Hammered

In Hammered by Elizabeth Bear, the year is 2062 and the world has changed. Civil war has broken out in the United States while China is surging forward in the arms race of the future. Canada is close behind China, neck and neck almost, as both world powers fight to create the first true starship that will determine who gains control of everything. For Jenny Casey, who is approaching her fiftieth birthday, none of this matters. She’s been through war, she’s lost her arm, she’s lost many friends, but she’s content with her life, aching pains and all, so as that she is just left alone. But soon her feelings will change as she will be turned into a major pawn of the arms race game…

Bear’s debut is an impressive one, set in an all-too-familiar future with lifelike characters that are both individualistic and charming, and while on a whole still maintaining an air of scientific difference that sets her apart from the cyberpunk dredge lining the shelves. The star of Hammered is, of course, Jenny Casey, also referred to as Maker, whom upon first meeting seems like a quiet, bitter, semi-alcoholic old bat with a heap of attitude. That is not the case though, and as Hammered goes forth, much of Jenny’s past is revealed, showing a softer, more human side to her that lets the reader sympathize with her internal and external pain. Other characters that truly stand out are Razorface, an African-American gang lord who’s literally all teeth, and Elspeth Dunsany, a felon released from prison and coaxed to work on the same project that got her in the slammer in the first place. I found the cop/scorned lover Mitch to be a bit tiring, his only motivations the same ones twice over at each appearance.

Bear’s prose, while at times a mixture of simple and elegant, can be a bit of a burden to push through. These chunks of rough writing appeared more in the Jenny POV chapters than anywhere else; Bear forces awkward sentences or neat turns of phrases on the reader rather than merely describing what is happening, spending more effort on style than is needed. It slows down the pace of Hammered.

Another problem lies in the area that Jenny’s past is where the danger lies, her repressed history of war and the drugs she became so addicted to. This means that a lot of the action and conflict takes place away from Jenny, with other characters more prone to handle such tension. If Jenny was the only POV this would have been a huge setback, but thankfully there is Razorface, Mitch, and Elspeth to save the day. Maybe it’s because they’re young and nimble. Jenny’s quips about growing old can only be read so many times before you need to see someone shooting a gun or moving their feet.

Regardless, Hammered is an excellent start to a promising series ripe with fun, engaging characters and the impending overhang of war just above them. It’s a different take on the future, and one definitely worth reading about. Two more books, Scardown and Worldwired, rounds out the series.

Other Reviews of works by Elizabeth Bear

New Amsterdam - Jun 17, 2007