhanced animals, at the cost of their individual freedoms and rights. Led by Warner S. Thompson, a ruthless and populist politician and World Senate hopeful, their core belief is to maintain control of the Bioforms, eventually aiming to get rid of them altogether. When we eventually learn that Honey, through Jimmy, is the key to communicating with another presence on Mars, a tense political situation becomes yet more so. The new entity is a novel intelligence, fragile, elusive, and potentially lethal. And Honey means to make contact with it, with or without Jimmy's consent.
At this point we encounter another character from Dogs of War; the group entity Bees, the world’s first Distributed Intelligence (DistInt). Deliberately infected with a virus in order to try and kill them, Bees has been labelled a terrorist by The World Senate, hoped-for peace talks have failed, and Bees and their computer operating system intelligence, HumOS, have had to go underground. All of this has helped precipitate the unfolding situation on Mars.
As the novel progresses, we see the consequences of this contact. Jimmy, as the organic being through which Honey’s ideas are communicated, finds himself faced with a bigger problem than he bargained for. And Warner S. Thompson has a sinister plan to keep his grip on power, which involves Honey, Jimmy and the Bioforms.[3]
Background
[edit]Although the book is set in a futuristic universe, it remains strongly rooted in contemporary politics.[4] Critics have commented on the similarities between the character of Warner S. Thompson and that of former US President Donald Trump.[5][6]
Tchaikovsky says in an interview with El Periodico: "The great curse for a science writer is that the world becomes like his book. And it is terrifying what is happening. They are developing AI-controlled drones, armed robots… not to save human lives in war zones, but to protect the people who give the orders."[7]
Tchaikovsky has revealed in interview that the main idea for Bear Head (including much of the plot) came to him in a dream under the working title, Bear With Me.[8]
Reception
[edit]The Times selected Bear Head among its best new sci-fi reads of January 2021.[9] Grimdark Magazine describes it as: '...a brilliantly observed, drily funny and deeply grim science fiction story of biotech, artificial intelligence and political greed.'[10] The Daily Mail said: "Funny, appalling, gruesome and uplifting.... Bear Head is propelled by a cracking plot that balances dystopian satire with a palpable sense of moral peril."[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "Bear Head: An Interview With Author Adrian Tchaikovsky". SciFiNow. 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ Yon, Mark (2021-01-10). "Bear Head by Adrian Tchaikovsky – SFFWorld". Retrieved 2024-08-21.
- ^ Yon, Mark (2021-01-10). "Bear Head by Adrian Tchaikovsky – SFFWorld". Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ G, Ola (2021-02-15). "Adrian Tchaikovsky, Bear Head (2021)". Re-enchantment Of The World. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ Dodd, Michael (2021-01-18). "REVIEW: Bear Head by Adrian Tchaikovsky". Grimdark Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ "Bear Head by Adrian Tchaikovsky". Science Fiction & Fantasy forum. 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ Alós, Ernest (2024-07-19). "Guía para no perderse en la galaxia Tchaikovsky". El Periódico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ "Bear Head: An Interview With Author Adrian Tchaikovsky". SciFiNow. 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ Ings, Simon (2024-08-20). "The best new science fiction for January 2021 — beware renting your head for data storage". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ Dodd, Michael (2021-01-18). "REVIEW: Bear Head by Adrian Tchaikovsky". Grimdark Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ Buxton, Jamie (2021-02-04). "DYSTOPIAN". Mail Online. Retrieved 2024-08-21.