Review by Booklist Review
The world's oceans have become toxic and are now called the Caul. The only people left on Earth are scientists studying the Caul and penitents who seek it out. Scientist Carl Magellan has been keeping a journal of his research, the struggles of his wife, and the birth of their daughter, Siofra. Eighty-one year-old Mae Jemison is one of the penitents who lives alone near the shore. One day while checking her wildlife traps she comes across little Siofra wandering around by herself. Mae searches for Magellan and finds his body hanging in a cabin. Upon closer inspection, she realizes he has been murdered. Mae's instincts as a past member of the Service, the law-enforcement arm of the Planetary Authority and the Main Clans, take over. She starts her own unauthorized investigation, looking into several of the local penitents and the science facility Magellan had left. With a dual narrative, a twisty mystery, unusual science, and religious and political intrigue, Brush's debut will find fans among both sf and mystery readers.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At the center of Brush's turbulent debut is a rogue ocean, the Caul, on an ecologically compromised future Earth. Scientists are baffled by its toxic, sirenlike lure and its ability to create new life forms, such as assemblages of "giant cubic crystals" called bergs. Years before the start of the book, Magellan and his wife, Gemma, were among the many Earthlings who departed for Mars during a mass exodus known as the Exo, but they returned to study the Caul in the small community of survivalists living along its ever-expanding shores. Gemma has since died, and when one of their neighbors, 80-year-old Mae, a former special agent trained in forensics, finds Magellan's young daughter wandering near the Caul, she escorts the girl home--only to find Magellan murdered. Mae takes the child under her wing and sets out to investigate. Her suspects include the "manchild" Kozlov, who has an eye for Magellan's 20-something lover, Jean Baré; Rawat, a deranged priest who worships the Caul; and Hannu, a talented mechanic eager to return to Mars. Brush keeps the pages turning with twisty conspiracy theories and exciting scenes of Mae wielding her survival skills with cinematic flourish, surrounded by the Caul's "inter-dimensional" quantum foam. Less successful is the overload of backstory, both Mae's and Magellan's (his journal takes up half the book), and some rocky plotting. Still, the earnest and detailed characterizations and worldbuilding mark Brush as a sci-fi writer worth keeping tabs on. (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Brush explores whether humanity should cling to its old home or seek a new life among the stars in this novel about a uniquely imagined dystopia where a vast, ominous gray mass has spread over more than a third of Earth. This entity attracts living beings, pulling them into its mass. The strong, irresistible urge to join the mass forces humanity to evacuate to other parts of the solar system. However, some humans return--scientists and penitents alike who are drawn back to Earth. One of them is Mae, a former cop who was chasing her missing husband. Now, 30 years later, she has resigned herself to a life of exile--until a scientist's note given to her by a local child pulls her into a wild journey solving murders and exploring the mysteries of this deadly planet. The child ignites something in Mae, leaving her no choice but to confront her past and future to decide whom she can trust. VERDICT Dual timelines, a shockingly hyperdimensional setting, and flawed characters make this a must-read that recalls the work of Kim Stanley Robinson. Brush gives a familiar trope an original and exciting twist.--Meagan Shay
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