The Water Bear

by Groucho Jones

How far would you go to stop a war? To save a world? To save a child?To save everything?"At once absolutely bonkers and perfectly wonderful.""This book blends science, fiction, dream-like realities and a beguiling sense of intrigue.""I can’t recall a science fiction novel in which so many characters created a lasting impression on me."The year is 2075, and the people of Earth have been prevented from destroying their own planet. While protesters burn cars in the streets, Ophelia Box is recruited into a covert peacekeeping unit. Her mission is to prevent a genocide. The problem is the genocide is in the past. She becomes a player in an adventure that spans the quantum wavefunction, from the beginning to the end of time, in this universe and beyond. Her companions are soldiers of the Po, the special forces of the human galaxy. Their clever and deceptive ship is called the Water Bear."A long time ago..." he began, and Box could see the children were rapt. They were sat in a semicircle, with the debutantes in front of the fire, and the robot Chance on the other side. Somehow, the cold of the night had receded, and they were all sitting comfortably. "...in a place called the Real, on a planet called Earth, I fought a mechanical spider."The Water Bear is a high concept sci-fi novel and an epic science fiction How does an advanced civilization face an existential threat? How to intervene, without destroying what we set out to save?If you read one sci-fi book this year, read this one.

Praise for The Water "At once absolutely bonkers and perfectly wonderful. The writing is good and the scenery often stunningly beautiful.""The Water Bear is huge in scope, rich in characters, and carries a very strong message about the current state of our planet and the people running it.""Excellent ships, swords and kung fu mashup. Kitou rocks my world.""Wow! This just sweeps along with no thought for the reader. It’s epic and expansive and bewildering and fascinating, all at the same time.""This is a beautifully written speculative fiction novel—one that I would recommend to anyone who has a taste for stories that truly put fiction into science."

471 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2019

About the author

Groucho Jones lives by the sea in Mandurah, Western Australia

Reviews

[Philip Davis]

Epic storytelling

Wow! This just sweeps along with no thought for the reader. It’s epic and expansive and bewildering and fascinating, all at the same time. The author has created an incredible world inhabited with fabulous characters, nay, fabulous people, friends, whose story drops into your mindspace with a bang. It will leave you wanting, while at the same time presenting more than can ever be understood. Don’t delay, read it today.

[Randy]

Flabbergasted

For me this book opened my imagination like none other. I'll have to read it at least once a year to continue to expand my heart and soul. I loved this book so much. Normally I skip through books but this one required me to read every word. This book is now one of my treasures. Thank you Groucho Jones. Love you.

[Tammy]

It often felt like a psychedelic infused story, with FTL travel through time and alternate realities made from dreams. It felt like a SIMS game. It felt like a different language. It had so many unique ideas. I would struggle to retell the story, even in its simplest form. I enjoyed the journey, even if I can’t remember a lot of it.

[PK]

DNF at 41%. I got bored with not following WTF was going on. Too weird for me.