Book Review: The Forever Watch by David Ramirez

The Forever Watch by David Ramirez

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Thomas Dunne (April 22, 2014)

Author Information: Website

Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

I don’t DNF books. I’m sure that is in large part due to my obsessive completionist nature. I’m still trying to learn to let go, because as everyone so wisely says, life is too short for books you don’t enjoy. But I just can’t help it. And here’s what I think is another reason for my perseverance: Hope. HOPE that the book will get better, HOPE that the story will eventually pick up, HOPE that I’ll finally be able to connect with the characters. After all, it’s happened before. There’s a good handful of books in my 4 or 5 star pile including a couple on my Favorites shelf that I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of experiencing, if I’d gone with the instinct to put them down. Sometimes, my stubbornness pays off.

A lot of the times though, it doesn’t. The Forever Watch was one such book. I had high hopes for it, because even though it got off to a slow start, the ideas and world building it in were phenomenal and when the story started picking up around the 10% mark I thought to myself, “Helloooo, now we’re cooking with gas!”

But just as suddenly as things picked up, they slowed way down again. It happened again around the halfway point. And again around 75%. Every time I thought I was finally getting somewhere with this book, the story would plunge me right back into the usual meandering, aimless pace.

It was disappointing. And even more so because of the incredible foundation laid out for us in the first part of the novel. The planet Earth has died and been abandoned, so our story takes place on a generational ship called the Noah, traveling on a centuries-long journey towards Canaan, humanity’s new hope for a home. The society on the Noah is strictly regulated with highly advanced technology, with programs like forced retirements, mandatory breeding duty for women, and designated Keepers to raise children. Everyone is highly specialized for their roles on the ship, and certain individuals are gifted with powers or implants, giving them abilities like telekinesis or super strength. Every angle of this highly intriguing dystopian society felt impressively detailed and well thought out.

But even though the world building was simply amazing, The Forever Watch faltered for me in other areas. Hana Dempsey, the novel’s main character has just completed her breeding duties, waking up from a nine-months-long induced sleep. Breeders are placed in this state for the whole duration of their pregnancy and never get to see their babies, but while Hana was aware of this, what she did not expect is the secret loss she feels now, yearning for the child she would never know. At first, I thought the narrative would continue exploring this heartbreaking thread, but then it switches tack, introducing Leonard Barrens, with whom Hana has a very special relationship. A police officer running an investigation into the violent death of his mentor, Barrens turns to her for help, and just like that the matter of her baby was relegated to the background, and doesn’t come back again until much later in the book. It was a bit maddening.

Still, I can never resist a good murder mystery and a hunt for a serial killer, in this case dubbed “Mincemeat”. But The Forever Watch isn’t your usual murder mystery either, since it doesn’t have that same dramatic tension. Granted, the book had a few surprises that hooked me in, but otherwise the plot could barely hold my attention from all the scientific jargon and unnecessary exposition which was all white noise distracting me from the main story. I felt no connection to either Hana or Barrens whose personalities were as sterile and rigid as their social environment – which might have been by design, but either way it did nothing for me. Consequently, I also didn’t care much for their romantic relationship.

The Forever Watch therefore gets high marks from me for innovation and world building, but unfortunately I am not too fond of the story or its execution. There were some great moments, but they were few and far between, not enough to generate any sustained momentum. Admittedly, the revelation at the end about Mincemeat and how everything was linked together was pretty mind-blowing, but because I place so much importance on storytelling and character development, the inconsistent pacing and my ambivalence towards Hana and Barrens ultimately made me less excited about the final outcome. I think other readers may find lots to like about this book, but in the end it just wasn’t for me.