Exo

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.)