Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart

by Steven Erikson

A provocative, beautiful and visionary novel of first contact by New York Times bestselling author Steven Erikson.

Imagine a First Contact without contact, and an alien arrival where no aliens show up. Imagine the sudden appearance of exclusion zones all over the planet, into which no humans are allowed. Imagine an end to all violence, from the schoolyard bully to nations at war. Imagine an end to borders, an end to all crime. Imagine a world where hate has no outlet and the only harm one can do is to oneself. Imagine a world transformed, but with no guidance and no hint of what’s coming next. What would you do? How would you feel? What questions can you ask – what questions dare you ask – when the only possible answers come from the all-too-human face in your mirror?

On the day of First Contact, it won’t be about them. It will be about us.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Aliens, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Space, Audiobook

407 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2018

About the author

Steven Erikson is the pseudonym of Steve Rune Lundin, a Canadian novelist, who was educated and trained as both an archaeologist and anthropologist. His best-known work is the series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/steven...

Reviews

[TS Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reading copy from the publisher, Gollancz, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

With Rejoice: A Knife to the Heart, Erikson holds up a mirror for all of humanity.

The Earth, when seen from space, shows no borders.

A First Contact story that examines the path of the human race on Earth, Rejoice nails some very brutal truths about humankind at large; where humanity is heading to and what awaits us in the future without intervention. Once again, Erikson offers up a stunning philosophical discourse, albeit one that is less allusive and hitting much closer to home as compared to his epic fantasy masterpiece, Malazan Book of the Fallen.

Even though this is an Earth-based story, its scope is still expansive as the narrative sweeps through the Americas, Russia, China and Africa through the eyes and minds of numerous characters who react to the alien intervention in myriad ways. If you are looking for a character-driven story, however, you will have to look elsewhere. While there is one main character that appeared the most, her development as the chosen spokesperson of the ET presence (as in the formal acronym of extra-terrestrial, and not Spielberg's) is not the focal point of the story. What was fascinating was that Erikson chose a Canadian science fiction writer to be that character - highlighting the level of empathy, understanding and intelligence prevalent in a profession that is more often than not subject to derision among the literary circle.

"Yet another example of a brilliant Canadian Science Fiction writer virtually no one in this country knows about, outside of the aficionados of the genre. Never reviewed by the Globe, or the National Post. So, who is she, madam Prime Minister? Smart, opinionated, a feminist, a humanist. Frankly, I'm not surprised the ETs selected her."

How very telling, isn't it? That Erikson chose to emphasize how SFF writers with their imagination can understand and empathise more with the plight of our world.  Humans threatening the sustainability of the planet and capitalism serving to widen the gap between social hierarchies; these are a couple of macro themes which many current SFF writers are allegorically incorporating into their fictional narratives.

"Good writers don't blink. They don't shy away from hard truths."

If you want to know more of these hard truths, I do recommend picking up this book. I will not be able to write it better than Erikson did and as such, shall refrain from doing so in this review. Do note that this first contact story is not your typical thrilling science fiction adventure; it is highly philosophical (it is Erikson, after all) with uneven pacing and occasional dryness in the prose. Nonetheless, there is a spark of humour and wit in the writing as a few notable current real-life personalities are fictionalised in this book, and to great effect.  As I share the same conviction as the author on these social, environmental and economic commentaries, I was captivated with this original First Contact story which resonated so deeply with me. 

With the death of your imagination, you lose the sense of wonder. But you need wonder. You need it to stay sane, and you need it to keep your heart from turning to stone.

This is why we read, as stories provide us with a sense of wonder and discovery, teach us empathy and give us hope. And more importantly, this is why my favourite genre is science fiction and fantasy.

You can order this book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)

You can also find this and my other reviews at Novel Notions.

[Crane · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is very much "message fiction".

Now, it just so happens I agree with the message being told, for the most part. Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that I don't buy a science-fiction novel to read a political screed. I don't mind my sci-fi addressing politics or social injustices, not at all (gimme that Ann Leckie and Rivers Solomon!) but this isn't that. This is a blog rant couched as a novel. The narrative consists almost entirely of two kinds of scene.
A) Thinly veiled caricatures of contemporary political or corporate figures twirl their moustaches.
B) The author's self-inserts pontificate about how awful corporate capitalism is and/or how awesome it is that aliens are putting an end to our terrible ways.

I mean, I get it! Really, I agree with almost all the points Erikson makes! But he doesn't make them well. If you agree with him, you'll find it tedious. If you disagree with him, you'll find it unconvincing. It's just so incredibly heavy-handed, and the Trump/Putin/Murdoch analogues so offensively obvious that it may as well not be a novel at all.

(Bizarrely, Xi Jinpeng escapes censure and is instead presented as an ultra-progressive visionary who promptly accepts the alien intervention with no apparent qualms, ostensibly because of the differences between "Eastern and Western thinking", which seems more than a little racist.)

[Stefan · Rating 2 out of 5]

"If freedom had an ugly side, this was it."

Sloppy, Mr Erikson. Very sloppy.

Now, the idea itself, idea where humanity was faced with a ET Nursery, and the entire world is forced to behave like children in kindergarten, except that from these children all of their favourite toys were taken away and they were forced to play with each other and be good, is amusing. Very amusing, in fact.

But I think there isn't a human being in this world who hadn't spared at least a minute of thought, laying late at night, procrastinating while waiting to fall asleep, imagining how the world would look like if these scenarios were implemented on us.
And in our minds, all these scenarios were probably far better and more original than the one in this book.
We only haven't wrote the book, I guess.

So, this book sadly isn't a wake up call, there's nothing groundbreaking in it, it doesn't call for a conversation - at least not any that hadn't been led countless times before, I'm sure - and that's the saddest thing about this book.

Considering how great writer Steven is, and how many topics he covered in his Malazan series, I had (rightly) expected from him a fresh idea.

"They didn't shelter their own, didn't feed their own, didn't heal their own, and yet, in the midst of all this inhumanity, they held themselves as the pinnacle of human civilization."

Fresher scenario than that in which Americans are portrayed as nothing but pompous douche-bags who think highly of themselves while rest of the world sees them as idiots with big guns.

Or that people in Russia and China think of themselves as oppressed just because western civilizations say so and how they would immediately start rioting if they knew leaders of these countries had no power at their disposal.

Anyone who was at least just a little bit geopolitically aware of, and was able to form opinion outside of that what mainstream media is constructing for their own self-serving narrative, would assume that, in the given scenario like in this book, people would react like they did.

And that's what makes this book, not just a missed opportunity, but outright boring.

Get back to high fantasy, dear Mr Erikson. We deserve best of your thoughts.
Not these musings at midnight.

[Carlex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four and half stars

(my apologies for mistreating the English language)

It is my first reading of the author, so I have no preconceived ideas. I know that he is very appreciated for his fantasy works (Malazan) and instead this is a work of science fiction. So, I have heard that some readers/fans are disappointed, but it is not my case, quite the contrary.

What would happen if some aliens intervened the Earth, in the same way that the NU should intervene in case of the poorest countries that suffer a civil war, with famines and refugees? This is the main premise of the book, which of course deals with other interesting topics.

The book starts with the abduction of Samantha August, a canadian science fiction writer, as well a known blogger about social criticism. Immediately the images of an UFO capturing her with a sort of light beam become viral, but who can believe that this is not a promotional hoax?

I do not want to tell you more about the argument, you can see more details in the synopsis of the book. Just say that the alien intervention is well thought out, and the way in which the author provides new information and advances in the plot throughout the novel is very well developed.

Interestingly, at some point, this book reminds me of "Martians, Go Home", by the great Fredric Brown, but it is a very different and less humorous approach. If you read it you will understand me. And, of course, the book also remembers me Arthur Clarke's "Childhood's End" but the argument is quite different and they only coincide at the main issue.

I want to mention some good characters: first of all, Samantha August, the science fiction writer. The wisdom of Samantha August/Steven Erikson can be appreciated as a preamble in each chapter, through a quote from her, but also her role in the story is very interesting.

Other characters are: Douglas Murdo, a cynical (it's an euphemism) press and media mogul (ahem!), or the radically intransigent president of the USA, Mr. Raine Kent (ahem, ahem!). But also there are more interesting characters like Kolo, a death-squad commander in the Republic of Congo; or Casper Blunt, an arms dealer. These two will discover how their life has ceased to make sense.

These characters and a lot more, from their respective countries and in their own words -said in a manner explicitly or not-, will show us what it is failing on our planet. So, of course in this novel you will find criticisms about global capitalism and about our fate as species (you know, global warming, loss of biodiversity, etc). And curiously, the author adds, explained in a scientifically plausible way, some conspiracy theories like the UFO abduction (nothing about anal probes). Why not? this is SCIENCE FICTION!

For the rest, apart from the first contact main issue, I think Rejoice: a Knife to the Heart is a reflection about science fiction and even I would say a declaration of love of this genre: a defense of the imagination and the free speculation that it implies. In particular you will find a tribute to Iain Banks and Douglas Adams, and in addition a cameo appearance by Robert Sawyer.

Maybe I am a bit naive here, but reading this novel frequently I wished if all was real. I wonder if you read this book you will think in the same way... or not. Anyway a wonderful first contact novel.

This year that has just ended, I have had the good fortune to read three good novels of first contact: Upon this Rock by David Marusek, Rosewater by Tade Thompson, and this one that I have just reviewed : )

[Gerhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful surprise this book turned out to be. I have never read Steven Erikson before, and was blissfully unaware of his credentials in the High Fantasy genre (the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, which I might actually give a whirl if Erikson’s world-building is as good as it is here).

This book reminded me immediately of Longer by Michael Blumlein, in that it represents certain facets about SF that I love, and which repel other readers. Both of these are novels of ideas, and in Erikson’s case, it is also a novel of talking heads.

There really is no way around this one. Yes, writing teachers always say ‘show, don’t tell’, and there is a remarkable array of secondary characters in Erikson’s book that viscerally illustrate the impact of the First Contact event on the planet and its already highly-fractured society.

A lot of these characters are evoked wonderfully, with just the right quirky detail to make them jump from the page. Others are painted with broader strokes, such as the US and Russian presidents, who are clearly based on their real-life counterparts (I think this book was published originally last year). Erikson has a ball here, and lays into these titular political figures with a real vengeance.

His US president, in particular, is foul-mouthed and dim-witted, and inadvertently quite funny. The venture capitalists and other representatives of the ruling world order do not fair well either. It is clear that Erikson is (kind of) paying homage to the more political-type SF of Ken McLeod and Iain M. Banks.

The latter is referenced quite often (the first instance is quite a heart-breaking reference to Banksie’s untimely death from cancer). His Culture series was based on the economic concept of post-scarcity, which is the idea that goods can be produced in abundance with minimal human labour required, which means they become available to all and sundry either very cheaply or even freely.

Back to the talking heads. In the first few pages, an infamous Canadian SF writer (who is also a highly-opinionated vlogger, and famously staged a slanging match with Margaret Atwood at a convention) is abducted by aliens while walking down the main street of town. Literally, a UFO appears, and a beam of white light zaps her into the beyond, much to the consternation of her doctor husband.

She spends the bulk of this nearly 500-page book in a little white room in space, debating the human condition with an omniscient AI, and whether or not she will agree to be the aliens’ spokesperson and address the planet about what is termed the Intervention. The latter has five stages, and so the book itself has five parts.

While this sounds like the worst kind of McGuffin on which to base a book of this size, Samantha August is such a compelling character that her verbal jousts with the AI are truly fascinating and quite on the money. (This is SF, after all, a genre often unafraid to tackle contemporary socio-political issues with the clarity and incisiveness they deserve, particularly given the obfuscation and downright mendacity of both politics and big business).

Indeed, what I loved about the book is that it is also a love letter to the SF genre itself, not to mention bad Hollywood movies about first contact. These always seem to equate this momentous event with alien invasion. Hence they are often set in the US, depicted as the only nation with the necessary backbone and military might to kick alien ass.

Erikson has great fun with the idea that SF writers are the heroes of the moment, feted by the high and mighty to give their advice on the aliens’ inscrutable tactics. Robert J. Sawyer appears as himself, giving politicians hell. The much-loved Prime Directive from Star Trek is also grilled.

(Star Trek makes quite a critical appearance towards the end in a way that is genuinely laugh-out loud funny). Savvy genre readers will spot a lot of additional references and nods to famous works and people.

I enjoyed this book so much that I was even prepared to forgive the cliffhanger ending, with Erikson clearly relishing stopping his story literally in the middle of the action (yes, there is action towards the end, when the talking is finally done).

Genre fans seem to think that only SF writers can write SF. When literary writers like Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro or Margaret Atwood dabble in SF or fantasy, it is somehow seen to be non-genre (with the mainstream writers often dissing the genres anyway, to much hand-wringing from the fans).

Erikson clearly comes into the SF fold as an outsider, as he is mainly seen as a fantasy writer. Then again, there are lots of examples of SF writers turning to fantasy – Richard K. Morgan and Kameron Hurley spring to mind.

Genre fans are surprisingly parochial. Given such distressing recent events as the Sad Puppies right-wing anti-diversity voting campaign at the Hugos, not to mention the toxic fandom impact on The Last Jedi, they can also be quite narrow-minded.

It takes a great writer like Erikson to jump into the SF sandbox with wild abandon, and produce something so wonderful and unexpected that it reminds us, both forcefully and gratefully, of the true saving grace of genre.

[Raffaello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solarpunk in salsa Eriksoniana.

Sapete quando leggete un libro di uno dei vostri autori preferiti e vi delude? L'avete mai ricevuta quella pugnalata nel cuore? Sono sicuro che sia capitata a tutti. Altrettanto capita di avere il desiderio di promuovere il libro comunque, per affetto verso l'autore. Ho combattuto questo impulso per tutto il tempo di lettura, e alla fine in un certo senso ho perso la battaglia. Non l'ho bocciato del tutto.
Certo, il libro è una delusione, ma principalmente perché non è all'altezza dell'alta opinione che ho di questo straordinario autore. Non fatico ad ammettere che se il libro l'avesse scritto chiunque altro, lo avrei probabilmente valutato in maniera più clemente, avrei pure detto che non era stato così male, nonostante non fosse propriamente nelle mie corde; e dunque perché bocciarlo? Mi sono limitato a non promuoverlo.

A conti fatti il romanzo è ricco di valide riflessioni sociologiche/antropologiche/ambientaliste, c'è molto simpatico citazionismo: libri, autori, film, serie TV...insomma siamo nel parco giochi di Steven e perché no, anche di tutti gli appassionati di sci-fi; c'è un finale ben fatto, non manca il dissacrante sarcasmo eriksoniano e molto sano e ingenuo ottimismo: a volte anche questo può fare bene al cuore.
D'altra parte i difetti ci sono e mi hanno fatto andare di traverso la lettura fin dall'inizio. Mi sono ritrovato troppo spesso a stupirmi che Erikson fosse davvero incappato in certi scivoloni o avesse presentato alcune cose in maniera così banale, manco fosse un libro per ragazzi. Per farla breve (che più scrivo più mi ingarbuglio), Erikson ha tentato di cambiarsi d'abito, ma non ha mostrato di essere a suo agio in questi suoi inediti panni sci-fi; non mi ha convinto proprio.

Siamo sul 5 in pagella. L'alunno ci ha messo del suo, lo premio con un tre stelline scarse, ma sa fare di meglio.

[Marin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short version:
A great deconstruction of our society. If you are into thinking about human nature and the way humans interact with one another, read this book. It feels personal and at the same time - generic and all-encompassing. This book isn't about aliens, but about humans. It isn't about first contact, but about our daily contacts with others.

The feelings I got ranged from existential despair to the pure optimism of the golden era of Sci-Fi. Of course, you'll get plenty of Erikson's best - full-blooded characters that each have their own distinct voice, thoughts and actions that are believable. By the end of the book you'll think you know the people even though they are struggling to find themselves in the wake of the Contact.

Extended review starts here.

If you are not familiar with Erikson's other works, read a few articles, posts or reviews on (or of) his before plunging into this book. His writing is serious, at times even tedious, and it is always rich on philosophical subjects and not just on the events being described. Often times he won't even describe events, but feelings, thoughts and social/philosophical paradigms. And put them all to serious questioning. "Rejoice" is far better than the psychology/philosophy textbooks I was obliged to study on in high school, this book is a much deeper, thorough and profound exploration of human nature, fears, hopes and mistakes than anything I've seen. I'd venture that it's even better than some introductory pieces of specialized literature.

With this in mind, don't let the first 10% fool you - they are very fast-paced, but this will not keep up (nor should it). It is a great intro to the book because it lets all the characters sink their hooks in you. Their introductions feel so real, so personal, so believable. You'll definitely find someone who resonates with you. For me it was the the way the intimacy between the doctor and his missing wife is explained, the way the cop loses faith in humanity. The first few percent reek of the desperation in this world that most people fail to see with their happy-go-lucky always positive attitude that is somehow modern in this day and age.

As the book progresses, you'll get even more people, all from varying walks of life, and the mystery will deepen. I actually believed *spoiler* that Adam will just delete mankind when instead he stopped violence *end of spoiler*. This is where it gets really interesting, because Then "Rejoice" really plunges into exploring what pieces of shit humans really are, while at the same time affirming how great we can sometimes be. It's a duality in us that cuts like a knife to the heart.

What surprised me the most is the *spoilers* optimism Erikson seems to hold in humanity - I can only compare it to authors like Assimov who wrote about the best in mankind's nature and its ability to adapt, overcome and do good. On the other hand, if someone magically resolved all my problems, perhaps I would be a much better person too, who knows. *end of spoiler*.

Ultimately, "Rejoice" is about exploring the what-ifs of human behavior and thinking, and it does a marvelous job of that. Nothing is overdone, all things are in moderation, even the optimism and faith in mankind.

Read it!

[Benji Glaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5🌟's

I've read all the Malazan novels aside from Fall of Light, and consider MBOTF to be the pinnacle of modern fantasy. I believe Steven Erikson to be a genius author with the most gifted voice in all of fiction period.

I've lived in Victoria BC for the last 15 years, and have even enjoyed a few coffee from the establishment where a large chunk of MBOTF was written by Eriksons hand. So needless to say when I saw this new Sci-fi work by my favourite author set in my homebase I had no choice but to try this out eventhough Rejoice looked far from something I'd normally pick up.

No time is wastedas a semi-famous Sci-fi author is abducted in broad daylight. In a neighbourhood I'm familiar with a bustling Cook street village. Samantha August who I suppose you could proclaim the main protagonist of the story is introduced to an AI who is appropriately named Adam. The AI was created by an advanced spacefaring triumvirate. Adam was sent to commence an intervention on humanity with the main goal of preserving Earths biome.

Erikson proceeds to cycle through a large cast of characters from different cultures and classes, A very broad sample of humanity to witness as the AI runs Earth through the intervention stages. The characters were great even for the short time spent with them. Their dialogue, beliefs, and goals were all quite varied. I liked how the intervention affected everyone in a unique way. The multi pov was definitely a strong point in this read.

The plotting led the cast into a giant 'what if' session. This is where the story lost traction for me, but also brought about some good old fashioned pondering on my part. What if people couldn't commit any form of violence upon one another? What if we could no longer exploit natural resources for profit, or if our wildlife had protection from people? What if drugs and alcohol, diseases and sickness no longer could harm our species? Ideas lime these sprung page after page of heavy philosophical discussion. It was handled in an intelligent manner, but at times I felt I had heard enough.

Writing a book li,e this is a bold move. I think it has that polarizing quality as it is quite left wing in mind set. I could have enjoyed this one more, but I still applaud S.E for offering up a thoughtful piece of fiction.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great premise, some wonderful moments and some intriguing characters and fine writing but blimey, despite all of that, I found this book so difficult to finish - it has a message (about whether mankind is a species worth saving and the state of American politics) and it doesn't bear it lightly. I love First Contact stories but this has buried it beneath philosophy and endless discussion. Not one for me although, as I say, it has glimmers of something very special as the aliens' plan is revealed stage by stage.

[Micah · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a truly stunning lack of imagination by an author who seemingly deliberately presents himself – both in avatar form and metatexually – as

1. Boring and smug.

2. Personally and professionally self-satisfied.

3. Indulgent in depicting his own elaborate formation of reoccurring cliches and fetishes.

and

4. uninterested in crafting his, undeniably timely I guess – if not terribly fascinating – critique of capitalism into a readable novel.

Erickson seems almost lazy here (not an adjective I ever expected I'd associate with the guy who wrote all ten of the Malazan novels) never bothering to question the poorly thought through assumptions at the core of his dull, normative morality (discussions of which make up the bulk of this book).

The plot is quickly engrossing, with a great premise: an alien imposes pacifism on humanity in order to protect Earth's biome and force humans into an uplift scenario. A handful of storylines that seem to parallel each other promise to be headed in the direction of some sort of grand conclusion. Then, everything slows and fragments. It is as if Erikson didn't want put in the work to build his various character arcs into actual plot threads, or wrangle his incidents into an actual narrative. Perhaps he assumes the reader's attention based off the excellence of some of his previous work?

I hope not, because if so he's mistaken.

With little intrigue beyond some lingering, predictable mysteries left over from the opening section – or much connective tissue between the various plot threads and characters – and without interesting ideas to fill in the gaps, the book

bogs

down.

Becomes a chore to read.

Devolves into a series of awkwardly first-draft-ish Lengthy Socratic Dialogues™ and Insightful Anecdotes™ leavened by occasional imagery of Large Scale Nerd Objects© and sequences of Kneeslapping Humor®.

This book was apparently adapted from a number of unsequential blog posts. It would have been better as a series of Facebook status updates: only for true fans, disconnected stories so short and published across a long enough period of time that one could breeze through them like Aesop's Fables to get to the point. Or ignore them.

Because Erikson even falls down on the prose level, wrapping pages of inelegant description around chunks of dialogue that strain the suspension of disbelief:

Clunky tennis match back and forths between grouchy, shouty caricature strawmen (always men, always white, always with right wing politics...) who's telegraphic arguments are all inevitably, eventually shot down by impossibly articulate authorial mouthpieces (mostly women, often minorities, all improbably performing the same set of opinions, ad nauseum, with the same voice... As if Erikson, not one-hundred percent sure about the reception of his ideas, felt the need to ventriloquize them).


All of which means Rejoice, A Knife To The Heart

fails.

Absolutely (sorry, I'm not sorry).

Is a failure.

Was a disappointment to read (it sucks).

As didactic fiction, as an analysis of economics and sociology, as a thought experiment, the base level feeling of reading it is one of incredulity. One can't believe what one is reading, not entirely because the arguments and analyses being made are unbelievable – they mostly aren't, just boring – but instead because the way they are being presented is so off-putting one doesn't want to allow that the hack doing the presenting might have a point.

Ultimately, this is a waste: the central premise is full of potential. Erikson completely abandons that potential. What he replaces it with evidences a lack of self awareness and restraint, a miscalibration of talent and a near contemptuous attitude toward his audience, that is straight up embarrassing.

[Goran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knjiga nije dosadna, naprotiv, ideja je zanimljiva (ne i originalna), ali... svemoćna sila koja se pojavljuje niotkuda i rešava stvari, pravi deus ex machina. Linijska radnja po diktatu, likovi kao tipski predstavnici određenih grupa... slabo.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah man, this was too short.

I'm sure smarter people than me have reviewed it better than I will here, but I thoroughly enjoyed this thought experiment. I love Erikson's writing in general, and this one didn't disappoint. He writes well, fleshed-out characters with complex motivations that make sense. And he has spent a lot of time thinking about first contact, and its host of implications.

There's so much I want to say here, and things I want to compare it to, but there are just too many spoilers down that road.

Read it, it's a great thought provoking story, esp. now when the world is collectively holding it's breath

2025 reread: Just finished this with my partner. I would say it wasn't as gripping as teh first read, once you know the conceit the magic goes out of it a little, but what an engaging thought experiment, I found myself pondering the repercussions all week. And it seems like the world needs an intervention more than ever now.

[Adam Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Canadian science fiction writer is abducted by a UFO from the streets of Victoria, British Columbia. The world shrugs and dismisses it as a social media hoax. Days later, mysterious forcefields start appearing around wilderness areas in danger of human encroachment. Fracking sites are cut off, animal migratory routes disrupted by human civilisation restored and fishing boats are unable to cast their nets. Then people find themselves being forcibly prevented from hurting one another. An Intervention has taken place.

Far above the Earth, an alien presence has arrived. Its mission is to repair and restore the biosphere of the planet but it is conflicted over what to do about humanity, who have been abject failures in their role as custodian of the planet's welfare. Fortunately, they have another job in mind for humanity, one that merely requires them to completely transform the very paradigm of their existence, forever...

Steven Erikson is best-known in genre circles for his Malazan Book of the Fallen fantasy sequence, consisting of ten brick-thick novels packed with battles, sorcery, comedy, tragedy, drama and musings on compassion, morality and ethics. The Malazan series is both an epic fantasy and an inverted interrogation of epic fantasy. His forays outside the field into science fiction have been less noteworthy, consisting of three Star Trek pastiches and a post-apocalyptic novella.

Rejoice, a Knife to the Heart is therefore his first serious, full-length science fiction novel and it's probably going to take people by surprise. It's relatively short (400 pages of quite large type), focused and a bit of a throwback to SF's golden age, consisting of story development through sequences of conversations between core characters. It feels like something Clarke or Asimov would have written in the 1950s, except with far superior character development.

Integral to the story is the fact that people can no longer hurt or kill one another, which means that the good old genre stand-bys - shoot-outs, nukes, battles, chases, character deaths - are unavailable to the author. This feels like a challenge Erikson has set out to himself and he meets with relish. The wit and erudition of the Malazan series is still present here, but seriously pared back to more human and witty levels. Rejoice, a Knife to the Heart is, surprisingly, Erikson's most approachable and accessible novel to date.

It's a novel that asks big questions about the future of humanity and what our fate will be, self-destruction (either in war or from societal collapse resulting from environmental disaster, dwindling resources or simple exhaustion of the human spirit) or enlightenment, discovering means of abolishing scarcity and moving into a truly utopian existence, and how that will impact on a species conditioned by centuries of exposure to free-market capitalism. To that end, those expecting "Malazan, but in space," (at least in terms of sheer scale) will be disappointed. But those up for a stimulating, question-raising, intelligent SF novel which explores ideas of scarcity, postcapitalism, paradigm shifts, fake news, populism, climate change, Big Dumb Objects and environmentalism, all done in a concise manner, this book is for you.

Challenges abound in the novel, most notably how to build tension when it's literally impossible to have any kind of military confrontation or action resulting in injury or death. Erikson does this with a great philosophical debate: the mysterious aliens spare humanity for a specific reason, because there's something we can do they cannot, and this central mystery is gently teased out over the course of the book in a manner that's compelling. It's also not quite resolved in the space of this one novel: sequels are not strictly necessary, but would be welcome to explore some of the mysteries left unexplained in this book.

This is also a novel which may be tapping SF's golden age, but it's also a very timely novel. There's nods to the #metoo movement and almost all of the movers and shakers in the story are based on real people. It's pretty obvious which US President the fictional one is based on, and spotting the fictional equivalents of the Koch Brothers, Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch is amusing. The book also has a very human side, and the key theme of the Malazan series - compassion and empathy - rears its head here as well. There's also a few touching tributes to SF authors who have passed away in the novel, which may make a few lower lips quiver.

Rejoice, a Knife to the Heart (****) is going to be a divisive book, I feel. I suspect some will be bored by a novel which consists almost entirely of conversations between people without a laser gun battle in sight (there are a couple of small explosions though), but for those who read SF for ideas, for intelligent observations on the world around us and explorations of what humanity could be if it could throw off the shackles of inequality and exploitation, this is a fascinating work.

[Kalin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one angry book. And it may make you angry--especially if you like Trump. :)

But what made it really resonate with me was its hopefulness. I was already awed by Erikson's compassion and strife to awaken our own compassion in the Malazan Book of the Fallen. However, when I was reading his accompanying essays, I felt crushed by the bleak future of civilization he predicted. It was as if, no matter what we do, we're doomed. It's too late.

Not so with Rejoice. Admittedly, the premise of first contact with vastly superior--both technologically and ethically--aliens may sound like a cop-out. Removing violence from our daily lives makes so many solutions easy, doesn't it? Yet I believe the book offers a cornucopia of ideas that are completely practicable--or can at least nudge us toward our better, more grown-up selves and societies.

(The two reasons I'm not giving it five stars are that: one, twenty years of civic activism have familiarized me with most of those ideas; two, there could have been more showing and less telling.)

Specific impressions:

https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...

[Sadir S. Samir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book demands your attention every single page and forces the reader to ask themselves some very deep questions about humanity and the societies we live in. The themes explored in Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart are very close to my heart and kept me incredibly fascinated all the way through. I'm so glad Erikson wrote this book. He's one helluva brave author.

I really don't enjoy writing reviews but I know how important they are to support authors. Hence my very short reviews.

[Vasil Kolev · Rating 5 out of 5]

The worst thing about this book is that it's not going to happen.

It not as much makes you think (although that's present), but pisses you off and makes you want to change things. I didn't find any inaccuracies in the description of the current world (except the changed names and maybe toned down personalities).

[liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 25%. Writing style is grating, dialog is all Sorkinesque speeches back and forth, and for an earth-shattering event the narrative is remarkably not engrossing. Though I broadly agree with the politics I absolutely could not keep going through the smugness--and I have read some real trash. I read the epilogue and it doesn't seem like I missed much.

[Lenore Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the amazing opportunity to read this book pre-publication for my podcast. The concept is like nothing else I have ever read--I highly recommend this book! Especially if you are interested in humanity and where we are heading.

[Federica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Potrebbe avermi risvegliato la voglia di esplorare romanzi di fantascienza. Grazie, Steven, come sempre.

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that's frustrating. This is the first Erikson book I've read that's ever let me down.

At first I had a little difficulty getting into this book, I think simply because of the ... jetlag (?) ... of reading a non-fantasy Erikson story. I kept wondering, "Where is this Canada in relation to Australia, I wonder?" then feeling like an idiot. That passed after 15 minutes or so. Once I got into it, I really enjoyed Stage 1 (of 5) of the alien invas--sorry, INTERVENTION.

The setup is great. Basically, this is a huge thought exercise, wherein we take the idea of an alien invasion, but take away the aliens, and force people to look to their better angels. I LOVED this premise, and was really excited about it. I loved that midway through part 1, when the planet-saving force fields are put into place, and people aren't allowed to commit violence of any kind, I was thinking, 'this is so original! where will it go from here?'

The problem is, it ... doesn't go anywhere. Stages 2-5 are MOSTLY just people talking to each other. Which would be FINE, if they had anything interesting to say. We follow a lot of different people from various backgrounds throughout the book, and maybe ... two of them? ... said anything interesting.

The MUCH bigger problem is that Erikson pretty quickly introduces the fact that Greys, basically aliens like the ones in X-Files, are real and a different threat. Having this weird element tossed into the mix somewhat ruined the main point, I think. I was like, if nobody's gonna DO anything, let's get to the Grey fighting!

I kept this at two stars because the premise and the first 150 pages or so are just phenomenal. After that, meh, I found very little worthwhile.

[Scott Hitchcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart, compassionate and concern over social economic and political issues. So pretty much all the check boxes for SE's works. His depiction of Trump without calling him Trump is entertaining and if anything he understated the meltdown which would be coming if this all actually happened. Climate change, avarice, human trafficking and the general cruelty and indifference of our world forced to change in the blink of an eye.

There are flaws in his plans for this new world order or perhaps he simply thinks more of humanity than I do. I feel like the people still trying to exploit the system would be much more rigorous in their never ending efforts to seize power. Some people are merely sociopaths with no disorders or childhood trauma.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though Steven is best known for his Epic Fantasy Malazan series, it’s been clear for a while that he’s a genre fan. As well as Epic Fantasy, he has also published Star Trek inspired SF-comedy that fans of The Orville may appreciate, with (I believe) a third book due soon in the US.

And now there’s this: a full-blown, ‘proper’ SF novel that takes one of the genre’s biggest tropes – first contact – and gives it a whole new spin.

The story begins with science fiction author Samantha August being abducted from a street in broad daylight – one minute she was there, the next, gone. We discover that she has been chosen by a foreign artificial intelligence, who on the behalf of some enigmatic aliens, wish her to be humanity’s representative. (Science fiction writers have fewer personal axes to grind, have greater imagination and are better equipped to cope with grasping out-of-the-box concepts, it seems.)

To show the seriousness of its intent, whilst Samantha makes up her mind to be involved, the AI (amusingly named Adam) begins the task of saving Humanity and the world’s ecosystem in ways that, to humans, seem incredible. Violence becomes near-impossible. The world’s natural resources - the rainforests, the Canadian Tar Sands and others - suddenly become shielded no-go zones. Food and water is provided for those who need it. A new cheap energy source is given freely to those who want it, something that will power everything from an electric toothbrush to a space rocket engine.

It seems like a new world and a new dawn for Mankind. But it is not a free gift without conditions. Adam explains to Sam clearly that Humans must show the aliens that we are able to adapt, and in the usual sf-nal process of Uplift, prove ourselves worthy of this boon. There is also that tricky situation of what to do in a post-capitalist world (Iain M. Banks gets a mention here.) And what about the moral and ethical issues, whether people can cope with a loss of free will in return for a world without violence?

Off-planet, things are also changing. On the Moon those troublesome alien Greys are sent packing, and their no-longer-secret base there is being developed into – something – which Humans are dissuaded from visiting. At the same time, Venus is being transformed, thanks to a giant sunscreen and the use of many comet impacts, clearly for something in the future.

As this brief summary suggests, there are big ideas here. Steven builds these up carefully and, as a consequence, Rejoice starts fairly slow. Much of the first part of the novel is spent introducing characters from various backgrounds and setting up the premise.

There’s then a lengthy pause whilst the aliens (or at least the AI Adam on their behalf) sit back and let the world adjust to the new situation. The world struggles to make sense of what is happening and there is an element of denial at this stage. To reflect this, we see events from various diverse points of view around the world. There’s the Trump-like US President, Raine Kent and his advisors in the West and to counter-balance this, the story from the perspective of Liu Zhou, the Science Advisor to Xin Pang, the Leader of the Chinese government and Konstantine Milnikov, a Putin-like Russian leader. Away from politics we have vlogger Joey Sink, business entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers and mercenaries in the African rainforest. Overviewing it all are various delegates of countries in the United Nations struggling to decide what to do next. Steve can’t resist a little self-appreciation here - it’s great fun to see the Canadians be involved (a nod to Steve’s native country) emphasised by a cameo from Canadian s-f writer Robert J. Sawyer.

At about the halfway mark of the novel we begin to see the Human response to the AI’s arrival. The pace picks up a little as the Chinese stage a raid on the abandoned Grey lunar base to gain a potential advantage.

Up to this point the AI’s purpose is still unknown, even to Samantha, who is still considering being the Human-alien liaison. On the whole, it seems benign and beneficial, though not without a price. Steven does well to consider the moral and ethical views of many of those concerned.  In this aspect, in places Rejoice reminded me of an upgraded, contemporary version of Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End – not a bad thing, in my opinion.

When Samantha returns to Earth in the last part of the novel, her speech to the United Nations and the listening world is eloquent and logical. At this point my doubts about using a science fiction writer for this role are dissuaded in a tour de force speech that reminded me of Klaatu and Gort in the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still (more than the original story).

Most of all, here the book brings a Star Trek style optimism by the end. There is hope for the future and even an excitement that humans are on the threshold of a new beginning. The ending is a major cliff-hanger that will need clarification in a future novel.

In summary, Rejoice is a great ‘proper’ science fiction novel that takes what I think often makes s-f great. There are big ideas here and Rejoice treats them seriously. It is clearly a novel that has been thought about for a while and is written with enough confidence to tackle those s-f tropes full on, dragging them kicking and screaming into the light of intense scrutiny and using them to an appropriate conclusion.

As well as being accessible, entertaining, and even amusing, I suspect Rejoice will raise many questions in the thinking reader’s mind that will bear repeated thought after finishing the novel – and if ever you needed the sign of a good SF novel, in my opinion, that is it.  Big ideas examined with a broad perspective and balanced with a certain degree of humour and optimism – Rejoice is a triumph.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das, was der Autor in seinem Buch zu sagen hat, ist dann doch so essentiell und wichtig, dass ich die Passagen, die ich als Geschwafel bezeichnen würde, einfach mal hinten runter fallen lasse. Mit "Rejoice" hat er einen wahrhaftigen utopischen Roman geschaffen.
Pendants aus unserer Welt wie Donald Trump, Wladimir Putin oder Bill Gates finden sich im Roman wieder und sind so gut karikiert, dass sie unschwer zu erkennen sind.

Wird es uns helfen, unsere gegenwärtige Lage zu analysieren?
Vielleicht.

Doch wie ich neulich erst lernte, besitzt unsere Psyche mächtige Mittel der Abwehr (danke Herr Freud für die Aufklärung) wie Projektion, Rationalisierung, Intellektualisierung, Leugnung und Verdrängung, die uns davor "schützt", unangenehme Wahrheiten zu akzeptieren.
🙈🙉🙊

[RG · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like he tackles his ideas better with fantasy. Just wasnt for working for me.

[Annemieke / A Dance with Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the review copy in exchange for an honest review

Rejoice, a Knife’s Heart is a sci-fi novel by Erikson. Erikson is probably most known for his Malazan fantasy book series. Books I’ve heard great things about so I was eager to give this book a chance. Unfortunately I struggled a lot with this book.

Sci-fi comes in all shapes in forms. From dystopia to space opera’s. But one other aspect that is often a big part of the genre is the introspectiveness to look at our own society. Something that this book attempts to do and in places certainly succeeds. For one, the nod to the current Trump administration and its voters was very clear. America got quite a few jibes here. But also at capitalism and economy in general and how we sometimes lack empathy towards the other humans that occupy this earth if they aren’t in our own circle. Or how our society seems to spin around violence in ways. I applaud that. And then you will say, but wait Annemieke, wasn’t this a book about first contact. It is. And it isn’t.

Why I did not enjoy this book was because of the packaging. We go through a variety of different characters throughout this book to showcase the above introspectiveness. However I felt nothing for these characters. I barely get to know them because then we quickly shift to another character. The conversations quickly grew boring because there was nothing for me to invest in. And unfortunately Erikson’s writing style is somewhat on the dry side.
I also question the characters chosen but most of all the slave driver and pedophile who seems to be getting some kind of redeeming arc. It was disgusting.

The first contact is more of a background setting to everything. We don’t get big aliens but an AI who asks an SFF writer to be their spokesperson and then doesn’t let her do it for the majority of the book which I didn’t get. I did find it interesting that an SFF author was chosen. Very nice indeed. We got a little more from her point of view which was nice in places.
Overall though if you like dry reflections on society sci-fi novels than this first contact might be completely up your alley.

[Gibson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chi bussa?

Il *Primo contatto* con una razza aliena è un tema che porta con sé molte riflessioni, a cominciare dall'immediata ed esistenziale Non siamo soli, passando per Perché adesso? e Sono amici o nemici? fino ad arrivare alla spirituale E Dio, in tutto questo?
Un primo contatto rimette in discussione l'Uomo, la sua esistenza e la sua Fede.

Erikson gioca con tutta questa materia scegliendo di ricorrere alla fantascienza di indole umanistica per osservare l'Uomo oggi - religione, sinistra, fascismo, comunismo, randiani, liberali, capitalismo, individualismo, collettivismo, ecologismo e futuro del pianeta Terra, eccetera - sfruttando un'entità aliena come punto di osservazione esterno.

Sulla Terra, invece, ci sono molti personaggi dislocati in tutte le parti del mondo, di etnie ed estrazioni differenti e tratteggiati il minimo per darci un'idea della loro vita e visione. Una scelta azzeccata, perché di fronte ad un evento così importante il vero protagonista è l'umanità che popola il pianeta... e non come accade nella maggior parte dei film americani, in cui sono solo loro i veri protagonisti per la salvezza del mondo - in questo, nel romanzo ci sono più momenti in cui Erikson cita film o i romanzi che tutti conosciamo per esprimere il suo punto di vista; per non parlare di come ha 'disegnato' il Presidente Americano che, be', mi pare chiaramente ispirato alla stupidità Trumpiana.

E poi c'è Samatha August, il personaggio chiave di questo contatto, una scrittrice di fantascienza rapita dagli alieni e scelta per essere il loro rappresentante.

Premesso questo, il risultato finale è uno sbilanciato pastrocchio.

Se l'autore da un lato propone un'indagine speculativa importante e portante - a volte forzata -, dall'altro scivola goffamente su una buccia di banana, ricorrendo ad una fantascienza che sin dai primi capitoli sfocia nel banale - ma davvero oggi come oggi potrebbe succedere in quel modo?
Ho dubitato a più riprese di star leggendo Erikson, quello stesso Erikson che in Malazan ha evitato il banale in ogni riga scritta, dotato di grande inventiva, fantasia e stile! Tutto dimenticato, qui.
Mi sono anche domandato se non fosse un romanzo per ragazzi, peraltro alle prime armi col genere, ma certe riflessioni inserite non sono affatto per un pubblico giovane.

Il finale, in maniera altrettanto banale, fa capire che ci sarà un seguito.
Be', per quanto mi riguarda, e in questo ambito, preferisco rileggere Alastair Reynolds, che con il suo Rivelazione potrebbe essere l'Erikson della fantascienza.

Probabilmente è colpa mia: non per il cosa, ma amareggiato per il come.
Con Steven sono un giudice più feroce che con altri, lo stimo troppo per accontentarmi di certe soluzioni.

[Tim Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got off to a good start for me with a key scene located on a block I know well, after living in Victoria for 30+ years. "Up the steps" -- oh, yeah, those steps, right by the cash registers, so the grocery store must be Wellburn's ....

OK, this book needed to be written, it has important ideas, etc. But gosh, it's dull. I'll never read it again. It's unavoidably didactic and philosophical, and I admit Erikson has made it less so than it might have been.

Wouldn't mind an explanation of the Rob Sawyer cameo. More to it than just two Canadian SF writers? I sense a favour owed, or a friendly wager lost.

Erikson decided to represent major players such as the POTUS, who is a cross betweenTrump and Lyndon Johnson. It made me notice how many present-day or near-future SF books leave the top-level players at a distance and have us deal with their representatives, who don't have to have a real-life counterpart that we're constantly matching against. But it worked reasonably well.

It's a bold, large "what if?" step, drawn at the nation level but also at the individual average-person level, as it should be.

Finally, I thought, "Only one large volume? Erikson never does that." But as the plot unfolded I thought it would have to wrap up here. Apparently not. In a process that felt a bit pasted-on, we're set up for some big-time space action, with plenty of room for ten more volumes. But I wonder, what will happen when the can't-be-violent-at-home humans are unleashed on a vaguely-described enemy with an unspecified amount of support from a godlike race? I guess we'll have to wait for the next one.

[Marius Roodt · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF unfortunately.
This book had an intriguing premise but the cliched writing and the writers' politics were just too much for me to enjoy the big ideas.
Yes, we can all agree that capitalism has its problems, but for Erikson capitalism seems to be the most evil system devised by man.
And apart from the main character, the characters are one-dimensional. The US President (a very thinly veiled Trump analogue) is obviously an anti-environmentalist buffoon. I am no Trump fan and I do think he is a bit of a buffoon, but a far more interesting character would have been a good man faced by a terrible situation, not this silly Trump avatar.
And Mr Erikson, while trying to show more perspectives, fell into the trap of many Western writers. One of the two scenes in Africa are seen from the perspective of a Westerner (who is obviously an arms dealer) and the other from an African, but one who is a warlord and former child soldier, who practices slavery.
If you want to write from an African perspective why not write from the perspective of a journalist in Nairobi, or an engineer in Lagos, or an accountant in Johannesburg? Why do these silly tropes about Africa have to be rolled out constantly.
As others have said, there is a very good short story hiding in this book, but I didn't have the energy to wade through the novel to find it.

[Terence · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

Unfortunately, ideology trumps story in Rejoice, a novel about first contact. There are glimmers of a novel in some scenes - hence the 0.5 star added - but most of the book is thinly developed characters expositing on Erikson's beliefs about politics, capitalism and other social ills.

I'm not in disagreement about much of what Erikson says, but I'd prefer to read about it in a better integrated story. The book reads to me like a first draft: "Well, I've gotten down the ideas I want to explore and a basic plot. Now, let's go back and flesh out the story and characters." For example, I would have liked to see him focus on Samantha August, the SF writer who's chosen by the ET as the liaison with humanity, and Kolo, a Congolese guerilla whose life is overturned by the alien's intervention.

To Erikson's credit, he acknowledges that the intervention is not a panacea. Humans are not off the hook for their actions. The aliens have just given us a second chance to get it right and grow up.

It wasn't an interminable read (for me) and I powered through it without too much trouble but I'd hoped for a more substantial story than I got. Can't recommend it, certainly not to readers who are already Erikson fans.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book sounded very interesting but I was ultimately disappointing. Part of the disappointment was that the aliens were presented as a Deus ex Machina. An outside force come to save humanity from our own failings.

One of the things the aliens did was prevent violence. It became impossible for any person to hurt another person. My first thoughts on reading that were all of the places that I, as a women, cannot safely go and things that I cannot safely do. Like walk around in a strange city at night, go to a bar and drink without having to worry some guy is going to spike my drink when I'm not looking, walk to the car after a long week of work without having to keep my head up, shoulders squared and looking around alertly.

The author, instead of reveling in the new found freedom most of society would enjoy, focused on the response of violent males to the inability to commit violence. Warlords, gun runners and violent husbands who all felt emasculated. I do not find these characters to be sympathetic and I cannot empathize with their point of view.