SPSFC Review - Book Review - The eom Expression: Beautiful Chaos by David Foresi
I really tried to give this book a chance. The concept of it sounded fascinating but on paper it sadly didn’t work for me.
What’s the book about?
Jeron Hayden yearns to explore and discover strange new worlds, but he’s just a shuttle pilot for hire.
Diverted by Enforcers, Jeron ends up on the wrong side of a dumpy orbital community over Saturn. He’s given a book he’s not supposed to have, granting him access to the rebellious tech black market.
Jeron becomes a smuggler, working with an illegal sentient AI.
Enforcers never stop enforcing, so Jeron and thousands of other rebels set out for Rieva, a beautiful world of endless potential. There, they form a new civilization based on freedom. Beer flows freely, and life is good.
The Enforcers have a mandate to stop the tech revolution underway on Rieva and an unlimited budget. War is the only possible outcome of such mandates.
With planet-ending weapons in play, monumental distractions can lead to mass death. The echoverse—a realm of entangled thoughts, emotions, and ideas, is a monumental distraction for Jeron.
Eom, an alien philosophy, holds the potential to reshape Jeron’s mind, allowing him to navigate the echoverse and possibly end the war. His guide to eom is a beautiful alien woman named Calira.
Your guide to eom is a sentient AI entity with no name. He was born amidst war. Along the way, he figured out how to get free beer, which would have been nice if he could drink it, so he’s got that going for him.
The eom Expression is a satirical science fiction adventure about the nature of existence, the mind, and individuality. It explores finding joy even amidst the uncertainty of a technological singularity. Enjoy the journey!
The Review
The above blurb is long and so is this book. In fact it’s very very long coming in at a whopping 1249 pages!
I encountered issues with the book pretty much from the off as it begins with a very surreal and mind bendingly written opening to introduce the echoverse. I tried to comprehend it, but instead it made my head hurt.
The author has an incredible imagination and I think it may have been allowed to be unleashed a little bit too much in this book. If a reader gets confused from the very first pages then you need to pull them back to reality and some semblance of understanding very quickly afterward.
And it does, to an extent. The characters are well written but with the echoverse being a major part of the plot I never really got engaged as those sections for me were the worst parts of it. Too mind bending for my little brain to get around, but for others I’m sure they’ll absolutely enjoy the surrealist aspects of it all.
The story centers on Jeron, Ted, Lilli, and Aaron, characters with a thirst for freedom in a world dominated by governmental control. Their journey to escape and find a life outside this control is gripping and the portrayal of humanity's desire for autonomy is commendable. The narrative goes beyond our planet, constructing an entire solar system replete with innovative solutions to unique challenges. An intriguing element introduced by the author is an alien race, which intriguingly, has no comprehension of time. This is a book full of amazing ideas and I’m sure other people will love it.
However, while the story is strangely captivating and the world-building very expansive, I just didn’t enjoy the more weird and brain twisting aspects. I DNFd the book at the 30% mark as I really did want to see where the plot went, but alas it didn’t keep my attention and the bloatedness of the book put me off.
With some more ruthless editing and an overall tightening of the plot the book would be greatly improved. For these reasons I will not be putting The eom Expression: Beautiful Chaos through to the next round.
