Gods and Their Machines

Earnest good intentions may earn respect for Irish author McGann's first SF/fantasy novel, but they can't quite bring the book to life. The relatively modern, urban country of Altima denigrates and exploits its rural, backward neighbor, Bartokhrin, leading to low-level but escalating conflict. When readers are introduced first to Chamus, a young Altiman lad who loves flying and hates terrorists, then to Riadni, a Bartokhrian tomboy who loves horses and despises foreign overlords, they may suspect that the two will meet, fight, be forced to depend on each other and eventually come to appreciate the ""enemy's"" way of life. It also seems likely that Chamus and Riadni will use their mature understanding to thwart the bloody plans of childish old men on both sides. And so it happens in this YA-level parable with lessons that bear on the current crisis in the Middle East. McGann tackles genuine problems, but the novel's world isn't developed independently enough to feel real, apart from its contemporary references. The story's conclusion is underdeveloped also, with a burst of good feeling instead of a real presentation of how these different people can learn to live together. Unfortunately, merely wanting to say something important isn't enough.