Book Review: Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Orbit (January 31, 2017)
Length: 352 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
A crew of a compromised ship wake up to confusion and murder, with no memory of what came before. It’s not exactly a new premise, which is why when I first picked up Six Wakes, I thought I knew what I was in for—a mindless space adventure-thriller, with a bit of mystery thrown in perhaps. Turns out, I was wrong. Oh sure, the book had a little bit of this and a little dash of that, but it was also more than the sci-fi popcorn fare I had expected. Far, far, far from it, in fact.
The story begins on the Dormire, a generation starship carrying a cargo hold full of sleeping humans to the unspoiled paradise planet of Artemis. On the four-hundred-year journey it would take to travel to their destination, their lives would be safeguarded by IAN, the onboard AI. Six clones also make up the ship’s crew, all of them reformed criminals who are hoping to scrub their pasts clean and start their lives anew on Artimis: Katrina, the captain; Wolfgang, her second-in-command; Maria, the junior maintenance officer; Hiro, the programmer; Joanna, the medical officer; and Paul, the ship engineer. The opening scene is one of blood and terror when the six of them suddenly find themselves waking up in their cloning vats, with their minds downloaded into their new bodies—something that only happens if a clone’s previous incarnation has died.
Indeed, when they have recovered enough to find their bearings, they discover their old bodies floating around the ship in zero-G, all showing signs of violence. IAN has been knocked offline, explaining the lack of artificial gravity as well as the fact their ship is now off-course. To make matters worse, the cloning bay has been sabotaged so that the clones’ most up-to-date mindmaps cannot be accessed, and the food printer has also been reprogrammed to churn out poison. Since all the passengers in the hold are still in stasis, the implications clear: one of the six crew members had killed the others including themselves. And because their latest memories were retrieved from back-ups made decades ago from around the time they left earth, no one can remember what happened right before their deaths, so the killer can be any of them.
The more I think about it, the more I begin to think there are actually two sides to this novel. First, we have the obvious mystery aspect, which combines the suspense of a sci-fi thriller with the elements from a classic whodunit. Throw in the madness-inducing claustrophobia of knowing you are trapped on a spaceship with a group of criminals, any of whom are capable of murder—one of them has already killed you once, in fact—and the stage is set for a gripping psychological drama. To keep things interesting, the narrative also shifts between our six main characters, exploring not only who they are but also who they were in their past clone lives. Impressively, the tensions of the central mystery plot were kept up despite these frequent interludes and flashbacks.
Which brings me to second aspect of the story. While the publisher’s description might have sold us the idea that Six Wakes is nothing more than a murder mystery in space, the true nature of it is much more complicated and layered than that. Lafferty imagines a future in which humans can choose to clone themselves and transfer their mindmaps from iteration to iteration, effectively achieving a sort of immortality. Not surprisingly, this process is regulated heavily by a body of laws and a number of attached codicils to ensure that it is not abused. In exploring the characters’ pasts, the author not only addresses the ethics surrounding the cloning controversy, she also raises astute questions about our humanity by looking at the political and social ramifications on an individual as well as a societal level.
Personally, I love sci-fi stories like these, the ones that engage both the heart and the mind. I initially picked up Six Wakes expecting a straightforward mystery—some light entertainment, maybe a few twists and turns—but the book ended up being all that and more. Beneath the surface of its central premise, you’ll find a thought-provoking narrative that’s cleverly presented and well-crafted. Ultimately, Mur Lafferty has written novel that is more than it seems, engaging readers with a cast of unforgettable characters and a richly imagined plot. Six Wakes was a fun and rewarding experience all around and I cannot wait to read more by the author.
The BiblioSanctum 
I should try something by this author
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This was my first book by the author too, not counting her part in Bookburners.
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I was already interested in this book since the premise sounded great, and I also love thought-provoking stuff, so now I’m even more interested! I’ll have to give this one a read. Great review!
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It was awesome! This is the kind of sci-fi I love, fun and makes you think. Hope you enjoy!
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Sounds good…
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I recommend it 🙂
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Excellent. Time to start building up my long term tbr, so this goes on it…
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Should have requested this one is what I am hearing. I have been trying to up my sci-fi; especially smart science fiction that actually addresses tough questions.
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Six Wakes is exactly this kind of book. You won’t be disappointed.
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You know I loved this! I found it very cinematic and I think it would make an awesome movie:-D
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Or a TV show! I think that format would be perfect for the flashbacks, like LOST in that sense 🙂
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I’ve been looking for a story like this! First I watched the Syfy show Dark matter, which after a decent first episode becomes oh so boring. Then more recently I saw passengers, only to be disappointed again. I’m so glad that this one was actually good! Yay!
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Ah, true, it didn’t occur to me mention that it’s a very common premise in TV and movies too – though I haven’t seen any of the ones you mentioned 😀
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Wow! Sounds like I need to bump this one up my TBR list.
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I hope you get a chance to check it out!
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This… sounds really fascinating! *goes to put it on wishlist*
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Awesome! I hope you get a chance to read it 🙂
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I’m so impressed by the reviews of this one! And so glad to hear that you enjoyed it more than anticipated. Love it when that happens!
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Oh it’s the best! And also when a story turns out to be so much more 🙂
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I love books that surprise me by being more, much more than I expected them to be, and this seems to be the case here: the ethical problems concerning cloning would already be very intriguing, but once they are mixed with questions about virtual immortality I know I might be in for a great read. And I have a soft spot for mysteries in enclosed spaces… 🙂
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“Mysteries in enclosed spaces”… I was nodding enthusiastically as I read your comment because I know exactly what you’re talking about! There’s something so claustrophobic about space disaster movies or space murder mysteries, it sets the perfect atmosphere!
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Agree the aspects revolving around clone regulations and such were definitely intriguining
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That was one of the coolest aspects about this book, imo.
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I loved this one! The ramifications of cloning as a means of immortality were fascinating to me, and as much as I loved the murder mystery it was that aspect that made me really love it.
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Agreed! It was a fascinating and realistic look at the subject, one of the most detailed that I’ve read, and well thought out too.
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I used to listen to Mur’s podcast all the time!
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I didn’t realize she had a podcast!
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Yeah! It’s called “I Should Be Writing” http://murverse.com/podcasts/
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I’ve read some positive things for this one so it’s definitely on my ‘i’m looking at you list’.
Lynn 😀
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I’m so glad! Definitely put it on the list!
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There were a lot of layers to this one. I’m glad it was more than we were expecting! 🙂
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I know, right? It’s always nice to be surprised 🙂
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I am giddy with excitement about this one! I think I may just break down and buy it – something I don’t do unless I’m sure I’ll love a book OR its on major sale. From your review and others, I think the mix of Sci fi, psycholgical thriller, and mystery are definitely my cup of tea! I’ve also enjoyed Mur Lafferty’s short fiction in the past so…. Yup think I’m gonna buy this one!
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