Some books I read and think, "I cannot wait to rave about this book to anyone and everyone." And the next thought is, "how will I do it justice?" The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley had me thinking both of those as I finished. It's a deceptively straightforward military science fiction novel, that packs a much deeper and thought-provoking punch.
"They said the war would turn us into light.
I wanted to be counted among the heroes who gave us this better world. That's what I told the recruiter. That's what I told my first squad leader. It's what I told every CO, and there were...a couple. And that's what I'd tell myself, when I was alone in the dark, cut off from my platoon, the sky full of blistering red fire, too hot to send an evac unit, and a new kid was squealing and dying on the field.
But it's not true."
In the future a number of massive corporations have taken the place of government and run everything on Earth. They are aiming for the same on Mars where they have met resistance. The war with Mars has led to devastation of whole cities on Earth and a never-ending need for soldiers. But in order to move the soldiers across the massive distances of space, they need to travel at the speed of light. And that's what they become. The Corps have developed the technology to break them down into particles of light and then re-generate them as physical matter at their destination. That technology is not without dangers (this isn't the Enterprise's transporter here). Soldiers can rematerialize inside other matter or come back with their own parts not in the correct configuration. For some the effect isn't physical, it's mental. Some begin to experience fluctuations in realities and timelines, but because no one believes them, are left to wonder if they're losing their minds. Private Dietz is one of this Light Brigade. They signed up for the military to fight the Martians and to be a paladin for good, but as Dietz's missions become increasingly confusing, they begin to question the story of the war the Corps are telling them. Are they on the side of virtue? Is their war just? They struggle to find truth in a world where all information is strictly controlled. They realize they "might never know what really happened here. War was all about the annihilation of truth. Every good dictator and CEO knows that."
The wisdom of war, or lack thereof, is a major theme here (and it's a brutal, deadly endeavor), but so too is the question of freedom and the illusion of choice.
“The corps were rich enough to provide for everyone. They chose not to, because the existence of places like the labor camps outside Sao Paulo ensured there was a life worse than the one they offered. If you gave people mashed protein cakes when their only other option was to eat horseshit, they would call you a hero and happily eat your tasteless mash. They would throw down their lives for you. Give up their souls.”
This is powerful and tough, but there's also a thread of light and hope and though Dietz questions their role in the war, they may turn out to be a paladin after all.