Planetfall is a book that I’m late to the party of which seems to be a recurring theme for me lately.  But, late or not, I can say that I’m very glad I eventually arrived- I may have missed the speeches and the gift unwrapping but I managed to arrive in time for the cake.  And wow, what a cake.  It’s got multiple layers, the filling is character rich and the cherry on top of all of this is the emotional impact that the story delivered.  To be honest this book hit me with all the feelings, which was as extraordinary as it was unexpected and certainly not something I anticipated.

The story takes place on a far away planet where a small colony of people seem to have finally established themselves a lifestyle that on the face of things seems perfect.  A utopia.  Their knowledge and creativity has taken them forward in leaps and bounds and they live in a self sustaining community that is environmentally friendly and has a low carbon footprint.  But.  Of course there’s a but.  Below the surface the little community is built on a foundation of lies, lies that are finally threatening to break through the surface in the most dramatic way.

Renata Ghali (Ren) is the main protagonist of the piece and as the story starts she is called to a situation by the Ringmaster of the community to help with a possible problem.  A lone traveller is approaching the colony.  How he’s managed to survive by himself is a mystery in itself but also the fact that this stranger could reveal secrets about the community and the deceits that help to prop up their world is the real fear.  Basically this stranger bears an uncanny resemblance to Suh-Mi – the person with the original vision about the planet and the one who created such strength of faith that people were prepared to brave the unknown to follow her.  Suh-Mi has been, well, not really missing, absent, for many years.  She is believed to be communing with God and each year she sends the residents a message through a seed pod within the walls of ‘God City’ – an alien structure that sits next to the colony and is something of an enigma to them all even now.

So, briefly.  The sci-fi in the book is really pretty cool.  I’m not really going to explain it in great detail, the people live in pods that are printed (using 3D printers).  They’re covered in moss and have highly technical functions all connected to the technological advances of the time (you’ll have to forgive me but I couldn’t help but picture hobbit holes!).  3D printers help to maintain the lifestyle of the colony and a constant cycle of recycling to help reprint more necessities.  It’s only very briefly explored.  Basically, the people have lived here for many years and there way of life is now established.  It’s not the main focus of the story, just like the space travel also isn’t involved.  It’s only relevance is in the everyday lives of the people within the community.  I like this.  It’s an established place, Newman doesn’t try to explain nor does she over simplify – it just is what it is.

Then we have the community themselves and this for me is the winning element of the story because you can take a bunch of people off the planet earth in search of bliss but basically they’re still people, warts and all.  That’s the beauty of this book.  It’s character driven and the characters are flawed, not always likable but understandable.  You also have to bear in mind that this is a small, close knit community.  It feels like everyone is living on top of each other and to an extent they are.  It’s the sort of small community where fear lives with the residents daily and anything that threatens their lifestyle could be the tipping point for the ‘mob’ to break out, pitchforks, torches and all.

The other winning element to this story is the mystery. Which is two fold – in fact threefold.  There’s the mystery of what happened when everyone originally arrived on the planet.  Only Ren and the ‘Ringmaster’ know of this secret and it’s becoming more and more difficult to keep under wraps.  On top of that Ren seems to have other secrets of her own and the pressure of keeping so many things hidden is beginning to take its toll and finally there’s the mystery of the lone stranger.  What is he planning?  Is he friend or foe?

Underlying all of this is a really powerful look at mental health issues which escalate in a very dramatic way.  Ren herself is suffering from a condition that she’s managed to keep hidden but her own paranoia, her almost ‘teetering on the edge of a panic attack’ and her privacy and self driven loneliness are all there for people to see.  On a regular basis though people just don’t take the time to look.  It takes the arrival of a stranger to drum up new tensions and act as a catalyst for exposure.  And, wow, when that eventually happens it really does pack a punch.  Oh Ren!  I wanted to help her, I wanted to shout at the rest of the community to leave her alone.  I just so felt for her.  Such a powerfully written scene.

The only criticism I really have is the ending.  It felt a little bit rushed and almost, well, it didn’t feel like the rest of the story.  I can’t really describe why.  And, I’m not entirely sure that I understand what really happened – or if I’m totally happy with it.

In spite of that one blip – and I can genuinely say it hasn’t spoiled the book for me at all – I thoroughly enjoyed this and was totally absorbed.  I can’t wait to read more.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy received through Netgalley.  The above is my own opinion.