Starred review from January 23, 2012
Former CIA analyst McCarthy delivers a stark and wrenching sequel to Germline. Against the backdrop of a continent-spanning, barely described war in Asia, Catherine, a genetically engineered American super-soldier turned loose on the battlefield at 15, breaks free of her religious conditioning and makes a run for freedom. Standing in her way are half of Asia, starvation, radiation, and the impending breakdown of her body and mind, part of the army’s fail-safe on its two-legged biological weapons. As she travels, Catherine and her companion, Margaret, progress from one faction’s territory to the next, uncovering lies and learning deeper truths—or at least ones that will serve to get Catherine to her hoped-for refuge of Thailand. The conclusion is simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant, and utterly appropriate for the brutal, bloody, and magnificent story. Agent: Alexander Field, Alexander Field Literary Agency.
Starred review from March 1, 2012
The second novel in McCarthy's Subterrene War series (Germline, 2011, etc.) is a standalone tale that encompasses theology and existentialism in its story of a genetically engineered warrior discovering her own path. Each Subterrene novel follows a different character involved in a brutal future war between the United States and Russia over natural resources in Kazakhstan. This time, McCarthy focuses on Catherine, one of the artificially grown super-soldiers used by the United States as frontline combatants against the Russians and their allies. Unlike the journalist protagonist of the previous installment, Catherine knows little to nothing about the motivations behind the war, and has been conditioned to focus her entire existence on killing enemy soldiers. Writing from Catherine's perspective, McCarthy captures a fascinating mix of naivete and ruthlessness, as Catherine, grown in a tank to the equivalent of 15 years old, is unfamiliar with everyday human life but knows everything about battlefield tactics and killing efficiently. The novel starts as Catherine is beginning to experience "the spoiling," a degradation process that affects all genetics after they've been in the field for two years. Rather than submit to the mandated "discharge," or suicide, Catherine escapes from her unit and begins a journey through battle-scarred Russia and the nuclear wasteland of North Korea, in the process questioning the principles that have so far defined her existence. A big part of that involves teasing out her own concept of God, and McCarthy portrays Catherine as a complex mixture of zealotry and skepticism, depicting a mindset that is effectively outside human experience while also very much identifiable. Although the novel takes place in the midst of a war and involves a number of battles, it's less a war story than a rumination on identity and faith, anchored by a protagonist who brings surprising and moving depths to familiar science-fiction concepts. This exciting and thoughtful story marks McCarthy as one of sci-fi's most promising new talents, and bodes well for the series' forthcoming third installment.
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March 15, 2012
Catherine, a genetically engineered elite soldier, has reached her "expiration date" at the age of 18 and, according to the rules of the sacred Modern Combat Manual, is scheduled to die. Instead, she seeks a longer life and more time to kill in the second title (after Germline) in McCarthy's military sf adventure with a feminine twist.
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.