Involution Ocean

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, somber adventure
Review: Sterling's first novel, written almost a decade before cyberpunk became a household word.
The setting is a desolate world with a single habitable crater, which is itself filled with a sea of near-fluid dust. This bleak, deadly place sets the tone for the story, which follows an addict trying to restablish a source for his drug of choice: "Flare," which is distilled from the oil of whale-like creatures which swim in the dust. He signs up for a berth on a whaling boat whose crew includes a captain obsessed with what lies beneath the dust seas, and an insane alien woman.
Somber, gripping, modestly awe-inspring.END

Rating:
Summary: The Involution Ocean - harder to get hold of than 'Flare'
Review: This is a simple tale with a tight narrative focus. Being addicted to a rare drug has it's hazards. The main character's drug of choice, flare, is declared illegal so he and an inept junkie friend head out on a dust whale ship in a crater to extract flare from the source.

The characterisation is really very strong for such a short book. The characters are all very different and their interaction is great. The plot is simple, but hangs together extremely well. I found some of the descriptions of the alien life and the sensibilities of the locals and whalers really absorbing. There are quite a number of amusing little scenes in this book. (I think a few may be unintentional). The setting is really fascinating and has a few well chosen details that really add to the immersiveness of the book. I really enjoyed it!.